Issue- 23

Title- The Drums of War

Writer- Ed Brubaker

Art- Mike Perkins

Summary:

The Winter Soldier, a.k.a Bucky Barnes, under instructions from Nick Fury, breaks into a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. There he plants a bug in a Fury LMD in order for the real Fury to keep appraised of current events within the organization. While establishing the link for Fury, Bucky also pursues his own agenda, the search for his former master, Alex Lukin. Browsing through recent SHIELD observations, Bucky discovers that Lukin has been to the Latverian embassy. Bucky wants to pursue the matter, however Fury informs him that he should be patient. Elsewhere, in Latveria, The Red Skull, who now shares Lukin's mind, converses with Dr. Doom. Doom expresses satisfaction with the bargain the two have made. In exchange for information that proves that Doom will/has lived in the town of Eisendorf 500 years in the past, Doom has provided the Skull with a powerful weapon to use against his nemesis, Captain America.

Comments:

Brubaker finally spells it out for us. Doom will live 500 (actually I think more, because it was 500 back in the Cap 65th Special) years in the past in a town called Eisendorf. What does this really mean? I haven't got the faintest, but I trust Brubaker. Paralleling my comments for Cap's 65th anniversary special, Brubaker is once again seeding for a future plot line. Right now its unclear whether this will develop here in Cap's title, or elsewhere. Nevertheless, its great to finally see a writer making an effort to further the character. I've seen some people surprised that Doom and the Skull would work together, however I think one should remember that they're not actually working together. The scene depicted here points only to a simple exchange. Its hard to recommend a whole comic just for 2 pages, but boy are these pages good. Bottom Line: N/A

Notes:

• The Latverian flag depicted in this issue was first seen on the cover of Doom: The Emperor Returns #1. It is the first depiction of the Latverian flag to be consistently used during any period of Doom's history.

• Through the Red Skull, Doom learns he will become the "Baron of Iron" who lived in the town of Eisendorf 500 years ago. This follows revelations made in the Captain America 65th Anniversary Special.