by Punchy » Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:15 pm
This title has been thoroughly excellent throughout it’s short life, but this was the best issue yet, improving on perfection! A lot of this has to do with Michael Lark’s artwork, this is no slight on Butch Guice, who has been brilliant, but something special happens when Lark and Brubaker collaborate. From way back on Scene Of The Crime, through Gotham Central and Daredevil, they just go well together, it’s not quite as good as when Brubaker works with Sean Phillips, but it’s almost that. Lark’s dark, moody artwork is just perfect for the tone of Brubaker’s stories. I also loved how this issue picked up where the first storyline left off, and we’re right back into the story of the other Russian sleeper agent. My favourite sequences in this issue were the flashbacks that Leo was going through, especially how Bettie Breitweiser changed her colouring style and for them, emphasising the red of blood. It was also interesting to see the return of Fred Davis, and how even though he was old (and eventually died) he was still a bit of a bad-ass. It’s brilliant how Brubaker has managed to come up with even more threats from Bucky’s past, it makes each story feel important, gives it depth. Captain America may have lost me, but this title is delivering me what I want from a Brubaker superhero story, it’s just excellent, end of story.