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Captain America is published by Marvel Comics

Captain America: Winter Soldier vol. 1 (2017) 164 pages

Written by Ed Brubaker. Illustrated by Steve Epting, Michael Lark, with John Paul Leon (& Tom Palmer).
Colours: Frank D'Armata. Letters: Randy Gentile.

Reprinting: Captain America (2004 series) #1-7

Rating: * * * *   (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Review posted: Dec. 2023
 

Winter Soldier is a fairly seminal storyline in the annals of Captain America -- to the point where it was the basis of one of the MCU movies (albeit with changes to the plot). It saw the return of a significant character -- which would make it hard to review, since that's a mystery that isn't revealed until toward the end of this collection. But since by now most people know what it is, I'm not going to worry over much about spoilers.

So the long and the short is: this story arc sees the return of Cap's long dead partner, Bucky.

As it is though, writer Brubaker plays his cards close to his vest at first -- subtly foreshadowing the revelation to come in the early chapters (with liberal flashbacks to Cap's WW II years with sidekick Bucky) without making it too obvious that's what he's laying the groundwork for. The story starts out setting up Cap's wartime foe and arch nemesis, the Red Skull, and the ensuing plot also has Cap looking to the past for clues to his present-day case. Bucky's presence in the flashbacks can seem like part of the era, rather than self-consciously reminding readers of who Bucky is and his significance to Cap.

One criticism I'd lay at the story is that Brubaker doesn't really make Bucky a character (like, say, Roy Thomas had in the old retro comic, The Invaders). He's more just a figure on the page. To readers unfamiliar with Bucky, seeing him in the flashbacks let's them know who he is for when he finally returns...but doesn't maybe do much to actually make the reader care emotionally.

Anyway, the ensuing saga is both really good -- and a mite disappointing. It's really good because Brubaker (along with artist Epting's almost photorealist visuals) do create the sense of a kind of adult thriller that only happens to star a hero in spandex. Cap -- and SHIELD allies like Nick Fury and Sharon Carter -- uncover a plot to blow up major cities, orchestrated by the Red Skull...but things are thrown a curve when the Red Skull himself is murdered and they realize there are other pieces on the board they don't know, nor what their agenda is. There's lots of racing back and forth across the globe, battles with thugs in sewers, and with different factions so the heroes aren't always sure who's fighting who.

With that said, it's also fair to say that for all the twists and turns -- there aren't that many turns, and the twists aren't as twisty as they could be. The plot seems to follow along fairly straighforward grooves, the various fight scenes often interchangeable (with Cap leaping among a group of paramilitary types, shield flying). Even the twist of the Red Skull being killed at the end of the first issue was, weirdly enough, kind of predictable (the very way the issue is told mostly from the Skull's POV, full of him gloating about how his plan was unstoppable, I kind of guessed it was going to build to an ironic denouement).

The biggest twist is the Bucky thing. And I think they do tease that out well, so that at the time it probably was a big plot twist! (Although, given how almost matter-of-factly it's eventually revealed, I wonder if maybe fans had guessed it too early, sucking the wind out of Brubaker's creative sails).

The art by Epting is mostly quite stunning (with Michael Lark handling the WW II flashbacks, although without too much of a stylistic shift). As mentioned, it's quite realistic, perhaps suited toward a comic book about a hero with limited super powers, who works for a spy agency. Although, the colouring can be kind of dark and brooding. Which is great and atmospheric for certain scenes -- overdone and murky for others.

But the saga does suffer from the decompression thing I've criticized before -- where writer and artist stretch out scenes, breaking actions down across multiple panels, spread a conversation over multiple pages. Some of the action scenes, which are supposed to be exciting and kinetic, bleed momentum because Epting is detailing every movement, like a movie where each action scene is filmed in slow motion. While the problem with stretching out conversations is that, to me, dialogue should either a) convey information, b) develop characters, or c) at least be interesting in its own right (witty or poetic). But there are a lot scenes of Cap and Sharon, or Cap and Nick, that feel like they could be tightened without losing anything. Part of this is because the character are a bit, well, bland at times. I understand Brubaker wants to be writing smart, sophisticated stories, so the irascible Old School Nick Fury chomping a cigar and dropping his "g"s might seem too cartoony or childish. The problem is, Brubaker hasn't replaced him with anything more interesting. Likewise, Sharon is a pretty generic personality. (And as I said: even Bucky-in-flashbacks seems undeveloped...given Brubaker's essentially setting him up as a major player in the story). And some of this might be a fault of Epting, too. As much as I like his art, the faces can be a bit too stoic and tight-lipped.

I could quibble about certain moral issues. Brubaker explicitly presents wartime Bucky as basically the guy who did the dirty "wet works" that Cap was too morally pure to be associated with. As I've said in other reviews: if your position is that the hero is a moral paragon, but dirty things need to be done, then you don't really believe in those morals to begin with, do you? (Like a guy championing the sanctity of marriage...while having mistresses). Plus, it's kind of creepy given how young Bucky is -- though Brubaker sidesteps that by retroactively saying Bucky was 21 by war's end (which, y'know, he absolutely wasn't in the original comics, and even in The Invaders Bucky still seemed just a teenager). Plus there's a very American vibe to the comic (perhaps to be expected in Captain AMERICA) with the motivation of the Russian baddies seeming mostly to be, heck, what do you expect from Russkies?

The comic starts out with Cap in a bad headspace, using excessive force and recklessness (during a case in the first issue he ends up killing some bad guys and injuring civilians) -- yet it's mostly just shrugged off as, oh, you know, sometimes heroes need to vent. I've just read wa-ay too many comics which begin with the hero acting more brutal and violent than before -- for whatever reason -- usually in the context of pretending the story is criticizing that. But it's a soft criticism. And it seems more like writers and artists (and fans) just enjoy seeing the hero let loose.

One amusingly self-reflective aspect of the story is how Brubaker seems to indulge in a bit of Old School retconning, the story hinging on how Cap realizes his memories (and stories) of Bucky's death are inconsistent with each other. Presumably that was just because different creative teams had re-imagined the tale over the years. But Brubaker uses it to suggest there's something dodgy about Cap's memory.

Anyway, Winter Soldier (vol. 1) is a mix of strengths and weaknesses -- but where the strengths shoulder more of the work. There is a nice, adult thriller vibe to it, with mostly gorgeous art, some good scenes (like the one at the graveyard -- both the talky bit, then the attack by a villain) and twists. Even as it's not really that sophisticated, the character and philosophical stuff kind of shallow, the pacing a bit sluggish thanks to decompression, and despite the twists, a lot of it just unfolding in a fairly predictable way. Plus, this volume is the first of two and doesn't resolve.

But it's strong enough that I'm interested enough to start on volume two.

Captain America: Winter Soldier, vol. 2 (2017) 134 pages

Written by Ed Brubaker. Illustrated by Steve Epting, with Michael Lark, Mike Perkins.
Colours: Frank D'Armata. Letters: Virtual Calligraphy

Reprinting: Captain America (2004 series) #8-9, 11-14 (2005)

Rating: * * * (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Review posted: Dec. 2023

This is the second of two volumes collecting the seminal Winter Soldier saga (both are collected together in a single volume edition, too).

The central idea here is that Cap discovers his long dead, 1940s-era sidekick, Bucky, is still alive -- having spent decades as a brainwashed Russian assassin (kept in suspended animation and only revived for missions). And in this post-Cold War world he's in the hands of Lukin, an ex-KGB officer who runs a multinational corporation -- and who also has a Cosmic Cube (a longstanding device in the comics: an all-powerful weapon with the ability to warp reality).

I had enjoyed the first half of the saga well enough. I had some caveats, but the strengths overcame the weaknesses. Unfortunately, in the second half the weaknesses gain ground on the strengths. Perhaps that's because the first half can be intriguing, laying the groundwork for the plot, introducing questions, mysteries -- but the second half has to deliver on them.

The story here is much simpler, much more straightforward than in the first volume -- most of the mysteries and questions having been resolved. So it's mainly just trundling to a pre-ordained climax. And a kind of anti-climactic one -- or at least a shaggy dog climax. I mean, Cap does have a big showdown with Bucky, but in a way that leaves things dangling. And we never do learn what Lukin's master plan is. In both cases, that's because the story's still unfolding, Lukin remaining a foe for another story arc or two. Such is the way of comics. But it does mean you can get to the end of a thirteen issue saga...and feel a bit deflated. And not even necessarily that enthused about the stories to come as by this point, Lukin hasn't really distinguished himself as a particularly interesting or charismatic foe.

There can be a feeling they are padding, trying to stretch out the story. One issue has Cap and his SHIELD allies staging a raid on Lukin's compound -- only to be turned away when they discover Lukin (who is a respected global businessman) is meeting with high ranking U.S. officials. In other words, you could have dropped that issue from the arc and it probably wouldn't affect the overall plot one whit (not to mention, how could SHIELD have info on where Lukin was, even the lay-out of the building, but be ignorant of who he was meeting with?) And there's just the general "decompression": fight scenes broken down into little movements (and often interchangeable, with Cap wading into a bunch of anonymous bad guys, often them armed with machine guns -- which, given he's barely got superpowers and only a shield, stretches credibility a tad). And conversations that can seem protracted and just there to fill the pages.

To be honest: I've just finished the book and I'm already struggling to remember what occurred in it to fill up six issues!

For such a brooding, seeming-wanting-to-be-"sophisticated" saga, the characterization outside of Cap is kind of thin -- and even Cap mostly just broods about Bucky for the whole saga. Cap's former partner, The Falcon, shows up for a couple of issues for the climax -- but is just there to act as another sounding board for Cap. They have a long conversation in Cap's apartment -- but, again, you could probably have cut it for all that it adds to the plot or the characterization.

Arguably this proves the biggest problem with Bucky. If you had read older stories, retro tales (like the 1970s comic, The Invaders -- a comic even farther back now than the original 1940s comics were in the 1970s!) you might have an emotional connection to Bucky and his relationship to Cap. But here it's more academic. We know Cap cares about Bucky (because he tells us so) but we maybe don't see why. Brubaker doesn't really create much sense of a personality for Bucky or shows his friendship with Cap in the flashbacks.

I mention in my review of the previous volume that Epting's art is gorgeous (with Michael Lark pitching in). And it is, with an almost photo-realist vibe (aided and abetted by the colourist, of course) that can put you in mind of someone like Alex Ross, which perhaps especially suits a series featuring a barely-more-than-normal hero. But the colouring does remain a bit overly dark and drab -- atmospheric, to be sure, but a bit monotonous when used in every scene (even when it's supposed to be sunny). But the problem with Epting's style (possibly because he is using photo-references?) is that, even as it's hyper realistic, it can also lack a certain human naturalism. The faces and the expressions a little too blandly generic, which maybe relates to my point about the characterization seeming wanting (equally, Epting is just stuck drawing the characters the way Brubaker writes them).

Part of the problem with writers like Brubaker (and a lot of modern comics writers) is finding that balance between gee whiz comic book fun and their desire to make it more serious, gritty, and adult. It isn't that it can't or shouldn't be done. But I often find the balance can be off. Or maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm over thinking it all and Brubaker would insist this is still just a gee whiz four colour romp. But it feels like he thinks he's writing a gritty, adult, take on Captain America -- even as the plotting is goofy and the characterization thin.

Partly this does feel very, um, American. A story where Bucky, Captain America's old sidekick, is such the epitome of human perfection that the Russians built an entire program around him (what? they didn't have anyone in Mother Russia as good?) I mean the idea that Bucky's innate "Americaness" makes him the perfect agent is kind of silly (I don't suppose it's that hard to pretend to be American) -- especially once years have passed and he's a man out of his era. And the motivation for the Russians, Lukin and his mentor who started the program, is just paper thin. Not too mention the whole timing thing is hard to grapple with. Marvel has obviously rewritten some of the history, as they imply Cap has only been around a few years in the modern era; but Lukin is supposed to have been a child during WW II, which would make him 80? 90? Yet Epting draws him like he's in his 40s or 50s.

But maybe that's fine -- if it's meant to be just a fun, four colour romp. And given the story involves robotic arms, Cosmic Cubes, and cryogenic assassins, maybe that is all it is. After all, I'm sure the genesis of the plot was to bring Bucky back (arguably the most unexpected revival in comics given his death was first portrayed back in the 1960s!) and everything else was figuring out a plot to make that happen (hence the Russian's motives or the idea that Bucky's Americaness made him a valuable asset).

But Brubaker and Epting seem to want us to take it all as very serious and grim.

But this is what I mean by the problem of straddling the childish fun and adult sophistication. In the old comics, there was a certain comic book silliness to Cap and his boy sidekick fighting Nazis, neither armed. Brubaker decides to make it more "realistic" by retroactively aging Bucky (a bit) and also explicitly making it clear he (and Cap) used lethal force, even suggesting (in volume one) that Bucky did the dirty, throat-slitting jobs so Cap could keep his hands clean. So Brubaker wants to be realistic and serious, discarding the comic book pretence that Cap and Bucky could've been wisecracking superheroes in battle. Okay. But doesn't that raise other issues? That Bucky was, essentially, a child soldier? (Yes, Brubaker wants to suggest Bucky wasn't quite a child -- but that's so obviously retconning decades of comics which indicated he was no older than a teenager). So the U.S. military deliberately recruited a minor (in the original comics, Bucky informally became Cap's sidekick; but in Brubaker's retelling, the military selected him for the position) and trained him, not just as a soldier, but as an assassin, to do the jobs their adult hero (Cap) wouldn't do. I mean -- is that really any less monstrous than what the Russians do to/with him subsequently?

And this is my point: Brubaker could've ignored that, could've just depicted Bucky as a happy-go-lucky non-lethal fighter like older comics usually did. But he obviously felt that was unrealistic. That was too childish. But if he's going to open that can -- worms are going to spill out. And grappling with the morality of that is one of those worms. Maybe Cap realizing that, in a way, the Russians just continued what the U.S. had began, could've made an interesting theme. But Brubaker doesn't seem to make that connection.

Or, at least: he doesn't here. See, this is the problem with comics and their constantly evolving storylines. Maybe Brubaker absolutely did intend the parallel and explores it in later stories. But I can only review the story in front of me. And in the story in front of me, the Russians are the bad guys, and Cap explicitly says to Bucky that this (being the Winter Soldier) isn't who he is -- when, arguably, it is, it's who Cap and the U.S. military made him all those years ago.

Anyway, such deeper thoughts aside, the concluding half of Winter Soldier is a bit disappointing. Not terrible, just a bit bland, as if after the big build up in the first volume, Brubaker wasn't really sure where to take it, or how to keep the plot interesting or surprising. Is the whole sage worth the read? Sure, probably. Especially for its relevance to continuity. But after building up decent momentum in the first half -- it kind of feels like they were content to just coast through the second half.

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