Written by: Kyle Higgins
Art by: Rob Reis and VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 2, 2019

I am a huge Kyle Higgins fan but left the first issue of this mini-series very underwhelmed. Bucky working a anti-hydra relocation program just doesn’t interest me at all, but the cliffhanger had me intrigued. That’s why I’m back this month and why I’m reviewing this issue. That’s hardly going out on I limb, I know, but did it pay off with a good second issue? Let’s find out…

We open with a flashback showing the kid from last issue’s cliffhanger being “taught” to sing (actually stab) for his meal. Kyle Higgins did make me feel sorry for the little chap…who killed two guys and is covered in blood at a diner.

One of my biggest problems with the last issue was the art and while I liked it enough in this opening scene, it still is holding back the book a bit throughout the issue. The grayscale vs the red blood works well at the beginning, though.

When we get to the “now”, we get an extended fight scene with Bucky and his little look alike. The best part was the bad butt waitress who stole the show with one panel, but again, the art didn’t help things here. It’s a muddied look that doesn’t seem suited for the action scenes that dominate this issue and it left me confused at points rather than complimenting the action.

The gist of the story is that Bucky, being a guy of second chances, takes the kid (his name is RJ, by the way) and looks to help him escape the assassin life. There was a good bit where Higgins plays with the idea of whether it’s worth it to be the greatest at something, even if that something is awful, but the kid wants no parts of the good life. By the end, Bucky is sold out and beaten up, the kid has a bullet hole in him, his mentor might be dead (should be anyway) and Bucky still is there to help.

I liked this issue a little bit more only because I’m more interested in RJ than a guy who expose his cover because he is sick of bagging groceries after a week. Still though, the overall story isn’t grabbing me much and I’ve already talked about my problems with the art.

Final Thoughts:

I like Bucky and am intrigued by the characters in this issue, but the overall story just doesn’t grab me much and I am not a fan of the art at all. Hopefully, things will pick up in the next three issues, but for now, I can’t recommend this.

5.5/10