Captain America: Winter Soldier Volume 2
By Ed Brubaker (W), Steve Epting, Michael Lark and Mike Perkins (A)
Cover price $14.99. Published by Marvel Comics. Originally printed as Captain America 8-9, 11-14.
Plot: Captain America becomes convinced that the mysterious Winter Soldier is his long-thought-dead partner Bucky and will stop at nothing to save what is left of his oldest and dearest friend.
Strengths: While there are three separate artists in this trade, you might be hard pressed to figure out where one artist ends and another starts. At one point in Winter Soldier Volume 2, Steve Epting handles the current day storyline while Michael Lark handles the WWII flashbacks, and the transition back and forth is seamless. All three artists have a sort of gritty, realistic style, as opposed to the high-energy, exaggerated superhero style you see from guys like Steve McNiven or Chris Bachalo. That style of art works perfectly for Captain America, who himself is less flashy and more down-to-earth than most superheroes.
Ed Brubaker took a gamble with a story that breaks one of the fundamental rules of comics: “Only Uncle Ben and Bucky stay dead.” No doubt there would have been a tremendous fan outrage if the revival wasn’t handled as well as it was. It’s a testament to his talent that what could have become an enormous controversy pretty much flew under the radar as a well-crafted story in an often overlooked title.
Weaknesses: Winter Soldier Volume 2 is, just as the name entails, the second part of a larger story. Naturally, it doesn’t read as well alone as it would as part of the whole. In Volume 2 you jump into the middle of the arc without any clear recap of what took place in the first half of the story, although events from Volume I are referenced quite often.
Grade: B+. While not as accessible as the first volume, Winter Soldier Volume 2 is equally as good a story. Though it has a bit of a rocky start, the story picks up quite a bit by the third issue, and guest appearances by the Falcon and Iron Man and a very interesting subplot featuring the latest holder of the Cosmic Cube help lead to a great ending.