#bbtws

[saysaraelle]

Hello! I know you liked "Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier", and I'd really like to know your take on it, cuz all I've seen were complaints about how awful it is. I haven't picked that title up because of all the bad opinions out there. Thank you!

Hi! Thanks so much for your question. (Apologies for taking so long to respond; I’ve been on a family vacation.) I really appreciate having an opportunity to talk about this series, which I absolutely loved, but which—as you say—was not at all popular. Here’re some of the things I loved about it:

1) I really liked the storytelling approach.Ales Kot, the writer of Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier, brings a very unique storytelling style to his comics. It's—as I’ve described elsewhere—psychedelic, holistic, and ofttimes stream-of-consciousness. His stories regularly involve multiple threads that don’t come together until the story’s denouement, and their meaning can be difficult to decipher even then. Sometimes a story that you think is about one thing turns out to be about something entirely different. Sometimes various stories that you think are different turn out to be secretly the same. It’s not everyone’s jam, and I get that, but I love it.

2) I really liked the approach to Bucky Barnes.Over and above everything else, BB:TWS is—for me—a totally new take on Bucky Barnes. (The first wholly new take on Bucky since Brubaker, imho.) But more than that, it’s a new take on the very concept of Bucky Barnes. It’s not just about Bucky, but about the idea of Bucky and about what that idea really represents. Without giving too much away about the plot, the series presents an intimate examination of the concept of the perpetual soldier, and through that examination a sociological deconstruction of the consequences of war (both personal and global). Bucky Barnes is the soldier who never stops, and for whom the war never ends, but in this story that role does not go unexamined. He is forced to confront the consequences of neverending war: not in the abstractly heroic fashion that anti-heroes and reformed villains typically address their past and future actions (by angsting about them), but in concrete terms of honest self reflection. In BB:TWS, Bucky has to think about what unending battle actually means for him. For his soul. For his future. And through him, we—citizens of a perpetually warmongering society—are offered the opportunity to think about what unending battle means for us.

On the one hand, Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier is about Bucky learning to take on the role of the Man on the Wall. On the other hand, however, it is about so much more, and I love it.

3) Marco Rudy’s art is stunning.One of the big complaints about this series—that I have seen—is that the art is uneven, and in some places it is (as is the case with many comic book series), but the majority of the art was done by Marco Rudy and that man is a genius. Even if the idea of brilliant sociopolitical commentary does nothing for you, I’d at least recommend giving the first volume a chance for the sheer joy of looking at Marco Rudy do his glorious thing

I hope you find this helpful. Thanks again for the question, and happy reading!

[needalittleoldfashioned]

I would like to share this great honour with my great, personal friends Ales Kot and Marco Rudy and dedicate this award, as I have dedicated pretty much everything in my life, to James Buchanan Barnes, my son, my baby, my inspiration, that motherfucker. Bucky, this one is for you. *drops mic*

[fuckyeahbuckydaisyreznor]

Drabble by altheaknorka

There was a time when his idea of “clearing his mind” involved Bourbon and bare-knuckle fighting. He still needs to keep his mind busy enough to numb the memories away, but moving in a satellite station implies trying new things. He now wants to use the same hands that brought destruction over half a century, and try building things, one piece at a time.

If he can find the darn glue tube, that is.

He hears the clawed feet of Sacred Reznor, a creature that can snatch an unattended roast leg of a scarn’uff and scoff it down in a split-second. He spots its cap between Reznor’s teeth and gets the reluctant beast to spit it out.

Bucky never used his metal arm when brawling in bars; he never had to. Now, sitting at his desk and trying to glue the panels of a model space-ship together, he wished he had another two sets of hands. He elbows the lamp-head into position and – ow! As much as he likes the idea of having a non-fight-related injury, how did he manage to hurt his back from just sitting? He lets out all the swearwords he picked up from the staff of that skrull-thai fusion ship truck he likes. He feels Skrullos conveys the same gravitas as Russian, minus the triggers and painful memories.

Now Reznor is lying on its flank, rasping.

Bucky sighs loudly, grabs it, plunges two metal fingers deep down its throat and retrieves a tiny… something gnawed beyond recognition. Bucky rests his chin on Reznor’s head and stares at the ship.

it is an eyesore. The proportions are off, the propellers still look like bullet shells tied together with his old hairbands, but it’s his - something he made.

“Namor received your message, he’ll meet you at...”

Bucky bolts up and in an irrational impulse to hide the hideous ship from Daisy’s view, he sends the whole thing flying into the wall.

“I’m sure it was…” Daisy looks at the remnants of the ship dangling from Reznor’s ears.

“… lovely”, she lets out, unconvinced. She presses a warm hand on Bucky’s shoulder and smiles: “We’ll find a way to fix it.”  

[selfconsciousfangirl]

I just found ur blog, I've seen that you've been reading the Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier series. Um I Kinda know what's going on in it. Was wondering if you wanted to talk about it lol

I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner. Real life got in the way and then tumblr ate my first response :/

Anyway, truth is that I do not know what’s going on with the Bucky Barnes: the Winter Soldier book. I very much doubt anybody has any clear answers. Having said that, to the best of my understanding Bucky is out there fighting some version of Crossbones who’s trying to destroy this alien planet. Bucky has the help of his future self, Daisy Johnson’s and Ventonlin Xtal, the queen of said planet about to be destroyed. Loki has shown up to do his thing and create chaos, though exactly how and why he’s involved and the nature of his connection with this Crossbones is murky. We’ve seen Bucky try to build himself a new identity as something of a peacemaker first, man on the wall with a gun second. We’ve also seen Bucky fall in love - and be loved in return - by Ventolin, with whom he started a relationship strong enough to exist in all multiverses, apparently. I believe that once we get to read this entire run in its entirety things will make a lot more sense.

How exactly does this story connect with the greater Marvel continuity is a good question. Bucky hasn’t been mentioned in the main Secret Wars book, the main series of the new huge Marvel event, where all worlds and universes are supposed to converge into a single reality (Battleworld). He is mentioned and/or appears in many of the parallel series (Planet Hulk, Runaways, Red Skull, 1602 Witch Hunter Angela), but these mentions are brief and show alternate universes, smaller realms, not the main story of the Marvel continuity.

As for the future of the BBTWS book itself, we don’t know for sure. We do know that the current artistic team will leave the book with issue 11, but as far as I know there’s been no official cancellation date announced. Neither has it been announced among the new books that will be published once Secret Wars wraps up. Having said that, there are other relatively big books whose future remains a mystery for the time being (Black Widow, for example). Only time will tell, though I suspect that the book hasn’t been cancelled, and likely (hopefully) will go on under a new creative team. It wouldn’t do to cancel Bucky’s book with Captain America: Civil War coming up. 

If you’ve got any more questions I’ll be happy to try to answer them, hopefully in a more timely fashion.

[marcorudy]

From my facebook, since i sent my last page on Sunday - A Farewell to the space adventures of Bucky Barnes, Daisy Johnson, a curious Aardvaark and an Alien Queen (my tribute to Caiera the Oldstrong, actually). Normally you get a gig, work as best as you can, do your thing and regardless of its success, a gig is a gig and that's that.

But man, over the past 2 years and a bit, i've been relishing in absolute creative Freedom, working with Marvel, which is still a surprise to me, an unknown unknown, a freelancer - this kind of thing just doesn't happen(often).

And here i am, 2 years in, with projects that were daunting, encouraging and that essentially meant growth, as a storyteller. I can Thank them enough for it.

I Loved our space adventuring, i can easily say that giving this title to both Ales Kot and me, knowing a bit of how we are...different in the way we tell stories, coming of Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a gamble that probably didn't payoff in the best financial way. And i respect, Thank, and commend them for not cancelling us, allowing the story to go where it was going.

To all of you that are reading it (2 more issues to come out), that enjoyed it and recommended it, Thank you Very much. This was, by far, my favorite project, to date, much love poured into it and, on art alone Issue08 is By Far, my favorite.

Thank You All.

As for me, ill be around, i need to clean stuff, sleep stuff, hangout stuff, read and play stuff. Above all, i need to dance. After that ill figure out what happens.

Peace. wink emoticon

m

[fuckyeahbuckydaisyreznor]

from Bucky Barnes: the Winter Soldier #008

art by Marco Rudy

text by Ales Kot

[fuckyeahbuckydaisyreznor]

from Bucky Barnes: the Winter Soldier #008

art by Marco Rudy

[fuckyeahbuckydaisyreznor]

from Bucky Barnes: the Winter Soldier #008

art by Marco Rudy