Just in time for the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in movie theaters, a bit of corporate synergy brings the arrival of the surprisingly entertaining “Winter Soldier: The Bitter March”. WARNING: PROBABLE MOVIE SPOILERS.
Written by Rick Remender
Illustrated by Roland Boschi1966: With Nick Fury missing, and presumed dead, global espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. sends secret agent Ran Shen to collect two Nazi scientists with the key to defining who wins the Cold War. But the Americans are not the only ones who want the high value scientists. The Soviets have opened the Red Room, releasing their most dangerous operative –The Winter Soldier, who unbeknownst to the world, is the presumed-dead partner of Captain America—Bucky Barnes! The brainwashed soldier’s mission: to acquire the scientists by any means or to kill them should they fall into American hands. This classic 60’s style, high-octane, spy pulp told at Cold War’s peak follows Ran Shen and his terrified scientists as they creep out of the shadow of East Berlin. Intrigue, adventure, romance and murder abound with ramifications that will shatter relationships in the modern-day Marvel Universe—including one with the Star Spangled Avenger himself!
If there’s one thing that Marvel loves to brag about, it’s that they, unlike their Distinguished Competition, have never instated a large scale reboot of their continuity. This does, however, create the distinct possibility that sixty years of storytelling can result in a dense labyrinth of history that, when executed poorly, can be extremely off-putting to the cherished new readers. Now that the film adaptations are the primary exposure to Marvel’s character, the audience potential for a new audience is undeniably present. In the past, Marvel would shoehorn in movie plot points to the existing series, looking at you black leather X-Men, with little regard for their own present state. With the Captain America films, Marvel has taken a page from their Wolverine handbook, and have are releasing stand-alone miniseries set in the murky pasts of Steve Rogers and (SPOILERS) the soldier formally known as Bucky Barnes.
“Winter Soldier: The Bitter March” begins in 1966, as SHEILD plans the extraction of former Nazi scientists collaborating with HYDRA before their evil plans can come to fruition. Agents Ran Shen and (to movie fans, a surprisingly pale) Nick Fury are sent high in the Alps to Castle Hydra. After a series of classic espionage hijinks culminate in the capture of said Nazi scientists, they are almost immediately whisked away by a camouflaged blur. After some Fury and Shen pursuing with some daring aeronautics, they find themselves trapped in the middle of nowhere, with a foe whose deadly skill has become legendary; the Winter Soldier.
Rick Remender has risen through the ranks at Marvel to become one of their top writers, handling script duties on “Uncanny Avengers”, one of the flagship series of the Marvel NOW initiative, and the currant “Captain America” series. Since it is the “Cap” book that will receive the post-film hype, Remender is the natural choice is pen this new look at one of Steve Rogers most personal enemies, although it was Ed Brubaker that crafted the Winter Soldier arc the coming film seems based on. Remender has proven himself a worthy successor with the same knack for espionage and political based action.
The book is set in the heyday of SHEILD as a secret Cold War super power, and after the first page of shadowing leaders sending charismatic agents on daring missions, readers will be yearning for more stories set in this period. It has all the making of a classic spy caper. The story progresses, each step evoking the tone of the era, until Nick Fury himself makes a thrilling rescue. Remender paces the issue skillfully, as it gets progressively more exciting until the sudden Winter Soldier twist. Even Remender’s dialogue invokes an older, and somewhat romanticized, style of story telling. Nazis and commies are bad, SHEILD agents are daring and handsome, until the Winter Soldier appears with a dose of reality. Rememder has set up the world very well, and the reader will feel just as shocked as Fury and Shen are when the Soldier drops a cold shower on SHEILD’s spy romp.
Continued belowRoland Boschi has started making a name for himself at Marvel by penciling their more realistic, street-level series like “Punisher” and “Wolverine MAX”, which makes him a natural fit for “The Bitter March”. Although the first page begins in the dark room, it’s literally one panel later when the first action scene kicks in, and Boschi drops the reader into a thrilling moment. Although the setting of a snow covered mountains doesn’t sound like the most visually interesting thing, Boschi makes it look captivating, especially as the enormous Castle Hydra comes into view. The tone they are going for is clearly inspired by classic Connery-era Bond films, and Boschi draws a party scene straight from Dr. No, as Agent Shen puts on a tuxedo and mingles with dangerous and beautiful strangers.
Once the Winter Soldier appears, the action becomes a chase through the air as Fury and Shen pursue their new adversary. Unlike winged mutants or caped demigods, this trio is wearing just glider suits, so the scene runs the risk of appearing pose-y and still, but Boschi makes excellent of use of wind and snow conveying a real sense of speed and excitement during the pursuit. The visual appearance of the Winter Soldier itself is taken straight from the upcoming film, so Boschi doesn’t get to do a lot with character design, in fact no one in the issue appears particular outlandish, save a green suited henchman or too. If the readers expect exploding superpowers on every page, this isn’t the book for them. Instead, Boschi draws a world much closer to the real world, but with just enough of fantastical edge that it remains exciting to look at.
With the release of the Captain America sequel only weeks away, “Winter Soldier: The Bitter March” ran the risk of being little more than a churned out tie-in filled with information redundant to old readers and too crammed together for new ones. Instead, Remender and Boschi have created an espionage tale that harkens back to the classics of the genre, and uses the familiar setting to display what a jarring effect a character like the Winter Soldier would have in this world. The dialogue and pacing are consistent throughout the book, and Boschi’s art grabs the reader from the first page. It was an exciting and enjoyable read from beginning to end.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy. What could have been a film cash-in is now posed to be a surprisingly good espionage thriller.
