Broken Frontier

Bucky Barnes and the Black Widow face off against an 800 pound behemoth.

With Winter Soldier #2 Ed Brubaker packs in both the outlandish possibilities of super-powered gorillas and the heavily grounded political world of the Marvel Universe.  Brought to life by the amazing art of Butch Guice, Winter Soldier is unlike any other “Captain America” book on the stands.

In Winter Soldier, ex-Russian patriots Bucky Barnes and the Black Widow attempt to make amends for their years of damage as tools of the Russian military.  As issue #2 begins, one of Bucky’s most well-trained apprentices from his days as the Winter Soldier has been unleashed at the hand of R.A.I.D., all with the intention of inciting a political incident with the infamous Victor von Doom.  Though the intensely thrilling and explosive action scene between our heroes and a massive 800 pound gorilla will surely steal the spotlight, it is the slower and more methodically paced political focused threads that truly make Winter Soldier fascinating.  Despite only being two issues in, Winter Soldier reads like a strategically plotted chess game, with each side trying to slyly and deviously outflank their enemy.

Longtime readers are sure to agree that Butch Guice’s noir influenced work is the perfect fit for both Ed Brubaker and the character of Bucky Barnes.  Barnes’ covert style and espionage based tactics are perfectly captured in Guice’s rough yet gorgeous painted art.  In Winter Soldier #2, however, Guice breaks his mold and uses some of the most vibrant colors yet seen in the duo’s work together.  In a heavily tech-based sequence, bright and vibrant greens and reds make their way onto the page, creating a beautiful contrast against the darker blues, grays, and shadowed frames.  Winter Soldier #2 stands out as one of the colorful and visually diverse issues the pair has created together.

Bucky Barnes’ story as the Winter Soldier is just beginning, though his career in the Marvel Universe is far from its inception.  Brubaker is deliberately laying the groundwork for an intensely complex story, one that will pit enemies against each other and leave countless caught in the crossfire.  Without a doubt, Winter Soldier is a must read.