Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier #9

/ / Comics

winter-soldier-9-coverBucky searches frantically for the Black Widow who has been kidnapped and reprogrammed by Soviet sleeper agent Leo Novokov into her former role as Russian assassin/classically trained ballerina. Of course all this leads to a big fight in the middle of a ballet performance between Bucky and Natasha, much to Novokov’s glee.

I’m not fully on board with the story arc that turns Natasha back into a brainwashed killer simply because it doesn’t go anywhere new and any fallout (such as the predictable bloody twist at the end) can be swept under the rug because Natasha isn’t responsible for any of her actions.

That said, even if I have problems with the concept, Brubaker’s execution is still well done. The comic does have a couple nice moments, my favorite being Bucky’s internal monologue as he squares off against Natasha and realizes how much she’s been holding back during their sparring sessions. Does a brainwashed Black Widow make for a dangerous adversary? Sure, but with the character currently involved in other Marvel titles I don’t see this arc having any immediate impact. For fans.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Winter Soldier #8

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winter-soldier-8-coverWhile Bucky and Jasper search frantically for Leo Novokov, the third Soviet sleeper agent trained by Bucky and now loose in the world, the pair keep coming up empty. And now that Novokov has the Black Widow he can put his plan into action.

And his master plan is to turn Natalia back into… a ballerina? Sorry? I know, I know, Novokov uses Professor Rodchenko and his brainwashing techniques to return the Black Widow to the Soviet assassin she once was, I just think it’s funny (and a little stupid) that the one instance we see of Natalia’s old self is dancing around on stage.

Meanwhile Bucky and Jasper are able to find and trace the helicopter Novokov used to make off with Natalia, but they don’t know that they are far too late because Natalia has now fallen to the dark side and is… dancing. Great idea for a story, but Brubaker’s choice of the final reveal makes the comic read far more humorous than ominous. Still, worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Winter Soldier #7

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winter-soldier-7-coverFor two months the Winter Soldier and Black Widow have tracked Leo Novokov, the third Soviet sleeper agent trained by Bucky who is loose in the world and leading the pair, and S.H.I.E.L.D. on a scavenger hunt filled with the bodies of government agents, soldiers, a doctor, a bellhop, and one of Bucky’s oldest friends.

The pair get a break with Novokov kidnaps a former Soviet scientist and member of the Red Room (the experimental science and training program that produced the Black Widow). However, Volkov has one more trick as he lures Buck and Natasha into an exploding Winnebago all to separate the two and reveal his true target.

Okay, so it doesn’t have gorillas with machine guns, but a motor home of death is still pretty cool, and Brubaker keeps the tension taught as Bucky does his impression of Sandra Bulluck from Speed. Another strong issue with a nice (if far too foreseeable) twist at the end. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Winter Soldier #6

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The Winter Soldier #6The Winter Soldier‘s investigation into the missing third Soviet sleeper agent leads the the discovery that Leo Novokov was awoken 12 years prior during an earthquake and has been loose in America ever since.

Intercut with S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s investigation we get flashbacks into Leo’s time spent on the streets, attempting to make sense of a world that doesn’t fit his shattered memories – until he learns of the Winter Soldier and is contacted by an ex-KGB agent Boris Kolchek and starts to put the pieces together.

With the Soviet Union gone, and unwilling to work for a bitter remnant of the Cold War such as Kolchek, Novokov begins making his own plans which include drawing the Winter Soldier out of hiding after his apparent “death.” In order to do so he’ll destroy someone from Bucky’s past.

Although this storyline doesn’t appear to have Doombots or gorillas with machine guns, it’s setting up to be very much an old fashioned spy thriller. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Winter Soldier #5

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winter-soldier-5-cover“The Longest Winter” concludes at the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow are able to stop Lucia von Bardas‘ plans to launch missiles from Doctor Doom‘s secret nuclear silos using the codes the Latverian monarch programmed into his Doombots.

With their tenuous alliance with Doctor Doom, Bucky and the Black Widow are able to take down Bardas and the second Soviet sleeper agent trained by the Winter Soldier, Dimitri. However, the Red Ghost alludes capture, and the fate of the third sleeper agent is unknown.

A good conclusion of the arc that still leaves a couple of threads let unanswered. It also marks the returns of the Red Ghost’s army of gorillas with machine guns (c’mon, who doesn’t love that?). There’s plenty of action and even an ending that gives Bucky some of his beloved solitary brooding time (along with a quick assassination at the end). No, he’s certainly not Captain America anymore. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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