Steve Rogers may be dead, but Captain America lives on. Cap’s former sidekick Bucky Barnes picks up the mantle of his mentor in the newest issue of Captain America.
Captain America #34
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Okay, so the fact that Bucky Barnes is the new Cap isn’t a surprise (except maybe to those who didn’t realize Rogers got himself shot and stopped breathing a few issues ago).
Steve Rogers’ former sidekick turned Soviet assassin is now faced with the hardest task of his life – filling the shoes left by his friend and mentor. With the unspoken support of Tony Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Black Widow, Bucky goes where those like Wally West have gone before – trying to live up to the legacy of a true hero.
Issue #34 begins with a nice, though wordy, recap of recent events allowing readers who haven’t kept up the the story some background. Steve Rogers is dead, and Bucky Barnes has accepted the role of Captain America, and the mission to track down the Red Skull. Bucky dons a modified version of the costume along with adding a few choice weapons including a gun to Cap’s trademark shield.
Bucky is successful in his first venture out by stopping terrorists from robbing the National Gold Reserves, but his victory is shortlived as Tony Stark makes a startling discovery, perhaps too late, about the Red Skull’s whereabouts and his next move as rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, under the Red Skull’s command, perform a public relations nightmare live on television. Bucky may have one a battle but it seems the Red Skull is winning the war.
This isn’t your father’s Captain America. I still am disappointed in the death of Steve Rogers, whose unique perspective and view on life, although perhaps hard to write, was a large piece of the foundation of the Marvel Universe. Bucky’s Cap is one that fits seamlessly in the post-Civil War world, but lacks the heart and soul of the man who he replaces. At times Captain America might have seemed old-fashioned and even antiquated, but he also harkened back to a time, not that long ago, when beliefs and patriotism was prized rather than marketed. Call me nostalgic, but I’ll take Barry Allen over Wally West, and Steve Rogers over Bucky Barnes.
Even with these reservations I still enjoyed the issue and the respect they offered up to Rogers’ memory. Hopefully this will continue and remain a mainstay in the character and the series (as Allen’s spirit has been in The Flash). I’m not sure I like where this new Cap may lead us, but after this well-crafted introduction I’m willing to give him a chance. Hey, at least he’s better than the last replacement.