New Comics!: The Captain America Edition #2 of 2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Captain America #7:  Huh.  When Cap reverted to his pre-Super-Soldier Serum self at the end of "Captain America" #6, I thought it was because of the Madbomb making his nightmares come true; I didn't realize that it just happened to be a coincidence.  (I'm pleased, actually, because a bomb that makes nightmares come true isn't really the sort of thing we see in "Captain America."  A bomb that makes people go crazy and riot is much more his speed.)  That said, I'm intrigued by where Brubaker is going with this story.  I've always praised Brubaker for never dropping plot lines (like most authors do, when they inevitably write themselves in a corner), and this issue is a great example of that.  Rather than just shelving Bravo's accusation at the end of issue #5 that Cap stood by idly as corporate interests took over the U.S. government, Brubaker puts it front and center here, raising the possibility that Steve has taken the accusation to heart and the resulting crisis of confidence is shutting down his Super-Soldier abilities.  (Does anyone remember the last time that happened?  Was it during Gruenwald's run?  Cap refers to it here, but we don't get an editor's note saying what issue it was.)  Moreover, Brubaker uses this instability to great effect by matching it with the Serpent Society's new crime wave.  Steve could probably dispatch three members of the Serpent Society with little trouble under normal circumstances, but raising the possibility that he's going to revert to a 98-pound weakling at any moment certainly adds a sense of drama.  I can't say I'm overly intrigued by the Bravo sub-plot, but it doesn't detract from the good parts of the rest of the issue.  I'm quite happy to say that Brubaker has found solid ground here, after the uneven first arc of this title. 

Captain America and Bucky #626:  Well, I thought Bill Naslund having a long-lost grandson seemed fishy!  I'm really digging this arc.  Crazy robots, old heroes, questionable motivations:  it's a classic Captain America tale.  I'm assuming Bucky is one of the robots, but Asmus and Francavilla do a great job selling that moment where Cap looks at him and suddenly wonders who exactly he is.  You can feel that moment of doubt, that moment where Steve wonders if he's really looking at Bucky, leap off the page, and it really adds to the emotion of the issue.  Asmus is also doing a great job developing Fred Davis' character.  The unexpected appears of Naslund's "grandson" led Davis to doubt his relationship with Naslund, given that Naslund never really talked about a family or wanting to start one.  Asmus uses these doubts to make the reader question Naslund's grandson's appearance in the first place, and then to add drama to the issue when Davis goes digging for information and finds his life threatened as a result.  It's some subtle craftmanship, and the arc is all the better for it, since we get to avoid the excessive exposition these sorts of scenarios would normally throw at us.  I can't wait for the Cap battle royale next issue! 

Winter Soldier #1:  OK, first, no one writes a couple like Brubaker writes Bucky and Natasha.  Seriously.  He's done as best as he can with Cap and Sharon, given that Cap isn't given to being a romantic protagonist.  But, with Bucky and Natasha, Brubaker is free to make with the sexy, and he does.  The two of them just burn up the page.  But, they just don't become Cold War stereotypes, all action and romance.  Brubaker makes sure to show us a real relationship, underlining the concern and feelings the two of them have for each other.  Again, he does what he can with Cap and Sharon, but most of the emotion in that relationship is on Sharon's side.  Here, with Bucky and Natasha, we get a much more balanced couple, the Dick and Barbara of the Marvel Universe.  We see Natasha tell Bucky how scared she was when she saw him in his stasis tube back in the day, and he confesses to us through his narration how amazed by her he is.

Beyond just showing us a great romance, Brubaker also gives us a gripping story.  The sleeper agent murdering his whole family?  Yikes.  Brubaker reminds us that we're playing for keeps in this series, right off the bat.  He's writing this series like the best spy novels of the Cold War era, and it's an absolute treat.  A lot of authors can't pull of the tone of these sorts of espionage stories, relying too much on clichés.  Brubaker has a real knack for it, though, as does Guice, whose dark and indistinct pencils convey exactly the right tone for the story.  The idea that Lucia von Bardas has her hands on Soviet sleeper agents is exactly the type of plot I was expecting from Brubaker when "Gulag" ended back in "Captain America" (before the "Fear Itself" insanity).  Needless to say, I'm super excited for this series.