Done
It was a fun ride while it lasted.
I started getting back into Captain America during the Civil War storyline. I never really cared about Captain America before that. I went back and read the issue from that relaunch and discovered Ed Brubaker. From reading Captain America, I became a Brubaker fan, and I became a Captain America fan. The Winter Soldier story was excellent, and he made Bucky from a joke character into a major force.
Last year I was excited to check out the solo Winter Soldier title, being written by Brubaker (I believe Fatale was starting then too). It was a good series. It was an espionage spy comic, with enough weirdness thrown in to make it interesting. I will admit though, it wasn't as good as the Captain America series, but it didn't need to be. It was still entertaining.
Unfortunately sales weren't great, and the book was going to get cancelled. Ed Brubaker was leaving Marvel to work on creator owned series. But with Captain America 2 being about Bucky and the Winter Soldier, Marvel continues the book, but with a new writing team. With the cost of comics and the frequency of Marvel comics releases this is my last issue. I may check out the new continuation in trades though.
Anyway about this issue....
Leo Novokov, the evil brainwashed spy that kidnapped and brainwashed Natasha is ready to set off a bomb. The unlikely team of Bucky, Wolverine, Hawkeye, and Captain America are on the job to stop Leo. Thanks to some back alley interrogations, they find some possible bomb locations and split up to stop it. Bucky wins the scavenger hunt, and finds Natasha and Leo at Arlington Cemetery. Big fight breaks out, the Calvary show up just in time, and all is well.
Or is it.
The ending of this book is such a downer bittersweet ending. It's not how it should end in the perfect story world. It should end with everyone happy and riding off to the sunset, but it doesn't. That's why it works. I thought any second we will get our happy ending, but nope. There might be a chance to correct things, but honestly I hope there isn't.
But this was it. If this was the last issue ever it would have been a fitting ending to the character and series.