Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Winter Soldier The Bitter March #1Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1
Marvel Comics
Remender, Boschi & Chuckry

Rick Remender makes his debut on his Winter Soldier title with a great spin on the opening issue of what looks to be a great series in the making. Set in 1966, Nick Fury is on the hunt for a couple of Nazis. The book reads a lot like a Marvel Universe centric Fury title until the Winter Soldier arrives. The book has humor, science-fiction, horror and plenty of action as Remender puts his rubber stamp on this opening issue. This is a fun ride and I suggest getting in on the ground floor.

A number of years ago, Marvel had a title called "The Mighty Thor" and while it was short lived, it captured a lot of what made Thor an appealing character in a fun and intriguing comic. This opening issue does many of those things but makes the comic slightly more appropriate for older readers. After all, Fury and Agent Shen kill a couple of Hydra agents on their way into the Castle Hydra stronghold.

Once inside, Shen finds himself playing James Bond with a female Hydra agent. This leads to a confrontation with a snake-woman as Remender makes sure to keep a steady stream of the unexpected in his books. Eventually Fury and Shen located the Nazi scientists and just when they think they've duped Hydra, the mythical Winter Soldier shows up.

The book is a fast-paced comic book that allows for just enough exposition and dialogue to give the reader an idea of the plot while baiting them for some slight misdirection later. The comic book is a clean story that completes by the issue's end but gives just enough of a dangling plot thread to tune in for the next issue. The comic isn't overly spy-like, but gives you just enough to feel like Nick Fury isn't wasted.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
The artwork is equal to the story. Much like the Mighty Thor comic book, this one sticks with more realistic looking figures that aren't over muscled or out of portion. The pencils have great detail but allow the coloring to take hold and bring the artwork to life when required. The story moves along with plenty of action and the art tells that story to perfection.

It's not often that a first issue takes the premise of the book and turns it into a mystery with different characters other than the lead running the show throughout the book. This is a great way to approach the Winter Soldier and Remender brings together a complete and terrific read to start things off. This is definitely a book to get in on now before it takes off and you are left playing catch-up.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles