@itspsonow
Later this year, Marvel Studios and the Disney+ streaming service will debut their first live-action series, Falcon & Winter Soldier. (Is it just me or does “Winter Soldier & the Falcon” flow a little better? I digress.) Since the Winter Soldier movie debuted in 2014, the characters of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson have been thrust into mainstream culture…
Over the next few years, the characters’ frequent appearance in Marvel films have cemented their place in comic book film lore. Ed Brubaker’s historic run on Captain America a decade ago introduced us to the Winter Soldier character and still stands as one of the greatest Cap stories ever written. Falcon’s tenure as Captain America was another interesting take on the character and helped to elevate Falcon from noble sidekick to top-tier hero. In the movies, Captain America is gone and Sam and Bucky will have to fill the void that America’s oldest Soldier left behind. It seemed logical for Marvel Comics to create a title that showcases both heroes before their highly anticipated live-action show streams on Disney+.
Falcon & Winter Soldier — the comic — is written by Derek Landy and illustrated by Federico Vicentini, the latter of whom offers up some great pencils. I enjoyed his work on the Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales series. He gives a sleek look to Falcon and Winter Soldier, and his pencils fit the series quite nicely. In this inaugural issue, we find Bucky in his every day life…
He has just been pardoned by the American government for his previous crimes by assisting in the take down of terrorist organization Hydra. As he meditates quietly with his cat, he is attacked by some unknown assailants and takes them down with expert skill. When Falcon is introduced, he is investigating a company that is covertly in charge of taking down terrorist organizations. When he arrives, he finds the members of the group assassinated and Bucky present in the building. Bucky reveals that he was also attacked and is also investigating his would-be assassins. This is the segue for Bucky and Sam to team up.
Ultimately, This story just feels rushed and underdeveloped. We spend almost no time with our main characters before they are thrust into the plot and the story isn’t overtly interesting thus far. The issue concludes with Bucky and Sam fighting an unknown villain who is essentially a teenager with enhanced fighting skills. I’m sure his origin will be revealed as the series progresses, but as it stands he just comes off as slightly annoying and his appearance in the issue is very random with almost no context.
This is an issue #1, so I’m sure context will come in the upcoming issues; but, as it stands, this story feels incomplete as a first offering. Marvel has a penchant for rushing out books to coincide with TV/Film releases and this series feels less like an authentic story and more like a filler series to keep Falcon and Winter Soldier’s characters current in the comics. Here’s hoping that future issues flesh out the story more and if not, I’m still looking forward to the series on Disney+. 2/5 Bibles.
-Alex Ampadu