Only one more issue is left of Bucky’s solo title, and though I may be in the minority, I’m really going to miss this book. Latour and Klein faced an uphill battle following Brubaker and Co., but both were doing a fine job making the book their own, while keeping the spirit of what Brubaker built alive.

The story in this issue is essentially an origin of a new character Tesla Tarasova (The Electric Ghost), but the way it’s told especially through Klein’s art was fantastic. The flashback pages were exceptional, they were colored in a faded almost sepia tone, and Klein mimicked a child’s handwriting on lined notebook paper for the title sequence; complete with embellishments like hearts and lightning bolts surrounding names and titles. It was a nice touch that made it seem like young Tesla herself had a hand in creating the issue.

The origin itself was mostly what you’d expect for a villainess but Latour kept it engaging and I think the character of Tesla is interesting enough to warrant this kind of introduction, unfortunately that seems to be all she’ll really get. By the end of the issue you’re wondering if she’s a really a villain at all, or if it’s just circumstances that forced her hand. To me those are the most interesting antagonists, she could easily have been a hero if she was raised by Professor X or The Future Foundation, but that wasn’t the case. Add in the fact that Bucky himself played a role in her unfortunate fate, and you’ve got a very interesting character that I would have loved to continue learning more about.

Reading and enjoying a book that isn’t selling well, and then seeing it canceled is somewhat of a rite of passage amongst comic book readers, so I’ll just have to accept this stripe I’ve earned and move on. I look forward to whatever ending Latour has prepared, hopefully there is some conclusion, at the very least I get to enjoy one more issue of wonderful art by Nic Klein.