Daredevil: Born Again [Marvel Premier Collection]

Title: Daredevil: Born Again [Marvel Premier Collection]

ISBN: 9781302965983

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Marvel, 2024

Artist: David Mazzucchelli

Writer: Frank Miller

Rating: 3.5/5

Originally released back in 1986, Born Again chronicles the complete and utter destruction of Matt Murdock’s life following a catastrophic turn of events whereby his former girlfriend Karen Page – whose attempt at an acting career has led her to become addicted to heroin and starring in pornographic movies – sells out his identity for another ‘hit’. Upon obtaining this information, The Kingpin begins a systematic campaign designed to break the lawyer down, freezing his accounts, trying to discredit his professional reputation and – in one particularly powerful moment – firebombing his apartment and leaving his costume in the burned wreckage as a message.

As you can probably tell, this isn’t the lively, upbeat Daredevil that some of us may know and love. Writer Frank Miller seemingly takes great pleasure in putting the Man Without Fear through the absolute wringer here, tearing him down both physically and emotionally over the course of the story. This is Miller’s DD at its bleakest, forcing us to stand by helplessly as our hero is pushed to the very brink of his sanity – or perhaps just beyond.

Now I know there are a few people out there whose knowledge of Daredevil is limited, and who are using these reviews as recommendations, so I won’t delve too deeply into spoiler territory for fear of diminishing the effect of what easily ranks as one of my top two or three comics of all time. It’s not flawless, true, and some moments in the third act occasionally lose the powerful impact of the beginning, but as a self-contained journey – and a perfect microcosm of everything that makes the Daredevil character so completely unlike any of the other ‘superheroes’ in the Marvel canon – this is utterly sublime reading.

Matt’s pain-filled journey is brought to life here by acclaimed artist David Mazzucchelli, whose stellar run on the character reaches its absolute pinnacle here. Not flashy by any means, but always masterful in his approach and filled with realism and perfectly framed detail. The action flows smoothly, the emotion pours out onto the page, and the subtle (and occasionally not-so-subtle) use of religious symbolism throughout gives a deeper, almost spiritual air to the proceedings.

What this book does perhaps better than anything else, however, is establish the Kingpin as one of the most powerful villains, not just in Daredevil’s rogues gallery, but in the world of comics as a whole. The calm, calculating and frankly ruthless approach he adopts throughout these pages is utterly chilling stuff, and above all else shows how practically untouchable the character is. Even when he loses a battle, he still escapes with barely a scratch, already plotting his next step in the war. Honestly, if you’ve ever looked at the Kingpin and thought “hang on, what’s the big deal about this fat bald guy in the white jacket?”, then you owe it to yourself to see him at his absolute best (read: worst) here.

I’m not sure what else I can say about this one, folks. One of my favorite comics of all time, and the absolute pinnacle of Daredevil as a character. If ever there was a recommended Daredevil title for a newcomer ahead of the Netflix show’s debut, then this would have to be it. Hell, if ever there was a title full-stop to show someone just how powerful, multi-layered and exciting the ‘superhero’ genre can be in the right hands, then Born Again is undoubtedly that book. Add it to the national syllabus and have kids at school discuss its finer points, while we’re at it. Seriously. It’s that good.

Pathfinder: Goblins

Title: Pathfinder: Goblins

ISBN: 9781606905074

Price: $29.99

Publisher/Year: Dynamite, 2014

Artist: Ivan Anaya, Shane White, Sean Izaakse, Lee Moder, Craig Rousseau, Jennifer Meyer, Christian Meesey, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, Jainai Jeffries, Adam Moore, Kevin Stokes

Writer: Jim Zub, Adam Warren, Erik Mona, Carlos Soule, Ron Marz, James L. Sutter, Ray Fawkes, Paul Allor, Jeremy Holt, Eric Trautmann, F. Wesley Schneider, Larry White

Rating: 4/5

Back in 2013, the folks at Paizo and the folks at Dynamite comics came together and made a beautiful baby in the 5 issue series entitled Pathfinder Goblins! Each issue features two stories by various writers and artists centered around the little green heathens and their laughable shenanigans.

Each story stands alone and is absolutely fun and funny, but Paizo and Dynamite did not stop at producing a few entertaining short stories. If they had, the likelihood that I would be covering the series for Nerds on Earth is miniscule. The Pathfinder Goblins! issues bring more to the table than that.

Many of the ten stories contained with these five issues are perfect one-off adventure hooks; particularly for kids. The younger generation of tabletop gamers will get a kick out of the tomfoolery of the little beasts, and the brevity inherent in the stories plays well with the average attention span of children.

At what’s more, they are all but set and ready to go for you!  Included in the back of each issue are a couple of goodies for the DM side of the screen to add a little flavor to the game. You’ll get item descriptions and stats, random treasure tables, lore, and creature stat blocks for at least one of the featured and named goblins from the stories in that issue.

Three of the stories in particular lend themselves to quick and fun one-shots.

The One-Eyed Goblin is King

A gang of goblins ambushes a party of adventurers at their weakest point (on their way out of a perilous dungeon) and absconds with the magical item the party fought for – an eye of the Undying Arch-Lich Kalzaroth.

The goblins feud over who should keep the eye and this leads to a hilarious series of goblins cutting out one of their eyes to replace it with the magical item until Kalzaroth returns and claims what is rightfully his.  

You could have your party arrive on the scene of a roiling mass of goblins as they alternatively kill the current owner of the eye, gouge their own eye out, and shove Kalzaroth’s eye into their now empty socket.

Each round would be absolutely bonkers as PCs and goblins alike attacked the current keeper of the eye. And just when they PCs thinks its over…they could have a bunch of reanimated goblin corpses to deal with (as “undeath is a side effect” of possession of the eye, however brief) and/or an appearance by Kalzaroth himself!

TIP: Since liches can be tricky adversaries (they get a standard +2 to whatever the CR is of the base creature), you’re going to want to forgo an early combat encounter with Kalzaroth, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t or shouldn’t have him hunt down the PCs when they’re at a more reasonable level to reclaim that which is rightfully his! Perhaps in this first encounter he is too weak to retake the eye, but makes a foreboding promise to take it back once he’s back to full strength.  

Prize Pupil

Someone had the bright idea of taming goblins to use as house servants for the rich nobles of Korvosa.  One of the goblins, Gribbet, steals his master’s “magic eye” (a monocle that grants +4 to Intelligence) while he sleeps and hatches a plan to plant goblins in several of the prominent homes; positioning them ideally for thievery and blackmail.

Valuable jewelry goes missing and dangerous secrets are revealed all throughout the city. Can your PCs bring an end to Gribbet’s grip on Korvosa?

TIP: Gribbet’s stat block is provided in the back of issue #1.  Additionally, the missing jewelry and unearthed secrets can lead to all kinds of side quests within Korvosa. Get creative!  Use this as a fun tutorial for newcomers to the Pathfinder system and maybe even transition them from this into the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path which begins in Korvosa.

The Gobbling Goblin

All over the realm, goblin raiding parties are entering cities and stealing wheelbarrows full of food and nothing else. Soon other stories start to spread around; stories of a hulking goblin found eating dogs over an open fire and sitting amidst a pile of humanoids bones and armor.  There’s even the rumor that he’s eaten a dragon.

As your party investigates the stories, they might run into a goblin raiding party only to find out that Kronkshaft (the voracious eater) has been kicked out of the clan and is roaming afield on his own. Or maybe the PCs just follow a trail of rinds, bones, and cores out of a city and into Kronkshaft’s cave.

TIP: Kronkshaft’s stats are not provided in the comics, but he can be built using the Over-sized Goblin options available here or you can home-brew something else reasonable. He is no ordinary goblin, after all! You can also make his weapon, Dragon’s Claw (a dagger), a bit more formidable just by making it +1 and possibly beefing it up further with Keen. That would make for a sweet loot drop for a lower level PC for sure!

Kids will get a kick out of the goblin encounters; particularly if you ham them up as you role-play as the little green monsters. Adopt some of the choppy speech mannerisms and made up words when they speak. Conjure up a silly voice to go along with them. Keep the dialogue funny and use it often! If a round goes by in which you don’t make some silly wisecrack, laugh-inducing threat, or engage in some hilarious and completely random name-calling (You smelly bellybutton muncher! You eat your boogers in bowls of earwax for breakfast!), you’re roleplaying the goblin wrong!

There’s a reason the goblin is the only plush toy Paizo has on the market. They’re about as cute and entertaining as any threatening creature from the Bestiary gets! You might even considering rewarding your intrepid young heroes with the toy as an out-of-game reward for in-game victory. That’ll be something they won’t soon forget!

The five issues are available here, collected as a hardback, which is a pretty average deal if you are only in it for the comics themselves. The value added by the inclusion of the usable Pathfinder material (stat blocks, items, tables, etc) elevates that price to a good deal, for sure.

The Little Endless Storybook

Title: The Little Endless Storybook

ISBN: 1401204287

Price: $9.95

Publisher/Year: Vertigo, 2004

Artist: Jill Thompson

Writer: Jill Thompson

Rating: 3.5/5

Vertigo's Sandman series is well known for its mature, intricate storylines and gothic feel. Characters like Morpheus and Death would look right at home at the next Cure concert, commiserating on the deplorable state of their lives in true emo fashion. So I was a little bewildered to see The Little Endless Storybook tucked away among the innumerable volumes of Sandman.

The name explains it all. The Little Endless Storybook is literally a story about the 7 Endless siblings told in the format of a children's book. No deep storylines or dark imagery here. Instead the book follows the youngest sibling, Delirium, as she traverses far and wide in search of her missing puppy, Barnabas. Accompanying the story are a series of colorfully eccentric illustrations. This book lives up to its name, and could conceivably be read to youngsters at bedtime.

But for the typical Vertigo reader, that probably isn't a strong selling point. However, just because it isn't plastered with a "Mature Readers" warning doesn't mean they should pass it up. The story is charming, if simple. As Delirium searches for Barnabas, she travels through a fairy tale version of each one of the Endless' realms until the inevitable conclusion. No prior understanding of the characters is necessary, though long-term fans will probably get more enjoyment out of it.

The real joy in reading the book is looking at the delightfully childlike pictures. Jill Thompson had already attracted a small but dedicated fanbase with her Scary Godmother comics, and her art is in fine form here. Every one of the Endless has been reimagined as adorable little cherubs. Little Death rivals Owly as the cutest comic book character ever put to paper. The somber, muted tones of Sandman have given way to bright pastels and cheery locales. Luckily, it stops just short of being too cute to stomach.

The Little Endless Storybook is an endearing and heartfelt story, much like Owly, and should prove to be a welcome addition to any Sandman fan's library. It doesn't take more than a few minutes to read through, but the quirky story and images can serve as a readymade pick-me-up for anyone who needs a little more brightness in their dreary world of grim and gritty comics.

Thank you for 16 years!

Recently I did something that I don't typically do... I took a look at the actual stats for my blog.

When I have submitted my applications for Rose City Comic Con, I have been using an old stat of around 1000 views per month. I was shocked and amazed to see what the actual stats are as of Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Since the beginning of September, there have been over 4400 views, and over 11k in the month of August. I will certainly make sure to update this information on future press pass applications.

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog.

Thank you to everyone who shares this blog.

Thank you to all of you.

Rose City Comic Con 2025 - My Experiences

SEPTEMBER 05 - 07, 2025

OREGON CONVENTION CENTER

777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd 

Portland, OR 97232

2025 marks the 10th year in a row where I have been honored to be able to cover RCCC as a member of the press. I want to thank Leftfield Media for this continued opportunity.

We have arrived and everything is running smoother than last year. We got to the convention center early enough to be able to get a good parking spot and the underground elevators were open and not restricted like they were last year. Thank goodness!

My single complaint about the parking is that the fee has jumped dramatically since last year. When I first started attending Rose City Comic Con, the parking fee was either $6 or $8 for the day. The past 2 years it was $15 and $16. I was a little shell-shocked when I came around the corner of MLK Jr Blvd. and saw the sign declaring a $25 parking fee for this year. Just to be completely transparent, my only compensation for being a member of the press for this event is the badge itself and I don't make any actual money from this blog... even though I have Google Sense setup now. (I haven't received any feedback on this change, but if I receive anything that suggests that the ads on my blog are an eyesore, I will remove them.) I know that the parking fee is not something within the power of Leftfield to be able to negotiate, but it seems quite extreme IMHO.

RCCC Merch Area

I really can't believe that it's actually my 10th year officially covering RCCC for my blog. I am deeply honored.

Since it was still early, and the main exhibit hall had not opened up, I decided I wanted to check out the gaming area. As in years past, Ground Kontrol had a nice setup of classic arcade cabinets, but unfortunately none of them we powered on when we got there.

I spent so many quarters in my youth playing these games and I actually have very fond memories of playing Return of the Jedi at our local 7-11 and I would regularly play Punch Out when my Grandparents would take me to the bowling alley on their league nights. I also remember going to the local Chuck E. Cheese to play Dragon's Lair. I was never good at it, but I shoveled quarters into it anyway because I enjoyed the cinematic gameplay.

In the same gaming area, they also had a room devoted to classic console games. When I first walked in, there was an incredible NES setup in classic 80's style.

90's vibes!

Afterwards, we camped-out near the entrance that I typically like to use... over at the far end of the exhibitor area... and patiently wait for the floor to open to everyone. I'm thankful for the area to be able to sit and write and I hope that there will be similar opportunities in the actual event.

The priorities I made for myself this year were a short list:

• Get the autograph of Wil Wheaton on a Star Trek cover with art by Sydney Walton.
• Get my copies of The Wishsong of Shannara and The Black Unicorn signed by Terry Brooks.
• Try and pickup some inexpensive trades to add to my collection so I can keep writing reviews for my blog.

Since I knew that Wil Wheaton was in a panel from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, I thought it would be a good idea to go over to his area to see if he had scheduled signings. As luck would have it, no schedule but he was going to begin signing after his 2:00pm panel... so I took a good place in line and waited.

It was sometime after 2:00pm (I didn't keep track of the time) when he finally arrived. In the past when I have been in line for autographs, they usually let everyone in the Fast Pass and ADA lines go first, then the people with general admission were able to get theirs. This year, they decided to stagger between Fast Pass, ADA and then general folks. As mentioned previously, I was able to secure a very nice place in line with the other general admission people. (No, the Press pass does not provide any special privileges.) I was 5th in line, and again thankful that they staggered people getting their time with Wil.

He was incredibly pleasant with everyone and the lady who was right before me had a poster of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast signed by everyone but Wil. She informed him that he was going to be the final signature for the poster, and Wil proceeded to make it an elaborate and memorable moment. I wish I was allowed to photograph or take video of this interaction so that you could take in what I experienced.

When I approached Wil, I greeted him and presented the comic that I was having him autograph. He fawned over the incredible artwork and I let him know that it was donated to Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer by Sydney and that this will be the 2nd cover that I had actually had signed by him. He remembered the first one... that happened several years ago... and took a photo of the cover before signing. I am so thankful for being able to have had this chance to meet Wil once again.

Art by Sydney Walton

After this memorable moment, it was back to wander through the exhibitor's area in search of items to add to my collection, or at least find some items that will become Christmas gifts.

In the past, I have made it a goal to stop by the Oni Press area to take advantage of their half priced Rick and Morty trades. I was really looking forward to it this year as I want to not only continue the story I've been reading, but also pick-up the Oni Press convention covers of the trades since those were the same style covers that I had already begun to collect. Unfortunately, it seems as though they decided not to attend this years even despite being a local publisher. This realization saddened me to the core and I wish I had taken time to notice this fact before attending so I didn't have my hopes up.

Another vendor that was absent at this years event was CBCS Comics. In they past they have not only participated at RCCC, but I have been fortunate enough to partner with them for several Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer covers. I have been, and remain, a supporter of CBCS Comics as I feel they provide a better overall product and service to the collecting community over their competitors.

Another vendor I was hoping to see again this year was Free League Publishing, as I was hoping to get at least The One Ring core rulebook. Alas, they are also not in attendance this year. I did however find the Goodman Games booth and I think I will come back during day 2 to pickup some TTRPG goodness.

In addition to my previously stated goals for the event, I am always on the lookout to add to my action figure collection, and I also have a short list of figures I'm looking for for a friend in Tennessee. Unfortunately, upon my first trek through the exhibitor area, I didn't find anything that peeked my interest of were on any wishlist.

We were fortunate again today with parking. Not only did we get underground early enough, but my favorite parking spot was open! I consider that and incredible win because instead of having to back out of a parking spot, I can simply drive forward.

The unfortunate part is that we got here a little too early for the press room to be open and the gaming are doesn't actually open until 10:00am (I found that out this morning after we arrived).

We did hit the merch area and I picked up one of the new Cryptid Society lanyards. I figured that I was due a new lanyard since I have been using the same one for RCCC since 2013 (I believe).

We made a walkthrough of Artist Alley and the Maker's Market area. While I will never disparage the talent of anyone, it seemed like the majority of the artwork (outside of the professional artists) we primarily focused on anime or similar styles... which I am not a big fan of. I also don't collect stickers or enamel pins, so there wasn't much around here that really caught my interest. I decided to stop collecting art prints a few years ago, so that is another items that was featured that didn't draw my interest.

As far as the art prints are concerned, the biggest reason I stopped collecting them is that I have 3 11" x 17" portfolios full of them and I only actually look at them when I am rearranging my office space. As much as I would love to frame them all and put them on the wall, I don't have the finances to frame them all, not the wallspace to display them. I will always support independent artists in other ways.

On Friday, there were a couple of exhibitors I wanted to revisit on Saturday. First was Katelyn McCaigue who I first met last year and picked up her 2 Creature Compendium volumes. She had some great looking Magic the Gathering tokens available that I felt deserved a home in my collection.

I actually bought 3 of each token.

As I mentioned in the Day 1, I was hoping to find Free League Publishing to scratch my TTRPG itch. Since they were not there, I was able to satisfy that desire with a stop at the Goodman Games booth to pickup some great 5E and DCC adventures.

Another vendor that I noticed during my time on Friday was Misty Mountain Gaming as they had these token counters for Magic the Gathering displayed. Since my roommates and I play the commander format, and have a few decks that end up generating a decent number of tokens, I wanted to get 1 for each of us. It was then explained that they were doing a buy 3 get 1 free special, so I opted to get a 4th token counter. While they had several color options available, I ended up buying the last 4 they had and only took a photo of a single one. They will all be put to good use, I assure you.

Unfortunately, there weren't very many options for getting inexpensive trades, so that piece of my wishlist became unfulfilled for this year. That left only one last item to check off the list: visiting with Terry Brooks.

The signing was scheduled to run from 12:15pm to 1:15pm and when I checked on the line at noon, it was already packed and wrapping around the backend of the signing location. I got in line and patiently waited my turn. During my wait, I did lament a few times over the fact that I could have acquired his autographs at last years RCCC. I wanted to make sure I got them this year because he announced his retirement earlier this year so who knows when the opportunity will make itself available again. Brooks is not a young man. After about an hour long wait, my mission was successful and my body was telling me how much it hated me for standing in line for so long.

After taking a short rest, we decided to call it a day. My photographer had another event that he and his wife were vending at on Sunday, and they both had to make preparations for. I am already looking forward to next year.

Hope to see you again next year!

Dungeons & Dragons: At The Spine of the World

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: At The Spine of the World

ISBN: 9781684057917

Price: $15.99

Publisher/Year: IDW, 2021

Artist: Martin Coccolo

Writer: AJ Mendez, Aimee Garcia

Rating: 3.5/5

This installment of the Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series Dungeons and Dragons: Spine of the World opens with a group of traveling miners caught in a blizzard in the Icewind Dale area when they are overcome by anger and start brawling, which ruins their cart and leads to the death of almost the entire party. The only survivor is the driver, Amos, and his leg was injured in the cart crash. Luckily, Runa, a nearby warrior, follows the wolves previously pulling the cart and arrives just in time to save Amos from a remorhaz that bursts out of the mountain and consumes the last of the cart and all of its contents. Runa finds herself facing the remorhaz alone while trying to keep Amos in one piece until she loses her ax in the beast’s eye and a passing dragonborn ranger named Saarvin, avails himself to save her life.  

Runa decides to travel with Saarvin until she can repay the blood debt and save his life, so the three of them travel to Ten Towns to see if the local druid can heal Amos’ injured leg. Upon arrival to the town’s tavern, another brawl has broken out between two drunken humans over a bag of chardalyn, which introduces Patience the tiefling and her employer, Belvyre the druid. Amos convinces the party that they should look for the magic-filled lost city his miner companions were discussing in order to find plants that could survive the magical blizzard and help feed Ten Towns, which is almost out of food supplies. Along their travels, they must fight and defeat several frost giant skeletons, recover from a betrayal, overcome a confrontation with Runa’s family, and save a duergar army from a volcanic eruption.

This graphic novel ties in with the recently released D&D Icewind Dale adventure from Wizards of the Coast and does a good job of providing a sense of the terrifying creatures and icy conditions players could encounter were they to travel through the area. Overall, the story makes sense and follows a typical adventure path as the party forms and moves deeper into the dungeon. The side characters brought some extra worldbuilding even though they felt like forgettable non-player characters (NPCs). The main characters stayed pretty flat throughout the story with the exception of Amos, who exemplifies the bad guy with a heart of gold trope. Seasoned Dungeons & Dragons players will catch the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout, but new readers will still be able to enjoy the story as well. 

The colored art does a great job of adding atmosphere to the story and identifying our main characters in a blizzard of snowy white and gray. It is highly detailed with a care for shading to add extra depth, which helps immerse the reader in a fantasy world. I particularly loved the facial expressions that conveyed a wide range of emotions from anger to sulking to big-bellied laughter. Although this would not be a core title to include in an average graphic novel collection, if you have a population interested in gaming in general, or D&D specifically, this title would do well. Be aware that there is violence and blood depicted throughout, so it’s probably for teens or older readers. 

Captain America: Winter Soldier [Marvel Premier Collection]

Title: Captain America: Winter Soldier [Marvel Premier Collection]

ISBN: 9781302964863

Price: $14.99

Publisher/Year: Marvel, 2025

Artist:  Steve Epting

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Rating: 3.5/5

When the second Captain America movie came out, you didn’t think we’d let you watch the film without getting an in-depth look at the graphic novel, too. The story of the Winter Soldier is a relatively new one, coming out just under a decade ago, but it’s one of Cap’s most iconic stories. The actual Winter Soldier story arc spans issues #8-14 (minus issue #10, which is a tie-in to House of M), but there is a lot of necessary back-story in the first volume that build up the suspense to Winter Soldier. Also, while the concept of the movie is the same, the meat of the book is far different from the film, so don’t come in with any preconceptions of what will happen – just enjoy the ride!

By now I’m sure you all know that Bucky, who was Cap’s kid sidekick until his apparent death (in Avengers #56, but like all Marvel characters, Bucky has been ret-2conned multiple times), is the Winter Soldier. This soldier was a tool for the Soviet Union, and was literally “put on ice” to complete special assignments. This might be old hat to us, but ten years ago, this was jaw-dropping. The shock factor of a cheerful kid sidekick becoming the deadliest weapon in the world was unprecedented. Winter Soldier does a solid job of alluding to the shock factor; there are numerous flashbacks and dead drops to buildup what is, in essence, a stand-off between Captain America and the Winter Soldier.

Like the movie portrays, this is not the same Captain America you recognize from the war days. He is no longer a gimmick, or war propaganda; he is a super-soldier with the feeling that he is being played with. It’s a demon that Cap struggles with throughout the book, and  What makes Brubaker’s writing so great is he is fully ready to let Cap fall into one of his darkest places (not too dark, but really dark for Steve Rogers). The theory that Bucky was chosen as a symbol to inspire young men to join the war effort was just a cover-up. Bucky was actually the most ruthless weapon the Allies had; he did the gruesome deeds that Cap couldn’t. It’s a brilliant rewriting of a character to fit not just the story, but the times that the story is released in. This fact also sheds new light on just who Captain America is – not just the guy who punched Hitler in the face, but the one who sanctioned the actions that a Bucky, a child, could take in the name of freedom.

The issues are so well-paced. We begin with what looks to be the typical villain arc when Red Skull creeps around and secures a Cosmic Cube (an item capable of turning wish into reality – similar to Loki’s scepter, hmm…  However, we’re quickly in the middle of a murder/mystery and forced to play catch-up like the dunces we are. I mean, if Nick Fury can figure out the riddle, I know I can’t. Speaking of Fury, his role in Winter Soldier is significant. While Cap is definitely the one taking the lead during the mission, none of it would have been possible without Fury’s keen eye (pun intended) and S.H.I.E.L.D. resources. That being said, Steve Rogers isn’t inept in any way; he puts the hurt on everybody in his way – often. The characteristic way the shied bounces off of and into foes very enjoyable to look at on paper.

Ed Brubaker’s Captain America: Winter Soldier is one of the best written books about Cap out there, and it’s almost ironic that a story that deviates from what was considered canon has the most identity with Steve Rogers. The ending fell a bit flat, but we do get some closure to the arc, and the aftermath of what happens here echoes through the series for years to come. The mirror image of Captain America and the Winter Soldier also creates dialogue among fans and casual readers alike (Note: Winter Soldier mentions and includes other figures like Falcon and the Invaders. If you want to dive deeper, those are good places to start). Any comic book fan should pick this up and read it – it’s simply the American thing to do.