We need to talk about one comic book issue…

Namely, Captain America: Bicentennial Battles

To cut the long story short, Cap visited Mister Buda, master of sorcery, and walked into a hidden fold of the universe. And he walked right into this moment…

…only to see his long-dead partner being beaten during interrogation

Cap’s obviously like “If you harm him, I swear I’ll tear your murderous heart out!” (this being an actual quote, just fyi)



Then we’ve got like 5 panels of enraged Steve fighting Nazis who kept Bucky hostage

…And so on and so on. When he’s finally done with them, just… wow. These panels read like a romance. Look at Steve, his hand reaching out to caress touch Bucky’s face, probably both to make sure he’s real and out of pure joy of seeing him again.

If the panels above read like a romance, the ones below read like a porn. No, I’m serious, look at the description: “strong hands leap to the task… agile fingers with savage strenght speedily pull apart the knots…” I just comment on the vivid description, not on what actually happens on the panel.

Then they jump out of there, Cap being obviously happy he’s got Bucky at his side again

Casually praising abilities of his partner

And so they run

But while they run, Bucky speeds ahead of Steve. “Wait, Bucky, wait! I-I can’t see you!” And once he loses him from his sight…

“Bucky! Come back! COME BACK!” is what I always see when I read issues like this one. Whatever it is, an illussion, a dream, a time travel, a hallucination – he would scream his lungs out just to make Bucky stay this time: “Don’t leave me!” or “No! Don’t go!” or “Come back!”



Here I just lost it. Steve rejects his experience because it gave him pain. But it wasn’t all pain for him. He’s always happy to work with his partner again, even if it’s not real.

And here comes my favourite:

“Then this Bucky is the void in your present existence?”



Most interesting indeed.