(This review may contain spoilers).
Having read the previous comic book/s directly before this one, I was happy to be able to read this book next.
I thought it was interesting to see the idea of the mantle of Captain America being something that could be passed on, even if it was to Bucky. While I did think Bucky was clearly trying to do the right thing, it was good to see that there was some fallout from the previous comic book. It was unfair to blame Bucky for something he had no control over… but in many ways, I thought the prosecutor did have a point about the superheroes apparently being above the law.
It was good to see Bucky’s own observations on his past and how he decided to face up to justice. I found Bucky particularly human in this storyline and although there were some elements of superhero escapades, the fact that this was more gritty and realistic, with real-life consequences, was really good.
I thought Clint’s attitude was probably one of the best. Even though he was clearly angry about having been deceived, it was good to see that he kept his reactions private, even though he clearly did have issues when he was talking to Steve, Natasha and Tony.
It would have been good to see more of the other Avengers’ reactions to finding out about Bucky. There was a part of me that did feel a bit sorry for Sin… at least on some level.
There were some good scenes that were drawn in this and although there was a lot happening during the comics, I did find it fairly easy to follow.
I really liked the fact that Bucky was tempted to fight back, but demonstrated how much he was trying to change and the path to redemption he was on. I would have liked to see more of him interacting with Sam and Natasha, but it was good to see that them, and Steve, were on his side.
It was nice to see Bucky’s observations on what was going on and also how desperate he was to save his friends. The last comic was a bit confusing and I’m not sure I really liked Nick Fury there… but I do want to read more about Steve and Bucky… and the rest of the Avengers.
Ink of Blood 