Captain America and Bucky: Old Wounds

Captain America (2004) (Collected Editions) #17

by James Asmus, Ed Brubaker (Text), Francesco Francavilla (Illustrations)

William Nasland and Fred Davis aren't household names, yet they were the patriots who carried on the legacy of Captain America and Bucky after the original heroes went missing in action during the final days of World War II. Decades later, Nasland is dead, and only an elderly Davis remains to tell their tale. But a deadly villain from the Invaders' past has found his way to the future and marked Davis for death, setting up a mystery that ties together generations of heroes - one Steve Rogers and the original Human Torch must solve before the legacy of Captain America is usurped by evil! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY #625-628 and WHAT IF? (1977) #4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 13, 2012

About the author

James began writing for live theater; creating sketch comedy, stand-up, plays and musicals. After a few years writing and performing in New Orleans and Chicago, a run of one his shows in New York garnered an offer to write for Marvel Comics' X-Men. A lifelong comics fan, James pounced on the opportunity and would go on to write Marvel titles like Uncanny X-Men, Captain America & Bucky, Gambit, Runaways, Generation Hope, Deadpool Team-Up and more.
His work for other comics publishers includes Thief of Thieves with Robert Kirkman (creator of the Walking Dead) and The End Times of Bram & Ben (which he co-created with Jim Festante) for Image Comics. In 2014 James signed a year-long exclusive deal with Valiant Entertainment where he wrote The Delinquents and Quantum & Woody - the latter of which received 6 nominations at the 2014 Harvey Awards; including Best Writer, Best New Talent, and Special Award for Humor noms for James.
He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Mara and son Devlin. There, James has written for film, television, and video games. But he plans to create comics as long as you'll have him.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unexceptional Cap story - basically, a corrupt military officer is in control of killer androids - in which the bright spot was the character Fred Davis. Davis, an elderly man in a retirement home, was once a substitute Bucky after the original's 'death' in the waning days of WWII. The flashback / reminiscing scenes were good, but the modern-day angle -- with the exception of a disturbing (and sort of crass, given the present 'real world' parallels) scene showing a Bucky-imposter android engaged in a mass shooting spree on the streets of New York City, solely to attract Cap's response -- was mediocre.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a bit confusing. The story opens with this random (sorry) guy who fought as Bucky alongside Captain America (but not Steve Rogers, another rando) after the original Cap and Bucky were killed. But it took me a while to realize that, I'm not sure if because it wasn't well explained, I don't pay much attention when reading a Cap book (he's so boring...) or both. Anyway, the Human Torch is around too helping some of the randos give chase to an evil scientific (or something like that, but aren't they always?) and his army or robots that dress like humans. Run of the mil stuff, nothing much to get out of it, the art is decent, the end.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Francesco Francavilla artwork here. I didn't really like the shift to modern times but it's an alright action orientated story.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad, but it was more a traditional Cap story rather than the exceptional material that Brubaker had been doing on this run. We get a story focusing on the replacement Cap and Bucky that appeared after the original Cap and Bucky were presumed dead. There's androids and a secret plot, etc. I enjoyed the art, as this was the artist who went on to do some work on Archie's superb horror series.

This wasn't bad by any means, just not quite up to the standards of previous stories in this series.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep meaning to go and read all the collected editions of Captain America, so of course I started with the Bucky ones. I really enjoyed this. Not much else to comment on.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The drop in quality is actually insane. I loved loved the last volume so much but this one was so hard to get through or even care about.

This is about a man who was recruited to be Bucky and work with a new Captain America after the originals died. He's in a retirement home now telling his story from back in the day before he gets involved in current time baddies.

I'm sorry but I truly do not give a shit about some random dudes who were Cap / Bucky at some point. There were so many other random men who played Cap & Bucky throughout the time they were gone and I really don't care to hear about any of them?? I care about Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers, not some other randoms they dug up.

And then I don't particularly give a shit about androids and Adam II like??? Androids are by far the most boring thing to fight. 🙄🙄 Army of robots that look like humans wow so exciting, very cool!!!

Story was confusing beyond that but maybe because I was zooming to get this over with.

Art was good but the color palette kinda annoyed me idk.

[Jacob · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading a few pages I knew something was wrong because I just wasn't feeling it. I wasn't hooked in the story so I had to double check the credits and then I discovered what was quite frankly obvious: the script was written by someone other than Ed Brubaker. Ed is credited for "Story" alone, which means he probably made a plot outline. This story lacks Brubaker's voice, panache, and realism he has brought to Captain America over the course of the last seven or so years. I can't fault the artist, as he always does fine work, it's rather a shame I didn't get to read the work by collaborators I expected and knowing what I know now I wish I never purchased this book as I doubt I'll ever re-read it or want to keep it next to the good Captain America books on the shelf. For fans of Ed Brubaker: buyer beware.

[Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

So in my recent reviews of Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America, I think I've made it abundantly clear that given how Brubaker kept dragging out making Steve Rogers Captain America had effectively made me sick of Bucky stories. This is a problem since both this collection and the previous collection are from when the book was called not Captain America but Captain America and Bucky. Since the title of a work is the thing that is likely to set our expectations of what the book is going to be about, I was prepared to be disappointed by this one, being as sick of Bucky as I was.

However, if I have learned one thing about reading Brubaker's Captain America, especially in the early days is that Brubaker does have the capability to throw a curve ball in there that you weren't expecting. In this case, the Bucky in question is not James Buchanan Barnes, but instead Fred Davis, a replacement for Bucky in the waning days of World War II when the president decided that there still needed to be a Captain America and Bucky to keep up American morale. However, while there are flashbacks to Davis' time as Bucky (along with a guy named William Naslund who replaced Cap) most of the action takes place in the present. Steve has finally re-assumed the mantle of Captain America and with Davis and the original Human Torch fights a threat not just to America, but to humanity itself.

The clever thing about this arc is that it is based off a What If? story written by Roy Thomas, which is included in this volume. However, unlike most What If? stories, the point of divergence from the canonical Marvel 616 universe is not as obvious as in most What If? yarns. As such Brubaker and co-writer James Asmus treat it as if it was something that actually happened (why not?) and it leads to an interesting spin on Captain America and Bucky--once I realized my expectations of what the word "Bucky" meant in the title didn't mean what I thought they did, I was completely on board with this arc, and I wasn't disappointed. Many of the upcoming trades follow that Captain America and... structure, with the next one being Hawkeye. While my expectation isn't of something as great as Matt Fraction's take on Clint Barton now that I know I can leave my assumptions at the door, I'm looking forward to these team ups.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker took his plot and passed it off baton style to new writer James Asmus. Asmus is no Brubaker. Francavilla's artwork left me cold, as did his coloring. There wasn't much of anything that made me want to turn the page here, and for the first time in a long time I actually put down a book of modern Captain America comics before finishing it.

The What If...? issue from 1977 was horrible. The artwork by Robbins and Springer was laughable at best. I've never been a fan of either artist, but together they manage to accentuate each others weaknesses. Couple that with Roy Thomas' continuity porn story and you have this issue which was the inspiration for the plot of this arc.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. The POV from Bucky's replacement was good. The art was predictably fantastic, from Francesco Francavilla. I don't have too much else to say. It will not be going where I thought it would in my binding.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of what happened when Captain America and Bucky were presumed dead and that continues to the present.

[Jessie B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining

[Kately Rivero · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really

[Alli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about the "forgotten history" of Captain America, and I'm just a sucker for all things Invaders at this point.

[Megan Brooks]

fuck off i dont care
kinda dumb kinda confusing at times mostly just i dont care abt fred davis at all

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slow read. I think the graphic novel’s focus on the men that added and helped maintain Captain America’s and Bucky’s legacies is an interesting and worthy angle. However, the graphic novel fell flat in a lot of respects from the artwork to the storyline itself. The whole narrative reads as filler which is unfortunate because that’s not the feeling a reader wants for the men that stepped into these roles.

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 - 2.5 stars

So, after Bucky and Cap go MIA during WWII, the U. S. government got Fred Davis and William Naslund to wear the costumes of Bucky and Captain America. They fought in their name to keep up morale.

James Barnes and Steve Rogers, as themselves, did not matter. Only what they represented to the public and the government. There is plenty of precedent in the comics world of people just taking on other superhero personas and carrying on their legacy without regard for the individual.

When Naslund "dies," they have already passed on the uniform to someone new before the body is even cold.

"So just a few years after saving the world, Bill and I went from being everybody's heroes to being nothing. Bill sacrificed his life and it was like it never even happened. Because the world never knew about us. And they didn't want to. It was the part of my life I was most proud of and I just had to pretend like it was someone else."

At the end, Fred is still struggling with all the sacrifices he made - no family, no legacy to leave behind - when Steve and the others show him publicly how much he and Bill contributed by erecting a monument to them both for their service to their country as Captain America and Bucky.

Adam II and his villainous androids are tidily defeated (not a brilliant villain) , but it worked for the storyline and this was more about Fred and Bill's journey anyhow.


Randomly, there is mention of SHIELD being taken over and inventoried by Norman Osborn???

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marvel's insistence on trade collecting every issue hits another low point here. The story line is only three issues long, so a low price point TPB would have been fine. Instead, under the guise of helping readers they include a reprint of an issue from another series to "assist" in explaining the villain's history and motivation.

To top it off the story is Brubaker (plotted in my view) and written by Jame Asmus. Not a great combination here.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look back to the time when Captain America was on iced and others took the mantle. This is a present day adventure with lots of flashbacks with one pair of the Captain America and Bucky replacements. Not of lot of new information. This is a look into ordinary men doing extraordinary work. Not my favourite for far as Captain America graphic novels go.

[Kit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Captain America vs a bunch of robots and Adam II. Kinda hard to care reading this one. What was entertaining was the story of what happens when two normal guys are picked to carry on Cap and Bucky's legacy for morale during the war effort, but the rest of the book was mostly disjointed and confusing.

[Sharla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew there was another Cap and Bucky after Steve Rogers and James Barnes 'sacrificed' there lives. When you think about how the loss of Cap and Bucky would have demoralized the troops it makes sense that they would pass on the monikers. William Nasland and Fred Davis' story was equally as heart breaking and compelling.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art by Francavilla, scripting by Asmus. Good original Human Torch stuff, here. I really like that this addition includes the earlier Invaders story to which this refers, by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins with Frank Springer inks, reprinted from What If #4. Reread, late August 2025, thanks to Fulton County Public Library.
Recommended.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good and some bad. Felt too much that this retcon for future issues coming issues; but I liked the idea of other people taking over the Captain America mantle and struggling.

Back up feature that linked the whole story into Marvel's past and I have changed my opinion of Frank Robbins as well.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot has some pretty neat elements, with its focus on past Captain Americas and Buckys. Unfortunately the script is fairly dull with lots of fights and double-crossing, none of which is particularly exciting.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had potential featuring Naslund and Davis as Cap and Bucky. However it quickly became a huge mess. The script fell apart, the dialog was, simply put, wrong for Cap. The art work that worked so well in the first collection just became as messy as the story here as well.

[Hanka · Rating 2 out of 5]

no škoda. Na jednu stranu chápem, čo sa Marvel týmto snažil dosiahnuť, na druhú stranu hovorím, že niekedy príbehy jednoducho nefungujú. Toto bol presne ten prípad, keď snaha zabŕdnuť do komiksovej histórie nevyjde a vzniknú štyri zošity, ktoré moderného čitateľa neoslovia.

[♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a very confusing read... Not well organized at all, it begins with random characters we know nothing about and the story is extremely dull and uninteresting, the art didn't speak to me either.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad artwork with an even worse story that is just barely better than the previous book in this book series.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain America doesn't say "holler".