The Good
I think most will agree that the evolution and resurrection of Bucky Barnes into the Winter Soldier was a brilliantly executed plan. While we've previously seen his struggle to overcome his brainwashing, we didn't get to see too much of his time as the actual Winter Soldier. Rick Remender is taking us back to 1966 to see Bucky in a way we're not used to.
Nick Fury and Agent Ran Shen were attempting to bring two Nazi scientists into U.S. custody. This was interrupted by the arrival of the Winter Soldier. What we have now is Agent Shen trying to complete his mission plus try to stay alive. Seeing Winter Soldier show no mercy is disturbing, as it should be.
It's comics like this that show us there is still a lot of the Marvel history we haven't seen. There's something really appealing about being able to see a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission that was previously unseen. With the sliding timescale in comics, it's also really cool to see what the Marvel landscape was before all the heroes hit the streets.
I'm digging Roland Boschi's art on this series. It fits the story and time period nicely. It's not over the top or in your face but you do get a sense that this is taking place in the 60s.
The Bad
It would be probably be weird considering his frame of mind, but there's still a slightly strange sense over having the series really focus more on Shen than Bucky. There's a strange poetic justice as well as we know where Shen will end up (in the current issues of CAPTAIN AMERICA). I am intrigued to see Shen's journey but he's not the reason I'm picking up this series.
The Verdict
If you're looking to see the Winter Soldier in action before Captain America became aware of his existence, this is the series for you. Rick Remender is fleshing out his past along with S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Ran Shen, who has a big role in the current CAPTAIN AMERICA series. Roland Boschi is setting up the landscape Rememnder's script requires for the Marvel Universe in the 60s. While it makes perfect sense to not have the series focus on Winter Solider's viewpoint, it would be nice to see more of him in the comic. If you're a fan of the Winter Soldier arc, you won't want to miss seeing this action.
