There have been a lot of parallels between Marvel Comics’ Captain America and DC Comics’ Batman franchises over the last several years.
Both series have revived formerly dead teen sidekicks who happen to have aged during death (Captain America’s Bucky became the Winter Soldier and Batman’s second Robin became Red Hood).
Both series killed off their iconic heroes and then had them come back through time travel’ish plot points (Captain America and Batman).
Plus, while their mentors were presumed dead, their mantles were taken up by former sidekicks (the Winter Soldier became Captain America while Nightwing, the first Robin, became Batman).
During the DC Comics Relaunch’s New 52, DC recognized the popularity of all of its Robins, current and the ex’s, and ensured they’d be featured prominently: 
the first Robin as Nightwing anchors his own series, Red Hood heads up the Red Hood & the Outlaws title, Red Robin (Batman’s third Robin) is is the linchpin for the Teen Titans book, and Batman and Robin features Bruce Wayne and his son Damian as his new boy sidekick, the current Robin.
And, stemming from Fear Itself, Winter Soldier returns from the dead again (long story) to anchor his new ongoing Winter Soldier book with CBR debuting the series #2 issue’s cover to close out the week.
It is no surprise that I enjoy all of DC’s ex-Robins books, despite the logic bombs associated with so many young (or old) former sidekicks, and I can’t wait for more of Marvel’s Winter Soldier. While Marvel only has one sidekick-returned-from-the-dead-as-a-new-solo-hero, they will seemingly have more Russian-made Winter Solider types that will be part of the mystery and mission for its titular hero. Ed Brubaker is writing the new series with Butch Guice on pencils. To get a taste of this new book, check this past week’s Fear Itself #7.1: Captain America.
Will we eventually get more Winter Soldier spin-off titles, focusing on some of the new Russian created agents if any prove as compelling as the former Bucky? Ed Brubaker has proved he is a fan of long-range planning. So, I imagine he already knows which of the new Russian-made antagonists will deserve the feature treatment. And, if DC is any indication with its four ongoing titles featuring ex-Robins, there is a model there for success: differentiated personalities tied together only by the old domino mask they wore. With only one main Marvel Earth Bucky, but with more Russian-made Winter Soldier types set to debut, it is really likely that an ex-Winter Soldier type title will be on the shelves alongside Captain America and THE Winter Soldier in the next few years.
There has much been made of the logic bombs associated with DC’s ex-Robins, despite the percieved success of their new books and some selective editing of Bat-books generally, but I will say that the Bucky/Winter Soldier backstory is a lot more clean and understandable. And, that is a huge feat considering there is an element of suspended animation and sci-fi/time travel’ish elements to his backstory! While the ex-Robins have none of that and THEY have the more convoluted history in the new 52. So, kudos to Marvel.
DC’s Nightwing and Marvel’s Winter Soldier were the first truly iconic sidekicks in comicdom, as Robin and Bucky, so any plan that brings Winter Soldier to ongoing series prominence is fitting and long overdue.
What makes all these former sidekicks interesting for me though, is that I like generational heroes and showing some aging, maturity and gathered experience by these boys-turned-men. The downside with DC has been the implausibility of having at least five Robins in about five years in the new DC continuity. It stretches credibility, but interestingly it does not take way from my enjoyment of their new series. The other downside is that by aging the characters, the current generation of readers is deprived of stories involving Bucky Barnes as Bucky, Cap’s sidekick, and Dick Grayson as Batman’s Robin. However, downsides aside, as a veteran reader, I enjoy these kinds of coming-of-age or coming-into-their-own stories.
I don’t read any ongoing Marvel titles nowadays. Just mini-series, the last of which was the Captain America Corps. With that said, I have high hopes for the Winter Soldier ongoing series from Marvel. It seems to have all the elements I like from these kinds of stories: espionage, political intrigue, action, dopplegangers (a la the other Russsian made agents), and… an aged ex-Sidekick.
Winning! :)
Winter Soldier #1 is on sale in February 2012 (despite the NYCC teaser) at a cover price of $2.99.
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