In a special This Week in Marvel / Women of Marvel two-parter, Ben, Judy and Lorraine speak to RUNAWAYS writer Rainbow Rowell about her new gig and how she got here! Tune in tomorrow for the second part of their interview with Rainbow on the Women of Marvel podcast.

Download episode #303.5 of This Week in Marvel from Marvel.com, check out Marvel Podcast Central, grab the TWiM RSS feed and subscribe to This Week in Marvel on iTunes or Soundcloud! Head over now to our new hub to listen to the full run of This Week in Marvel including our latest episode!

This Week in Marvel focuses on delivering all the Marvel info on news and new releases–from comics to video games to toys to TV to film and beyond! New episodes will be released every Tuesday and Thursday (or so) and TWiM is co-hosted by Marvel VP Executive Editor of Digital Media Ryan “Agent M” Penagos and Editorial Director of Marvel Digital Media Ben Morse with Manager, Video & Content Production: Blake Garris, Editor Marc Strom, and Assistant Editor Christine Dinh. We also want your feedback, as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes! Tweet your questions, comments and thoughts about TWiM to @AgentM, @BenJMorse, @blakegarris or @Marvel with the hashtag #ThisWeekinMarvel!

Secret Empire gave Sam Wilson a rough time—he gave up the mantle of Captain America and his best friend betrayed the country. Despite his hardships, Sam did not get deterred—and even returned to lift the shield when his allies needed him most.

On October 11, Sam enters the newest chapter of his story when Marvel Legacy takes flight with FALCON #1! Writer Rodney Barnes and artist Joshua Cassara oversee Wilson’s transition back to his classic winged identity as the hero takes on the role of mentor to The Patriot.

We met up with Joshua to talk about getting Wilson back in the air, working with Rodney Barnes, and bringing Patriot into the fold!

Marvel.com: Did working on Secret Empire give you a sense of Sam Wilson and where he might be after the event?

Joshua Cassara: Absolutely. I didn’t actually get to draw him in my chapters, but I followed the series very closely. The whole event took its toll on his psyche, and Secret Empire primed the pump for where we find Sam as he takes back the mantle as Falcon.

Marvel.com: Sam’s had a rough go of it ever since he took over as Captain America. How does that affect him in the pages of FALCON?

Joshua Cassara: As we start FALCON, we see Sam struggle with the fallout from Secret Empire. His foundations are still shaken as he reflects on his time as Captain America and his relationship with Steve Rogers—the person he trusted the most and would loyally follow into battle…only to find out he’d been lied to the entire time. It shattered his trust and he’s trying to make sense of it all while heading to the streets of Chicago to deal with some burgeoning chaos.

Marvel.com: What are the key elements to drawing this new Falcon costume? How do you balance the old and new?

Joshua Cassara: My favorite part about Alex Ross’ new design for Falcon was making the costume black with splashes of red. I think it reflects the darker tone of Sam’s headspace and where this series turns. I made sure to stock up on extra ink!

The wings are attached from his back and follow along his arms like the original costume, but they can also retract and be much shorter when he’s not flying or finds himself in tight quarters.

I love how Alex used the original designs and patterns on the shoulders, abdomen, and eye shield. He incorporated them so well into the new look, but kept that retro feel.

Marvel.com: The book also finds Sam training the new Patriot. How has it been putting your spin on this new character?

Joshua Cassara: I look at Patriot, A.K.A. Rayshaun Lucas, as the younger, idealistic version of Sam Wilson. While Sam seems disillusioned over the trials and tribulations he’s been through, the young Patriot acts as the beacon of optimism that keeps Sam from succumbing to his own demons.

It’s no accident that I drew Rayshaun like he could be Sam’s son.

Marvel.com: Falcon and Patriot will face off against Blackheart. What’s it like pitting these heroes against such a mystic threat?

Joshua Cassara: It’s what sold me on joining this series. I’m so excited to draw the mystical elements of this universe. I’ve never really been able to explore that before art-wise, so I look forward to the challenge.

I love the juxtaposition of the streets and violence of Chicago and then being whisked away to the dark, astral, celestial corners of the universe. Blackheart will be such a great villain; unlike anything Sam has ever faced. I’m really pumped to give my take on him.

Marvel.com: How has it been collaborating with Rodney on this project?

Joshua Cassara: Awesome. I love the direction Rodney’s taking this series—and again, that’s why I wanted to come aboard. He’s more than happy to incorporate some of the ideas or notes I have and he appreciates my contribution as I bring his script to life. He’s a true collaborator in every sense of the word. He comes from the world of film and TV, and while you see that influence in his style, he is one hell of a comic book writer. He’s legit.

Writer Rodney Barnes and artist Joshua Cassara’s FALCON #1 soars on October 11!

Even during a summer as full of great Marvel action as this one, fans hunger for the adventures of the best and brightest heroes and most dangerous and dastardly villains—and “Marvel Universe LIVE: Age of Heroes” satisfies that appetite like nothing else! Some celebrities and their families even came out to watch the show roll through Los Angeles on a tour that includes stops in Salt Lake City, Cleveland, and Chicago.

Drawn together by the call of Doctor Strange and the machinations of Nebula, the show features over 20 Marvel heroes and villains including—for the time in Marvel Universe LIVE! history—the Guardians of the Galaxy!

Featuring incredible stunts (including Spider-Man joining The Wasp to command the skies and Captain America boggling the mind on a motorcycle), amazing live special effects, and stunning video projection, the audience rides along on an adventure that takes them from the Savage Land to New York City with a staggering list of locales in-between!

“Marvel Universe LIVE: Age of Heroes” sees the bitter and rageful Nebula called on by Loki to steal the Wand of Watoomb in a plan that proves so dangerous that only the combined forces of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Spider-Man stand a chance of saving our planet and, perhaps, the universe at large.

Currently in California for all of August, the tour spreads out across the rest of the United States before ending in Missouri at the end of December 2018. “Marvel Universe LIVE: Age of Heroes” offers plenty of chances for fans across the US to see the spectacular adventure live for more than a year. Tickets for 2017 are available now and many 2018 dates will be available for purchase in September.

With “Marvel Universe LIVE: Age of Heroes,” the time has never been better to plan your family’s night of incredible adventure and intrigue!

1917 to 2017: 100 years of Kirby.

Join us this month to celebrate Jack “King” Kirby’s 100^th birthday by learning about the characters and stories he created that changed comics forever. To commemorate Jack’s centennial, we’ve sat down with the modern-day creators he influenced—and the decades of work he gifted us all.

For some, Jack Kirby’s artwork fit in seamlessly with the rest of their comic-reading habits. For artist David Baldeón, though, the artwork of “The King” proved so potent and captivating that he could only think of Kirby when it came to comics!

A devoted fan, Baldeón has drawn many of the same characters that gained life from Kirby’s pencils like Captain America and many of the pre-super hero monsters. He’s built off of the King’s work as well, with books like NOMAD and YOUNG ALLIES.

We talked with Baldeón about how Spanish reprints helped introduce him to Jack’s work, what that discovery did to his reading habits, and how he feels drawing some of Kirby’s most famous creations.

Marvel.com: How did you come to discover the King’s work and what struck you about it at the time?

David Baldeón: I discovered Kirby’s work before knowing it was actually Kirby’s. I guess it happens quite a bit when you’re a kid, but the Spanish editions of some Marvel Comics back in the day were not the best at crediting creators.

Anyway, I must have been 10 years old. I was already an avid comic book reader without giving much mind to where or from whom they came from. An issue of the FANTASTIC FOUR fell into my hands. It was the one in which The Thing ends up as the pirate Blackbeard, which I later learned was [Stan] Lee and Kirby’s [FANTASTIC FOUR] #5. I knew nothing; who those guys were, where they came from, what the hell was going on. I only knew it looked different; brash and energetic and fun and dramatic.

I never went back to my old comic books. I kept looking for that energy when I scanned through a new one, before buying. Kirby became the measure bar for every comic book I bought, without me really knowing his name.

Marvel.com: As a developing artist, did you take any inspiration or learn any lessons from looking at Kirby’s pages?

David Baldeón: Well, he was and is the standard. Even when you try to go in a different direction, his work very much determines that—precisely because you’re trying to not go Kirby! But if I have to say one thing, it goes back to what I said above: the lesson was the crisp energy, the clarity.

Marvel.com: NOMAD is an interesting book because it’s about an alternate-dimension version of Bucky. Did you look back at any classic Kirby Cap books when developing your take on Rikki Barnes?

David Baldeón: Funny thing is, back when I got the Nomad job—and it was my first kinda-sorta ongoing Marvel work!—I was going through some classic Cap in one of the editions I had collected. I kept going back to it because Steve Rogers and his man-out-of-time feel were a perfect companion to our “Girl Without a World,” Rikki. Of course, a good deal of those books being so powerful was Kirby’s work.

Marvel.com: Rikki carried over into YOUNG ALLIES, another book soaked in Marvel history while also looking fresh and current. How was it playing with those characters?

David Baldeón: It was like having a little taste of history. It was so in sync with everything I love about the [Marvel Universe]. And as you say, it sunk its roots deep and wide into Marvel history.

Marvel.com: Kirby also helped create many of the creatures seen in MONSTERS UNLEASHED. How fun has it been going back, looking at those designs, and rejuvenating them?

David Baldeón: Oh, that was fun. I must confess I knew way less about Kirby’s monsters than I thought and digging into that part of his work and finding out what he did, that was awesome. Even more when you start studying the designs, and capturing their essences and pour a bit of that into the book. That’s when you learn that some things only worked when it was him doing them. It certainly does not make the work less fun, but it makes you admire him even more.

Stay tuned to Marvel.com for more throughout Kirby Month and beyond! And join the conversation on all of our social channels with the hashtag #Kirby100.