It’s difficult to type this review right now because I’m too busy trying to shove my foot in my mouth, eat crow and any other analogy that comes to mind when regretting the things you say. You see, one month ago, I was ragging on this series like nobody’s business. It was uninteresting, the art wasn’t that great, and I had no interest in reading about Norman Osborn. This issue, however, turned it around for me, and I was more than happy to make it my POW.

The story in this issue really amped up in my opinion. There are all sorts of interesting things developing. I thought the inclusion of the Thunderbolts was a really nice touch, and I enjoyed the hell out of the text boxes that accompanied these characters as they transported Bucky. The best moments in this issue are the moments around Steve Rogers. His flashback scenes are an absolute pleasure to read, and I’m digging how Brubaker is putting us inside his head as he figures out just what’s happening to him. What’s even better is that we don’t see a panicking Captain America, but as he’s reliving these moments, he’s forming a strategy for getting out alive. It’s his demonstration of strategic thinking along with his undying courage that makes this all so interesting to see, and most of all its what makes his character so strong. The events in the issue get the storyline moving, and it’s great to see all the pieces falling into place. I’m thinking that even after he returns, the world of Captain America is going to have some really interesting set pieces to work with, and in a way, I can’t wait to see Steve return and kick some ass because America is not in a place that he would much like.

On the art side of things, the art was much stronger in this issue. The panels were so epically drawn and featured a really kinetic motion to them. This is Bryan Hitch at his strongest, and I think the fact that he is now done with FF means that he had more time to dedicate to this issue. There is just some great panels in this issue. The only real knock I have against the artwork is that a few of the panels look a little wonky, and there’s a few shots of Bucky that just look awful. And again, that close up at the end of the issue looks…not so good. But other than that, this is Hitch’s strongest work on the series so far, which is exciting because that means that next issue should be even better.