Winter Soldier, Vol. 3: Black Widow Hunt (2013)

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.