A birthday tribute to one of comics’ greatest writers… — UPDATED 4/22/26: Steve Englehart turns 79! Perfect time to reprint this piece from his birthday in 2022. Dig it! — Dan — By JIM BEARD As a young comic book reader, I was fortunate to have some really great stories right off the bat, stories that have stuck with me all these years. One of those tales is the Secret Empire saga by writer Steve Englehart. How cool is it that my very first issue of Captain America plunged me into a story that not only cemented my perception of Cap as a character for all time, but also introduced me to what would become two of my most favorite Marvel heroes, the Falcon and the Black Panther? It’s Steve Englehart’s birthday (he was born 79 years ago on April 22, 1947) and I can think of no greater tribute to him today than a personal look at this saga—and a saga it is, one that stretches across the Marvel Universe, is pencilled by the great Sal Buscema, and made an 8-year-old kid believe a man could sling a shield in defense of his country and beat the baddies at every turn. Here are 13 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT STEVE ENGLEHART’s SECRET EMPIRE SAGA: — 1. Cap. I must’ve known who Captain America was before my dad bought me my first issue, but if I didn’t, I sure did after reading the Secret Empire story. Two things really stick out in my mind: Steve Rogers’ internal struggle over fighting police officers when he’s accused of murder, and his concern over deceiving people when he later goes undercover to investigate the plot against him. Those illustrated his character to me more than anything else. — 2. Falcon. I know I didn’t know who Sam Wilson was before this story, but I fell for him hard in short order. He was as cool as Cap, but in a different way, and I love that these are the issues where he got his wings and truly began to fly as his own person. — 3. Black Panther. This is also my introduction to T’Challa and the wondrous land of Wakanda. He’s not a major player in the story, but his presence along with Falcon opened my eyes to the idea of black...
A BIRTHDAY SALUTE to the legendary actor… — UPDATED 4/22/26: Hey, it’s Jack Nicholson’s 89th birthday! Time for our annual salute to the legendary actor’s Clown Prince of Crime! This piece first ran in 2016 in slightly altered form. Dig it. — Dan — You can thank me for Jack Nicholson’s Joker. Really, you can. When I was, I dunno, 10 or 11 — right around the time I was reading this — I would write to DC Comics with my dream cast for a Batman movie, and the only actor I wanted as the Joker was Jack Nicholson. Wouldn’t you know that a decade later, he was cast in Tim Burton’s Batman. So you’re welcome! By the way, if it were a Ra’s al Ghul movie, I’d want Christopher Lee as the Demon’s Head (click here for more on that coolness) and Caroline Munro as Talia (click here for more on that awesomeness). But back to the Joker. Jack Nicholson is 89 — he was born April 22, 1937 — and so I figured the best way to celebrate his birthday is with his 13 best quotes as the Clown Prince of Crime. I’m even going to rank them! Here goes: 13. “I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman.” 12. “Hello, Vinny. It’s your Uncle Bingo. Time to pay the check!” 11. “We have a flying mouse to kill, and I wanna clean my claws.” — 10. “Nice outfit.” 9. “I didn’t ask.” (OK, it was as Jack Napier. But still.) 8. “Rememberrrr youuuuu… are my Number One-uh… guyyyyy!” 7. “I’m glad you’re dead!” — 6. “My balloons. Those are my balloons. He stole my balloons! Why didn’t somebody tell me he had one of those… things?!” 5. “This town needs an enema!” 4. “You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?” 3. “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” 2. “You can call me… Joker. And as you can see, I’m a lot happier.” — 1. “Wait till they get a load of me.” — MORE — The Complete BATMAN ’89 WEEK Index. Click here. — 13 THINGS I Still Love About BATMAN ’89 (Mostly). Click...
A BIRTHDAY SALUTE to the Bard of Gotham, who’s turning 65…
With The Untold Legend of the Batman tabloid hitting shops, we imagine the possibilities…
