Patman Pick of the Week 6/2/2013

Day one of having a blog and this is my second post! Productivity is a good thing.

Anyway, welcome to Patman's Pick of the Week. This is simple. Basically, I will take one comic every week and give it a glowing review. That, or if I didn't read a comic that I liked, I'll try to sell you on one that we'll all pretend is nice.

The latter should never be the case, as we live in an age where there is a wide variety of comic books for every market, every interest, and every age group. Comic books are not just for kids or title wound adults who need to nurse their hoarding habit. Comics are for everyone to read, enjoy, and share.

This week's pick is Winter Soldier #15 by Jason Latour and Nic Klein, published by Marvel Comics. It's no great secret that I'm a big Captain America fan. By extension, I'm a fan of most things stemming from the Captain America mythos and history. No character better embodies this mythos than Bucky Barnes, Cap's old sidekick from World War 2. For about forty years, the official story on Bucky was that he died in the same plane explosion that led to Cap being frozen in the ice for twenty odd years. When writer Ed Brubaker took the reigns on Captain America in 2004, all that changed.

Bucky was revealed *SPOILER ALERT* to have been frozen in the ice, similar to Cap, only to be retrieved and revived by the Russians. Bucky had lost most of his memories, and thus became a perfect candidate for mind controlled assassin work. Thus the Winter Soldier was born.

In a new career spanning less than a decade, Bucky has had an impressive run. He became Captain America after the death of Steve Rogers, then continued to wield the shield for awhile after Steve returned. Now he has gone back into the shadows in what might be one of the best Spy-Fi comics of all time. Created by Ed Brubaker and Jackson Guice, the Winter Soldier title was well received and embraced by long time fans and new readers alike.

Now that the history is out of the way, let's get to why I chose Winter Soldier as my pick of the week.   It can be very difficult to successfully transfer from one creative team to another on a comic title. A writer who is well loved stepping away from a book can cause anxiety for fans of the book. However, Marvel have done a superb job with their creative team changes on nearly all of their Marvel NOW! books. No book better illustrates this than Winter Soldier.

How can a book that has changed it's writer and artist still feel the same? Jason Latour has made wonderful use of the supporting cast put in place by Ed Brubaker, but manages to make room for new  characters who fit in seamlessly. The artwork is drawn and colored by Nic Klein, and the color effects used are very similar to the effects in the previous issues. The artwork is distinct and unique, while still retaining the gritty quality that this title is known for.

Such a perfect transition deserves praise, hence making this week's pick an easy choice.

Winter Soldier #15 - £2.50 or $2.99 respectably, available at Dead Universe Comics in Aylesbury, BUCKS, UK or wherever comics are sold