Broken Frontier

The possession of Captain America’s shield becomes a bone of contention for the likes of the Winter Soldier, so he decides to steal it back from Tony Stark.

There are just so many twists and turns since Cap took a dirt nap a few months back. I do remember saying in a review I wrote for the Winter Soldier special that ostensibly cited the importance of Bucky’s resurrection. In fact I suggested that he should get his own book, and little did I know the wheels were already set in motion as Cap was replaced in his flagship title with our newly minted hero. Since then Bucky has been looking to make some serious waves, and in this issue he covets the illustrious shield once wielded by his former partner.

I think this makes perfect sense and in some ways the only person deserving of possessing the shield would be Cap’s ex-partner. It started out with Tony Stark giving a speech about not replacing Captain America and to announce the opening of the exhibit honoring him at the Natural History Museum. The Winter Soldier decides to scope out the exhibit and realizes the shield concealed in a glass booth is a copy and not the original one. He then quickly deduces the real shield must still be in Stark’s possession, so he hatches out a plan to take it back. The only problem here is that Tony is aware of Bucky’s presence and he answers back by sending in an operative of his own choosing: Black Widow.

Now as always, writer Ed Brubaker cranks out the story beats like they were seasoning on a very appetizing meal. Here he squeezes the most out of Bucky’s lingering past memories and bombastic nature to push the boundaries of the story. He also sprinkles in supporting characters like the Falcon and Sharon Carter to round out the engaging plotting of this story arc. It is so obvious that he has a big story to tell and every moment seems intricate to the point of bursting out like a novel of grand proportions.

On the flip side of things, the artistic combo of Steve Epting and Mike Perkins continues to churn outstanding pages of nonstop action and intrigue. The best moment for me came in the titanic clash between Bucky and the Black Widow which spans out to five pages of trading jarring fisticuffs and powerful kicks. I really felt the art matched the intensity of the beats and this is probably Marvel’s best looking book when you consider top caliber colorist Frank D’Armata is at the helm.

So far this arc is looking to be stellar from start to finish, but I will admit to having mixed feelings about killing off Captain America. In the hands of any other writer, I might actually be inclined to drop this title from my pull list, but with Brubaker on board this is reason enough to remain along for the ride. There are certainly enough supporting characters in this series to keep the momentum going for the next few months or so, and right now I am happy with the Winter Soldier grabbing the spotlight. I say go, Bucky, go and swing that shield proudly.