Book Review - "Winter Soldier: The Complete Collection" by Ed Brubaker and others (#24 - 2016)

Winter Soldier: The Complete Collection by Ed Brubaker and others

I know, I know, it's 2017 Jenny, why are we still talking about 2016 books?  Because I'm tragically behind on my reviews of the final few books I read last year.  So expect a few more 2016 book reviews.  Okay, here's the sometimes hard to find Winter Solider collection by Ed Brubaker.  I liked this one, but not as much as the Captain America series he did (this is the next book that ties into that series).  I have a soft spot for Bucky Barnes so I enjoyed it, but it's not a "must read", you don't miss too much.  It follows Bucky after he was Captain America for a while, and he's back in the Winter Soldier garb.  It was a super fast read and if you like the Winter Solider/Bucky then pick it up because Brubaker does tell a good story.

Here are my reviews of the Captain America series if interested:
Captain America, Vol 1: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection by Ed Brubaker and others
Captain America Vol. 2: Red Menace Ultimate Collection by Ed Brubaker and others
The Death of Captain America by Ed Brubaker and others

Book Review - "The Death of Captain America" by Ed Brubaker (#31 - 2015)

The Death of Captain America by Ed Brubaker, etc.

This is a huge book (sequel to this and this), lots of stuff happening with the death of Steve Rogers and the aftermath, including who eventually takes on the roll of Captain America (I'm not going to give any spoilers away).  I loved this so much, lots of action, lots of side stories.  If you are a Cap fan then you must pick this up. Look, comic books aren't for everyone, but this series (as well as Planet Hulk which was outstanding) are worth a read. Give them a try!

Book Review - "Captain America Vol. 2: Red Menace Ultimate Collection" by Ed Brubaker and others (#14 - 2015)

Captain America Vol. 2: Red Menace Ultimate Collection by Ed Brubaker and others

Picks up where Captain America Vol. 1 left off (duh).  An action packed continuation of the Captain America story, Crossbones being a jerk as well as more back story about Bucky.  A quick bridge over to the next compilation (which I'm dying to read).  Obviously if you like Cap or are interested in more about Cap, Bucky, Crossbones, etc. pick this one up!

Book Review - "Captain America, Vol 1: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection" by Ed Brubaker and others (#9 - 2015)

Captain America, Vol 1: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection by Ed Brubaker and others

I guess I'm becoming a bit of a comic book person.  After loving Planet Hulk, and loving the Winter Soldier movie, I decided to pick this compilation up.  I'm glad I did.  First of all it's not like the movie, sure there's Cap, Bucky/Winter Soldier, Falcon, and Nick Fury, however the rest of cast is different than the movie (for example Red Skull is still alive at the beginning).  The basic premise of Cap finding out about this top secret Russian assassin is there, his feelings about it are still there, it's just presented in a different way.  The Winter Soldier is such an upsetting character, he's a victim, a person who has been turned into a weapon.  It's easy to follow, has lots of action and is a snap to read.  If you are intrigued by the Cap/Winter Soldier storyline then for sure pick this up.  Of course this means I'm going to have to get the other volumes, etc.  I'm interested in what happens next!

Book Review - "Planet Hulk" by Greg Pak

Planet Hulk by Greg Pak

Let's put this out there, I'm not a regular comic book reader.  Do I love my superheros and comic book characters?  Heck yeah!  However, I've read only a handful of comic books in my life.  But I have been hearing endless buzz about this series, so many people have raved about it, so I picked it up just to see what the deal was, not expecting much.  One thing I do need to say is that I have a super soft spot for the Hulk, I really love him so I have extra feels for him.  Okay, so the book starts out with Hulk being exiled to another planet, he was tricked into going into space by his trusted friends (Tony Stark, etc).  They thought they were sending Hulk to an uninhabited planet, but that wasn't the case.  Hulk is quickly captured and becomes a gladiator who has to fight for his life for the amusement of a very evil king.  He makes friends with the other gladiators and eventually they stage an uprising with Hulk as the leader (remember the more you beat up Hulk the stronger he becomes, also the angrier he gets the bigger and stronger he becomes as well).  Hulk eventually becomes the king/ruler, finds love and marries.  Has our Hulk finally found happiness?  Well, not really, something really horrible happens that triggers the next series World War Hulk.  And as that title indicates, some serious sh*t is going to go down back on Earth because Hulk is angrier than ever!  I'm going to have to give it to everyone who said this was a great series, it is!  I was surprised I enjoyed it so much and how much it stayed with me after I put the book down.  It's a solid story, and since it just focuses on Hulk you don't have to have tons of back story with a bunch of characters you don't know already.  It's not confusing and it won't nerd you out.  So I will recommend this to anyone who has any curiosity at all about comics or just wants to give them a try.  I will be reading the next series for sure!