Captain America The Winter Soldier: Five Comics To Read After You See The Movie

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has enjoyed a record-breaking opening weekend and sizable [...]

Captain America: Winter SoldierCaptain America: The Winter Soldier

has enjoyed a record-breaking opening weekend and sizable acclaim from critics. That's a lot of love for Steve Rogers. So what do you after you leave the theater and find yourself still wanting more of what you saw on screen? You go to your local comic book store and pick up one of the five comics listed below that either inspired, informed, or are in the same spirit of at least one of the major aspects of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Happy reading. Want more of the Captain America/Winter Soldier relationships? Pick up the Captain America: Winter Soldier. This is one is kind of a no brainer. This is the collection that gave the film its name, in which Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting introduce the Winter Soldier to the world. Prior to this series, Bucky Barnes was one name on a very short list of characters that comic book fans believed would always stay dead. Brubaker and Epting decided otherwise and began one of the best superhero comic book series of the decade, full of action, espionage and great characterizations of Captain America and his supporting cast, which is made up of mostly characters from the film (Nick Fury, Maria Hill, the Falcon, Black Widow, Agent 13). This volume was recently collected and reissued with a movie cover, so it shouldn't be hard to find.

Avengers: FalconWant more of the Falcon? Pick up Avengers: Falcon

Though he doesn't always get a lot of time in the spotlight, the Falcon is an important character in the history of American comic books. He was the first African American superhero in a mainstream comic book, immediately paired with Captain America to explore the social issues of the 1970s. Unfortunately, good reprints of that material is hard to come by. You can find them reprinted in black and white beginning with Essential Captain America Volume 3, but if you want something in color you can check out the recent Avengers: Falcon collection that arrived just before the movie hit and hits the highlights of Sam Wilson's career.

Secret AvengersWant more stealthy Steve Rogers? Pick up Secret Avengers.

You'll notice that Steve Rogers dresses a little differently at the beginning of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. His "stealth look" is inspired by the look he had while leading a covert team of Avengers on secret missions in the Marvel Universe. If you enjoyed seeing Captain America leading a covert ops team then Secret Avengers is the book for you. The first two volumes are written by Ed Brubaker and are as solid as any of his other superhero work, but the real gem is Secret Avengers Volume 3: Run the Mission, Don't Get Seen, Save the World. Warren Ellis takes over writing duties for six issues and enlists the aid of all-star artists like Jamie McKelvie, Alex Maleev, and David Aja. The result is some of the most visually stunning superhero comics created in the modern era and, looking back, something of a precursor to how Marvel would reinvent its superhero comics following the Marvel NOW! relaunch.

Black Widow #1Want more Black Widow? Pick up Black Widow Volume 1: The Finely Woven Thread.

Though she hasn't gotten her own film yet, Black Widow is a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you just can't get enough of the character then I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Black Widow is currently the star of her own fantastic solo series, written by Nathan Edmonson with fantastic artwork by Phil Noto. The bad news is that the first collected edition won't be released until July. That doesn't mean you have to wait though! Go to your comic shop and buy the back issues or go online and download them from one of Marvel's digital outlets. The series is all of the tense espionage action you expect from Black Widow with more of a human element than you'd expect. It's one of the best Marvel books going right now, so whatever you have to do to get it will be totally worth it.

Secret Warriors #1More shadow politics and secret societies? Pick up Secret Warriors.

If you were into the intrigue that was laced into the superhero action of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, you may enjoy Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors series. Set at a time in the Marvel Universe when S.H.I.E.L.D. had been taken over by Norman Osborn and reformed into H.A.M.M.E.R., Nick Fury is forced to go to ground and recruit a new team of young people with powers and old friends from his Howling Commandos days. This is Fury vs. Hydra turned up to mythic proportions and is one of the most underrated comic book series of recent years.

0comments