The Good
There's no denying the amazing job Ed Brubaker did in bringing back Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier during his Captain America run. We've seen heroes gone bad and return to the side of the angels before but with Winter Soldier, there's a complete history we're unaware of. There's been hints and mentions of some of the activities he participated in during his 'brainwashed' period but we haven't really had a chance to see them. Until now.
Rick Remender is taking us back to 1966. That means we also get to see Nick Fury (senior) who hasn't really been seen too much lately. The trick here is the fact that this is the bad Winter Soldier.
There's a really cool vibe going on here. We don't often see S.H.I.E.L.D. in action on these sort of spy missions and it's a blast to get a look at some possibly top secret missions. Who doesn't like secret undercover missions set in Marvel's past? The Marvel Universe isn't just about superheroes and it's refreshing to see areas and periods like this fleshed out.
I really dig Roland Boschi arts and Chris Chuckry's colors. It's a mix of vibrant but muted colors (if that makes sense). It really captures the spy-feeling of the 60s without being too bright with a pure superhero-feel.
The Bad
It may just be because it's the first issue but the focus isn't completely on Winter Soldier. Given his frame of mind at this time, it could be difficult to simply follow him since he isn't exactly the most talkative person in this state.
Even if the focus remains on Ran Shen, it'll make an interesting series but with "Winter Soldier" being in the title, if feels like we should get more of him. Maybe I need to be more patient?
The Verdict
This particular issue may not be completely focused on Winter Soldier (just yet) but we do get the opportunity to see Nick Fury and Agent Ran Shen (who is playing a big role in the current CAPTAIN AMERICA series) back in the 1960s Marvel Universe. It's great and sneaky the way Rick Remender is tying this and CAPTAIN AMERICA together while showing us another page in Bucky's history. Roland Boschi and Chris Chuckry's art and colors fits the vibe of the book nicely. If you're a fan of the Winter Soldier or good old fashion spy stories, you're going to want to check this out.
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