This is a Christmas story where Bucky has his first Holiday since he was freed from his Winter soldier brainwashing.
There’s a bit of the “man out time” stuff we saw with Captain America happening for Bucky now, but obviously his history as an unwilling assassin adds a much darker lens to the concept.
Storywise, the Young Avengers plan to destroy one of Tony Stark’s labs but Nick Fury finds out that it’s really a HYDRA base so he sends Winter Soldier out to stop/warn them.
Instead of doing that, though, Winter Soldier works with them to take down the base.
But of course before that he fights them because that’s what heroes do when they meet for the first time.
It’s good to have the kid who lost his childhood meeting up with the latest brand of teen hero.
Honestly, I would have liked an extended story here–one that went on for three issues or so.
He then visits the grave of Jack Munroe, a man who replaced him as Cap’s sidekick but also who Winter Soldier was forced to murder. He then joins Namor at the grave of the old Invader, Toro, and Sub-Mariner shares the story of Toro’s death.
As with everything Brubaker writes, this is great but…Pretty depressing for Christmas!