Holy crap! FEAR ITSELF might be over but this 'point one' issue is not to be missed. If you are a fan of Captain America and want to see Bucky get some proper respect, you absolutely have to read this.
The Good
If I'm being honest, I didn't pay much attention to the announcement of FEAR ITSELF #s 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3. The mini-series was over as far as I was concerned and wasn't sure if it was necessary to draw it out any further. Seeing the cover with Captain America and Bucky is reason enough to pick it up. Even if it's after the fact, I figured we'd finally get some closure on the death of Bucky Barnes.
Then I noticed the creative team; Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice and Bettie Breitweiser. Yeah, I was competely sold right there. Butch's art with Bettie's colors made a great story even better.
If anyone deserves to handle the eulogy of Bucky, it's Cap and Brubaker. With the craziness of FEAR ITSELF and trying to figure out the timing and continuity of all the different comics, it felt like there wasn't any closure. Bucky deserved better and it felt like no one really cared.
The hard part of this review is to not spoil anything. You will enjoy this comic so much if you get a chance to read it before hearing any spoilers. The writing, art and colors were phenomenal. Seeing the moments after Bucky's death is something that has been missed and reading this now has made the worth and confusion worth it. We also get to see Cap actually show some emotions. He is angry and has every right to be. For too long he's kept it all locked up.
The Bad
The only bad thing will be if you get spoiled before reading this. There might be some moments that feel a little cliché but it's so easy to overlook due to the end results.
The Verdict
This comic made me happy in so many ways. I didn't think I would care too much for the 'point one' issues of FEAR ITSELF. I was satisfied with the ending and we already had a bunch of 'epilogues' in the final issue. With the creative team of Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice and Bettie Breitweiser, there's no reason to pass this by. Brubaker deserves to be the one to deal with Bucky after his death and it was great to final see it dealt with. Regardless if you liked or didn't like FEAR ITSELF, fans of Captain America and Bucky absolutely must read this issue. With the end of Bucky's story and the new storyline coming up, do yourself a favor and read this before anyone can spoil any of what goes on here. There were a couple moments that should have had me shaking my head but they are far too easy to overlook due to the end results. Bravo to all involved.