Review- WINTER SOLDIER VOL. 2: BROKEN ARROW

WINTER SOLDIER VOL. 2: BROKEN ARROW (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Winter Soldier Nos. 6-9 (cover dates August- October, 2012)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Michael Lark

What a cliffhanger! Times like these almost make me wish that I were a monthly comic buyer, as I am dying to know what happens next after this short and sweet book ended. I almost wish that Marvel had waited and issued a thicker trade with more of a resolution to the storyline.

Michael Lark's artwork is great, and I will one day read his and Brubaker's collaboration on Daredevil (I have all three Ultimate Collection TPBs in queue). This book moves at a brisk clip, and Lark's artwork has a sort of kinetic energy to it. 

The third sleeper agent woke to a world where he no longer belonged. He manages to turn the Black Widow into his catspaw. I guess that the Black Widow uses the same formula that Nick Fury does that keeps her from aging. This is a problem for Marvel, as some of their characters are tied into specific points in history. The longer these characters last, the more outlandish the concept that they have to come up with in order to keep the character at a certain age. Suspension of disbelief and all that jazz, right? This is a thrill a minute in high adventure, folks. If this doesn't rock your socks off then nothing will.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Standard fare Marvel trade paperback.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. This has a superb coated stock, not too thick, not too thin...let's call it Goldilocks weight. Just right.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. The same high quality, thick laminated cardstock that Marvel uses on all of their trade paperbacks.

Follow my blog on Facebook.

Join my Facebook group, DC Collected Editions Fans Who Want Sewn Binding and Books That Lay Flat, a watchdog organization dedicated to top notch production values in DC's collected editions.