I've thought about this for the last month or so. I've been reading in a couple other blogs how happy they are with the stories that they're reading in this book. Honestly, I haven't picked up this one since issue #25 . . the one where Steve died. So, with issue #50 out this week, and #600 next month, I thought I'd give it a shot and just give an honest opinion of how I feel about the story. However, it wouldn't be fair to just read a single issue and try to form an assessment. I mean, every title has it's ups and downs. So I decided to go back a couple of issues. I've read #48, #49 and #50 together. And that should probably prepare me for #600 next month. I wanted to do the same thing with Thor, but . . I'm not really into that character all that much. Well . . here goes nothing. I was kind of surprised after reading these issues because, honestly all 3 felt completely different. Which, to be fair, is because they were all parts of different story-lines. I had no doubt that I would like Ed Brubaker's stories. I loved his stuff on the X-Men. Issue #48 was wrapping up a story about Bucky in his Winter Soldier guise. In 1948, Bucky, with the invaders, had rescued this 12 year old Chinese scientist named Zhang Chin. Later, as the Winter Soldier, he was tasked with eliminating the same scientist. He didn't do it, but he did kill a woman who turned out to be someone Zhang loved. Now it appears that Zhang is back and he's using the old body of the Human Torch to create some new epidemic. In a nutshell, he wants to 'trim' the world's population by 35 to 50 percent. "Our world is falling apart . . it's resources are depleting. Food is becoming more scarce . . Earth itself has turned against us. Just imagine the effects of that kind of a global pandemic . . how far less toxic our smaller population will be to the ecosystem." Also, besides having the Human Torch's body, Zhang has also capture Namor and is using him as a test subject. Long story short, the Black Widow shows up and between them they stop the release of the virus and release Namor. Zhang had a person in his employ, The Man With No Face, whom I thought was an interesting character. However, with just this one issue to go off of, I didn't really learn all that much about him. Namor kicks his ass pretty good, and in the end . . snaps
his neck. In the end they finally give Jim Hammond the burial that he deserves. This one was brilliantly drawn by Butch Guice and Luke Ross. Now issue #49 went a different direction and was all about Sharon Carter. She and Sam Wilson are living in her family estate in Virginia . . just as friends, strictly platonic . . and she's trying to piece together the memories that she's missing. I like the way Ed relates her condition to that of Sharon's Aunt Peggy. Sharon visits her often, but she's got advancing Alzheimer's. The difference is, Aunt Peggy doesn't know that she's missing memories . . parts of her life, but Sharon does. And it's driving her crazy. They're both actually in very similar situations. It's just . . one's cognizant, and one isn't. Anyways, most of the issue is focused on Sharon and Sam's friendship, and reliving Sharon's, and some of Aunt Peggy's memories. Also, Sam is looking for this 'Evil Cap' or 'Bad Cap'. He looks and acts exactly like Steve, but . . without the personality or convictions. Two things come out at the end. First Sharon discovers that she was pregnant at one time. She didn't even know. Sam fills her in on the specifics. Really, the revelation is almost more than she can bare. Finally, we see Aunt Peggy at the end and she thinks she's having a conversation with Steve, her one-time lover. Actually, it's 'Bad Cap'. I guess he's fishing for information about Steve, or the war. Oh yeah, and Sharon has a dream about an event she doesn't remember. She captured by Zola and the Red Skull, and she's witnessing some kind of experiment that they're working on. She's mostly out of it . . drugged maybe, but she can make out a form. It looks like they're working with a time-platform . . maybe? . . and they're trying to draw a figure out of it. She can't really make the person out, but . . she thinks, or hopes, that it's Steve. But that's really all the information that we get. This one had some fantastic art by Luke Ross. Finally, in issue #50 we learn some more about Bucky. Basically we see how his 'mission' in life has effected his birthdays over the years. It's his birthday now, and he's being chased by guys in high-tech suits that are trying to kill him. But, as we see through the flash-backs that it's pretty normal for his life to be in jeopardy on, or because of, his birthday. You would almost think he has some kind of birthday curse. Through the flash-backs we see a lot of Bucky's past, and his relationship with Steve. And then we find out that the guys who are trying to kill him are actually a para-military group who worship Cap. They're trying to kill Bucky because they don't feel that he's the 'real' Cap. "Believe me, I know that better than anyone . . but I'm tryin' . . . "
However, the issue ends on a good note when he returns home to find out that the Avengers have all got together to give him a birthday worth remembering. It was actually a very touching issue, and it really made you think about everything that Bucky's been through over the years. The many, many years . . and many, many birthdays. There was a back-up also which filled in a lot of the holes . . at least for myself, on the history of both Cap and Bucky. The main story's fantastic art was again by Luke Ross. But the back-up was by Marcos Martin. Marcos' work almost had a Tim Sale influence to it. Or maybe even Darwyn Cooke. Really, it was the perfect style for this part of the story. Anyways, overall I'd have to say, I didn't get exactly what I was expecting out of these books, but . . I still thought they were very, very good. They piqued my interest enough that I'm looking forward to issue #600. I can't wait to see what they pull out for that one.
I've thought about this for the last month or so. I've been reading in a couple other blogs how happy they are with the stories that they're reading in this book. Honestly, I haven't picked up this one since issue #25 . . the one where Steve died. So, with issue #50 out this week, and #600 next month, I thought I'd give it a shot and just give an honest opinion of how I feel about the story. However, it wouldn't be fair to just read a single issue and try to form an assessment. I mean, every title has it's ups and downs. So I decided to go back a couple of issues. I've read #48, #49 and #50 together. And that should probably prepare me for #600 next month. I wanted to do the same thing with Thor, but . . I'm not really into that character all that much. Well . . here goes nothing. I was kind of surprised after reading these issues because, honestly all 3 felt completely different. Which, to be fair, is because they were all parts of different story-lines. I had no doubt that I would like Ed Brubaker's stories. I loved his stuff on the X-Men. Issue #48 was wrapping up a story about Bucky in his Winter Soldier guise. In 1948, Bucky, with the invaders, had rescued this 12 year old Chinese scientist named Zhang Chin. Later, as the Winter Soldier, he was tasked with eliminating the same scientist. He didn't do it, but he did kill a woman who turned out to be someone Zhang loved. Now it appears that Zhang is back and he's using the old body of the Human Torch to create some new epidemic. In a nutshell, he wants to 'trim' the world's population by 35 to 50 percent. "Our world is falling apart . . it's resources are depleting. Food is becoming more scarce . . Earth itself has turned against us. Just imagine the effects of that kind of a global pandemic . . how far less toxic our smaller population will be to the ecosystem." Also, besides having the Human Torch's body, Zhang has also capture Namor and is using him as a test subject. Long story short, the Black Widow shows up and between them they stop the release of the virus and release Namor. Zhang had a person in his employ, The Man With No Face, whom I thought was an interesting character. However, with just this one issue to go off of, I didn't really learn all that much about him. Namor kicks his ass pretty good, and in the end . . snaps 
his neck. In the end they finally give Jim Hammond the burial that he deserves. This one was brilliantly drawn by Butch Guice and Luke Ross. Now issue #49 went a different direction and was all about Sharon Carter. She and Sam Wilson are living in her family estate in Virginia . . just as friends, strictly platonic . . and she's trying to piece together the memories that she's missing. I like the way Ed relates her condition to that of Sharon's Aunt Peggy. Sharon visits her often, but she's got advancing Alzheimer's. The difference is, Aunt Peggy doesn't know that she's missing memories . . parts of her life, but Sharon does. And it's driving her crazy. They're both actually in very similar situations. It's just . . one's cognizant, and one isn't. Anyways, most of the issue is focused on Sharon and Sam's friendship, and reliving Sharon's, and some of Aunt Peggy's memories. Also, Sam is looking for this 'Evil Cap' or 'Bad Cap'. He looks and acts exactly like Steve, but . . without the personality or convictions. Two things come out at the end. First Sharon discovers that she was pregnant at one time. She didn't even know. Sam fills her in on the specifics. Really, the revelation is almost more than she can bare. Finally, we see Aunt Peggy at the end and she thinks she's having a conversation with Steve, her one-time lover. Actually, it's 'Bad Cap'. I guess he's fishing for information about Steve, or the war. Oh yeah, and Sharon has a dream about an event she doesn't remember. She captured by Zola and the Red Skull, and she's witnessing some kind of experiment that they're working on. She's mostly out of it . . drugged maybe, but she can make out a form. It looks like they're working with a time-platform . . maybe? . . and they're trying to draw a figure out of it. She can't really make the person out, but . . she thinks, or hopes, that it's Steve. But that's really all the information that we get. This one had some fantastic art by Luke Ross. Finally, in issue #50 we learn some more about Bucky. Basically we see how his 'mission' in life has effected his birthdays over the years. It's his birthday now, and he's being chased by guys in high-tech suits that are trying to kill him. But, as we see through the flash-backs that it's pretty normal for his life to be in jeopardy on, or because of, his birthday. You would almost think he has some kind of birthday curse. Through the flash-backs we see a lot of Bucky's past, and his relationship with Steve. And then we find out that the guys who are trying to kill him are actually a para-military group who worship Cap. They're trying to kill Bucky because they don't feel that he's the 'real' Cap. "Believe me, I know that better than anyone . . but I'm tryin' . . . "
However, the issue ends on a good note when he returns home to find out that the Avengers have all got together to give him a birthday worth remembering. It was actually a very touching issue, and it really made you think about everything that Bucky's been through over the years. The many, many years . . and many, many birthdays. There was a back-up also which filled in a lot of the holes . . at least for myself, on the history of both Cap and Bucky. The main story's fantastic art was again by Luke Ross. But the back-up was by Marcos Martin. Marcos' work almost had a Tim Sale influence to it. Or maybe even Darwyn Cooke. Really, it was the perfect style for this part of the story. Anyways, overall I'd have to say, I didn't get exactly what I was expecting out of these books, but . . I still thought they were very, very good. They piqued my interest enough that I'm looking forward to issue #600. I can't wait to see what they pull out for that one.
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