By Ed Brubaker (writer), Butch Guice (pencils), Rich Magyar with Butch Guice (inks), Dean White with Frank Martin and Paul Mounts (colors), VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters and production)
The Story: Zemo subjects Bucky to several nasty blasts from the past as the pair have their final confrontation.
What’s Good: For as much as I disliked the overall concept of this storyline, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed the conclusion. Finally seeing Bucky work through some of his demons and overcome some of his self-doubt is very gratifying, and a nice payoff for the work Brubaker has put in to developing those psychological aspects of the character. Perhaps this will put an end to the seemingly constant second-guessing Bucky does of himself. In my opinion, this has hurt his credibility as Cap by making him seem much weaker than Steve Rogers ever was. (Not that Rogers didn’t have moments of self-doubt obviously, but it never seemed this severe or this constantly harped upon.) Of course, in the new upcoming storyline I’ll have to put up with everyone else second guessing Bucky, but at least there’s a chance he’ll stand up for himself now.
The fight with Zemo is solid enough, and feels like a fitting denouement to the arc. It pays off the elements that were set up at the beginning quite well, and you truly feel that Bucky has been changed and affected by the events he has gone through. Whether I agree with the focus of the arc or not, there is no denying that it was well crafted and expertly told.
What’s Not So Good: While the climactic battle was good, I do wish Bucky had gotten in a few more good licks before Zemo’s (inevitable) escape. Granted, the fight was much more about Bucky fighting against himself than it was Bucky fighting against Zemo, but I still feel like the bad guy was far, far too much in control of the entire battle. He essentially predicts exactly what Bucky will do at every step, dictates the place and pace of the fight, and (to add insult to injury), knocks Bucky out at will despite Bucky’s best efforts. Especially given how new Bucky is to the Cap uniform, this makes him look quite weak indeed. The issue is mitigated somewhat since he does manage to overcome the final test/trap Zemo sets for him, but it’s far from an ideal situation. All of the arcs so far have dealt with Bucky’s uncertainty and feelings of being unworthy to wield Cap’s shield. A battle like this one does nothing to reassure me as a reader that Bucky is capable of wearing that mantle.
Conclusion: A very good ending to a better than average BuckyCap arc. I do wish they’d move the focus from the Bucky back to the Cap part, however; that’s why I buy a book called Captain America and not one called Bucky Barnes Deals With Issues.
Grade: B+
-SoldierHawk
Grade
Conclusion