I Can Admit When I'm Wrong

Winter Soldier 8-9
Marvel Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Michael Lark, artist

Previously, I criticized Brubaker for losing some of his energy for this book since it was already announced the book was ending.

Well, the book is NOT ending. Brubaker will be leaving after the next arc, but the title will continue on with another writer at the helm.

An even more serious error on my part, I was wrong about Brubaker's energy level. The first installment of this arc, "Broken Arrow," left me feeling like Brubaker was acting like a short-timer, but these final two installments have shown me the error of my pronouncement. This was a high-energy conclusion as Winter Soldier and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. try to track down a rouge former-sleeper agent who has kidnapped the Black Widow. The Widow is hardly a damsel in distress, but Leo Novokov, the architect behind this scheme against the Winter Soldier, has bigger plans for her than that. He manages to successfully brainwash her into attacking her former comrades.

My humblest apologies to Brubaker and crew for ever doubting them.

It Feels Like The Curtain Is Already Coming Down

Winter Soldier 5-6
Marvel Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Butch Guice and Michael Lark, artists

I talked about the first couple issues of this series here. That first issue especially made this seem like a great series continuing on the best from Brubaker's Captain America run. While the first arc, which continued through issue No. 5, was good, it wasn't quite as great as I'd hoped overall. The first arc revolves around some contemporary Marvel villains -- including the Red Ghost and his super gorillas -- reviving three Soviet sleeper agents trained during the Cold War by the Winter Soldier and using them to attack Victor von Doom. Naturally, S.H.I.E.L.D. pairs the Winter Soldier with the Black Widow to shut the scheme down.

As this first arc is winding down, we are reminded that there were three former Soviet sleeper agents, but only two are taking part in the Dr. Doom plot. Issue No. 6 answers the question of what happened to the third sleeper agent for both the readers and our heroes, while nicely setting up the next arc.

This title seems like it will end with issue No. 13, the conclusion of its third upcoming arc, and the departure of Brubaker from both Captain America and this book. As I said at the start of this post, the first arc wasn't bad -- it brought back some of the espionage elements that I very much enjoyed from the pages of Captain America and uses characters I enjoy reading about. But it is almost like Brubaker's enthusiasm for the title is already winding down. As great as his contributions to the legacy of these characters, maybe the time is right for Brubaker to be leaving these titles now.

Bittersweet Reading

Captain America (2011) 10
Marvel Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Alan Davis, artist

I have thoroughly enjoyed Ed Brubaker's run on this title. I came in late during the first Winter Soldier arc and had to seek out copies of the first few issues wherever I could find them. (Thankfully, I wasn't coming in too late to the party, and a local comic shop in my area, Hawg Head Comics, was able to get me set up with what I'd missed; thanks, Mike!)

Anyway, I've been with Brubaker since the beginnings of the rehabilitation of Bucky, the death and replacement of Cap, the return of Cap, the maskless Steve Rogers, the short period of time when Cap and Bucky shared the mantle, and now finally these wonderful arcs with rotating artists as the one, true Cap again wears the star-spangled uniform alone.

The bulk of Brubaker's run has also had more of an espionage feel to it that suits Captain America just as much as being a superhero because he is a soldier. Paired with Nick Fury, Sharon Carter and S.H.I.E.L.D., Cap's adventures should have more of a spy feel to them. Now with this most recent relaunch of the title, Brubaker has brought things full circle, making the Cap stories without Bucky, Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. more straight superhero adventuring. Cap works well in both settings, especially with Brubaker at the helm.

This issue brings the most recent arc, Powerless, to a close as Cap, Sharon and the Falcon finally defeat the new Queen Hydra and Machinesmith, restoring Cap back to full power and overcoming the effects of the madbombs the villains were using on the populace. The ongoing plot running through all 10 issues of this relaunch so far involves a former World War II ally of Cap's turned villain named Bravo. Bravo is a time-displaced hero much like Cap, but rather than spending the intervening years in suspended animation as Cap did, Bravo was helplessly stuck in another dimension. He blames Cap for that situation and is back trying to wreak revenge on the Avenger.

All of this makes for thoroughly enjoyable reading, as I said before, so why "bittersweet?" Because I know that in less than 10 more issues, Brubaker's run will be coming to a close. I will miss this title once he is no longer at the helm, and each wonderful new issue brings that end that much closer.

"From The Pages Of ..."

Winter Soldier 1-2
Marvel Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Butch Guice, artist

Ed Brubaker accomplished a great many things with his incredible run on Captain America (A run which is just wrapping up with Brubaker's departure after scripting Cap's adventures for eight years.), but if you wanted to sum that run up in just a few words, those words would have to be: Brubaker brought back Bucky.

Yes, it's true Brubaker's run also saw Steve Rogers -- Captain America -- killed, but we all knew Steve would be back, and sure enough, he is. But Brubaker's run took one of the pillars of comics continuity, the fact that Cap's World War II partner, Bucky Barnes, was dead, and changed that reality. Through the course of the first 20 issues of Brubaker's run, we learned that the Soviets recovered Bucky's body, reanimated it, replaced the broken parts with cybernetics, and reprogrammed Bucky's brain to make him the ultimate assassin. They renamed him the Winter Soldier and kept him in suspended animation, reviving him only briefly for specific missions over the years. Few people left alive had glimpsed the Winter Soldier in the intervening decades, thus the assassin's true identity was not known.

Brubaker wove a narrative wherein Cap discovers the true identity of the Winter Soldier and sets out to rescue his former partner. He succeeds in not only finding Bucky and freeing him from his controllers, but also in restoring Bucky's memory of his true identity and all of the crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier. As if that weren't enough to deal with for the former sidekick, it isn't long after these events that the Red Skull and his agents appear to have succeeded in slaying Captain America, and Bucky must also deal with that grief.

For a time after Steve Rogers' death, Bucky picked up the shield and mask and became Captain America, not so much because he felt worthy to do so but more to keep someone else from doing so and disgracing the memory of his friend. While serving as the new Cap, Bucky and several other heroes learned that Steve Rogers was not dead, but merely "dislodged in time" (Just go with it, or better yet, pick up the issues and read 'em; they're good stuff!). They rescue him and for a very brief time, there were two Captain Americas in the Marvel Universe.

Now, Bucky has again adopted the name Winter Soldier, but this time he's working to make up for the things he did while under Soviet control. These first two issues read very much like some of the better issues of Captain America under Brubaker's hand. Even the artwork is similar as Butch Guice was one of the frequent Cap artists during Brubaker's run. Along with Bucky is the Black Widow, another former Soviet operative now working with America's forces. This book reads like a natural continuation of what Brubaker started, and I imagine it will continue to do so as long as he helms the adventures.

Strolling Down Memory Lane

Captain America & Bucky 622-625
Marvel Comics
Ed Brubaker and Marc Andreyko, writers
Chris Samnee, artist

These are the final three issues of this arc looking back at the history of Bucky's partnership with Captain America and continuing through some revelations about his time as the Winter Soldier. This book continues the numbering from the previous Captain America series and is featuring rotating co-writers with Ed Brubaker and rotating artists for each arc.

This look back at Bucky's history isn't so much an everything-you-know-is-wrong retcon as comics are somewhat notorious for. Rather, Brubaker and Andreyko craft several solo stories narrated by the modern Bucky about his past relationships with Cap, the Invaders and Black Widow, among others, which serve to flesh out the character -- especially his current incarnation as created by Brubaker -- and add some welcome depth to Bucky's backstory. Nothing here contradicts what has come before, but rather adds to the mythology, building on what other creators have done.

That isn't a new idea; in fact, it's a convention that is quite popular now (and much appreciated by this longtime fan). Comics don't always get credit for building on what has gone before, but when done right, these kinds of stories give continuity a good name.

Well done, all!

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On a housekeeping note, I think the Tuesday/Friday schedule is working well enough that I want to add a third post each week. Sunday would seem to be the next natural day to add, so check back here this Sunday for another all-new post in addition to the ones on Tuesday and Friday. Hope to see you then!