Review- WINTER SOLDIER VOL. 3: BLACK WIDOW HUNT

WINTER SOLDIER VOL. 3: BLACK WIDOW HUNT (Marvel, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Winter Soldier Nos. 10-14 (cover dates November, 2012- March, 2013)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artists: Butch Guice and Brian Thies (inker, 11-14)

Colorists: Bettie Breitweiser (10-12, 14) and Jordie Bellaire (13 and 14)

So this is it...Ed Brubaker's final work for Marvel (for now). It's a damn shame that things couldn't be worked out schedule wise, because I would love to see more of the adventures of Bucky written by him. Brubaker has made Bucky more interesting than Captain America himself, as his conditioning and sordid past have left a trail of corpses and skeletons in the closet ripe with possibilities.

Leo Novokov is the final sleeper agent, and he has kidnapped and brainwashed the Black Widow to use as bait in his revenge on the Winter Soldier. Bucky acts irrationally and it takes Captain America, Wolverine, and Hawkeye to help set things right...or as right as they are going to be. I'll say no more. 

Butch Guice's artwork has improved over the years, and he was great before. I have been a fan of his since I discovered him on Micronauts: The New Voyages nearly 30 years ago. He has gone by Jackson Guice, Jackson “Butch” Guice, and here, back to Butch Guice. His artwork here is reminiscent of Neal Adams, photo realistic and bursting with energy.

I have decided to start listing colorists as part of the creative team in my reviews of modern comic books. Computer coloring is so sophisticated, and these guys and gals do so much more with the artwork these days than just color in the shapes. It is really an artform, as essential as the inker to the look and feel of the material, and as such is deserving of a mention.

Vol. 4 has just been solicited this week for an August release, and this will mark the end of the series. It is being relaunched as part of the whole Marvel Now thing. I will give the new creative team a shot with this next book. They certainly have their work cut out for them.

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 nice thick coated stock paper, a definite improvement over some of the thinner stock that we've been getting lately.

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

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Broken record time. I love the thick, lamination found on Marvel's cardstock covers. It is highly durable and real purty to boot.

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