Hello fellow fans of Comic Books, Chris and I have returned to continue our rundown of Ed Brubaker’s Captain America/Winter Soldier arcs alongside Grant Morrison’s Batman run. We will continue to discuss the things we enjoyed, disliked, learned, and even compare/contrast the issues as we went through them; mostly we will be reading in a trade order with some slight changes. Since this will be involving our two voices we will use the following font styles: Chris will be in BOLD and Rafa will be in ITALIC. After last week’s introduction to these characters, we will continue with discussions on Captain America: Winter Soldier volume 2 tpb (Cap vol 5 issues 8-14) and Batman: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul tpb (which collects Batman Annual #26, Robin Annual v4 #7, Batman #670, Robin v4 #168-169, Nightwing v2 #138-139, and Detective Comics #838-840).  Once again, let us begin with Captain America. Chris, what did you like about Captain America: The Winter Soldier volume 2? 

Ok so reading through Winter Soldier Vol. 2 was such a joy!  The action is on such a level of hype that you can’t put it down.  More of Lukin just being devious was intense and how he was messing with Cap and baiting him was intense; like the scene where Cap, Sharon, Nick, and S.H.E.I.L.D. storm Kronas Corporation (issues 9) and just got humiliated was so raw, like I could feel Cap’s anger at being played.  What a villain who can do this horrendous thing and put his signature on it all while still getting away.  Issue 10 was so sad…plus I’m really bummed that it wasn’t included in the trade, I get why, but still highly recommend reading.  This tale of a man who grew out of time was just as sad as Jack Monroe’s character issue.  Then issue 11 hitting us with the story of Bucky’s true fate was crazy; the first time I read this that is when I became a hardcore fan of Bucky’s.  I always appreciated the character but that issue gave him so much more.  One more, which is tough as each issue was dynamite, but in #14 when Cap uses the Cosmic Cube on Bucky to “Remember who you are” was pure drama and Bucky’s reaction to it, “How can I….?  No…you should’ve just…killed me.” was heart wrenching as you know Bucky means it.  He is such a free spirit and to be turned into the Winter Soldier was probably the worst that could’ve happened.  How about you Rafa?

Expertly said, Chris! I can read the passion in your voice when you talk about Bucky, and it totally makes sense. Before this, I had little knowledge of the character besides what I had seen in the MCU; however, reading the plight that this man has been put through is heartbreaking. I think Brubaker did an excellent job of showcasing the real emotional bond that Rogers and Bucky had. We see it in the dark outlines and shadows cast on Rogers’ face when he is thinking about Bucky. We see a man tormented; we see him deal with the absurdity and gravity of what is going on, and it is masterfully illustrated on the page. This is amplified by the instant likeability of Rogers’ Captain America. We would not care as heavily or relate to Steve Rogers as much as we do if we hadn’t been made to love this character. We feel for the Captain because we grow to respect him as we see the story unfold. This is done with so many beautiful action sequences where we see the super soldier put his raw strength, acrobatics, and shield throwing skills on full display. A personal favorite moment for me that showcases exactly the kind of unstoppable and never-give-up man that Captain America is, is in the first issue of Vol.2 in which he is cleaning the mess from the explosion of Philadelphia. We see him save children and then take out some of A.I.M. ‘s scientists to then be confronted by a legion of soldiers form the MODOC squad. In artistic brilliance, we see Captain America just smirk at these ominous foes as he just quips, “All right… Let’s go.” It is moments like this that showcase the indomitable human spirit and how Rogers will never give up on Bucky.

Rafa you nailed it with those points, like I would say this book is Captain America’s but honestly it is Bucky’s story.  Brubaker did the impossible and broke comic book law by bringing Bucky back; the story is so believable and a worthwhile journey of a man’s soul towards redemption.  Ok, so looking at this I can honestly say there wasn’t anything I didn’t like or maybe just the flaw of the trade not including issue 10; just because you are missing out on some beautiful story by Brubaker and amazing art by Lee Weeks.  You bring up an excellent point Rafa that the art is just amazing, massive kudos to Steve Epting, Michael Lark, and Mike Perkins while I”m at it especially the coloring team…look at the picture example that Rafa provided from issue 8, like I can feel the flames and taste the smoke.  Anything about the issues that didn’t sit well with you, Rafa?

I think you perfectly encapsulate what I feel in regards to the trade paperback’s shortcomings. The story is essentially perfect with excellent pacing, consistent art and voice, as well as powerful themes that make this a quintessential Captain America story. Like you said, I feel like issue 10 adds a lot more weight to Rogers’ ideals and showcases a powerful “what if” moment that still fits with the story Brubaker is telling, so I do wish it was included in the tbp. However, other than that, the only other gripe I had was that I wish it had more Falcom. Sam is a great friend to Steve, and when he shows up at the end of issue 12 is a hype moment.

Ok, we have gushed over Cap quite a lot so let us jump into the Bat side of things with the Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul.  I’ll admit it was a hard read for me but the things I did like was seeing Don Kramer art, loved his art on his JSA issues, and finding out a little more about Ra’s.  They didn’t dive deep but they did enough for the story-arc with the twist of Ra’s first son which was just a tragic character.  This was my first time reading the whole story as I just read the Batman tie in issues by Morrison, so it was nice to see it fleshed out and this adds to my theory that Damian was probably going to be a Morrison thing only; since it was Morrison who killed him later on, but we talk more when we get to those issues.  My favorite thing about this was seeing Nightwing gravitate more to Damian so that early exposure helped me with bridging their relationship for later.  What were some of the things you liked from this story-arc Rafa?

I agree that Batman: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul was hard to get through at times; however, I was able to find some important and resonating things that made me appreciate the characterizations of some key characters much more. I really appreciated how the writers developed a story on family dynamics. It was an important adventure that endeared me to Damian a lot more. Seeing him try to mend fences with Tim and Alfred (in his own way) was interesting, and I got to see a little more warmth in his cold and calculating demeanor. Seeing him try to win his father’s approval while trying to escape his grandfather’s manipulation was nicely done, especially toward the end of Detective Comics #839 where we have an uplifting scene where we basically get the first moment where Batman brings Damian into the Bat Family.

Similarly, characters like Tim and Dick are shown to really shine with very real familial conflicts. Tim is feeling ostracized from all the loss in his life, and we see him wrestle with Damian for the mantle of Batman’s rightful heir. Like you stated, Chris, We get to see Nightwing further delve into the big brother/mentor role for these young Robins. The way he is written with his comedic chops and real heart reminds the reader why he is beloved by so many DC fans. Alfred had some standout moments that really made me chuckle (see his banter with Ubu in Detective Comics #838). However, the MVP of this story for me was Talia Al Ghul. I do not think Talia gets enough credit for being a loving mother to Damian. She is multi-layered in this story as we see her fight to keep Damian safe, and I think this characterization is unfairly butchered in the later stories, but in this instance we get to see the humanity in one of the most important characters in Batman’s life.

Overall, I think that all these characters illustrate powerful family dynamics that further reinforce the love and light that does exist in the Dark Knight’s world. What do you think, Chris?

You’ve given me much to think about with your points; this does sit better if you think about how it highlights the Bat-family and also Talia.  It did a great job with their interactions and overall voice.  I think what hurt this tpb, in my opinion, was just too many writers, five in total, and too many issues that caused the story to be watered down.  The saving grace of this was the characters and family.  I would say my biggest fear was that Tim would cave to temptation but luckily he didn’t but the way it was presented felt story forced instead of character choice.  Were there any negatives that you have about this story Rafa?

Again, I think you bring up a lot of my same criticisms, Chris. The story overall is very convoluted with too many characters that I unfortunately do not care about, specifically the characters associated with Ra’s. Because of all the different writers, I think there are too many voices and it overall does not work as well as it could have. Also, it was very long. There are nuggets of excellent storytelling throughout, but some issues are a real struggle to get through. For me, the Nightwing and Robin stories have the most heart and save this story from being unreadable. It is interesting how a story focused on Ra’s works best when it is not Ra’s the story is focusing on. However, I am glad I read it.

Ok so big moment…which tpb would you say was the better of the two?  I’ll open with Winter Soldier vol. 2.  I felt it had better story motivation, villains (Red Skull and Lukin), and better character interactions.  When I sit down to read these issues/trades I flip back and forth between Bats and Cap…the only reason I got through Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul was so I could read more Cap.  I know I’ve been ragging on this tpb a lot in this article, but it just doesn’t hold.  Rafa which one would you give your vote for?

I agree completely that Brubaker’s Captain America is the superior read. The story is much better told, the emotional weight behind the themes of betrayal, loss, and redemption is much more impactful, and the art is so much more eye catching. I feel like I had to find things to enjoy about The Resurrection Of Ra’s, but I did not have that problem with Winter Soldier Vol.2; instead I was completely immersed and ready to read more.

So that makes this another clean sweep for Brubaker’s Cap story in our votes for another week between the two.  We hope you enjoyed our thoughts and criticisms about these two stories and also we hope you are just as hyped as we are to continue the journey of Morrison’s Batman and Brubaker’s Captain America.  Join us next week as we take on the Red Menace tpb (Captain America vol 5 #15-17, Cap 65th Anniversary Special, and 18-21) alongside the Black Glove tpb (Batman vol 1 #667-669 and 672-675).  As always GEEK OUT!