NB of the Week

Fear Itself #7.1 - Captain America

-THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD-

I started getting Fear Itself because of one reason - it's prologue. Book of the Skull was written by Ed Brubaker (of the amazing Captain America) and brought in an old scheme of the Red Skull's that he never completed: the bringing about of The Serpent. While Fear Itself had its pluses and its minuses, it certainly helped set the stage for many things over the next year. Which is where its three epilogues come into play. Fear Itself 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 and set ups for Cap, Iron Man and Thor and with the writers of each title handling each issue, you can bet that I'm picking up at least the Cap one. And it's a good thing I did.
In FI #3, as Bucky Cap ran into battle against Sin (now an avatar of fear for The Serpent), he was met with more forced than he could handle, his arm being ripped off and impaled by her giant hammer. His final breath warned our heroes of The Serpent's return. Or so it seemed.
Turns out Bucky didn't quite die. After finding that he still had a faint heartbeat, Nick Fury gave him the remaining Infinity Formula (which is what has kept Fury alive and well for so long, after so many wars) to try and save him. Expect they didn't tell Steve. They lied to him, telling everyone that Bucky had died so that Steve would keep fighting and help end the battle at hand. Only reason he knows is that Bucky didn't want him living that lie. So Bucky "dies" for the greater good. He was a wanted fugitive and we needed motivation. Only Fury, Black Widow and Steve know he's actually alive. With Steve back in the uniform ("I wasn't meant for the spotlight anyway. That's your world."), Bucky rides off to face his unfinished business with the Winter Soldier program.
"There are things from the Winter Soldier days that I'm just remembering. Weapons left in the field... Dangers I can still prevent. I think maybe that's the path... A way to the redemption I've been looking for."
And we're left being told that coming in 2012 is a new title by Ed Brubaker called Winter Soldier.
I'm there. Bucky and Brubaker will sell me every time. I've tried telling people that Bucky wasn't dead but people don't want to listen to me. Through all the faults of Fear Itself, this was worth it. I'm excited for what's to come in Cap and Winter Soldier and if that's all I come out with from this mini, I'm happy. Sign me up for another title to be buying.