Avengers Academy #23

I wanted to review this issue when it first came out, but things kept coming up, and issues kept coming out, to the point it felt too late. But with the recent press it's gotten again over the past few days I felt the need to review it still.
My review is only going to focus on one part: the fact that Striker comes out as being gay. This series has always done an exceptional job of portraying young super heroes trying to learn who they are in a world that needs saving. But in this case, the book excels at showing how even heroes have doubts as to who they are. And that fact makes them just like us; human. I have always said that comics, movies, tv, and music help us get through ordeals that talking to people sometimes can't. It's not that we don't have people we can turn to, it's more the fact that unless you're in that person's shoes, you really can't get a feel for what they're going through. But when you see it on film, or hear the lyrics in a song, or read it on the page, your problems are outlined for you. You can see that there's a path out there someone has already walked down, and it gives you hope that you can travel those miles as well.
Striker's case is a common one in today's society. Are the conflicting feelings you have right? There are no right or wrong answers for this. There are only emotions. There will be people that think emotions are wrong. Those people are misguided. You have to decide for yourself what is right for you, not what anybody else says is right for you. This is what Striker learns.
This issue should be commended for treating the subject material in an open, honest way. It doesn't sugarcoat anything, nor does it present a clear-cut answer. What it does is present it in a way that allows you to connect with the character, whether you are straight or gay. A way that hopefully people can turn to and realize that there is hope for every single one of us.

Fables Volume One: Legends in Exile

Admittedly, Fables is a book I was never interested in reading. Fantasy just does not appeal to me, which is funny because of how much I immerse myself in comics. But after thoroughly enjoying ABC's Once Upon a Time and NBC's Grimm, I figured I'd try out the book that influenced those shows. Some would say those programs flat-out ripped-off Fables, but that is not for me to say. If those shows get people to read Fables, then the reader can make up their own mind.
If you've never heard of Fables, the premise is basically what if the characters of the stories we were told as children were real, and they lived in our world after being forced from their own. It's not as straight forward as you think, though. To adapt to our world, these iconic characters have changed their looks to blend in with modern society. So there are no talking wolves or a trio of pigs running around freaking everybody out (they get shipped up north of the city to live in seclusion). They've even set up their own community called Fabletown. Half the fun of each book is trying to figure out who the characters are before they're revealed. Some are obvious, some unfold in time.
Bill Willingham himself has said his idea isn't exactly an original one, but I feel the way it's presented surely is. He gives each well-known character a new attitude that makes each seem new to us. Some have very unexpected modern attitudes. The art in volume one by Lan Medina is an exquisite mixture of childhood tales brought to life with modern stylings. Elegant is a word that fits so many of the pages, especially two-page spreads.
The opening arc ended up being a bit predictable, but I'm not entirely sure if that's because I had heard how it ended already or not. After all, this is not a new series. I hear the series picks up mightily around volume three or four. Sufficed to say, volume one was enough of a treat to keep me coming back already.

Winter Soldier #1

Winter Soldier, or Bucky Barnes to you and me, is a character who has gone through more changes in the past few years than any other character in comics. He was found to be not dead since WWII, he was brainwashed into working for the Soviets, he broke free from his captors, became the new Captain America when Steve Rogers died, and then "died" again during Fear Itself. But he didn't really die. Not everyone in the Marvel Universe knows that fact though. And that brings us to the point of this new series.
Bucky is now hitting the underground, trying to right the wrongs he did as a puppet of the Russians. Along to help him is his current gal pal, the Black Widow. The book is full of the espionage and intrigue you'd expect from the best James Bond movie. Ed Brubaker has taken a character he did not create, and turned him into one that should not be written by anyone else. Bru has such a take on Bucky that fits more perfectly than any writer with any character today. Bru's backed on art by one of his best partners-in-crime, Butch Guice. Butch always fired on all cylinders when he drew Captain America, and he hasn't slowed down one bit here. In fact, he might have even stepped up his game. The book has that atmospheric feel that makes you believe this spy tale could actually happen in our world, even with all the fanastical aspects of the book (you'll see what I mean when you get to the last page). A lot of that atmosphere is in part due to colorist Bettie Breitweiser's amazing talents. Colorists, much like inkers, don't get enough credit when it comes to how well a book looks. The color palette Bettie uses matches Guices moody pencils in a perfect manner. The color plays an important role in this book because you can't have spies believably sneaking around in the light, but you can't also make the pages so dark that the reader can't tell what's happening. There's a perfect blend here.
Winter Soldier is a return to form for Brubaker to me. His current Captain America series has just not clicked with me since the relaunch. This book on the other hand, is exactly what I think of when I think of Bru. To me, Bru + Bucky = brillance.