Captain America: Trial of Captain America

Captain America (2004) (Collected Editions) #14

by Ed Brubaker, Mitch Breitweiser (Illustrator), Daniel Acuña (Illustrator)

Collects Captain America #611-615, #615.1

Not even Captain America can escape the sins buried in his past, and Bucky Barnes' future hangs in the balance as evidence of the Winter Soldier's crimes comes to light. And with Bucky's trial distracting our heroes, the new Red Skull plots a terror attack at the heart of America!

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

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2011

About the author

Ed Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.

In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain America Status: He’s not dead (Yay!), but he’s not Captain America, either.

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” - Ye Olde Benjamin Franklin, the dude on the hundred dollar bill.

Poor Bucky/Winter Soldier! His secret past as a Russian assassin is no longer secret. Thanks to Baron Zemo Jr. everyone knows what he did when he was brainwashed and because Sin, Red Skull’s now crimson complexioned daughter is manipulating the masses (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree), people are asking for his head. It doesn’t seem to matter that as Captain America, he helped save the world and rescued the President. So Bucky does the honorable thing and turns himself in. His defense: Well, he was, um, brainwashed by the Commies.

Who’s the star witness for the defense, but Dr. Faustus, Mr. Mesmerize/Mind Wipe himself (The Soviet hypno-dude from Agent Carter is loosely based on his character). Faustus is a very large man and if Orson Welles was still alive would have played him in a movie, but he’s been dead for awhile, so they might have to CGI him in.

Still, Dr. Faustus? Who's Winter Soldier's lawyer? Matlock? Don’t drop your soap in the prison shower, Bucky.

The art: Why do Steve Rogers and Hawkeye look about as old as Mick Jagger on a good night?

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to let a former brainwashed Soviet hit man be Captain America after all?

James ‘Bucky’ Barnes has done such a good job filling in for the recently-dead-but-feeling-much-better-now-thanks Steve Rogers that he’s kept the shield even after Steve’s return. However, an old enemy has exposed his checkered past to the media. As one would expect, cable news poops its collective pants over the idea that the current guy wearing the red, white and blue used to kill people for the Russians. As part of the effort to clear his name and atone for old sins, James insists on being arrested and tried as Steve tries to help mount a defense of his old partner. Oh, and as usual there’s a super villain ready to take advantage of the situation.

This is another great chapter in Ed Brubaker’s on-going run with this title, and as usual he proves to be one of the most consistent comic writers out there. I especially liked how the whole issue of James being brainwashed and used by the Soviets is treated. The other Marvel heroes essentially say, “Brainwashing and mind control? Shit, I HATE it when that happens. Of course you can’t hold the guy responsible for what he did when that was going on.” while the regular citizens have more of a “Brainwashing? What kind of stupid defense is that?” attitude.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bucky Barnes get publicly outed as the Winter Soldier and goes on trial for his crimes against the USA. It's alright. I was expecting a bit more of a courtroom drama but not much really happens. Everyone seems to be on Bucky's side except of course the bad guys.

Fast paced with some exciting action scenes and a pretty wild ending.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so good omg!

I loved this one!

Its basically Bucky going on trial for his crimes as Winter soldier when they are exposed and its awesome the way it happens and I like how Brubaker keeps it short and intriguing showcasing defense of mind control and what not and including villains like Sin and how they attempt to sabotage the trial and then bringing in Dr Faustus and using him in an amazing manner and then show casing Bucky having to save Widow and Falcon and how that hampers his whole trial and the consequences that follow and that lead into the next arc plus trials for Steve ahead!

Its an amazing volume filled wiht intrigue and awesome dialogue and good action too and makes you think about Bucky and like the things he has done and puts in some intriguing ethical and philosophical questions about morality. Plus the art again is so awesome and I like how the writer plays the long game and just continues to build up an epic run!

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bucky hasn't had a easy life and it's about to get even worse.

So, the world knows who Captain America is. After Zemo released information about Bucky and his winter soldier past, the whole world turns against the new captain america. This is mostly a story about turning the public's attention in favor of Bucky and showing how he was mind controlled but now is trying to make up for it. Half court room drama, half punching and kicking Sin in her ugly face, we have another Captain Marvel arc.

For the most part this is pretty damn good. I still think Ed Brubaker nails Bucky's thoughts so well and keeps him interesting throughout. I also think the art keeps up pretty good and the fight scenes are epic. The ending was a nice surprise though I'm curious where they go from here with good old Bucky. A 4 out of 5.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's more Brubaker goodness as he gives us his spin on Captain America. In this tale Bucky (the Captain America after Steve Rogers “died” and formerly the sidekick back in the WWII days of Captain America) is accused of being the infamous Winter Soldier, who assassinated a lot of people and did other horrible things. Even the Russians want him.

Bucky's defense is that he was mind controlled but a new consciousness begins to ask how much of a defense is mind control if you have done truly horrible things?

A lot of people want Bucky to take the fall but Steve Rogers isn't having any of it and bigger people are at play, including the daughter of the Red Skull, a crazed Sin.

Brubaker presents the tale with artwork by Daniel Acuna, Butch Guice, Stefano Gaudiano and a bunch of others that would have me writing a term paper.

As usual Brubaker doesn't disappoint. If you like this work also check out his spin on the Daredevil graphic novels.

ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B; STORY/PLOTTING: B to B plus; ACTION PANELS: B plus; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus; WHEN READ: mid September 2012.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's face it, the results of Bucky's trial were never really in doubt. Of course he wouldn't be hit with hard time. Fortunately, the way that result unfolds is not entirely expected. But for me, I wish Brubaker had concentrated more on the courtroom drama, instead of throwing in less-than-compelling, cookie cutter, action movie subplot. The courtroom scenes that we did see were far more interesting, at least to me.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this book.

If there's anything that can be said about me, it's that I'm a sucker for Bucky Barnes. His time as Cap is my favourite part of his storyline because it shows the complexities of his character, how he originally didn't want it and only took it out of respect for Steve, and then his complicated relationship with the Shield and what it means for somebody with his history. In this arc, Zemo has leaked everything he knows about Bucky and the Winter Soldier, drawing into question is Bucky still the Winter Soldier. Standing trial for his actions, he's told that Red Skull's daughter, Sin, has been released and is plotting her revenge on the avengers, on Bucky, on Steve, on everybody who has stood against her and her father's plan. When she kidnaps Natasha and Sam, it leaves Bucky in the impossible position of saving himself from a life in prison or worse or saving his friends. I liked all the side characters we got in this book, Dr Faust, the Avengers, Steve and so on. The art was great, the story was great. Overall, I just really enjoy this run and this section of the Captain America storyline.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bucky finally goes on trial for the crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier. Of course, he has villains working against him, but thankfully he has heroes helping him. This was a logical step in the storyline, and this remains a great series.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great character work here, in my favorite recent run, Brubaker's tenure on Captain America.
Recommended.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit hard to rate.

I really enjoy the parts dealing with Bucky's guilt and his struggle to feel worthy of Steve's avid defense of him. This was a great use of the Cap cast: Steve, Sharon, Sam, Nat and Bernie Rosenthal. Admittedly, I only recently learned more about Bernie and I love her. I kind of wish she'd come back because I really like her vibe.

I would question why, once again, a woman must suffer in a volume of Brubaker's Cap run but, this time its Sin. I can't muster any sympathy for a Nazi. I'm just glad it's not Sharon suffering, once again.

Here, Bucky's on trial for the actions of the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile, Sam, Steve, Sharon and Nat are chasing after expert witnesses and trying to unmask plots against Bucky while he's in custody. I kind of wished we could've focused more on the legal aspects but I'm a nerd and I find concepts of trials in a superhero world very interesting. Hence my love for volume 1 of the 2005 She-Hulk run.

But,I digress. The action scenes are pretty good, the art is fine and I like the outcome. The small issue about Cap taking up the shield again was pretty meh for me.

It's the Bucky Barnes story that makes this volume worth reading.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm still trying to work out how i feel about this volume, hours after finishing it. Usually I have a pretty strong sense of whether I liked a comic and why, but this one seems to leave me...uncertain.

On the one hand, the art is pretty good - in spots it's right up there with the early Brubaker run. The story with the new Skull is interesting if only because we don't know where her head will take her next.

On the other hand, Bucky's moral quandary isn't even thinly wrought - it just seems like a foregone conclusion rather than a dilemma or debate for him. And the supporting characters are all going through the motions. Plus the courtroom "drama" is anything but - and if there's one thing I expect from Brubaker, it's to be surprised and intrigued by the storyline. The ending is even worse - something ripped right from the scenes of a daytime soap opera.

I guess I *do* know how I feel about this book - I just don't *like* that I don't like this, which man's admitting that maybe Brubaker is out of juice on Captain America and needs to take a break to recharge his writing talents.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bucky Barnes, aka the new Captain America, is on trial for crimes committed as The Winter Soldier! Oh, my! For such an important trial, it was crammed into a short number of issues, and we don't get a lot of suspense here. The Red Skull's daughter is back with some Uber-Nazi guy and she's as crazy as ever. Naturally, this affects the trial and Bucky being Bucky, he does something stupid anyway.

The outcome was a bit amateurish, meaning it was more like something you'd see on the Hallmark Channel movie of the week than in a serious legal drama. Nonetheless, Brubaker still throws in a monkey wrench in the end, although it was pretty damn obvious that it would happen.

The artists here are good, but it switches between Guice and Acana, who have totally different artistic styles. Pretty damn good, but seeing Sin dressed up in a Nazi uniform was rather ridiculous.

The best part of this book was learning that JFK was actually a Skrull. Yeah, makes sense to me!

[Katlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll admit that I had slightly higher hopes for this. I love this concept, Bucky facing his past as the Winter Soldier in court, but something about the execution wasn’t quite there for me. That being said, it is still a story about Bucky doing his best and trying to earn his place as Captain America, so I am, of course, here for it.

And I loved the 615.1 special with Nick Fury baiting Steve Rogers into being Captain America again by orchestrating the kidnapping of a new Captain America he created.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I think Ed Brubaker's time on Captain America has run finally run its course. He did some big and bold things with my favorite Marvel character -- Alexander Lukin, Winter Soldier, the bloody Sin & Crossbones soap opera-- but I think his work on the title has been gradually going downhill since Civil War. I still think the death of Steve Rogers was unnecessary and not even presented very well, and I was never really big on bringing Bucky back from the dead in the first place. Bucky's been dead to the world for decades and suddenly he's fit to lead the Avengers? Even Steve Rogers had to have a little adjustment period. Plus his costume is just plain ugly. And the whole REBORN storyline was pretty disappointing. And there are just too many "Cap vs Cap" story lines -- hell, that gimmick already felt overused by the time Gruenwald was writing the title. So yeah, I've not been terribly impressed with Brubaker's plots these past couple of years.

Spoiler ahead.

TTOCA is more of the same. Bucky, who replaced Steve Rogers as the Captain, has been publicly unmasked as the former Soviet assassin the Winter Soldier. Bucky decides to face the music and turns himself in, and is put on trial. As Steve Rogers, the Falcon, and the Black Widow do their best to ensure Bucky is exonerated, the Master Man breaks out of prison and assists Sin (the new Red Skull) in a tired blow-up-the-Statue-of-Liberty subplot. Of course Bucky (as Captain America) rushes to stop the attack and thus proves himself the hero. Of course he's still found guilty of the crimes from his past. And of course the judge sentences him to time served. Wow, that's some dramatic writing right there, Ed.

Sure, I'll keep reading. Brubaker's not a bad writer by any means, and I'm genuinely curious to see where he takes the story now that Steve Rogers has picked up the shield again. I hope the title will return to the quality of the first 15 or so issues of the Brubaker era. If not, it's time to pass the torch.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker had made this one of my favorite reads because he has realized the much of the potential of Captain America as a political/action thriller that most writers have missed since the days of Steve Englehart. The reason he was able to pull this off so well was in writing out Steve Rogers and making James "Bucky" Barnes the series' main character. Bucky is dealing with being taken in and out of cryogenic deep freezes, mind control, and being used as an assassin. His relations with Sam Wilson and Natasha Romanoff are more, well lets say adult, than Steve's ever were. Here the release of Soviet records of Bucky's actions as the ind controlled Winter Soldier are released and lead to his being puton trial. We get a small surprise at the end, and I will give Brubaker credit for trying to make the jail and courtroom scenes mildly realistic (I've worked in both).

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comics never take long to read. This one went by too fast. As soon as I started, I finished it and felt unsatisfied. It was too simple compared to other issues written by Brubaker. I went into it not expecting much, and somehow, felt a little disappointed still.

But I do admit, I was excited the whole time. I'm fond of Sin as a villain. While she was not at her best throughout the story line, I love her nonetheless.

[Fanni Fdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probablemente mi favorito de toda la saga. Centrado casi totalmente en Bucky Barnes y como le afecta, por fin, todo el tiempo que pasó como el Soldado de invierno y como la sociedad reacciona a ello. Gran historia.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the redemptive payoff for the last trade. I enjoyed this, and it was helped immensely by Breitweiser's coloring. Some of the issues in the previous story arcs probably underwhelmed me in part due to subpar/boring "shiny" art and coloring.

[Pturingan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a single story, it was just so-so. But, read in the context of the last two Captain America TPs, this was, I guess, the logical conclusion.

[Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

In previous reviews of Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America I think I've made it abundantly clear that the Bucky version of Cap doesn't sit as well as the Steve Rogers "original" Cap stories (the ones that brilliantly re-introduced Bucky as the Winter Soldier and ended up with Rogers' "death" and Bucky taking over as Cap.) One of my issues with the whole setup is that once it is revealed to the readers that Rogers never died, the reader has to assume that it is only a matter of time before Rogers retakes the mantle of Captain America, regardless of how badly Brubaker wants to keep Bucky in the role. At the end of the last volume, Baron Zemo reveals to the world Bucky's previous existence as the Winter Soldier. This in turn opens a can of worms that needs to be dealt with in this volume, hence The Trial of Captain America.

I think by this point in Brubaker's run, I am just not interested in Bucky being Captain America anymore. Around this same point in time, Brubaker also penned the Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier limited series, which featured the adventures of the now not Captain America. I was lukewarm on this series when I read it, but it is a means to an end, that end making Rogers Captain America again. And while Bucky's story in this volume ends on a decent and unexpected cliffhanger that I assume will be the starting point for the next Captain America volume, there is another issue (Captain America #615.1) at the end of the collection that picks up where Super-Soldier left off. The stage is now set for Steve to resume his rightful place as the focus of the book. The inevitable has arrived.

I commend Brubaker for his attempt to make Bucky a character I want to read about, but ultimately making him Captain America wasn't the right move, because Bucky (or for most of the seventy plus years of Captain America's existence up to that point, Bucky's ghost) was a supporting character in the Captain America mythos. Brubaker has set it up so that he can have the most original Captain America he possibly could, but as soon as Steve came back, his shadow was going to be cast over the book, waiting for his return. At this point, it's high time Steve made the comeback.

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get through this one but not because of the story. In fact, I really enjoyed the trial narrative which could have easily been dull but rather successfully played off of the tension between Bucky and his past (and to a lesser extent the fraught relationship between the public and superheroes, connecting back to Civil War/life outside the CA narrative) that has been building throughout the series. As a result, the part of me that is obsessed with Bucky's nuance was very satisfied, and while it was not meant to be a conclusion, I think The Trial of CA connected back to earlier storylines (Dr. Faustus, another cap, Man with No Face, etc...) in a way that seemed to close, at least in part, this particular chapter in Bucky's life-- even though the twists at the end set up so much more I am excited to read about. And of course, as usual, I loved the art/coloring which has been consistently fabulous throughout this run so far.
I think if I had one complaint it would be about Sin taking over as the new Red Skull. I guess the part of me who is obsessed with bad girl femme fatales was lowkey in love with her particularly in Red Menace and the taste we got of the Serpent Society. And so, even though I liked her as a minor villain, I was really pushing for her to break free from her father's shadow since he was so abusive. Like, go be bad on your own, girl! And her instant relationship with Master Man... LAME. Is it too much to ask for a strong, interesting female villain who is not always contextualized through the actions of the men around her??

[Tony Goodwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it turned out to be.

I'm one of those comics readers who used to think that Bucky Barnes was one of the few comic book characters who died and needed to stay dead, much like Spider-Man's Uncle Ben, Bruce Wayne's parents, and Jason Todd. When I'd heard that Bucky had come back from the dead as the Winter Soldier, I rolled my eyes. What I hadn't counted on was Ed Brubaker.

He brought Bucky back in a way that was not only cool, but so iconic that the second MCU Captain America movie was titled after his character. He made Bucky a character that went through hell for his resurrection, and gave him a good deal of depth and characterization, in addition to making him a strong touch-point to Steve Rogers's past. And that's all before this story.

When the Winter Soldier's past comes to light in the public sphere, Bucky--who is now the current Captain America in this story--must answer for his crimes in court. Amid the chaos of his trial, the evil Master Man rescues Sin--the Red Skull's daughter--so she can cause even more disruption. It's a good story, that feels a bit too compact given the subject matter, but that manages to deliver a compelling read in the face of Bucky's past and his desire to be worthy of the Captain America mantle.

[David Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that needed to be told, and Brubaker made it into something truly special. The basic premise is that, even though the reader has known for years that Bucky spent a few decades as the mind-controlled Winter Soldier, performing assassinations for the Soviets and engaging in other anti-U.S. projects, the general public in the Marvel Universe only recently learned of this history at the end of the previous story arc. Even though I think the reader has forgiven Bucky for any wrong he did, even without any kind of trial, it makes complete sense that the characters inside his story don't see it that way, and they need him to face criminal charges so that they can learn the truth of his past. It's brilliant, honest, and emotional, and I love where Brubaker takes it.

The artwork is excellent and compliments the story perfectly. The characters are well written, no one seems out of place or interacting strangely given their circumstances, and the progression and conclusion of the trial fits perfectly that I'd believe it if it happened in real life. In addition to that, the reality of the media circus following Bucky is disturbing and realistic as well. Definitely shows how through thick or thin, a true Captain America sticks to American values.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following on from 'No Escape', Bucky's secret identity and past as the Winter Soldier has been revealed to the public. He is put on trial for the acts of terrorism committed by the Winter Soldier and simultaneously has to contend with his closest friends being targeted by Red Skull's daughter, Sin.

Whilst there's nothing wrong with this story or how it's told, it has to be said that things unfold fairly predictably, especially the outcome of Bucky's trial.
However, I did enjoy seeing Steve, Natasha and Sam all working to clear Bucky's name whilst he himself is incarcerated and out of action.

The other thing I liked here was seeing how the villain Doctor Faustus helps Bucky's defence by showing how easy it can be to mind-control someone. Beyond that though, there's not much here that stands out one way or the other.

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[Jaye Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great, give Bucky a break tho my man's innocent. 😭

He gets arrested and put on trial for the crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier. He did it all but he was mind controlled so it wasn't his fault but they want him held accountable for it. I guess letting the brain washed ex soviet assassin wasn't a good idea huh. It was such a mess.

I like that it gets right to it and was like a fascinating episode of Law & Order. For a hot second it felt like I was reading Daredevil because of all the court shenanigans.

Then fucking Sin coming in and being a wacko, kidnapping Falcon and Black Widow and threatening to blow up the Statue of Liberty like girl wtf is your beef.

The art was great and I loved the issue covers where it was Bucky in his Winter Soldier outfit vs his Captain America fit omg.

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this is a bit of a high rating because I felt like this was a solid 3 stars but I liked the little Steve issue at the end.

Im kind of tired of Bucky dealing with problems by running headlong into them and making things a lot harder for himself. It works sure, but after 4 trades of him doing the same shit it comes cumbersome. And it sucks because I love him and Ed is better than that.

Also, I think Lady Red Skull is kinda weird I can’t pinpoint exactly what I don’t like about her because I love character development and her journey has been great to read on this run. Ed can really make me loathe his characters and I don’t know if it’s good or bad haha. Probably good now that I think of it.

[Shane Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was better than the previous. The art was a step up and it was nice to see Bucky’s Winter Soldier past be addressed and dealt with. I don’t like how it was swept under the rug, but I’m interested in where things are going based on the twist ending. We also get the setup putting us in the road to Steve Rogers becoming Cap again. I know it has to happen eventually, but I feel like Bucky has barely had room to breath as Cap.

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bucky, my love, what have you gotten yourself into. Possibly one of my favorite Bucky!Cap installments because it shows how Bucky has grown while still being allowed to be himself. He's totally matured into the Captain America role and I love it. (Maybe one day I should read all these comics in order.)

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was difficult to read and so sad. But ohh did I still really love it. I don't know what to say. I have a weakness for Bucky Barnes and I really liked the story arc of him taking up the Captain America mantle. I don't think it would've worked well in the MCU though so I'm glad Sam is now Cap.

Love Ed Brubaker's writing and the art styles of the many artists that have worked on this.