Review: Hydra On The Rise Again In ‘Falcon And Winter Soldier #1’
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
We join the Winter Soldier at his Indiana home as the peace is interrupted by a squad of heavily-armed men. Fortunately, Bucky Barnes is far from helpless, and he barrels through these armed killers. From there, we jump to New York, where the Falcon searches for a missing woman from his veteran’s support group. This search takes him to the Office of Federal Utilities, which is really a covert terrorist-hunting operation. Sam finds the headquarters for the O.F.U, but everyone inside is dead–except for the Winter Soldier. Bucky had been working for the O.F.U, but after the attack in Indiana, he decided to check in and found this massacre. However, he has a lead; his handler didn’t come into work today.
Falcon and Winter Soldier #1 reunites Captain America’s two closest allies in a new adventure that finds them stopping the resurrection of Hydra.
It’s a fast-moving and intense tale. We’re not even a page in before Bucky Barnes is attacked by the squad of killers and only two more pass between that and the slaughter at the O.F.U.
Despite all of the times these former Captain Americas have worked together, there is a lot of tension between Sam and Buck. The latter has more brutal tactics and is far less forgiving than the former. Plus, Bucky has had his mind messed with so much that it’s possible someone else might be in control of him. Of course, that’s not the case here.
We meet a new villain towards the end who is definitely on the creepier side of things. He’s a smiling killer who only talks about how much he looks up to Bucky and Sam. He’s also a fast and precise fighter on par with both Bucky and Sam.
Federico Vicentini gives the book a kinetic and sleek look with his particular style. The opening action scene is impactful and satisfying and the visual introduction of the Falcon is downright gorgeous. On the other end of things, the scene at the O.F.U. is harrowing and surprisingly gruesome. The book looks great throughout and the color work of Matt Milla gives the comic a well-balanced palette to match the narrative tone.
Falcon and Winter Soldier #1 is a strong start for this team-up mini-series. There’s plenty of action, a new mystery, and great artwork inside. Sam and Bucky haven’t gotten much attention in a while (outside of Strikeforce for Buck), so it’s nice to see them back and headlining their own mini-series. Needless to say, this one gets a recommendation. Check it out.
Falcon and Winter Soldier #1 comes to us from writer Derek Landy, artist Federico Vicente, color artist Matt Milla, letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna, cover artist Dan Mora with David Curiel, and variant cover artists Bengal; Butch Guice with Frank D’Armata; and Ziyian Liu.
Final Score: 8/10