Baron Zemo Steals the Show
I'd read the preview for this and in that preview we see Zemo and the Ghost talking about recent events, particularly the fall of Norman Osborn. As they continue talking, the Ghost all too eagerly tells Zemo what else he has missed since he has been gone, namely the return of Bucky. Y'see, Helmut's father, Heinrich, the first Baron Zemo, was primarily known for having been the one to kill Bucky. Not even the Red Skull could claim that! Naturally, Helmut can't let Bucky's return tarnish his father's one memorable victory.
I thought the idea of one of the Zemos coming back for revenge against Bucky Cap was a great idea (I thought that since he first took up the mantle of Cap), so when I heard they were gonna use the idea (Not that I told them about it), I was hooked. Zemo came off as a total bad-ass in the preview, which is another reason why I picked it up, as I am not a regular Captain America reader, even though I like the characters alot.
After what was shown in the preview, we're shown how Bucky's been handling the role of Cap on a mental level, and it appears to be getting to him; it is in part, or so it seems, due to his having killed the '50s Cap. The majority of the issue deals with how he is feeling and Steve and Falcon trying to aid him and see if he is ok. Now, I have nothing against character development and progression. In fact, some character pieces are really good. But this, however seems to drag on too long. Way too long! So much so that I could barely pay attention. That is, until Baron Zemo rears his ugly mug again! He launches a secret surprise that against Bucky Cap and Falcon that really got me to focus again. Thanks, Zemo! At the end we see Zemo conversing with an all to familier face (An ugly one at that. Yckk!), which did leave me wondering what could happen next.
So in short, there wasn't enough Zemo and too much worrying about Bucky's problems. Had Bucky's problems and feelings dragged on too long and they had had more Zemo, I might have given this a 4/5. Gimme more Zemo and less Bucky problems and I'll come back for the second installment.
