Writers:
Ed
Brubaker and Michael Lark
 |
| Cover artist: Steve Epting |
Collected
in:
- Winter Soldier: Broken Arrow (Marvel Comics, Dec 12th 2012)
- Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker: The Complete Collection (Marvel Comics, Sep 23rd 2014)
- The entire series is available on Marvel Unlimited and Comixology.
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Michael Lark handles interiors on #6-9.
Brubaker previously collaborated with Lark on Captain America #4-5 and his run on Daredevil. The cover artist Steve Epting was a mainstay through the Winter Soldier story and beyond in Brubaker's run.
-
The recap page for #6 repurposes the cover
art for Winter Soldier: Winter Kills,
his earlier solo appearance from 2007.
#6 Prologue
Continuity Notes
-
As a prologue to the Broken Arrow storyline, this issue further explores Leo Novokov,
another recipient of the Russian Winter Soldier program, hinted at in the
previous arc.
-
The majority of this issue, aside from the
wraparound with the Winter Soldier, flashes back to Novokov's development in
the years since his reawakening.
-
Novokov is reawakened in San Francisco
"twelve years ago," per the captions and dialogue from Bucky,
"thrown out" of stasis during an earthquake. If this story is
occurring in late 2011, then this would likely be (either a fictitious
earthquake) or occurring in mid-August 1999. (Source)
-
The S.H.I.E.L.D. readout on page 7 lists
Leonid as being a project by Department X from 1979.
-
The captions describe that, after "the
first year", the 'dawn of heroes' - "Men of iron. Men wearing the
flag. Gods with hammers." - occurred (we see Thor, Captain America and
Iron Man captured on a news broadcast: "AVENGERS SAVE MANHATTAN".)
The beginnings of the Marvel universe would therefore have occurred on the
threshold into the new century, between 1999 and 2000. This date is constantly
fluctuating (the most recent relaunch of Silver
Surfer gives his arrival on Earth in Fantastic
Four #48 (1966) as 12 years ago, whilst the '7 year line' is often bounced
around fandom. The truth is there is no definitive answer, but I will trust in
Brubaker's dating for Avengers #4
(1964) to have been 11 years ago, in 2000. Given Iron Man's updated helmet
(introduced in Tales of Suspense #54),
this event would at least be at the point of Avengers #6, where they do indeed save Manhattan from the Masters
of Evil. Given the New York skyline (the Twin Towers are still standing), this
is obviously pre-9/11.
-
We are reunited with Novokov in the present
"three months ago," around the trial of Captain America (#611-615.)
This gives a timeframe to work around: Fear
Itself and Bucky's funeral is established here as being "only weeks
after being branded a traitor,"
whilst Fred's second television appearance, as seen in #1 and re-presented here
(the dialogue is identical in both issues) is said to be "weeks"
after that.
-
After his appearance in Captain America and Bucky, where his time as Bucky is finally
appraised by Steve, who helps build a monument for him outside a V.A. hospital,
Davis is murdered in his home by Novokov - ironically only (what would be) days
after his memorial was built. That story occurred on the 70th anniversary of
Pearl Harbor, meaning the chronology is clear:
- October - The Trial of Captain America and Gulag
- November - Fear Itself
- December - Old Wounds and The Longest Winter
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Novokov writes on the wall of Davis' house
(in his own blood) "ONLY ONE BUCKY LEFT." It's not entirely true -
whilst the second Bucky, Jack Monroe, was murdered by the Winter Soldier back
in vol. 5 #3, both Rick Jones, who took on the role from #110-116, and Lemar
Hoskins, who used the identity of Bucky before soon changing it to Battlestar
in #341, are still alive - however these were such brief stints that Novokov
may not even be aware of them.
-
In his narration, Bucky says the events of
the first arc occurred "last week."
#7
Continuity Notes
-
This issue picks up "two months"
after the Prologue, in February 2012. Bucky summarises that Novokov has been crossing the States,
accomplishing "five murders in two months. Three government agents, a
hotel bellhop, and a doctor, in three different cities..."
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We see flashbacks to Bucky's training with
Natasha in the Red Room. Natasha says that "Rodchenko was one of the Red
Room's main programmers in the mid-1970s... He implanted cover identities into operatives pre-mission. I think he was the
one who made me believe I was a ballerina
for several years." Sitwell says that he defected to the United States
in the '80s. Natasha's false history as a Russian ballerina was explored in the second Marvel Knights Black
Widow series, and is shown again in Cornell's 2010 limited series Deadly Origin.
#8
Continuity Notes
-
This issue picks up three hours after last
issue, and continues into the following day.
-
Novokov reprograms the Black Widow using old
Soviet tech into a lethal stage - a plot thread which continues to the end of
Brubaker's run. She returns to her past in more ways than one - she becomes the
last minute replacement to a girl shot (indirectly - he shoots the tyre of a
passing taxi) by Novokov, in an opera. She takes up her Russian name: Natalia.
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Jasper says to Bucky "I've technically known Natasha longer than you have... worked together
on and off... nearly ten years..."
#9
Continuity Notes
-
This issue picks two days after the previous,
with a private performance of the ballet to "the first lady and
friends." Bucky says that he hasn't "slept at all since Natasha was taken."
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Sitwell analogises: "The world he [Novokov]
was trained for doesn't exist-- So
he's creating his own Cold War, with
the other players left from the
great game."
-
Bucky manages to briefly route Natasha's head
around to remembering him - but this tactic clearly did not work, as by issue's
end, she has fatally shot Jasper Sitwell and left Fury unconscious on the
Helicarrier.
