Theres a lot to like in the debut of Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier. Every collaborator involved is bringing their best work to the comic and it shows. Together, they are telling a story that is unlike anything else on the stands. Read Full Review

Rudy's art is the most eye-catching element of the book. The opening pages carry a distinct Heavy Metal feel, before his layouts begin to warp with the scenery. His panels and design flex with every set-piece he stages, shifting to concentric like a target to panels that swirl with the water. Every page forces you by design to pause and absorb each moment, creating an immersive, if energy-consuming, experience. Read Full Review

Marco Rudy's vibrant, surreal art style is a perfect fit for such a trippy book. Rudy delivers page after page of mind-bending imagery and intricate panel layouts. It's the sort of style that requires a more methodical read in order to follow the flow of the story, but it's a rewarding read. Only towards the end of the issue does Rudy's work begin to falter. The final couple pages are a little confusing in terms of what Kot and Rudy are trying to convey. But hopefully this is a partnership that will only grow and thrive with time. Read Full Review

There are no answers yet, only questions right now but this series is off to a good start getting us there, and it's nice to see the Winter Soldier have a solo title again after last year's Winter Soldier run ended woefully too soon and Winter Soldier: The Bitter March was far too short of a limited run. Let's hope this one isn't cancelled after nineteen issues. Read Full Review

The final page of the issue introduces what will most likely be a recurring threat and it's an idea that's intriguing if not very original. However, it's not the cliffhanger but the surreal concepts and dreamlike art that will have readers coming back for more. This is a unique and downright trippy book, get lost in it. Read Full Review

I applaud Marco's artistic choices, but I also wish that he would tone it down for future issue, so what's happening on the pages is that much clearer. And Ales Kot seems to be in a good place here with the character and story, so I'm looking forward to him exploring more of that in future issues. Read Full Review

Marco Rudy (New Avengers) has designed a transcendent, decadent, and ultimately fantastic-looking comic, painted and lush with beautiful coloring and a fun and chaotic interplay with the layout. The script, by Ales Kot(Zero), also suffered from cramming too much exposition into its almost thirty-odd pages, so much so that I had to read it twice to follow it mainly Bucky cementing Daisy Johnsons (a.k.a.Quake) commitment to being his equal partner, and his teaming with Namor to disrupt Lokis underwater drug supply lineor something like that. Read Full Review

It's not surprising that Marvel has found a way to push together their two hot media ideas of the moment -- the espionage of the "Captain America" films and the space-faring wonder of the blockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy." What is surprising is that the end result is something this offbeat. This is a book that even five years ago would have been impossible to imagine Marvel putting on their final order cutoff in Diamond. After a decade plus of focusing on straightforward superhero stories that hewed very close to Earth's atmosphere the editorial staff at Marvel is really opening up the storytelling possibilities in their comic books. This was a pleasant surprise and worth the time and money. Read Full Review

We're seeing some big changes in Marvel characters these days. Marvel is showing they have no problem shaking things up in order to deliver some different types of stories. We've seen Bucky Barnes go through some changes since it was revealed he survived his initial death but this is a completely different direction. After the events of ORIGINAL SIN, Bucky is going to have his hands full taking on some pretty insane missions. Joining Ales Kot is Marco Rudy. Marco's art can get pretty trippy and it immediately establishes the tone of the series. Kot tries to lighten up the mood with a couple moments of light humor. This new role for Bucky creates excitement and some trepidation for fans. It's not always easy to see beloved characters go in new directions but Ales Kot is prepared to shake things up completely. This is a nice start to a brand new Bucky comic. Reading this series is going to be an experience you won't forget. Read Full Review

Still, I would challenge, perhaps even outright daremost comics to be half as brave as “Winter Soldier.” Read Full Review

The script is well written, but it doesn't seem to match the real strengths of the artist. It does take time for a new creative team to hit their stride. There is some great stuff in here, but there are some kinks that need to be worked out with the storytelling. This series should be one to check in on as this new creative team works more with each other and improves their craft along the way. Read Full Review

Bucky Barnes: Winter Soldier #1 is a comic with great potential and boasts some beautiful visuals. However, it really needs to work on its writing and the artist really needs to balance beauty and cohesiveness in order for the art to truly contribute to its success. I think they're onto something here, but there's work to be done and I hope the creative team can fix its problems. Read Full Review

A startling original take on what could have been a standard concept doesn't alway work, but it can't be faulted for lack of imagination. Read Full Review

Bucky Barnes is a character full of potential, and it's encouraging to see a creative team like Kot and Rudy stretching themselves creatively on a property like this. That said, sometimes there are limits - sometimes you take a swing, and it doesn't always connect. That's not to say this is a bad comic - far from it - but you can't help but feel disappointed when a seemingly sure-thing creative team like this not score a home run. Read Full Review

Overall, this is a fine first issue to a series that I have high hopes for. The artwork is amazing, and unlike anything you will see from either Marvel or DC (or even Image honestly). And while the art can get a little hard to follow here and there, and there's not a lot of story here, the unique layouts and interesting setup for the future of this series makes this issue worth a look. Read Full Review

Bucky Barnes: Winter Soldier may be a little confusing, having a very strange setting, but it manages to intrigue. Having a brilliant premise, and wonderful art this tale has the potential to be amazing, even if the sci-fi and espionage elements aren't working well at the moment. Due to all this the issue scrapes by with a recommendation. Read Full Review

As I said, 'Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier' has a great amount of potential. We're going to see this character taken to places and put into situations that we've never seen him in before, but it remains to be seen if that's a good or bad thing. The Winter Soldier is one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe, so that's enough to keep me on board for issue two, but it's an added bonus that the writing and the artwork is so interesting. Let's just hope that it doesn't move from good weird to bad weird as the series progresses. Read Full Review

The Bottom Line: A wonderful experiment in visual art? Check. Taking characters in bold new directions? Check. And yet, the combination of these two fall flat. The comic defies your expectations (and moreso if you're a new reader having just learned of The Winter Soldier from the movie) but asks too much of the reader to be an effective story. The characters seem witty and charming and there are hints to some serious ethical debates here, but little incentive to really keep going beyond the curiosity of the art. Read Full Review

Bucky is a great character. This is an incarnation that is much different from how Brubaker wrote him in Captain America. At the very least Marvel is trying to tell a different kind story with this series and that is a good thing. This comic might be a little out there for some but it might be a welcome change for others. You definitely need to think outside of the box while reading this comic but I recommend checking it out if you are curious. Read Full Review

On artwork alone, this issue is at least worthy of 4 stars. However, the story is so poor that it ends up bringing the art down with it and makes this new series a dont buy. There are far too many great comics, so dont waste your time and money on this. Poor Bucky deserves better than this. Read Full Review

I like Bucky Barnes as a character just fine, but Marvel has always struggled to figure out what to do with him. This new Winter Soldier by Kot and Ruby looks to be about the worst possible option. It's just an ugly, stifling comic. Read Full Review

Not my thing

Panel to panel flow was too hard to navigate. You shouldn't have to WORK to receive your entertainment.