buckheaded

drive-by readings

Captain America #609 (Marvel) "No Escape Part 4" Ed Brubaker Butch Guice Rick Magyar/Andrew Hennessy Paul Mounts Joe Caramagna Marko Djurdjevic (cover)

what we learned: Baron Zemo agitates Bucky easily and draws him into a trap, and uses Hauptmann to keep Steve, Sam and Natasha busy. naturally, Bucky is soon in chains and en route to Zemo island.
oh shit moment: how many times did Bucky get knocked out in the past six or seven issues? do we want this in our Captain America?
what's next: Bucky finally gets to die in the English channel. grab the popcorn.


Zemo missed out on shooting Cap so he had to make up for lost time.

rats in a maze

drive-by readings

Captain America #608 (Marvel) "No Escape Part 3" Ed Brubaker Butch Guice Rick Magyar/Mark Pennington Dean White/Elizabeth Dismang/Frank Martin Joe Caramagna Marko Djurdjevic (cover)

what we learned: the new Beetle gives Cap and the Black Widow a good fight, and she knows who Bucky is. even worse, his real name and his Winter Soldier past is now on Fox News.
oh shit moment: yeah, Fixer is not on the side of the angels. crap.
what's next: Zemo probably shows his ugly mug.


"okay ... okay ... you're much cuter than Steve Rogers!!"

z return of z baron

drive-by readings

Captain America #606 (Marvel) "No Escape, Part 1" Ed Brubaker Butch Guice Dean White Joe Caramagna Joe Sabino Marko Djurdjevic (cover)

to kick off the Heroic Age, Bucky Barnes is now firmly and officially the Captain America of these times. and with that ascension, snakes have come crawling out of the woodwork. a certain snake whose name starts with a Z. hey, how come this guy never bites it? its actually a failure for Steve Rogers himself, way back in the Mansion Siege. now Buck has to clean the mess up. interestingly, since this is Zemo Jr., and Buck's the younger Cap, then they should really become each other's mortal enemy and bitter rival.

knowing what we know in Jeff Parker's new Thunderbolts, Zemo already made his official appearance to the world, "recruiting" Luke Cage's team. and i'm a bit stunned to see the Fixer here helping out the Baron, considering its been established that he's switched sides a long time ago. true, he's been a Baron loyalist, but i'm a little sick of (comic) betrayals lately. why can't the bad guys be good for a change? also, why is the Wrecking Crew still on the streets after Siege?


i can take the Ghost being a sleeper, because that guy's just dirt. i assume he's been (re)planted into the Thunderbolts program, but then again what is Zemo's point, aside from the destruction of anyone wearing the Captain America uniform? he's nowhere near going to control the world as it is, and even if he had the Cosmic Cube, that's a hollow victory.


Butch Guice is now handling full art chores, providing a seamless transition from when he was inking Luke Ross. not sure if i'm really sold on the art work though. maybe i just miss Michael Lark.

tying the loose ends

drive-by readings

The New Avengers: Finale (Marvel) Brian Michael Bendis Bryan Hitch/Stuart Immonen Butch Guice/Andrew Currie/Karl Story Paul Mounts/Justin Ponsor/Rain Beredo Chris Eliopoulos

first up, let's see what Avengers maestro Brian Michael Bendis let us know about New Avengers: Finale:


i've been increasingly critical about Bryan Hitch's artwork, which was becoming 'dirtier' (maybe its the bunch of inkers he has to work with?) and due to either deadline concerns (sometimes i don't mind lateness if the artwork is blow-my-mind stellar) or the bulk of work to be drawn, he ends up drawing with painful postures and sometimes disproportionate limbs. i mean, study this scene below, and draw your own conclusions.


i love Hitch circa The Authority and The Ultimates. i believe he does his best work with Paul Neary or Andrew Currie, and will be best served with limited series work that has some leeway on its shipping schedule.

so what about the rest of the story? this is intended to tie the loose ends of Siege, because they decided that it was going to be a 4-issue series, and obviously that won't be enough to tell the whole kaboodle. last time we saw Madame Masque, she was hightailing it with her balls-less boyfriend, Parker the Robbin' Hood out of Oklahoma. turns out she went to run to her dad, Ra's Al Ghul. oh wait - that's Count Nefaria.


really, its hilarious that supervillains are named literally, to ensure that you know they're BAD: Erik Killmonger, Doctor Faustus, Eric The Red, Spymaster, Doctor Doom, Mister Fear. although Mister Fear and Dr. Doom sound really cool.

the guys need to capture them unless they want to hand the bad guys another opportunity to put them through this kind of wringer again. also, its way past time this Brian K. Vaughan creation be put to pasture, as we can agree with Count Nefaria, his 15 minutes are up. luckily, every other bad guy is more than happy to give him up. its refreshing to find the Avengers, and this time not just the regular Avengers we used to know, but every major and promoted-to-major character that Bendis incorporated into the fold during this decade, to be actually working together. Spider-Man shouldn't have to endure any JJJ tirades any longer from hereon - one word from Cap and Jameson should shut up. but then again, would that be consistent with the Spidey creative team's direction to keep him a lovable loser?


hey, hey, hey, don't call Nicky Boy a terrorist!

speaking of Spidey, i want him to be contributing some more brains to the operation. i know he's the joker of the group ("booties!"), and they need comic relief in the heat of battle, but he's smart and it was past time he got Stark sponsorship (don't mention that Spider Armor - or was that all forgotten after Brand New Day?).

Disney execs are ROTFL

the Avengers acquit themselves further by bagging the Hood, Masque, Hood's pal John King, and Nefaria, with the help of Wolverine ("anything to get away from Cyclops - guy was driving me nuts." - what, because he's under pressure to keep the mutant race alive, fend off Bastion with his leadership skills and tactics while keeping the body count to a minimum, keep his faith in Hope with Kurt in mind, AND keep his sanity knowing he's sleeping with Emma Frost every damn night? you don't say.), and the forgotten fact that Ms. Marvel can absorb energy and redirect it at you. hear that, Marvel supervillains? keep that in mind next time you meet Ms. Marvel!

its fun to see Maria Hill leading the cheers for the good guys to take over again. wasn't it so long ago she was staring down Captain America, and sought to take him down? i guess working with Tony Stark, and working Tony Stark, if you know what i mean, works wonders. holy crap - too bad Tony doesn't remember any of that! would she file a paternity suit against him if she got preggers and he denies it, because that's the truth - he really doesn't remember?

and what of Steve Rogers? 2007 was so long ago. to tell the truth, i'm not bitter that he was brought back, y'know? sure, his death, with all the hype and related comic work that earned Marvel a gazillion more dollars (catching the eye of Disney), has been taken down notches, but didn't we expect this (coming back) to happen? this was part of Marvel's plan all along - not like the death of Jean Grey on the moon, and the haphazard resurrection just to launch X-Factor. at least he's not coming back to reclaim the mantle, and they just issued a one-shot (hint: its not Who Won't Wield the Shield!) to sort that out (i'm kinda looking at you, Battle for the Cowl)

really? don't you remember you used a joy buzzer on Tony when he shook your hand in Civil War?

final scene: what, no Steve Rogers, Sharon Carter, Logan, or Natasha?

well, all's well that ends well, i guess. though i have a couple of questions: i wonder how Jessica Jones got herself an AT&T contract without being traced by Osborn/H.A.M.M.E.R.?

oh well, maybe Pete jailbroke it and added a variable cellsite piggybacker (really talking out of my ass now)

what i really wanna know is, Bryan Hitch, what's up with Luke's now-you-see-it-now-you-don't earring?



oh hey, anybody know where Daken is?

/the quick answer is: he's going to replace Wolverine, so he gets a free not-going-to-jail card.

snaps: Captain America #603

... where we find our intrepid Cap & Falcon pairing (Sam must feel reaaaaally old) run headlong into a trap set by Bad Cap of the '50s. wow, that old geezer effed you up good, didn't he? are you gonna let him get away with that, Buck? are ya?

Batman and Robin did this all the time, and the Internet giggled.


so that's what he did after retiring from editing Captain America!


i didn't know The Shocker could fly ... or was black.


"hey Buck, Steve told me Natasha's been around the block a few times ..."


ok, let's try to figure out what they said ... is it "nagger"?


"no, this symbolizes America punching the black man in the face!"



excellent work as usual from Mr. Brubaker.

Teabaggers hate Captain America!!!

oh, wait ... they take offense on a panel in Captain America #602, and Joe Q has to explain and apologize. (via @doomkopf)

looks like Joe Caramagna takes the fall for this.





but really ... only dogs that get hit, bark.


/i'm with Bru on this one. teabag the teabaggers!!

snaps: Captain America: Reborn #6

... where everything's anti-climatic. two new pieces of information: there's an apocalyptic future coming (well, that's not news) and recite this phrase before you go to bed: "like father, like daughter."

i didn't know Sam swung that way.


you mean the Canadian cable company right?


first, she gets mind-controlled and shoots Steve. now, she makes the Red Skull like the green giant. way to go, Sharon!!!


seriously though: Bryan Hitch's art has been getting ... painful, shall we say, in the past year or so. this is not The Authority and Ultimates vol. 1 .


if its painful for us, how much more for Steve? his torso seems have been Kate Moss-ed.


they're running? are they catching the Acela back to New York? where the hell's Cloak?

by the way, does this mean they had him all along, before Clint went nuts and went to kill Osborn and the girls had to rescue him? shouldn't Steve have led the charge? who coordinates all these stories??

so ... it didn't take that long eh? it wasn't that long ago when i wrote this.





for Ed Brubaker's next trick: Jean Grey is coming back. and as a bonus, so will Uncle Ben.

this ain't your Captain America

drive-by readings

Captain America #602 (Marvel) "Two Americas, Part 1" Ed Brubaker Luke Ross Butch Guice Dean White Joe Caramagna Gerald Parel (cover) Ed Brubaker finally unveils his master plan for reviving the Cap of the '50s - he's now a right-wing nut, with a burgeoning army to boot (ably filled by a Mark Gruenwald creation, the Watchdogs). no offense to the actual residents of Boise, Idaho - there are some serious crazies out there. with all the files S.H.I.E.L.D. or rather, Nick Fury has, how could they not track the insane William Burnside to his hometown? Bucky Cap and the Falcon cook up a plan to infiltrate the lunatic fringe, but Bad Cap may just be a couple of steps ahead of them. not sure how all of these ties into Siege (Fury mentions Osborn so that means it hasn't happened yet), and looks like a meaty side story before the launch of a post-Osborn Marvel Universe. hopefully, the (anti-climactic) last issue of Reborn also comes out before then.

snaps: Who Will Wield the Shield?

... where scheduling issues and editorial trafficking whack us upside the head. again. and oh, yes, the Red Skull is not inside Steve Rogers. well, glad you cleared that up!!

1) yeah, you're sorry. so no need to buy Reborn #6 anymore right?


2) where were you in Vietnam? or Iraq? or Afghanistan?


3) memo to Natasha: you're a former villain, boinked at least three male Avengers (four, if she did it with Hercules; five, if Daredevil counts as honorary), and your stint as Avengers chairperson isn't that scintillating. you're stabbing Steve in the back now? what if Steve was also a notch on your bracelets?


4) help!!!! what does the one-way sign symbolisms mean?? wwwaaaauuuughhhhh!!!


5) you are about to be enlisted in the health care bill battle, Steve, and its up your alley, because heck, you're like 80 years old and change. good luck.

snaps: Captain America: Reborn #5

... where we're still an issue away from finding out who the hell is in Captain America's body. bring me the head of the scheduling mooks who are responsible for this!

1) why the hell is he laughing when he has the pink eye? (also, who laughs like "byahahahahaa"??)


2) oh, so sticks and stones, and and also words, can break your bones.


3) so that spells out "Super M.O.D.O.K. Super Heroes" ... M.O.R.O.N.


and if they don't get to kill even one superhero ... well, well, somebody has to return their friggin' bailout money!!!!

Steve Rogers has cool contacts

just kidding. that's the Red Skull realizing his ultimate dream (again) of inhabiting Steve Rogers's body (that sounded creepy).

so, does this mean in the upcoming Siege, "Capskull America" fights alongside Thor and presumably Tony Stark to bring down Norman Osborn? holy fecal matter!

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Captain America: Reborn #4

drive-by readings: Captain America: Reborn #2

Captain America: Reborn #2 (Marvel) Ed Brubaker Bryan Hitch Butch Guice Paul Mounts Joe Caramagna John Cassaday/Laura Martin (alternate cover) Tim Sale/Dave Stewart (variant cover)

ok, it's time to accept the notion that Steve Rogers is not dead (hahahaha!). i have a feeling this should've been done sometime much further down the line - but the events in Dark Reign were much too good to pass up. what remains to be seen is whether he will return to the present time and be the sole Captain America again. and of course, it all makes sense - Ed Brubaker never let us down (start chanting that as your mantra). Steve's having an inside-of-body experience and reliving his WWII days, from storming Nazi castles to his taking the Super Soldier serum to meeting the press with FDR. meanwhile, in the present, Bucky Cap and his girlfriend the Black Widow (i still can't wrap my head around that one - slut!!) get captured by Ares and the H.A.M.M.E.R. goons. is it just me, or has Ares become so one-dimensional now that he's following Osborn's orders? and how does Natasha's presence here coincide with the events in Thunderbolts, where it was just revealed she replaced the Yelena Belova Black Widow on Nick Fury's orders?

if you weren't reading before, time to catch up, boys.

Ed Brubaker never let us down, Ed Brubaker never let us down ...

drive-by readings: Captain America: Reborn #1

Captain America: Reborn #1 (Marvel) "In Rage and Blood and Fire" Ed Brubaker Bryan Hitch Butch Guice Paul Mounts Joe Caramagna Alex Ross (cover)

right in time for the 4th of July, Steve Rogers is back! or is he really? i guess the answer's yes and no. somehow it makes sense (or is it just my blind trust in all things Brubaker?), and i can't say the same for all the other fans who may feel shortchanged after the end of Civil War. true, the meaning of his passing (and all those tears shed) may have been tarnished now, but hey, let's wait and see where Bru goes with this. is it going to be like Bruce Wayne's eventual return to reclaim the mantle of the Bat (you know that's coming)? or will Bucky be the permanent Captain from hereon? maybe Rogers will be back, and he'll pass the baton on to Bucky. officially this time. that being said, damn you Nazis!!!

drive-by readings: Captain America #600

Captain America #600 (Marvel) "One Year After" Ed Brubaker/Paul Dini/Roger Stern/Mark Waid/Stan Lee Alex Ross/Butch Guice/Howard Chaykin Rafael Albuquerque/David Aja/Mitch Breitweiser Kalman Andrasofszky/Dale Eaglesham/Al Avison Frank D'Armata/Edgar Delgado/Matt Hollingsworth Marte Garcia/Paul Mounts Todd Klein/Joe Caramagna/Chris Eliopoulos

the landmark 600th issue arrives, with all the hype building up for some time back, with the intent on putting fans and non-fans alike on the edge: how is Marvel bringing back its greatest super-hero? (Spider-Man just looked at the chart of incomes generated by Marvel properties and snickered) the answer to that is coming next month actually. for now, we have a lead-in anniversary issue of sorts, containing previously-published work and new stories examining the support characters in the Captain America mythos - Bucky, Sharon Carter, his Avenger pals, mortal enemy the Red Skull, Tony Stark (via proxy - but is it him really? i thought he was M.I.A.), Crossbones and Sin, the crazy 1950s Cap, Elijah Bradley, even the alternate-Earth "Bucky" Rikki Barnes. but my favorite has to be the return of Bernie Rosenthal, whom Steve squired during my early reading days.

of course, the meat of this comic lies in the fact that Sharon may have found a way to bring Steve back to life (ooooh, do tell), and this seems confirmed by the fact that Sin refers to something about his death that the general public doesn't know. oh yeah, do tell!

buck rogers in the 21st century

well, that's what we should call James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, nee The Winter Soldier, now currently wearing the colors of his mentor and best friend, the late Steve Rogers.

the shiny design by the great Alex Ross actually contradicts the dark tone of the book, where Steve Epting's gritty illustrations are perfect for all the (Red) skullduggery going on.

the country is in crisis (no shit, Sherlock) - due to the machinations of Herr Johann Schmidt (a.k.a. Crimson Skeletor, a.k.a. Boneface, a.k.a. The Red Skull), Rogers is dead, oil prices are skyrocketing, nobody can sell a house, the people are rioting, the economy is going down the toilet, and the Big Mac ain't what it used to be.

to honor Steve's last request, Tony Stark (the polarizing Iron Man/Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.) wants Bucky to wear the mantle of the world's greatest fighting machine to take the fight to the Red Skull. Bucky wants independence from Stark/S.H.I.E.L.D., and Stark doesn't want to be associated with an "unregistered superhero".

to protect American interests (from gold-grubbing cannon fodder such as A.I.M. a.k.a. the beekeepers), Captain America must live again!

let's try out his fight humor, shall we?

ehhh ... well, let's not put him to task for watching the Seinfeld 'Soup Nazi' episode last night. any one donning the colors would feel a little jittery.

as for his combat methods, well, let's just say he's not Steve Rogers.

while the new Cap goes through the paces, his current (arm's length) benefactor is fighting a different kind of war - against unprincipled politicians who care more about the bottom line than anything else.

add to this, some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tasked to guard the White House are under the remote control of Dr. Faustus (He Who Programmed Sharon Carter to Shoot Steve) and are now ordered to scratch their itchy trigger fingers.

you know what this means, don't you? cliffhanger!!!

addenda:
what's this? a sly advertisement for Lost? is Damon Lindelof in the house? what th-?


if we go to find815.com, we find its a spinoff game of sorts. i wonder how much did ABC pay Marvel for this.


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Captain America #34
Ed Brubaker/Steve Epting/Butch Guice/Frank D'Armata