By Ed Brubaker (writer), Mitch Breitweiser (pencils), Butch Guice with Mitch Breitweiser (inks), Dean White and Elizabeth Dismang (colors), VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters and production)
The Story: Zemo continues his nefarious campaign against Bucky, this time by taking over his very mind and causing very dangerous and destructive hallucinations.
What’s Good: This was a fun story—the most fun I’ve had with this book since Steve Rogers passed on his shield. Bucky’s mind being taken over isn’t exactly the newest plot device Brubaker and company could have pulled out, but the fact that it’s not just Bucky that’s being controlled, but Captain America himself being controlled gives the situation the extra weight it needs to effectively resonate. It’s quite clearly intended to link this new chapter of Cap-history to the early success of Brubaker’s “Winter Soldier” storyline, and I’d ordinarily be more than a little bit cynical about that sort of thing (“trying to sell me on Bucky-Cap by resurrecting an old Steve Rogers storyline, eh?!”), but in this instance it really does work well.
I’d also like to mention how much I like this art team. The angles and colors give the whole book a very brooding, almost noir-ish look that is very appealing. (And again, it’s worth noting that this style is more than a little reminiscent of “Winter Solider.”) My only quibble is that, while Breitweiser’s pencils are very gritty and expressive (especially when it comes to action and motion), the roughness doesn’t lend itself well to facial expressions. The more emotional a character is, the odder the pencils seem to make his or her face.
What’s Not So Good: Really, my only complaint is that Brubaker constantly feels the need to give Bucky a partner. I was rather hoping that with the Falcon temporarily out of the picture, we’d get a chance to see Bucky working on his own a bit. But no—Black Widow steps in to fill the (nonexistent) void. As much as I complain about losing Steve as Cap, since Bucky-Cap is going to be around for a while, I want a chance to see him work and get to know him on his own.
Conclusion: The plot thickens in what looks to be the best Bucky-Cap storyline yet. Let’s hope Brubaker and company can keep up this level of work and the pace they’ve set.
Grade: B
-SoldierHawk