Winter Blues

Shall I start off with some bad news? Well the laptop I’ve got might be on the fritz, so it looks like I might have to take it in for repairs. The good news(or bad news?) Since it’s new comics day I thought I’d say something about buying a shed load of comics the past week and on top of the pile is Winter Soldier#2 by Ed Brubaker and artist Jackson “Butch” Guice.

Since the character’s revival in the pages of Captain America, the former sidekick and one time Cap stand in has gone from strength to strength. It’s apparent that Ed Brubaker likes writing his exploits. The new series is set after the events of Fear Itself where James Barnes faked his death, which many fans felt it was bit of a cop out.

Like Spider-Man, Wolverine, the Winter Soldier has a fair share of angst, guilty over what he did, having spent time as a brainwashed spy for the Soviets and killing innocent people, the first issue began with him and his girlfriend, Natasha Romanoff AKA the Black Widow on a mission to stop other sleeper agents from wreaking havoc. The kicker is that he trained the agents himself.

The big bad behind this is the Red Ghost, a Marvel B list villain at best with his team of highly intelligent apes, he’s aided by the former prime minister of Latveria, Madame Lucia Von Bardas, the duo hatch a plan to use one of the agents to kill Dr Doom.The new series doesn’t skimp on action either the first few pages has the Winter Soldier doing some gun ballet with a rifle toting gorilla and somewhere along the way, Nick Fury pops up to give an informer a tough time.

I grew up watching a lot of 60s T.V spy shows thanks to repeats on BBC 2 and Channel Four. It’s fair to say that Barnes and Romanoff are the John Steed and Emma Peel of the Marvel Universe,despite being set in the present, it’s almost got a retro swinging sixties feel to it and without a doubt it’s down to Guice’s fluid pencil work where he’s assisted by colourist Elizabeth “Bettie” Breitweiser.
When I bought the first issue last month it felt innovative to a jaded old comic reader like me. Lush painted panels, unique use of colour and compared to all the other Marvel titles out there if there was a nomination for most “stylish comic of 2012” WS would win it by a yardstick.

Posted: 22/2/2012
Categories: Comics / Reviews

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