Red Guardian and the White Widow are in the wind, searching for a lost date drive that’s in the hands… of Dracula!? Your Major Spoilers review of Winter Guard #3 from Marvel Comics awaits!
WINTER GUARD #3
Writer: Ryan Cady
Artist: Jan Bazaldua
Colorist: Federico Blee with Fernando Sifuentes
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
Editor: Sarah Brunstad with Alanna Smith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 3, 2021
Previously in Winter Guard: The White Widow and Red Guardian are ready to strike a bargain… but not with the Winter Guard. Red Guardian enlists help from a shocking source… but this is spy business, and “trust” is a mythical thing. Betrayals abound in the darkest corner of Russia as the hunt for project Snow Blind heats up!
CHERNOBYL: CAPITAL OF THE VAMPIRE NATION
In the banquet room of Castle Drakul, an unusual host awaits his guests. He is Prince Vlad Drakul, the leader of the newly formed Vampire Nation, and his guests are The Winter Guard, Russia’s premier super-operatives. The team (Vanguard, Darkstar, Perun, Ursa Major, Chernobog, and The Red Widow) are seeking Alexei Shostakov, the Red Guardian, and his ally, Yelena Belova, who has recently taken on the alias of The White Widow. Aaaand also, they’ve come to Dracula’s castle, which leads to a very awkward meeting. Of course Lord Drakul insists that all his guests be protected, allowing Alexei to finally explain what is hidden on the Project Snowblind drives he’s been seeking, and also that he hid 1/4 of the MacGuffin with Dracula years earlier. Of course, there’s still the matter of which member of the Winter Guard is working with Alexei unresolved, a question mark that gets even bigger when he gets the drive, makes his exit and leaves White Widow behind to face the wrath of her Red counterpart.
GAMES OF DECEIT AND DEATH
On the one hand, every good spy story has to have the moment where the villain and the hero meet and discuss their situation, leading to a big action beat afterwards, and this is a pretty good one. But, it’s also not really a terribly exciting comic story. I enjoy Dracula’s machinations and the Red Widow is once again outclassed by old school Marvel Universe members, but aside from one quick chase near the end, much of this issue is dialogue around a big table. Bazaldua does the best they can in keeping the storytelling dynamic (including a cool flashback framing sequence that looks like a retro film, with sprocket holes and scratches on the “film”) but I can’t help but wonder if there might not have been a better way to pace this limited series. I’m also a little frustrated by the proportions of the characters, where our women are barely half the size of the men, which makes for a rather odd imbalance visually. I mean, sure, two of the male characters are gods and one’s a grizzly bear, but even Paul Dini gave Lois Lane broad shoulders.
BOTTOM LINE: INTERESTING STUFF
Still, even with these complaints, Winter Guard #3 is a good bit of spycraft set in the greater Marvel Universe, and avoids some of the problems with that, with art that works more often than not and a story that has flashes of true awesome, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. I’ll be interested in reading the complete series once it appears in trade paperback to see if, as I suspect, it is going to be a much better in collected form.
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WINTER GUARD #3
As tense as it is and as well as the storytelling is done, it does feel like not much happens in these pages, but it's good to see them move Red Guardian to resemble his movie counterpart.
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Writing7
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Art6
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Coloring6
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.