'Falcon and Winter Soldier #1' Review: It's two ex-Captain Americas vs a teen killer in Landy's explosive comic
Spoiler alert for Falcon and Winter Soldier #1
The Derek Landy-written comic promised insane violence, no-holds-barred action and a riveting storyline when it released its preview last month. #1 lived up to every inch of our expectation as the 22-page chapter introduced a formidable foe and gritty encounter.
It's a peaceful life at his Indiana home for Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier and Ex-Captain America. Except, the peace is short-lived as a barrage of soldiers blast their way, only to be neutralized by Bucky who barely breaks into a sweat. Sam Wilson/ Falcon is investigating a missing person case. A Sally Mackenzie, part of Wilson's Veteran Support Group, is MIA. He also realizes the Office of Federal Utilities (OFU) is searching for her. Wilson arrives at the OFU only to find out that someone went pretty bonkers as every person in the office is killed and the bodies are strewn all over the place.
Meanwhile, Bucky crosses paths with Wilson at the OFU. It is also revealed that he works with the office as part of his conditional pardon for helping take down HYDRA. The lone survivor from the onslaught is Veronica Eden, Bucky's handler. The trio runs through possible options of those capable of pulling off an audacious attack when the killer actually pops up at Eden's house.
Introducing himself as The Natural, the pretty lithe teen slams and pummels the living daylights out of Wilson and Bucky. Gives them a quick bio and reveals he killed all the people at the OFU, "Just for fun". It is revealed he is part of a HYDRA program. However, they are not calling the shots for him. At least not yet. #1 ends pretty badly for the duo.
Federico Vicentini's artwork is bloody brilliant (no pun intended) as it makes The Natural vs Bucky and Wilson scrimmage terrifyingly realistic. It is the plot that stands out when it showcases the duo thoroughly underprepared to take on a foe who they absolutely know nothing about. And that's the least of their worries. HYDRA has a new leader, Wilson and Bucky have contrasting approaches to solving a case or having a plan of action.
There are still enough question marks starting off with Sally Mackenzie's whereabouts and the actual backstory of The Natural. While the upcoming issue will most definitely provide a lot more insight, that one's a bit of a wait.
'Falcon and Winter Soldier #2' releases March 25 on digital and print with the official synopsis reading: "Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are on a mission: to identify and stop the next leader of Hydra. To do so, they’ve got to make their way from one end of a high-speed train to the other… and every carriage is filled with assassins. Eight carriages. Eight kinds of killer. All aboard."