Broken Frontier

Two of the greatest icons from World War II face off in one of the most anticipated confrontations of this century.

Well, this is it, folks! I am sure most readers of this series waited with bated breath, wondering how the outcome would affect Cap’s world once he came face to face with his former partner Bucky Barnes. The wait is now over, and contained in these pages is a story that will no doubt be considered one of the greatest tales in the annals of Captain America.

The story opens with Cap and the Falcon avoiding an ambush set-up by the Winter Solider. Cap flings his shield with all his might and manages to ding the WS, knocking him off balance in the process. Both of our heroes then charge forward and head off into different directions. The Falcon tackles some of the Winter Soldier’s cronies, and of course the good Captain goes after his former partner.

The scene is titanic in nature, and it doesn’t take very long for the narrative to kick into high gear. The Falcon manages to get himself cornered, but as his luck would have it, Sharon Carter shows up with the cavalry. She rescues him and in the process they head into the compound to aid Cap in his quest to bring Bucky down. We then switch scenes and get to the beautiful part of this story, as Cap and Bucky trade several kicks, punches and jabs. The heat of the moment is in full swing, and while the ex-partners go full tilt, it is apparent that something is surely gone amiss here.

Now that you know much of the crux of the story, I have to say this issue totally succeeded on all levels. Writer Ed Brubaker managed to keep his story suspenseful right up until the final moments before the battle ended. He also managed to interject several twists (at the end) that further alluded to Aleksander Lukin’s future involvement in the series and I say it was quite a surprise to me. I am looking forward to what Mr. Brubaker has in store for Captain America, and I am sure future issues will continue to be action packed.

The art on the other hand worked well with Brubaker’s action packed story. I just loved the pacing and artist Steve Epting guided the characters with the swift confidence of any A-list director. He’s been a great addition to this book, and no matter how overbearing I find the colors of Frank D’Armata to be, Steve’s work still shines through. It’s great to see Marvel return Captain America to his thrilling cinematic roots, and I can’t wait to see what happens next with the good Captain.

All I can say is that Brubaker and crew really outdid themselves with this issue. The Winter Soldier arc surely lived up to its reputation and this is without a doubt one of the most important moments in Captain America’s history. I am sure Marvel will collect this story arc in a trade, and they should since it’s the best story I have seen in Cap’s continual mythos in a long time. I sure hope there is more to come!