I think
I’d rank volume 3 of Winter Soldier
somewhere between volumes 1 and 2. It’s
a little plottier than the last volume, but it gets into the emotional content
as well, with the effects that Novokov’s machinations are having on Bucky. Things are definitely heating up, though,
building to the climax that will presumably come in the next and final volume
of the series.
The plot
is very much ongoing, but in the interest of avoiding spoilers, I’ll speak as
generally as I can. Novokov’s plans have
taken a deadlier, more devastating turn, and Natasha is still tangled up in the
thick of it. More heroes are brought in
to help Bucky stop Novokov, including Cap, Hawkeye, and Wolverine. Bucky is at the end of his rope, and in his
desperation, he makes a particularly reckless decision.
First up,
I’m getting better with the cross-hero appearances in comic books, although I
suppose it helps that Bucky and Natasha are both such a part of the larger MCU
that I’m used to seeing them with other heroes; this volume features a
Daredevil appearance as well, and he seems to fit in well enough. The one that still feels jarring to me is
Wolverine, but with the X-Men rights
officially coming home to Marvel, I suppose it’s only a matter of time before
it’ll feel normal to see Avengers interacting with X-Men.
As far as
the plot goes, I like seeing how desperate and unhinged Bucky gets. He funnels it all into working tirelessly to
thwart Novokov, but his inner monologue makes no illusions about how badly this
situation is messing him up. I like that
his emotions are driving him to do ill-advised things, with his friends trying
to reel him back. On the flip side,
though, Natasha is used less as a character than a plot device here, and the
volume’s conclusion doesn’t have me overly sanguine that that will change too
much in the final volume. Given how much
I like the little bit this comic has shown us of Bucky and Natasha as partners,
that feels like a waste.
It is a
gripping plot, though. While Novokov is
a bit of a typical Machiavellian mastermind, always one step ahead of our
heroes, he definitely knows exactly where to twist the knife. Some of the cuts here are particularly cruel,
and I’m interested to see where the last volume takes us.
Warnings
Violence,
language, sexual references, drinking/smoking, and thematic elements.
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