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rlaferney's review against another edition
5.0
With The Winter Soldier, Brubaker writes the best Captain America book ever while also resurrecting a forgotten character, giving Bucky a new lease on life and turning him from an easily mocked sidekick into a brilliantly realized and transformed new character, and a superhero in his own right. The Winter Soldier is packed full of action, intrigue, and taut characterization that places Brubaker's Cap run on critics lists. This is hands down one of the best graphic novels ever written.
troystory's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I'm so glad I finally read Brubaker's run, because it is as amazing as everyone says it is. Firstly, the art was always gorgeous. Secondly, the story was heartbreaking and well-written, and it kept me so engrossed, I never wanted to put it down. I was very sad when it ended, but I guess now I'll have to get the other collections!
One of my favourite things about reading this was seeing the similarities between the comics and the 2014 movie. The storyline was obviously different, but there were some similar characters, conversations, scenes, and even specific lines (such as, "Who the hell is Bucky?").
Overall, I really loved this comic, and I'm excited to read the rest of Brubaker's run!
One of my favourite things about reading this was seeing the similarities between the comics and the 2014 movie. The storyline was obviously different, but there were some similar characters, conversations, scenes, and even specific lines (such as, "Who the hell is Bucky?").
Overall, I really loved this comic, and I'm excited to read the rest of Brubaker's run!
miceroni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ladydewinter's review against another edition
5.0
(Review written after reading this in May 2010)
Ok. This. This was really, really good. Something I have been complaining about regarding Marvel was that most of the stuff I read left me feeling somewhat uninvolved, which considering I tend to invest myself a lot in things I like was, well, odd. But this. Oh, my heart. (That phrase is the number one clue that I'm involved. Oh yeah.)
This was recommended to me as a dark and gritty spy story, and it is that. It took me a while to get used to the mood, but the story was really cool even if you know who the Winter Soldier is right from the start. But maybe that just made it even more tragic.
Speaking as someone who only had a very rough idea about the characters when she started reading it, I have to say that you get to know them fairly quickly, and in a way that makes you care about them a lot. (Well, it was like that for me, anyway.) And it was very well done from a story-telling perspective as well - I especially liked what was saved for the penultimate page.
I really think I should wait with writing these things until I've calmed down a bit - basically for every sentence I just wrote you have to add an "Aaaah" and "OMG" and such like. But to sum this whole thing up, this was really good and I loved it a lot and it's all I can do not to order the next part right away.
First read May 9th, 2010
Ok. This. This was really, really good. Something I have been complaining about regarding Marvel was that most of the stuff I read left me feeling somewhat uninvolved, which considering I tend to invest myself a lot in things I like was, well, odd. But this. Oh, my heart. (That phrase is the number one clue that I'm involved. Oh yeah.)
This was recommended to me as a dark and gritty spy story, and it is that. It took me a while to get used to the mood, but the story was really cool even if you know who the Winter Soldier is right from the start. But maybe that just made it even more tragic.
Speaking as someone who only had a very rough idea about the characters when she started reading it, I have to say that you get to know them fairly quickly, and in a way that makes you care about them a lot. (Well, it was like that for me, anyway.) And it was very well done from a story-telling perspective as well - I especially liked what was saved for the penultimate page.
I really think I should wait with writing these things until I've calmed down a bit - basically for every sentence I just wrote you have to add an "Aaaah" and "OMG" and such like. But to sum this whole thing up, this was really good and I loved it a lot and it's all I can do not to order the next part right away.
First read May 9th, 2010
moggmogg's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it but it is very different from the movie so if you are going into this thinking it is closely related to the movie you will be wrong. I enjoyed the storyline here just not as much as I liked the movie Captain America The Winter Soldier. There is a series of terrorist attacks and the revelation of a Russian super assassin named the Winter Soldier. When the Winter Soldier is suspected to be Bucky Barnes --Steve's old sidekick from the war much angst ensues. I liked Agent 13 but I didn't like the Bucky set up as him being younger than Steve. That is one change I liked that they made in the MCU of the movies.
evamaria's review against another edition
4.0
After the Winter Soldier movie I needed more Bucky in my life - and since we have Ed Brubaker's Captain America comics to thank for his return, I was curious to see where it's similar and where it differs. The story is quite different, according to comic canon with its history, protagonists and villains, but the emotional impact was the same. The artwork is amazing, too - very dynamic. Altogether I loved it!
literarygoblin's review
4.0
Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these days we all know who Steve Rogers is. Sure, everyone has heard of Captain America at one point or another, but not so many people really knew Steve prior to his initial outing in the First Avenger. And along those same lines, we’ve all come to know Bucky Barnes largely thanks to his alter ego the Winter Soldier. And for anyone that’s ever been curious to learn more about the comic book counterparts, Captain America: the Winter Soldier is a fantastic first step in the world of Steve Rogers.
The Winter Soldier story arc has been one of the most recognized Captain America stories since it debuted in 2005. And as such, I was excited for this infamous arc to be my first venture into Cap comics. And now that I’ve completed it, I see why the story has remained so strong and significant to Cap’s fans.
The Winter Soldier isn’t some flashy star-spangled superhero story, and Steve Rogers isn’t anything like the righteous all-American that I was anticipating him to be. No, this series is about espionage and mystery, it’s an emotional journey for Steve, and eventually an emotional story for Bucky.
The plot is layered with intricacy - there isn’t only the issue of the Winter Soldier to deal with, but there are additional antagonists at play here, all of which wrap perfectly around the Winter Soldier plot.
The story jumps seamlessly from past to present, from far off places to Brooklyn, from Steve’s journey to Bucky’s. Brubaker has done an excellent job creating a well-developed story, one that highlights just how serious and complex comic books can be.
The greatest surprise of the Winter Soldier is that I knew who the Soldier was practically from the start. And no, that isn’t simply because I’ve been a fan of the film adaptation since it’s release. I went into this comic expecting that the identity of the Winter Soldier would be some big, grand mystery, but in reality, they dropped not-so-subtle hints from the very beginning. Brubaker wasn’t trying to keep it a secret, he wasn’t trying to surprise anyone when it was revealed that Bucky was still alive. The mystery wasn’t so much who the Winter Soldier was, but rather, how he came to be. Admittedly, I wish Bucky’s identity was more of a mystery.
My other major critique regards the finale, in which Captain America confronts the Winter Soldier. This encounter was a little lackluster, especially the moment that Bucky’s memories begin to come back to him. The fight between the two men was dynamic and well built up, but in the moments that followed this climax fell flat. I didn’t feel the emotional impact of Bucky’s memories, nor did I feel the emotional impact this moment had on Steve. For a story arc that was built up over the course of thirteen issues, you’d think it would end on a more significant note.
A final note, that isn’t a critique of the work, just a general observation, is that there were some points at which I was confused. Not because of the story, but rather because of references to other comics that I didn’t understand. This doesn’t take away from the story, and I came to understand it all, but it’s worth mentioning for anyone that is considering jumping into Captain America comics with this book. As a whole, though, the Winter Soldier felt like a good starting point, and it’s a story I’d recommend to anyone, whether you’re a comic book reader or not.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
3.0
At times the writing in this is really good - like the Jack Monroe story chapter, issue, whatever. Agent 13 comes across better here than she does in the movies (Nothing against VanCamp but they never give her much to do. Hopefully the Falcon series will change that). Though for such a bad ass agent she seemed captured a bit too easily.
I will admit, it was better than I thought it was going to be.
I will admit, it was better than I thought it was going to be.
cpittman0513's review against another edition
5.0
I had to re-read this after seeing Captain America: Civil War. It's still so good!