“Don’t worry, you won’t miss your plane.”
Captain America #6
Marvel Comics (June, 2005; as seen in the digital trade version of Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection)
“Out Of Time” part 6
WRITER: Ed Brubaker
ARTIST: Steve Epting
COLORIST: Frank D’Armata
LETTERER: Randy Gentile
ASSISTANT EDITORS: Andy Schimdt, Nicole Wiley, and Molly Lazer
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
Cap returns to where he lost Bucky, trying to make sense of the various memories making their way into his head. This includes new memories of Baron Zemo torturing Bucky. He also has a very real vision of being attacked by Nazis in the present which he’s sure is coming from whomever stole the Cosmic Cube. That same person, Aleksander Lukin, also projects Sharon’s location so he’ll try to rescue her. SHIELD agent Neal Tapper, who was involved with Sharon until they had an argument about her being her ex’s liaison (namely Steve) find the explosive and Nomad’s body just as the bomb goes off where Cap can see it, just as Lukin planned. The bigger bombshell however is dropped by Sharon…who tells Cap that the person who grabbed her was Bucky Barnes!
What they got right: Bucky’s reveal as whom we will later call the Winter Soldier is very well handled. The mystery around Steve’s memories and why Lukin has it in for Captain America is also interesting.
What they got wrong: I feel like there is a combination of “cleaning the slate”, first with Jack and now Tapper, by killing characters off and that never sits well with me, as well as playing continuity games when it comes to what happened on Cap and Bucky’s last adventure, and longtime readers know my concern with the “retcon bomb”. It’s more dangerous to continuity than the one that just went off.
What I think overall: I’m a little more concerned about this chapter of the story and where things are going. It’s well told and the art was a bit brighter this time but this has potential to go south fast.
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