| Title | : | Captain America: Winter SoldierUltimate Collection |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785143416 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785143413 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 304 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2010 |
Racing against these bombs' rapidly ticking clocks, the Star-Spangled Avenger must not only solve the mystery of his nemesis' murder, but find the Cube before it can be used in the Red Skull's malevolent plot against the United States!
Then, the questions plaguing Captain America's dreams and memories have been answered in the most brutal way possible. And in the wake of this brutality, General Lukin makes his first all-out assault - tearing open old wounds and threatening to make new scars that will never heal!
Collecting: Captain America 1-9, 11-14
Captain America: Winter SoldierUltimate Collection Reviews
-
Outstanding story!
This TPB “Ultimate Collection” edition collects both “Winter Soldier” Vols. 1 & 2, previously published separate. It features “Captain America” #1-9, #11-14. The comic book issue #10 isn’t included due being a tie-in issue of the event “House of M” non-related to the storyline developed here.
Creative Team:
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Illustrators: Mike Epting, Mike Perkins, Michael Lark & John Paul Leon
SIDEKICKS… MARVEL’S STYLE
The official story said he was a symbol to counter the rise of the Hitler Youth… and there was some truth to that, but like all things in war, there was a darker truth underneath. Bucky did the things I couldn’t. I was the icon. I wore the flag… but while I gave speeches to troops in the trenches… He was doing what he’d been trained to do… and he was highly trained. He wouldn’t’ve been out there with us if he wasn’t.
James Buchanan Barnes aka Bucky wasn’t the first comic books’ teenager sidekick, not even the first of Marvel (known as Timely Comics in the 40s), since DC’s Robin appeared in April 1940, and Toro (Original Human Torch’s sidekick) appeared in the fall of that same year, while Bucky appeared for the first time in March 1941, almost a year later than DC’s Robin.
Bucky was created by Joe Simon & Jack “King” Kirby, the same creative team responsible of the creation of Captain America, in fact, Bucky appeared at the same time than Cap in their first issue of Captain America Comics #1.
While it was clear that DC Comics was eager to assign a teenager sidekick to almost any relevant superhero in its roster; Marvel was more seldom about it. Stan Lee commented once that he found illogical to put, intentionally, underage kids in the line of danger. It’s curious that the introduction of teenager sidekicks in comic books was a ruse of the publishing houses to make more appealing to kids the comic books, having characters of their same age and therefore that the kids would want to be like them. I don’t know, everybody thinks differently, but at least in my humble case, when I was a kid and I was reading comic books… I didn’t want to be dang teenager sidekick! Why I would like to be the sidekick if I could be the hero?!
Ed Brubaker conceives a brilliant story, redefining the use of sidekicks… Marvel’s Style!
Bucky, at WWII, wasn’t a too young kid anymore, now then he was about to be 17 years old (an age that many soldiers had at that time), and while he didn’t have a Super-Soldier formula treatment, he got an extreme combat training (way better than most of regular drafted soldiers, and specialized in certain tactics not proper to use for Captain America, the public icon). So, instead of having Captain America to go around with a kid in the middle of war zones, now then he had a really well trained soldier, barely 4 years younger than Cap.
Not a kid sidekick anymore…
...a combat partner, a brother-in-arms.
And that…
…was just the beginning of this story, rewriting the past, present and future of Captain America!
IT’S NOT EASY TO BE CAPTAIN AMERICA
I see the war. My war. After all this time. I still dream about foxholes in the black forest… Still hear the screams of terrified soldiers, smell their blood and tears… I still dream about Bucky. Him and all the others I couldn’t save…
Steve Rogers aka Captain America. A lone man, out of time. He was the greatest hero in WWII, inspiring several generations since then to protect his country from any foe, domestic or foreign. He fell in battle. He supposed to be dead. However, America’s history weren’t done with him. He was trapped in ice for decades, and now, in a world that it’s not the one that he knew, a world where everybody whom he knew were long gone, Captain America must battle again, but recognizing who is a friend and one is a foe isn’t so simple anymore.
Captain America never hesitated against threats like Nazis, Red Skull, Baron Zemo, Arnim Zola, Hydra, MODOK, AIM, Crossbones, etc… but now US Government have economic deals with scumbags like former Soviet General Aleksander Lukin, a very dangerous scumbag with a Cosmic Cube in his hands, making Cap to doubt if this is the same America that he left in the 40s…
Captain America will need as many allies as possible: SHIELD, Falcon, Iron Man… but even with those reinforcements, with his own combat training, his tactical experience, his Super-Soldier powers, nothing have prepared him to face the most complicated enemy of his career…
…the mysterious Winter Soldier!
Steve Rogers won’t be the same anymore.
You thought to know Captain America’s history. You thought wrong. You knew nothing.
Only for your eyes. The declassified files of the legacy of Captain America! -
Also reviewed for
Addicted2Heroines
With the movie coming out, I thought I'd revisit the Winter Soldier storyline. And I was surprised by what I found.
First, that I'd only read volume one. So I decided to go whole hog (where does that saying even come from anyway?), and get two volumes in one shot with the Ultimate Collection.
Second, that at the time I originally read it, I had no idea how awesome it really was. Maybe I just hadn't read enough crappy graphic novels yet?
Who knows?
Whatever the reason, I don't remember being blown away by the storytelling like I was this time around. And I was. Blown. Away.
Now, I honestly can't imagine that anyone would consider this a spoiler since this title is over ten years old, but there's always some whiny bitch who complains...
You know who you are!
So.
If you don't know who the Winter Soldier is, and don't want me to spoil the BIG SECRET for you?
Stop reading this review.
Right now.
Alright then.
If you want to find a good Captain America story, find Brubaker's stuff. He's the best when it comes to this character, in my opinion. The first time I really noticed his awesomeness was after I read The Death of Captain America story arc. I remember getting all misty-eyed at the end. That's admittedly embarrassing, especially over a comic book character that you know isn't going to stay dead.
Dear God, when Tony gave his speech at the end?
Shit. I'm getting all choked up...
Anyway.
This starts off with a flashback to Red Skull and General Lukin meeting up to buy/trade WMD's with each other, and then switches over to present day where Red Skull's newest plan to Take Over The World! is in full swing.
And that's a running theme in this book. Flashbacks, I mean. Which can be pretty distracting if they're not done right, but Brubaker does an excellent job here. Everything flows together in a way that makes sense.
So Red Skull has a cosmic cube, and with it, he intends to...do evil things, of course. So he's the villain for this story.
BZZZZZ! WRONG!
Gotcha!
Big upset, right off the bat! Man, totally forgot about that thing that happened!
So, Red Skull, not a player in this story anymore.
Or is he?
Moving on to the main event!
Bucky is back! And not only is he back, but he's evidently been a major player for decades without anyone realizing who he was. He's a ghost, a myth, the bogeyman of covert ops world.
Nice.
Bringing Bucky Barnes back isn't something super-special in itself, only because almost every dead comic book character comes back from the grave at one time or another.
No, it's the way Brubaker brings him back to life that shows off his talent. I mean, how the hell do you explain why a 16 year old kid is fighting in a war alongside Captain America? With the government's stamp of approval, no less! He also makes it clear that Bucky was not simply there to look cute in his mask while posing next to Cap. He was, in reality, the business end of the team when it came to wetworks on their missions.
In fact, he was so good at his job that the Russians who found his body, originally thought his DNA might hold the key to the super-serum. But, no. He was just a naturally gifted fighter, who had already been trained to be an assassin.
Bucky the Assassin!
Whodathunkit?!
Brubaker. Obviously.
Ok. So the bad guys (in this case, a shadow agency of the KGB) pulled a one-armed (mostly) dead Barnes out of freezing water, shortly following an explosion that left everyone thinking he was (totally) dead. He was successfully revived, but without any memories of his former self. Thus, making it easy for the villains to reprogram him as...Winter Soldier.
Muahahahahahahaha!
So for years, he would be sent out on missions to assassinate targets, and then promptly get stuffed back into one of those stasis containers. You know, with the glass front, the bubbling liquid, and the wires sticking off of the person inside?
Which I can't help but giggle over, because I always think of a frozen Austin Powers when I see one of those things now.
Putting Bucky in stasis over the years helps with two things, at least from a reader's perspective.
First, and most importantly, it explains why he is still young.
Second, it gives you a reason to hope that the real Bucky is still in there somewhere.
Why?
Apparently, if he was awake too long he started showing signs that his memory might be resurfacing.
Maybe. Sort of.
They weren't really sure, but why take chances, right?
Go on...hop on in the glass cylinder big guy...that's it...watch your head now...
Anyway, there's more to the story than just the return of another cool sidekick.
You've also got Steve and Sharon working together again.They're over each other, but not over-over each other. So let's stick 'em together in an intense situation and see what shakes out of that tree!
Then there's the cosmic cube itself. What does it do, and how is it going to affect the outcome of everything?
Finally, we get to Lukin. He's an awesome bad guy, mostly because he isn't over in a corner somewhere cackling to himself. Sure, he's evil. But he's not evil just for the sake of being evil. He considers himself a patriot, and his goal is to restore Mother Russia to her former glory...not bring about the zombie apocalypse.
This was great.
Seriously, if you haven't read it? Go get it!
And if you have read it before, it might be time for a re-read. Just sayin'.
Highly Recommended! -
The Red Skull acquires a Cosmic Cube, only to be murdered before he can use it and the killer seems to be someone Captain America thought dead since World War II. Can Captain America and Agent 13 unravel the mystery of the Winter Soldier and the Cosmic Cube before whomever possesses the Cube gets a chance to use it?
Fresh off of reading Gotham Central, I was ready for more Brubaker and I sure got it! When I first started reading Ed Brubaker last century with
A Complete Lowlife, I had no idea he'd be one of the top guys in comics.
Back in the day, there were two Marvel books I held above all others. Forget about X-Men or anything featuring Wolverine's over-exposed ass. They were the Fantastic Four and Captain America. I have most of Mark Gruenwald's run on Cap, as well as a few issues in the early 100 range. Will Brubaker's run eclipse Gruenwald's in my eyes? It already has.
Brubaker's run kicks off with a bang. The Red Skull is dead and Bucky is alive? Wow. Most of the rest of the story is Captain America coming to grips with the fact that Bucky is the Winter Soldier, an assassin working for the Russians, and searching for the Cosmic Cube.
I thought the flashbacks really helped make the story. Bucky kicking ass whenever he showed up, only to fade away again, helped build the suspense to the inevitable showdown with Captain America.
Any gripes? Only that the confrontation I waited twelve issues for was pretty quick. This is right on the edge of being a five star book. -
This is arguably the greatest Captain America story ever written. Ed Brubaker did what no one else could have imagined; he brought back Captain America’s World War II sidekick, Bucky Barnes. Bucky was on a short list of Marvel characters that nobody wanted revived. Here Brubaker’s writing rises to the challenge and exceeds it. The accompanying artwork is evocative and captures the spirit of the story.
The story revolves around possession of the Cosmic Cube, something that grants the user ultimate power. The Cube here is greatly underpowered and in the pocket of the Red Skull, a villain who is considered Captain America’s greatest foe. Assorted machinations lead to the reveal of the identity of the Winter Soldier.
As a kid, I remembered reading reprints of the World War II era stuff created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. I remember picking up a trash can lid and hurling it like Captain America’s shield. I also remember learning how to install a pane of glass as a consequence. -
Ed Brubaker revisits Cap's past by writing an alternate history to his sidekick, Bucky, in The Winter Soldier. Originally dead from an explosion over the English Channel pursuing the evil Baron Zemo during WW2, Brubaker imagines Bucky surviving the blast and being turned into a cyborg assassin, brainwashed into fighting for the Russians. Steve Epting's art is ridiculous - it's just so good! And his character design of the Winter Soldier is brilliant, with the mechanical arm and neo-terrorist look being faithfully replicated in the upcoming movie.
Unlike the movie though, the plot centres around an evil Russian general and the cosmic cube taking over the world through purchasing American land, which works really well in the book but I don't see ANOTHER Cap movie centring around the cosmic cube so I expect that plot element to be jettisoned. From what I've seen of the movie so far though, they're using a lot of the book in the movie - Crossbones (one of Red Skull's lieutenants), the Falcon (one of Cap's old friends), certain scenes like Bucky punching Cap's shield with his mechanical arm - but it doesn't look like Hugo Weaving's returning as Red Skull so, even though he's in the book, he probably won't be in the film.
But enough talk of the movie! The book is awesome, so even if the film winds up sucking next year, at least we have Brubaker and Epting's great Cap story. And Brubaker should really be congratulated simply for writing a readable and fun Captain America book - off the top of my head, I don't think there are any great Cap books besides this! But it's more than that. We understand Cap's loss a lot more, seeing his friendship with Bucky in far more detail than in other books during the many flashbacks set during WW2, and understand how close they were and why it was so painful for Cap to lose him.
While it's recognisably a superhero book, Brubaker's written it in a very sophisticated way so that it reads like an espionage thriller with double agents, real historical events, unexpected emotional depth, and superhero action all thrown into the mix. Epting's accomplished art gives the book a gloriously realistic appearance while the muted colour palette perfectly suits the serious tone of the book. Cap might be looked at as an anachronistic, even outdated character, and dressed kinda silly, but Brubaker and Epting make him look like a tragic figure, which isn't something I usually respond to (miserable superheroes are DC's speciality, not Marvel's) but it's the right approach for this book. With Bucky's backstory that involves remaining youthful after decades, getting a robot arm, being brainwashed, and so on, it would be too easy to undermine if Brubaker was anything less than completely serious in his approach.
The only complaint I would give the book is that it feels overlong at times. The middle of the book sags a bit especially as Brubaker takes several tangents to explore every angle of Cap's long and varied history (taking in other Captain Americas who filled in for Steve Rogers while he was frozen in ice). But it's a minor complaint when so much of the book is so well done in every way.
With The Winter Soldier, Brubaker writes the best Captain America book ever while also resurrecting a forgotten character, giving Bucky a new lease on life and turning him from an easily mocked sidekick into a brilliantly realised and transformed new character, and a superhero in his own right. The Winter Soldier is a great read and anyone (and I used to fall in this category) who thinks Cap only works in team books, should pick this up to see him carry the story brilliantly. -
The Soviets have used a seemingly ageless assassin for over 50 years known as The Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier hasn't been seen in decades, but now he's back working for General Lukin and he's stolen the Cosmic Cube for him. Captain America is working tirelessly tracking the cube and in the process he crosses paths with the mysterious Winter Solider.
So the big reason I read Captain America Winter Solider is because the film with basically the same title is currently my favorite film in the Marvel MCU. The comic and the film are quite different from one another though. There was no awesome scene like this :
In fact the only story point that remains somewhat similar is The Winter Soldier's back story. Otherwise it's totally different so in case you feel like watching the movie is good enough, it really isn't.
This story revolves around General Lukin, his ambitions, the Cosmic Cube, and of course The Winter Soldier. This cube can be held safely unlike it's movie counterpart.
The story was good although a bit confusing since I don't really know the extent of the Cosmic Cube's abilities. The Winter Soldier is certainly a character worthy of pity. I can't imagine having your head scrambled like he did and being pressed into service against your will.
-
Probably the best of Brubaker's work for Marvel that I've read so far - I've also enjoyed his Daredevil, X-Men, and other Cap stories - though his gritty Gotham Central cop series for DC is still my favorite.
Have you seen the 2014 movie? Silly question, probably - it was a decent (if slightly over-long, as superhero blockbusters are routinely becoming) flick. Now do yourself a favor and read the graphic novel. Other than the startling reappearance of the title character - a.k.a James 'Bucky' Barnes, Cap's WWII sidekick who was long thought to be deceased - the storyline is different but in a good way. Brubaker scripts an interesting tale and keeps things moving (very important in 300-page collection of thirteen individual issues) -- lots of action and suspense, dialogue that advances the plot and doesn't seem like a chore to read, and an appropriate nostalgic tone in the fleeting flashback moments. If not for a 'recommend' from a GR friend I probably would've passed this over (!). -
This gem of a graphic novel is often overshadowed by the movie. It should not be as this is, by far, the superior tale.
Brubaker tells an exciting tale about a blast from Cap's past. Aleksander Luskin is an former KGB officer who has a revanchist vision of the Soviet Union. During World War II after Bucky was ostensibly killed, Luskin is able to recover his body. Mind-wiped and given a titanium arm Bucky becomes the infamous Winter Soldier.
This story brings the Winter Soldier out of hibernation to restart his personal Cold War by targeting Captain America. Enjoy a well written mystery-action story in which Cap tries to unravel the mystery of the Winter Soldier. The artwork is excellent and is a great asset to this tale. Throw in Nazis, Communists, the Red Skull, etc and you have a story far superior to the Hollywood take. Do yourself a favor and read a wonderful Captain America story. Highly recommended for any fan of a good story. -
6.5/10
Nice story with a strong beginning but with predictable moments and a cliché villain.
Το Winter soldier είναι καλό αλλά θα μπορούσε να είναι καλύτερο. Η ιδέα της επαναφοράς του Bucky ( Πολέμησε μαζί με τον Καπ στον β' παγκόσμιο και θεωρήθηκε ) μετά από τόσα χρόνια και μάλιστα με το μέρος των κακών της υπόθεσης είναι εξαιρετική. Ο Καπ αφού μαθαίνει πως ο Winter soldier είναι ο παλιός του φίλος, προσπαθεί να καταλάβει τι ακριβώς γίνεται. Υπάρχουν και άλλα μυστήρια που πρέπει να λυθούν και καθώς εξελίσσεται η ιστορία παίρνουμε σιγά σιγά τις απαντήσεις.
Εκεί πού υστερεί η ιστορία είναι στους κακούς. Δεν υπάρχει καμία πρωτοτυπία, οι Ρώσοι ( μια μικρή ομάδα από αυτούς για την ακρίβεια ) θέλουν να κατακτήσουν τον κόσμο κλπ. Τα έχουμε δει και διαβάσει χιλιάδες φορές πλέον. -
Damn! Best Captain America story ever!
Everything about this one is amazing from Brubaker’s story to Epting’s art. Cap’s past struggles and regrets turning this tale of the Winter Soldier into a multi-layered action adventure with enough depth and surprises to make rereads a requirement. -
"Bucky?"
"Who the hell is Bucky?"
NOBODY TOUCH ME!
I did a reread.
It was a bad decision.
I am emotionally compromised.
-
Bullet Review:
Pretty decent.
I started getting interested with Cap because of the movies; many of my well-versed comic book friends recommended this as one of the best Cap storylines. In that, I wasn't disappointed. Very strong story, fascinating look at Cap, Falcon, Sharon, and others.
I was disappointed at how few women there were, a bit overwhelmed with the complex story and backstory that I didn't know, and then there were plotlines that disappeared (namely, Red Skull's daughter).
Also, weird this volume compiled issues 1-9 and then 11-14. What happened to issue 10?
But still, great story by Brubaker (very impressive writer!), decent art (though some places it looked weird), and good characters. I would say, if you read one Captain America comic, this should be the one. (Can't say I feel compelled to read any and every Cap story myself.) -
The film cannot come out soon enough. I need more Cap in my life. I have a wishlist of things I would like to see directly translated from book to movie -- though many things will have to be changed, of course, to fit with MCU canon, there should be room for stuff like the "who the hell is Bucky?" moment. I'm looking forward to Falcon, who I haven't seen before reading this TPB.
I also have a list of things I don't want to happen, like that ending where Bucky just disappears leaving Steve believing he might be dead. Aaaah.
So in short, Brubaker is an amazing writer for Captain America -- there are some moments where he just nails everything Steve is. The art's good, too, and it all comes together really well in terms of pacing.
I don't really get people who don't like Steve. I mean, I can see plenty of reasons not to like the character, but the nobility and drive of him... It gets me right in all my feels. -
Originally I was going to rate this 4.5 stars, but after some thought I decided why shouldn't this deserve the 5-star-rating treatment? It was awesome.
And the afterword by Brubaker along with his original proposal to Marvel's Brevoort (included in my edition) made me give this the highest of fives.
I just love my copy, you guys.
It was love at first sight. -
3.0 stars. I have elsewhere reviewed the individual volumes of the Winter Soldier story-lines in more detail so all I will say here is that I liked the first half better than the second half. Overall, it is still an enjoyable read with excellent art, but I think the potential is there for teh series to be much better.
-
This week's buddy read with the Shallow Comics Readers is Sidekicks!!
After about two years of everyone raving about Brubaker's Captain America run, I finally picked this up to read for Sidekicks week. I bought it about six months ago, so I was just waiting for the right time. The wait was worth it.
Other than the very basic Captain America information, I don't know a whole lot about the character. I didn't read CA for very long when I was younger, although I do remember he ran for president or something around issue #250. He seemed, however, a bit boring, a bit too white bread and conservative, and although I enjoyed reading him in Avengers, his solo tales never hit it for me.
In this book, the reader doesn't need to know a lot of Cap's history. Using flashbacks, Brubaker fills in the things we need to know, but it's not excessive or tedious. Instead, we get a very finely woven tale, with some jumps in time, scenery, and characters, and it all works. Great characterization of Cap, Col Fury, Red Skull, and Agent 13, as well as Jack Monroe.
The sidekick comes into play here because of the Winter Soldier, who is actually Cap's presumed-long dead partner from WW2, Bucky. Through manipulations by the Red Skull and a former Soviet general, Bucky gets put through his paces until he finally crosses paths with Captain America.
This is the Ultimate Collection, so it's a big book, thirteen issues in all, and it never gets bogged down. The pacing is quick without being rushed. The art is clear and distinct between the various artists, so it's pretty easy to tell which artist did what.
I've ordered the next couple Ultimate volumes, and I know I won't be waiting six months this time to check them out. (less) -
The movie version is better on pretty much every level, they improved so many aspects of the story, but you can't deny Brubaker's mastery, the style is all his, but the art dragged it down for me, really not a fan, it looks too muddy, though the poses are well done.
-
The Winter Soldier story arc, is one of the great Marvel story arcs and it is fitting that the movie based upon the arc has been one of the best films of this year.
The reason why this story arc is so important and great is best summed up by the words of the author in the afterword. In which he notes that there are some motivating characters - Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy (I could include Batman's parents) who just don't come back from the dead. And that's because to do so would lessen the motives of the main heroes. Yet, what Ed Brubaker did in the entire Winter Soldier story was to bring a character back from the dead - in order to show that Captain America truly is a character haunted by the past.
If you know the story from the film then there will be only a few surprises in this story arc. What you should pay attention to, while reading then, is a)the artwork, b)the extra details - like the cosmic cube and the Red Skull, and c)the ways in which the story really probes the psychological trauma of Captain America. I've said before that the real power of super heroes is in what they symbolise - i.e. Superman symbolises hope, the better man and the rising day and Batman symbolises the protector who does the darker deeds of today so we don't have to. Captain America similarly is a symbol of his nation, his era and also the idea of being haunted by the past and trying to atone for it in the present and liberate the future.
So all said, a very great story arc to read. My one main regret is that I did not read it sooner... -
I have no particular interest in Captain America, or even most of the Marvel superhero cast, though I like many have a superficial knowledge of the world and it's recasting this decade. I've read some of the comics, seen the movies. So I am not like a lot reviewers here that are real aficionados, scholars of Cap. I read this because I like Ed Brubaker's excellent noir and noir mashup writing: Criminal, Fatale, Gotham Central.
So I was urged by several friends to finally go back and read this stuff. And thanks to Brubaker, it is really good, very inventive. It's like the guy challenges himself with making ridiculous premises work on both narrative and human levels. If you, like me, don't have a really detailed background in Cap esoterica, this volume deftly weaves past with present to get us up to speed. The focus here is actually more on Cap's old sidekick, Bucky Barnes, and an emergent Winter Soldier story. Crazy Red Skull and his crazy Cosmic Cube, saving the Planet, it's a comic book! But this Brubaker is a really smart and clever writer who respects the tradition and invigorates the world. -
This collection came out a couple of years ago to tie-in with the movie, so it was a good excuse to buy it and own it in oversized format. It does have a clear influence on the films, but in plot and story beats as well as look and style.
It's also the storyline that got me to pay attention to Captain America and make me want to read more of his comics, because until Winter Soldier, I had little interest in him. -
I was so sucked into this story. The history of Russia's WINTER SOLDIER was fascinating. If you are new to CAPTAIN AMERICA this is a great starting point.
-
At times the writing in this is really good - like the Jack Monroe story chapter, issue, whatever. Agent 13 comes across better here than she does in the movies (Nothing against VanCamp but they never give her much to do. Hopefully the Falcon series will change that). Though for such a bad ass agent she seemed captured a bit too easily.
I will admit, it was better than I thought it was going to be. -
More like 3.5 stars. To be honest, the stuff with the cosmic cube was very "meh" to me personally. The "death" of the Red Skull was interesting though and I feel like if I had more background on it, I'd be more invested in what happened. That ending was creepy as Hell though! I do think I liked the way the movie was structured a lot better than this comic -- too much talk and not enough action! (Oh my God, I'm turning into my Dad...)
But, I really truly enjoyed the idea that Bucky was not a recipient of the super-soldier serum, but was a trained tactician/sniper/wetworks operative -- even when he was Steve's teenage partner!!! And that backstory that was in the "Winter Soldier" file left on Steve's doorstep...oh my god, the feels. It broke MY FEELS.
However, I felt like this was not the place to start if I actually wanted to like Steve Rogers/Cap as a person. To be completely honest, he was kind of a dick...to everyone he spoke to for the ENTIRE comic. He's built like a mack-truck and spends most of his time breaking shit in blind rages, yelling at people, refusing to listen to anyone elses' opinions and looking downright scary! Not a guy I'd approach on the street for directions. More like someone I'd expect to go to rehab for one too many roid-rage incidents.
Don't know all the history between him and Sharon Carter, aka Agent 13, but obviously there was some mega-tension and clashing of ideals going on between the two of them. Also was very put off by her basically
Final verdict, I liked the movie better because it's more approachable for someone that's a noob like me. That said, I definitely want to read more Cap comics and will be continuing this series. Now excuse me while I celebrate Friday with a virtual drink or two...
-
4 1/2 stars. I like this one a lot. I wouldn’t consider myself very well-read in the realm of comic books/graphic novels, so I’m guessing die-hard fans and Cap fans especially might not necessarily have had their socks knocked off by this story because they already knew a lot of it; but it’s one of the best graphic novels I’ve read.
My main quibble is that I’ve always found Red Skull a bit silly. I prefer my villains more grounded in reality, but at least there wasn’t a ton of Red Skull stuff in this plot.
I’m impressed with Brubaker’s depth of storytelling. He delves into the depths of Steve Rogers’ character, as well as showing some complexity in many of the other players. Steve’s interactions with Sharon, Fury and Sam are well-done.
The flashbacks of the WWII material are very good. I especially liked the section in which Rogers says, “…it really galls me when I hear my own people dismissing the French as cowards. We’re talking about a people who never gave up fighting the Nazi occupation. Their country may’ve surrendered, but they didn’t. I saw men and women, civilians, take on Panzer divisions….” This is a Captain America who’s patriotic but not in a closed-minded way.
The Winter Soldier dossier is nifty, as well. They used a lot of the material in the CA:TWS movie. I prefer the MCU version of Steve and Bucky as friends since they were kids in Brooklyn to this backstory of Bucky being sort of the warfare equivalent of Robin to Steve’s Batman.
The art is very good—nice use of detail, realism, lush colours. (And the page that marks the beginning of chapter 13--Cap, Iron Man and Falcon with a backdrop of the Chrysler Building--is my favourite of the whole book.) -
This was a great story. I really enjoyed the mix of past and present storytelling to explore Captain America and Bucky's relationship and missions. The inclusion of other superheroes and villains throughout the story was just right, as I felt that they added to the enjoyment while not taking the spotlight away from Cap. The Winter Soldier is an awesome concept and I'm glad that it became a movie adaptation (even though it was not portrayed exactly the same). Great story about trials, sacrifice and friendship.
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Given my would-be-disturbing-if-I-cared addiction to the Winter Soldier film (and all things Bucky), I felt like this was a sure thing walking in. I was totally right. I won't bother with a longer review since it would just be a series of dying whale noises and fangirling gifs.
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Captain America is a product of science and as is the Winter Soldier. They are both designed to help the war propaganda backed by different ideologies. Though the execution changes from comics to movies, essence remains the same.
The science behind Captain America has grace, a degree of dignity in the way the serum is designed to work. It embodies Rodger's own values, his ideals and general good intentions. He is a simple guy in a very complex world where the distinction between black and white is blurry and in some cases doesn't even exist. Yet, he sorts through the mess and arrives at semblance of right and wrong. Maybe the ideals of the 40s was best suited for captain when the world was, well, less self-absorbed.
The winter soldier is a weapon, designed to shape the world. The steps taken to make him the ghost he is, are extreme. He becomes the perfect soldier in his own regard, following commands the way it is expected out of him.
In this way they are both the same. While Captain America indeed has his own choices, these choices are influenced by the information he has in his hand. There is a point (in the movie its quite blatant) where Rodgers wonders about the authenticity of the information he has been given. Brubaker explores the contrasting nature of the two sides slowly and allows the readers to derive their own conclusion. There is enough material here to question hypocrisy of SHIELD's decision.
[The art work was surprisingly mediocre. Captain America looks weird when there is supposed to be some emotion on his face. I kept seeing Chris Evans though!] -
Immer noch und immer wieder awesome.
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Ah! How can it end like that!?
I loved the plot and the graphics. Really brought the story to life. Oh but my poor Bucky. -
This was a lovely Christmas gift from my Marvel partner in suffering, and I loved it so much I feel like every Steve Rogers comic I read after this is going to suffer by comparison. Brubaker’s writing is spectacular, and the story is as well-plotted and paced as any traditional novel. Starting off with the death of a major villain sparks immediate interest, and even though I know who’s responsible (hello, it’s right there in the title), my brain is still going, “But who’s powerful enough to kill Red Skull? 😱”
The artwork is absolutely perfect, full of reds and blacks but never too dark that we can’t tell what’s happening. Generally, I don’t care that much about illustrations in my reading, which is one of the reasons I don’t pick up a lot of graphic novels. Having it inside my head is enough for me, but this collection really made me want to slow down and read the graphic sequences more attentively, since they truly do tell a story of their own. The action scenes are visceral, full of movement and detail, and I could practically hear the fighting like it came from a television screen.
The characterization is exquisite, and Brubaker brings to life one of my favorite versions of Steve, the one who’s so damn sad but never lets it stop him from doing the right thing. While Sam Wilson doesn’t feature a whole lot in this story, I appreciated him showing up when he’s needed to say exactly the thing Steve needs to hear. (We love and support Sam as the next Cap, and that’s one of many reasons why.) I also enjoyed the closer look at Bucky Barnes’s backstory, harrowing and tragic as it is, and if there was something I didn’t like about this collection, it was leaving his story so open-ended. But never fear. My best girl made sure the Winter Soldier collection is already in my TBR pile.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
