Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1

Set in 1966 at the height of the Cold War the new mini-series from writer Rick Remender and artist Roland Boschi gets off to a strong start with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top two agents successfully extracting a pair of Nazi scientists from a HYDRA base. Personally I could have done with a little less of the monstrous Madam Worm, but Boschi's art fits style of the comic well and the interaction between Nick Fury and the cock Ran Shen offers several fun panels.

Despite escaping the castle without raising any real trouble from the terrorist organization with plans to use the scientists' discovery of the alchemy formula (allowing them to duplicate any element in any quantity) to destabilize the world's economy, Fury and Shen run into trouble with the appearance of a Russian agent who has his own plans for the Nazis.

Offering us a look at the more murderous version of Bucky under control of the Soviets, the issue sells me completely on the idea of Shen alone with an injured Fury on a mountain against a mythical enemy he fears he can't beat. Chris Eliopoulos also provides an awesome variant cover. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]