Can an origin story for Bucky Barnes as he becomes the Winter Soldier be anything but painful?In this volume, Lee continues exploring Marvel's misunderstood antagonists. It's 1954, smack in the middle of Bucky's journey from hero to villain and back again. Instead of Bucky, there's only the Winter Soldier, a brainwashed torturer and assassin for the (slightly Cold War–caricatured) Soviet Union. The Soldier-confused by his lack of memory, wishing he knew his own name-is nonetheless an obedient asset and a loyal partner to his handler. As the Winter Soldier performs his mission, in a storyline interspersed with movie-style action scenes, some chapters flash back to 1941: The U.S. hasn't yet entered the war, and 16-year-old Bucky pesters his snarky, affectionate guardian to let him enlist (roughly following comics canon, not the movie). Teen Bucky's an incorrigible flirt and smuggler (or entrepreneur!), but he wants to serve his country. Knowledgeable readers and new fans alike will see the forthcoming disaster in young Bucky's eagerness to fight for people who he's beginning to realize are morally compromised. He starts up a doomed but profound romance with a girl he meets on his first mission. Meanwhile, in 1954, the Soldier's resurfacing memories of Captain America reveal an extremely close affection between the two. All characters appear to be White.Cinematic, CGI–ready action-but also a moving exploration of memory and identity. (Science fiction. 13-18)

Gr 6 Up —Lee pens another successful YA origin story for a well-known Marvel character. Eschewing the Marvel movie continuity, Captain America is merely a background character to James "Bucky" Barnes's solo adventures. Cutting between two time periods, Lee weaves together a study of teen Bucky's first espionage encounter in 1941, along with Bucky's missions as the metal-armed and brainwashed KGB Winter Soldier in the 1950s. Both versions of Bucky are extremely intelligent, whether an adult navigating an unknown city to hunt a target or a 16-year-old running a supply black market for enlisted soldiers. Despite the very different circumstances, Bucky's independence and rebellious spirit remain consistent. Lee manages to maintain suspense and tension while having connective tissue between the two stories, in particular through the doomed love affair with the unwitting Hydra pawn Imogen Flemming, whose chess genius helps Bucky learn to think strategically. As would be expected by a wartime espionage thriller, the story does include mature elements including non-explicit teen sex, several depictions of murder, and one suicide. Some basic familiarity with the Marvel universe would aid the reader (e.g., knowing what Hydra is), but the book largely stands alone and separate from the larger shared universe. VERDICT Fans of the previous "Marvel Rebels &; Renegades" YA books, military espionage, or The Queen's Gambit will enjoy this nail-biting thriller. —Tammy Ivins