Written by contributor Inah Peralta
It’s been almost two months since we last saw Falcon, or should we say Captain America, and Winter Soldier on screen. This break has been hard for us Marvel fans, and while we’re blessed with Loki now and a trailer for Eternals, deep down we all miss our favourite duo: Sam and Bucky.
What better way to get our fix than the source material themselves? There are already several iterations of Captain America in the comics, obviously a given for a character that debuted in 1941. A lot of characters have taken up the Cap mantle and symbol in the comics and TFATWS showed us five of them: Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, John Walker, Isaiah Bradley, and Elijah Bradley.
So today we’re sharing a list of comic books that you should read if you miss the characters and the show.
1. Winter Soldier: Second Chances (2018) by Kyle Higgins & Rod Reis
In TFATWS, we saw Bucky Barnes make amends with people from his time as the deadly assassin. Much like the series, Kyle Higgins’ story features a bit more optimistic and domestic Bucky, who has found redemption. He does yoga and he has a cat! Working with Sharon Carter and Tony Stark, he goes out helping people get a fresh start and give them a second chance in life. The five-issue comic run delivers a powerful message that healing and redemption is not a linear process and is different for everyone.
Bucky Barnes is one of the most popular fan-favourite characters and this comic book run would be amazing source material for his future in the MCU.
Read this if you miss: Bucky, Sharon Carter, and surprisingly Tony Stark.
2. Truth: Red, White, and Black (2003) by Robert Morales & Kyle Baker
Systemic racism was one of the key points that were tackled in TFATWS, and it was perfectly reasonable for them to bring Isaiah Bradley’s character into the series. In the comics, Isaiah’s story was told in this six-part comic run, as the only survivor of experiments ran to a group of Black people in order to perfect the super-soldier serum.
The storyline was based on an actual event popularly known as the Tuskegee Experiments, where a group of African-American men was subjected to the study under the guise of receiving free healthcare, which they never received.
Truth: Red, White, and Black series head-on confronts the harsh and uncomfortable truth of systemic racism and America’s relationship with Black folks.
Read this if you miss: Isaiah Bradley
3. All-New Captain America (2014-2015) by Rick Remender & Stuart Immonen
We all cheered and cried when we finally saw Sam take up the mantle of Captain America and wear his amazing (and comic book accurate) suit made from Wakanda. Thank you, Shuri! We only had one episode of him as full-on Cap, but luckily for us, we get to see more of his adventures as the Star-Spangled Man in the comics.
Like in the MCU, Old Man Steve gives Sam the shield in issue #25 of Captain America (2012). Rick Remender’s run also tackles Sam’s internal struggle with taking up the mantle, as well as the public’s opinion on him. In this series, Sam teams up with Nomad, Misty Knight, and Old Man Steve as they take down HYDRA under Zemo’s leadership. Sam’s Captain America adventures continue with Nick Spencer’s Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015-2017) where more familiar characters appear such as Winter Soldier, and the new Falcon himself, Joaquin Torres. So make sure you read both comic runs!
Read these if you miss: The Cap Trio (Sam, Bucky, Steve), Joaquin, and Baron Zemo
4. Captain America (2004) by Ed Brubaker & Steve Epting
Hardcore comic book fans may be familiar with this trope called “The Bucky Clause” which says that no one in the comic books stays dead for long unless they are Bucky Barnes, Jason Todd, or Uncle Ben. Well, this trope has been debunked for Bucky when Ed Brubaker retconned his death and made him The Winter Soldier in this Captain America run. Issues #620-624 is titled “The Life Story of Bucky Barnes” but we recommend that you read from the start.
Brubaker’s Cap is one of the most popular and well-loved series in Cap’s world. It was also the main inspiration for the Captain America The Winter Soldier movie, where the iconic “Who the hell is Bucky?” line was lifted from one of the panels. Throughout the series, we see characters that are integral to Captain America lore such as Red Skull, Falcon, Black Widow, and Sharon Carter. Unfortunately, the series also depicted Steve’s death during the Civil War storyline, and Bucky taking up the mantle of Captain America to honor his friend’s legacy.
Read this if you miss: Bucky, Sam, Sharon, Steve, Natasha Romanoff, Baron Zemo, and almost everyone else from the Cap movies!
5. Falcon and Winter Soldier (2020-2021) by Derek Landy & Federico Vincentini
Of course, we can’t forget this recent run with our favorite duo! In this series, our two former Captain Americas team up to uncover and take down the new leader of HYDRA. The series is comprised of five issues that are action-packed and full of banter between Sam and Bucky that we all miss. Equal parts hilarious and thrilling, the Falcon and Winter Soldier’s team-up will surely fill that gaping hole in our hearts.
There was a scene with Sam flying while carrying Bucky, and another where they had to wear their Cap uniforms. We’re not saying we want to see those on the screen… but you see our point, right?
Read this if you miss: Sam and Bucky’s dynamic, Baron Zemo, and Alpine!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
- Thunderbolts (1997) for more Baron Zemo and his quest with his own team of reformed supervillains.
- US Agent (2020) for John Walker’s adventures as the US Agent.
- Falcon (2017-2018) for more of Sam Wilson as the Falcon and his team-up/romance with Misty Knight.
- Winter Soldier (2012-2013) for more Bucky content, plus his relationship with Black Widow.
(Cover credits: Marvel)
I love your article, Inah. Zemo ruling HYDRA? Scandalous. I haven’t read any comic issue about Cap and Bucky so this was enlightening. But after reading much about them here, I kind of want to rewatch TFATWS. 😂 And then maybe start reading Winter Soldier: Second Chances because Yoga Bucky is something I would like to see very much.