Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Butch Guice– The Marvel Universe holds a wake for Bucky Barnes
– Fear Itself forever altered the life of Captain America, see how!
Poor Bucky. Your light shined so brightly, yet sometimes it’s best to burn out than to fade away.
Check after the jump for some thoughts on the issue. As a note, an obvious spoiler is very much discussed, but it’s not anything that wasn’t announced as news within the past 24 hours of this article going live.
When Bucky died in the pages of Fear Itself, it was a pretty sad thing. A bit telegraphed, sure (it was on the cover of the variant, after all), and fairly anti-climactic, maybe — but still sad. The re-introduction of Bucky into the realm of the Marvel Universe is perhaps Brubaker’s finest accomplishment from a storytelling perspective, given the lead-up to, the revelation of and the aftermath from, and it stands as noteworthy as an element to this review that it was Brubaker’s work on Captain America that turned me on to his work as a writer in the first place. I don’t mean to imply that my connection to the character and the work done with him is any more profound than anyone else’s, but I did rather enjoy his adventures and, while I was hesitant to “believe” the death, it was rather disappointing.
With Bucky now six feet under, it’s Brubaker’s job to eulogize him through the avatar of Captain America. The only inherent issue is that, well, Bucky isn’t dead. In fact, in a flashback taking place in between Fear Itself #3 and #4, Bucky is actually saved due to the Infinity Formula, and a LMD is buried in his place. Bucky is fine, only three people know, and now Bucky is going to go off and have adventures as the Winter Soldier. No one will be the wiser.
This is great and all, because I’ve been anxious to get a Winter Soldier book since the character was first introduced and revealed as Cap’s old partner, but there is one major problem that I have with the issue: wasn’t there supposed to be a funeral? I suppose that’s sort of a minor sticking point to have, but it’s one that holds relevant never the less. While the revelation that Bucky is alive is, for all intents and purposes, rather cool, the issue as a whole somewhat stands as a missed opportunity to really give a poignant moment of Brubaker writing Steve Rogers. Instead, it’s a 21 page teaser trailer for the Winter Soldier series (which I will admittedly buy, but I can also admit that I would buy it if someone had just said, “Hey, new Brubaker book about Winter Soldier”).
Ed Brubaker has a fantastic handle of the Captain America character bar none in the current Marvel Universe, and without Brubaker’s work I am not sure I’d care half as much about Steve Rogers as a character as I currently do. It’s the reason why I’m buying two books with Cap and Bru’s name on it, and I’d absolutely be willing to buy a third. That said, the reason for this is because Brubaker has managed to infuse a good deal of character and emotional resonance in the pages of the book amidst a sea of clever spy/thriller action. Bru uses Cap as a tool for inspiration in the same way that Morrison uses Superman, and that translated well to Bucky when Steve “died” as a character who sought redemption. We got to follow the adventures of someone who didn’t deserve our affection or love, yet we gave it to him because his story was endearing. It seems to me that, given that this issue is somewhat a wake for “Bucky Barnes” as a persona, it’s kind of a waste to really not get into the heart of who Bucky was within the Marvel Universe.
The biggest issue inherent with Bucky’s demise is that, really, no one but Steve and Black Widow cared. Or rather, no one has really shown they care. After most major deaths within the Marvel U, we’re often times given an issue where people sit around and talk about how much they loved old so-and-so. It happened when Hercules died, it’ll assumedly happen in Fear Itself #7.2: Thor, and heck, the Sentry got an entire issue to himself after Siege — and he was the villain! Given that Fear Itself was tearing the Marvel Universe apart, I suppose it is understandable from a storytelling perspective that most characters would not take the time to mourn a fallen soldier when there are still Nazi mechs running around. Even so, Bucky’s funeral lasts all of a few panels in Fear Itself #7, and it doesn’t even get a physical place within this issue. An after-party is held, but not in a “Let’s talk about why we love Bucky” way. Bucky — nay, Captain America dies, but everyone is too busy mourning Thor, because Thor knocked down a giant world breaking dragon. (Ok, fine. I guess that’s a pretty big deal. But whatever.)
Continued belowThere’s no way to write about this and not, to some degree, sound like a jaded fan. I don’t mean to come off that way, because I end up picking on one of the better books I read this week when there is so much worse on the shelf. I very much enjoyed Fear Itself #7.1, and as far as epilogues go, it’s a nice additional story to be given. Brubaker’s continuous run on the mythology of Captain America is staggering, and this is the most interesting the character has been in years (my collection holds three different volumes of the character, not including this). Adding Butch Guice in for the art, with his Kirby-esque character designs and his strong emotive and energetic line work, coupled with Bettie Breitweiser’s terrific sense of color make this a wonderful addition to the ongoing story of Captain America and Bucky.
However, with what very well could have been a (somewhat bleak) opportunity that the issue’s premise presented, to not capitalize on the emotional capabilities available and the potential for some really iconic imagery (Bucky’s body and a broken shield, anyone?), the story seems like a misstep. It’s a misstep that can be forgiven and ignored, but Bucky was “our friend” too. It would have been nice to have some words said in his honor.
Final Verdict 6.0 – I’ve been to better funerals (what an awful, morbid thought)
