Ed Brubaker: writer
Butch Guice: artist
Bettie Breitweiser: color artist
The Solicitation
• Winter Soldier and Black Widow are the super-spies of the Marvel U!
• Ex-Russian Sleeper Agents awaken, but under who’s control?
• Is that Dr. Doom? Uh oh.
Preview
The Story
What what what? Is this a Marvel comic? Indeed it is, true believer. I decided to pick up a couple of #1s from Marvel to get a taste for how things have been since my last Marvel comic that I picked up. To give you an idea of how long it has been since I last danced the marvel dance, I picked up Morrison's X-Men run, got some old Garth Ennis Punisher hardcovers, and got about halfway through Brubaker's run on Daredevil. The last X-men comic I picked up was Warren Ellis' first issue on Astonishing X-men, and I think I caught the beginning of Bendis' run on Avengers with the House of M crossover. So yea, its been a little bit.
I have been keeping up with some random interviews with Marvel creators over the years, and have heard all the big controversial story lines. A couple of years ago I did get a month's subscription to Marvel's Digital Comics and caught up on a lot of books at that time. Beyond that, I am essentially coming into this comic as a new reader. So just like the DC #1s, there are going to be some certain expectations that I will need in order to keep the comic coming each month.
With that in mind, let's go for the comic and the review of it. Now mind you, I am aware of who the Winter Soldier is. Let's look at the comic as if I am coming in with a fresh set of eyes.
And I'm lost.
I got the blurb at the beginning telling about Bucky's history. So I'm sorta caught up to speed on it, although I am wondering why the world thinks him dead now. Apparently that was something in a previous series that doesn't get explained here. Bucky is teamed up with The Black Widow. They are infiltrating a casino for a sleeper agent who is already awake.
We then get one page to get caught up with the history, or at least what the public thinks is the history, of Bucky. Bucky and Widow are also lovers apparently. They then wake up the next day to be briefed on some mission by an intel contact. But I thought that the world thought them to be dead? So how does this intel thing work?
They then infiltrate another building and run into some people who say that they think Bucky is dead. Then a talking ape shoots at them. Then we switch to Latveria and some cyborg woman with an assassin who shoots at Dr. Doom.
Kinda clunky. It left me with a lot of questions that just aren't answered in the comic. Basic ones like more of Bucky's back story. Who is the intel contact guy? Why is Black Widow around? What exactly is Black Widow's history with Bucky, besides that they are both Russian trained? Talking Ape (I know, probably will be answered in a future issue...)? Did they kill that guy and the soldiers that they attacked this issue? If not, wouldn't the world then know that he is alive again? A big shiny metal arm that he has is really good for covert operations. Actually, why does he have it? I know from my history of Bucky, but as a new reader with this #1 issue, I don't know.
I expected more from Brubaker. I sense the noir kind of feel that this comic is trying to go for, but I think Brubaker does it better in Fatale.
The Art
Murk-y. Seriously. Half the time I couldn't tell who was who. The colors are all from a dark palette that gives everything a blurry kind of feel. i don't think any of the characters are drawn consistently throughout the issue. I seriously think that each time a character gets a focus, all their facial features are different. Hell, look at the one page that the cyborg lady is in at the end. She has three panels all to herself and each panel looks like it is a different person in each panel.
The Cover
I wish that Bermejo drew the interior of the comic. I love when Lee Bermerjo, the artist for the cover, draws. Take a good look at that cover, because it is about the only time that you see the Winter Soldier in full costume at all. Everything else in the comic is full of shadows and dark inks and cuts off a lot.
Grades
Words: 4/10
Pictures: 2/10
Recommend: Not really. Kinda sad, I like Brubaker. Maybe if I have been reading Captain America since Bucky returned then maybe this might make sense. As it is, alone and by itself - fail.
Buy Next Issue: Not for me.
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