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Winter Soldier #10

Sep 2012
Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice

Story Name:

(Widow Hunt: Part One)


Synopsis

Winter Soldier #10 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4.5 stars

James "Bucky" Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is summoned to the SHIELD Helicarrier where Maria Hill briefs him on the shocking events which have just taken place. The Black Widow, rescued from Leo Novokov last issue, was being examined and questioned to learn whether her brainwashing had been reversed. Natasha seemed to be back to normal but when Nick Fury entered the room, a second level of mental conditioning kicked in and she grabbed a gun and started firing. Jasper Sitwell threw himself in front of the wounded Fury, giving the ace agent the time to shoot the Widow and hit the red alert. Natasha fled and escaped by hijacking a flying motorcycle. Now Sitwell is dead and Fury is in surgery; Bucky demands to see Professor Rodchenko who performed the brainwashing; the Soviet doctor explains that Leo Novokov had him create a deeper level of conditioning. He had erased all memory of her romance with Bucky and made her believe she had been a deep cover Soviet agent all along. Maria Hill summons Captain America, Hawkeye, and Wolverine (the latter two are surprised to learn Bucky is alive) to join in the search for Natasha. Hill stresses that this mission must be kept secret so as to make it possible for Natasha to return to her real life….

Elsewhere, underground weapons designer Marvin Martin is about to be killed by client covering his tracks; he is rescued by Leo Novokov who recruits him for his mission….

As Bucky trains in the gym, his mind goes back to an idyllic afternoon in Paris with a delightful Natasha. Brooding, he is interrupted by Hawkeye telling him that she has been spotted in Manhattan and it’s time to go to work….


 

Review / Commentaries


Winter Soldier #10 Review by (September 20, 2012)
By the by, the most interesting thing in the comics last week was that CAP AND BLACK WIDOW #636 and WINTER SOLDIER #10 were quite similar: Both centered on the Black Widow...who has gone rogue and is killing people...and Captain America is on her trail (alone in CABW, aiding Bucky in WS)...with an assist from Hawkeye. I've seen film remakes with less in common. And it won't be until the next issues (at least!) when we find out if the two tales are connected in any way. I doubt that they are. If they are no, it’s poor planning on Marvel's behalf. And it's not like Ed Brubaker and Cullen Bunn don't know each other; they are collaborating on the final story arc for Cap's main title.

Review: After the lame issue #9 the story kicks into high gear with the brainwashed Black Widow taking a more violent role in the proceedings; now we can believe she is a threat and a danger. Butch Guice’s art is astonishing; he uses a realistic style for the main story, a more chaotic look for the flashback to the killings, and a dreamlike one for the romantic flashback. He even invokes Steranko (briefly) in the shot of the SHIELD computer room. The most shocking aspect of the issue is of course the death of Jasper Sitwell. He has been a notable character off and on since the 60s and I was glad to see him back in this series. And now he’s dead; here’s hoping his death has some more lasting significance that those of Fred Davis and D-Man, both knocked off by Ed Brubaker to provide some cheap tragedy and then quickly forgotten.

Comments: First appearance of Captain America in this spin-off series.


> Winter Soldier comic book info and issue index

Elektra

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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Butch Guice
Butch Guice
Bettie Breitweiser
Steve Epting (Cover Penciler)
Steve Epting (Cover Inker)
Steve Epting (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Black Widow
Black Widow

(Natasha Romanoff)
Bucky Barnes
Bucky Barnes

(James Barnes)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Clinton Barton)
Nick Fury
Nick Fury

(Nicholas Fury)
Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier

(James Buchanan Barnes)
Wolverine
Wolverine

(James Howlett)

Plus: Jasper Sitwell, Leo Novokov.