comics guide
a marvel comics guide to james buchanan “bucky” barnes / the winter soldier.
key:
[ ▶ ] personal favorites & best-of-bucky moments
[ ⚑ ] marvel event; typically do not directly feature bucky
* * *
table of contents
001. golden age
002. silver age
003. 90s / modern
004. modern backstory
005. self-contained
006. main storyline (616 universe)
007. guest roles
008. alternative univereses (aus)
009. rebecca 'rikki' barnes (nomad)
010. mcu bucky
011. ongoing comics
012. blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearances
013. frequently asked questions
* * *
golden age
- captain america comics (1941) #1-12
- young allies (1941-1946) #1-8
- all-winners comics (1941-1947) #1-21
- captain america anniversary tribute (2021)
(special issue featuring modern redraws of three of the classic comics.)
* * *
silver age & beyond
- avengers (1963) #1-20
- avengers classic (2007) #1-12
- tales of suspense (1959) #63-71
- giant-size invaders (1975) #1;invaders (1975-1979) #1-22; annual (1977); marvel premiere #29-30; avengers #71; invaders #23-41; giant-size invaders 2; what if? (1977) 4; invaders (1993) #1-4
- fantastic four annual (1976) #11
* * *
90s / modernish
- adventures of captain america (1991) #1-4
(a 90s retelling of captain america’s origins - some interesting panels, but nonessential.) - marvel universe (1998) #1-7
- captain america: sentinel of liberty (1998) #12
(1940s cap & bucky adventure, featuring some cute “what comes next” dialogue) - captain america vol 3 (1998, dan jurgens era) #32, #48, #50
(#32 is a wwii story told from the perspective of someone cap & bucky saved (brief bucky cameos), but #48 ends with a beautiful funeral/memorial scene honoring bucky & featuring rebecca barnes.) - captain america annual (2001) #1
(dan jurgens era cap story; offers a new 40s invaders story in which cap is captured by the red skull; president bush is in it for some reason)
* * *
modern backstory
- [ ▶ ] captain america: man out of time (2010) #1-5
(modern retelling of origins; great starting place to get familiar with bucky and steve in 616 and incredibly heart-warming.) - [ ▶ ] captain america: white (2015) #1-5
(another retelling, featuring some gorgeous art and a letter “to” bucky) - captain america comics 70th anniversary special (2009) #1
(40s bucky narrates steve’s origin story again, providing some new context from before project rebirth.) - the marvels project (2009) #1-8
(a modern retelling of several major characters, including steve & bucky, by ed brubaker) - history of the marvel universe (2019) #1-6
(don’t start here; this creates a general marvel timeline of the whole universe/events/etc)
* * *
self-contained
- captain america: the 1940s newspaper strip (2010) #1-3
(a reimagining of the 40s cap comics as mini ‘newspaper’ strips. cute idea but nonessential.) - [ ▶ ] captain america annual (2018) #1
(1940s cap & bucky run into jewish, romani, & gay camp escapees.) - [ ▶ ] winter soldier: the bitter march (2014) #1-5
(1960s political thriller on a train, featuring some incredible sad dialogue.) - [ ▶ ] marvel comics presents (2019) #7
(remembering a 1968 winter soldier mission; see some of ‘bucky’s’ kindness escaping) - pop secret exclusive comic (2016) #1
(not really a full comic; promotional pamphlet in a popcorn box ft bucky & black panther, linked here.) - [ ▶ ] a year of marvels: july infinite comic (2016) #1
(bucky’s shit is stolen and he wants it back.) - [ ▶ ] winter soldier: second chances (2018) #1-5
(included below, but can be read as self-contained; a post-winter soldier journey about healing; bucky has a cat, goes to therapy, is friends with sharon, ‘adopts’ a kid - all good)
* * *
main story (616)
- [ ▶ ] captain america vol. 5 (2004-2011, aka: brubaker era) #1-21; 65th anniversary special
(this is often recommended as a starting place for bucky comics, and for good reason - the plot tends to be pretty good, the winter soldier is introduced for the first time, etc. vital for understanding bucky in 616. in tpbs: winter soldier ultimate collection & red menace ultimate collection.) - [ ▶ ] wolverine (2003) #36-40
(“origins and endings” arc, set after house of m. wolverine regains memories of his life, some of which involve bucky. shows a pretty dark and grim side of bucky and his time as the winter soldier, & is a pretty well-paced mini-arc overall.) - [ ▶ ] wolverine: origins (2006) #1-30
(this is a continuation of the story mentioned above (wolverine #36-40) with wolverine unraveling his memories/past and finding his son. bucky comes in around issue #15 and pretty consistently stays until around issue #30. we see a really interesting, darker take on bucky’s wwii days, as well as modern bucky working with logan.) - [ ⚑ ] civil war (2006) #1-6; civil war: the confession
(if i remember correctly, this “marvel event” does not feature bucky at all - not a single panel - but is vital context for the second half of the brubaker era. read the wikipedia summary if you’d prefer to skip it.) - fallen son: the death of captain america (2007) #1, #5
(#1 is a wolverine-centric story immediately following the death of captain america in civil war. the opening pages involve bucky and logan, and while nonessential are quite well done and interesting. #5 focuses on the two funerals of steve rogers & includes blink-and-you-miss-it bucky.) - [ ▶ ] captain america vol. 5 continued (2004-2011, aka: brubaker era) #22-42; winter soldier: winter kills; #43-48
(bucky!cap begins during this arc. brubaker era continued. “the death of captain america” & “the man with no face” arcs.) - [ ▶ ] young avengers presents patriot (2008) #1
(this is most interesting if you read the young avengers comics & ‘truth: red, white, and black’ first - but still an exceptionally sweet short story.) - [ ▶ ] avengers/invaders (2008) #1-12
(bucky!cap comic; 1940s invaders are transported to 2008, 1940s bucky’s war journals) - [ ⚑ ] secret invasion (2008) #1-8
(this event bored me to tears, but i do think buck is in a few panels.) - the new avengers (2010) #48-60
(after the secret invasion, bucky!cap creates his own team of avengers.) - free comic book day avengers (2009) #1
(a short story where the avengers go toe-to-toe with another god. set during the lead-up to the siege event. has a few cute panels of bucky!cap.) - [ ▶ ] young allies comics 70th anniversary special (2009) #1
(super good; bucky!cap contemplating what it means for all his friends to be dead, dealing with the weight of the cap mantle - and reunites with some old friends.) - [ ▶ ] captain america: forever allies (2011) #1-4
(modern bucky!cap revisiting his old friends and an old young allies mystery.) - captain america vol. 5 continued (2004-2011, aka: brubaker era) #49-50; #600-601
(this is called the “road to reborn” which is going to spark another change in re: cap.) - captain america: reborn (2009) #1-6
(continues the brubaker storyline, just under a different name.) - [ ⚑ / ▶ ] siege (2009) #1-4
(the rare enjoyable marvel event; bucky has a pretty decent role in this one, too.) - new avengers: siege (2009) aka new avengers #61-64; new avengers annual #3; dark reign: the list - avengers; new avengers finale
(continues the new avengers storyline and leads through the siege event. features this scene with bucky!cap saying he killed hitler.) - siege: captain america (2009) #1
(bucky!cap and steve!cap team up.) - avengers: the initiative (2007) #34
(while he also shows up briefly and inconsequentially in #19 and #35, there is actually a good chunk of #34 set during the siege event featuring bucky!cap and steve!cap working together against the taskmaster - pretty fun stuff.) - captain america vol. 5 continued (2004-2011, aka: brubaker era); #602-605; who will wield the shield?
(brubaker continued. “two americas” tpb.) - fall of the hulks: gamma (2009) #1
(i personally haven’t read any hulk stories, so this was hard for me to follow. however, bucky!cap does seem to feature quite prominently in this issue.) - world war hulks (2010) #1
(continues the fall of the hulks storyline. bucky!cap features in the mini story arc ‘nobody dies forever’ and tells a story from his time as the winter soldier.) - hulk (2008) #21-22
(part of the ‘fall of the hulks’ and ‘world war hulks’ storyline, where bucky!cap plays a small role and becomes a gamma-infused hulk.) - [ ▶ ] world war hulks: captain america vs wolverine (2010) #1-2
(some more hulk stuff, but this one is actually pretty fun - bucky!cap and logan are in a hulked out rage, which triggers memories of another fight they had in bucky’s winter soldier days.) - avengers vol. 4 (2010) #1-6; #12.1; #16
(bucky!cap joins the avengers. we meet james rogers.) - invaders now! (2010) #1-5
(bucky does have a major role, but this isn’t essential to the timeline nor particularly good imo - if you want to skip something, this might be it.) - captain america vol. 5 continued (2004-2011, aka: brubaker era); #606-610; #611-615, #615.1; #616-619
(brubaker continued. “no escape”, “the trial of captain america”, & “prisoner of war” arcs) - captain america vol. 5 continued (2004-2011, aka: brubaker era); #620-624; #625-628
(brubaker continued. not continuous to the story, alternatively titled “captain america and bucky” - “the life story of bucky barnes” and “old wounds.”) - fear itself: the book of the skull (2011) #1
(provides some context to red skull, sin, baron zemo, and hydra in the lead-up to the fear itself event. features flashbacks to sidekick bucky in the 40s.) - [ ⚑ / ▶ ] fear itself (2010) #1-7; and fear itself: captain america (2010) #7.1
(another event that is actually pretty good & majorly features bucky - essential for the story. bucky officially gives up the captain america mantle.)/li> - secret avengers vol 1 (2011) #15
(this issue involves natasha in the wake of bucky’s death during the fear itself arc. in it, she talks with a group of clickbait reporters about mortality and grief and loss. bucky doesn’t feature centrally, but there’s a strong bucky!nat focus here.) - [ ▶ ] winter soldier (2012) #1-19
(more from ed brubaker; includes the arcs “the longest winter,” “broken arrow,” “black widow hunt,” and “the electric ghost.” uneven, but mostly very good arc about finding redemption.) - captain america vol 7 (2013) #1-25
(at the end of this run is where sam wilson takes on the captain america mantle. bucky appears in #13 in a winter soldier flashback and #20 in a fantasy sequence, but otherwise this isn’t essential.) - all-new invaders (2014) #1-15
(not my favorite, but it’s okay - a rebooted modern team of invaders.) - [ ⚑ ] original sin (2014) #1-8
(the arc where bucky becomes the man on the wall. a small-scale, space/murder mystery-esque event that is pretty fun.) - bucky barnes: the winter soldier (2015)
(man on the wall bucky. personally, i count this one as nonessential - it’s very abstract and not very cohesive. not much happens, so don’t feel bad if you skip it.) - [ ⚑ ] secret wars (2015) #1-9
(non-essential reading for bucky; just know that some weird things happen with alternate universes here.) - all-new, all-different avengers vol 1 (2016) #8-9
(part of the stand-off event. we see the winter soldier with nadia van dyne, & a panel with the three captain americas introducing stand-off omega.) - [ ⚑ / ▶ ] avengers: standoff (2015); welcome to pleasant hill prologue; assault on pleasant hill alpha; captain america: sam wilson #7-8; assault on pleasant hill omega; captain america: steve rogers #1-2; #4
(the titling here gets very silly, so this is a hodgepodge of various issues; the pleasant hill issues are essential, and the full sam wilson/steve rogers runs are pretty good if you’d prefer to slow down and appreciate them. there’s a very comprehensive guide here.) - [ ▶ ] thunderbolts (2016) #1-6; #7-12
(bucky starts leading the thunderbolts (a group of morally dubious heroes) & looks after a traumatized child-thing. super good. #7 begins the secret empire tie-ins, see below.) - [ ⚑ ] secret empire (2017) #0-10; secret empire: omega (2017); captain america: steve rogers (2016) #16; captain america vol 8 (2017) #25
(it’s a tricky choice to include this, because while the art in these is often very good & the secret empire arc encompasses the majority of sam wilson’s (incredible) time as captain america, this event was very controversial - primarily because steve rogers “becomes” hydra. i think you should still read it if you’d like to, but engage with it with a critical lens and perhaps don't give them money for this one. there’s a good guide to the reading order of this run here.) - [ ▶ ] tales of suspense: hawkeye & winter soldier (2017) #100-104
(this one is a fan favorite and for good reason. post-secret empire hijinks as bucky and clint barton try to solve a mystery. there’s a big russian bear involved.) - captain america vol 9 (2017; aka: ta-nehisi coates era) #1-?
(so far, features mostly minor appearances of bucky - but still a pretty interesting take on post-secret empire steve rogers. bucky is in #1, #5-7, and then seems to take on a larger role starting in #19-26.) - [ ▶ ] winter soldier: second chances (2018) #1-5
(included above as well; a post-winter soldier journey about healing; bucky has a cat, goes to therapy, is friends with sharon, ‘adopts’ a kid - all good.) - invaders (2019) #1-12
(a cool modern invaders story that centers around their relationships to namor.) - [ ⚑ / ▶ ] war of the realms (2019) #1-6
(war of the realms is a truly incredible event featuring many years of build-up in the jason aaron thor canon, which you can follow here. however, it only features a few quick panels of bucky - so if you have no interest at all in thor, you may want to skip this.) - war of the realms: strikeforce - the war avengers (2019) #1
(another team-up where bucky plays a role during the war of the realms - a quick issue, and pretty fun.) - [ ▶ ] strikeforce (2019) #1-9
(bucky joins a different strikeforce team, where he and a team ft. billy kaplan, blade, monica rambeau, etc face a post-war of the realms foe. shows a lot of ‘fun bucky’ - lots of snark.) - falcon and winter soldier (2020) #1-5
(series that picks up the canon from winter soldier: second chances, and features sam wilson, bucky meditating, bucky’s cat alpine, misty ‘metal arm pal’ knight, and a new villain called the natural. features cute sambucky moments and a storyline about healing, therapy, post-traumatic stress, and bucky questioning his identity.) - devil's reign: winter soldier #1 (2022)
(bucky can't sleep; he's haunted by his past as the winter soldier. he's sold his house in indiana and breaks into mayor wilson fisk's mansion, searching for answers.) - captain america vol 10 #0
(an introduction to the 'century game.') - captain america: sentinel of liberty vol 2 (2022) #1-6
(bucky barnes enters a new era as he takes up a new role as the revolution.) - captain america and winter soldier special (2022) #1
(bucky steps into his role as the revolution for the first time.) - captain america: sentinel of liberty vol 2 (2022) #7-11
(bucky's role continues as revolution. steve heals from their fractured relationship.) - captain america: cold war alpha (2022) #1
(bucky makes... bad choices. the revolution continues, now with dimension z. the official start of the 'cold war' event.) - captain america: sentinel of liberty vol 2 (2023) #12-13
(?) - captain america: symbol of truth vol 1 #12-13 (2023)
- captain america: cold war omega (2023) #1
(?)
* * *
guest roles
- black widow: deadly origin (2010) #1-4
(a black widow origin story with some bucky history involved; features a pretty misogynistic storyline about natasha, though.) - black widow vol 4 (2010) #1-8
(heavy on the buckynat romance, if that is your thing.) - [ ▶ ] black widow vol 5 (2014) #8, #15, #17, #18
(a gorgeous series illustrated by phil noto that heavily features glimpses of bucky!nat after the memory loss in winter soldier 2013 #14. bucky is also in #12 of this run in a blink-and-you-miss-it panel.) - [ ▶ ] black widow vol 6 (2017) #8-10
(“stop pining, schoolboy.” these issues have a bunch of buckynat, also in the wake of natasha’s memory loss.) - [ ▶ ] the web of black widow (2019) #1-5
(bucky’s appearance is mainly in one issue, but this is still a lovely arc about friendship and trust.) - [ ▶ ] black widow vol 8 (2020) #1-15
(natasha is brainwashed and living a perfect life under mysterious circumstances. features more of the dynamic duo - clint and bucky - as they try to fit the pieces of the puzzle together and decide whether they should even really ‘save’ her.) - hawkeye & mockingbird (2010) #1, #5
(bucky!cap makes two brief appearances in this run, helping bobbi morse and clint barton.) - [ ▶ ] hawkeye: freefall (2020) #1-6
(very fun vibes between clint, bucky, and sam in #1. bucky appears briefly or is mentioned throughout this short run, primarily as one of several figures 'reeling in’ clint barton.) - punisher: war journal (2006) #11
(in this issue, bucky invites punisher to a fight after he dons cap’s uniform.) - punisher: war machine vol 2 (2016) #224-228
(some fun bucky scenes, but nonessential.) - punisher vol 12 (2018) #4-5
(“world war frank,” post-secret empire. bucky has a small role fighting against the punisher.) - punisher (2019) #16
(bucky is in a few panels on a team with natasha, nick fury, etc.) - captain america and the falcon (2004) #5-7
(disassembled-era story. in these issues, we see steve having hallucinations of bucky – and mourning a prized photo of bucky he keeps in his apartment.) - cable & deadpool (2004) #45
(deadpool goes back in time to kill captain america for hydra. lots of baby bucky being especially ‘feisty,’ but nothing essential plotwise.) - thunderbolts (2006) #125, #137
(completely nonessential. these taken place during secret invasion and dark reign/siege, respectively. bucky!cap appears in the background a few times.) - new avengers: the reunion (2009) #1-4
(short story set after the events of secret invasion, where mockingbird (bobbi morse) reunites with former husband clint barton. the first two issues feature bucky!cap in a supporting role.) - agents of atlas (2009) #3-5
(bucky!cap and the avengers go up against the agents of atlas, in the dark reign/siege era. nonessential, but shows an interesting twist in bucky’s story that doesn’t really ever go anywhere.) - invincible iron man (2008) #8-19; #20-22
(this covers iron man’s story between secret invasion and siege, where bucky!cap plays a small role in tony’s fight against osborn alongside black widow and maria hill.) - amazing spider-man (1999) #523, 537, 600, 601, 637, 648, 661
(most of these are set approximately during dark reign, where osborn is in charge and bucky!cap is teamed up with peter parker, et al. mostly just in the background of a few panels, nothing important here.) - avengers vs atlas (2010) #1, #4
(the original 60s avengers team replaces the current bucky!cap avengers team for this short team-up arc with the agents of atlas. bucky isn’t in this much, so it’s skippable.) - tails of the pet avengers: dogs of summer (2010) #1
(in the second story of this collection, bucky!cap, thor, and iron man team up – and get turned into frogs.) - avengers vs pet avengers (2010) #1-4
(bucky!cap, iron man, and thor are frogs. they team up with the pet avengers, led by throg - the frog thor.) - [ ▶ ] wolverine: weapon x (2009) #11-15
(a fun arc that starts with steve rogers on a pub crawl. this is one of the few times bucky!cap is used to full advantage, and it’s glorious.) - i am an avenger (2010) #2, #4, #5
(a collection of a bunch of little short stories focusing, primarily, on off-times and side-battles. includes one called ‘a little help’ where bucky!cap inspires a suicidal teen to seek help.) - captain america and the falcon (2011) #1
(an issue that centers on sam wilson/the falcon. includes a nice moment with bucky!cap in the beginning, but he doesn’t play a central role.) - captain america and batroc (2011) #1
(an issue that centers on batroc the leaper. features a fight between bucky!cap and batroc.) - x-club (2011) #1, #4
(40s sidekick bucky appears alongside the invaders in a few flashback panels that provide context for this mutant story.) - captain america: hail hydra (2011) #1, #5
(a short series showing how hydra and steve have intersected throughout history. the first and last issues feature bucky - first as sidekick baby bucky and later as bucky!cap.) - a+x (2012) #1
(40s captain america and bucky team up with time-hopping cable to fight against some robots. pretty fun stuff.) - secret avengers vol 2 (2013) #9, #16
(bucky plays a small role here as the winter soldier. i didn’t read the full run so i don’t entirely understand his role, but he seems to team up with bobbi morse/mockingbird and daisy johnson/quake against shield/maria hill’s policy of altering agents’ memories. also hinted that they vacation to hawaii together.) - marvel 75th anniversary celebration (2014) #1
(this issue is a collection of mini-stories, released as part of the 75th anniversary stuff. the first two feature one panel of bucky-as-winter-soldier in flashback and a 40s stan lee original classic text story adapted into modern comics.) - secret empire: brave new world (2017) #5
(bucky appears briefly in the namor mini-story, sanctuary. he has the thunderbolts arm and a little bun in these panels.) - rise of the black panther (2018) #3
(fills in some gaps following fantastic four #52 from 1966, after they are invited to wakanda. this details the process of king t’challa opening the lands up to international affairs. as the winter soldier, bucky is involved in a russian assassination attempt.) - uncanny x-men (2019) #11
(natasha and bucky meet up with logan for a few panels. there’s a mutant hate rally ongoing, and the x-men are working to stop it.) - captain marvel (2019) #6
(a war of the realms issue that opens with a team-up of natasha and bucky. eventually, nat goes off to work with captain marvel, however.) - gwenpool strikes back (2019) #3
(gwenpool is doing weird shit, bucky is hanging out on the beach with steve in a few panels.) - marvel (2019) #1000-1001
(a bunch of mostly disjointed one-page comics to celebrate marvel’s 80th, has a few cute pages with bucky) - [ ▶ ] unstoppable wasp: unlimited (2019) #7-10
(read this whole series - #1-10 if you can; incredibly tender scenes with former red room trainee & forgiveness themes; lgbt youth & mental illness) - avengers: no road home (2019) #10
(the vision manifests bucky & many others to help aid in a fight. he’s seen in a few big battle panels.) - ruins of ravencroft: dracula (2020) #1
(related to the upcoming ravencroft event. in it, bucky narrates a previous run-in with the ravencroft institute. heavily features 40s kid bucky and cap fighting dracula and an american eugenics research program.) - king in black: captain america (2021)
(single issue comic dealing with the fallout of steve being possessed by a symbiote in the "king in black" venom event. features bucky, sam, and steve fighting alongside one another.) - united states of captain america #3-5 (2021)
(cap's shield is stolen, and cap, sam, and bucky team up with minor captain americas across the country to stop a neo-fascist plot.) - marvel meow infinity comic (2022) #1-2, #7, #12
(captain marvel, spiderman, and others babysit bucky's cat alpine and black widow's cat liho in this cute mini comic.)
* * *
alt universes
- what if? (1977) #5
(this issue asks: what if captain america and bucky hadn’t died in wwii? in it, steve starts to age - and bucky takes on the mantle of captain america.) - what if? vol 2 (1991) #28
(this issue asks: what if erskine didn’t die, and there was an army of supersoldiers? unfortunately, it takes a very nick spencer-esque approach and turns steve rogers into a racist, fascist, eugenicist president. bucky features in a very minor role - he never goes to battle because he isn’t a supersoldier. skip this one.) - what if? vol 2 (1998) #105
(bucky is not in the main story here, just in a small doodle on the fan letters page. there’s a mini two-panel ‘story’ that asks: what if bucky hadn’t died in wwii, and came back to fight alongside steve as an old man?) - what if? (2005) #1
(what if captain america was in the civil war instead of wwii? this introduces an evil, ‘white skull’ bucky barnes. it also features some pretty grotesque appropriate of indigenous customs and other assorted racisms and bastardizes bucky’s key personality traits. skip it.) - what if: house of m (2008) #1
(what if the scarlet witch said ‘no more powers’ instead of ‘mutants’? bucky appears in just a few quick panels.) - civil war: house of m (2008) #1-5
(confusingly, has nothing to do with civil war. this is a “house of m” alternative universe where bucky is sent to kill magneto.) - what if: world war hulk (2009) #1
(what if the heroes lost world war hulk? briefly features winter soldier bucky barnes, who dies.) - what if: secret invasion (2010) #1
(what if the skrulls won the secret invasion? bucky!cap is a part of a resistance team, and kills norman osborn) - what if wolverine: father (2010) #1
(what if logan found the winter soldier killing his wife, and got to raise his son daken? bucky dies in the beginning of this one, for obvious reasons.) - what if? dark reign (2010) #1
(what if clint barton succeeded at killing norman osborn? bucky!cap, bobbi, and spider-man hunt down clint, hoping they get to him before the rest of the world does.) - what if? (2011) #200
(what if norman osborn won the siege of asgard? sentry decapitates steve rogers/cap in front of bucky!cap.) - [ ▶ ] planet hulk: warzones (2015) #1-5
(au of implied stevebucky, where they are beefy gladiator-type warriors) - [ ▶ ] battleworld: runaways (2015) #1-4
(a moody teen!bucky alternate universe.) - 1872 (2015) #1-4
(in this western alternate universe, bucky barnes was sheriff steve rogers’s deputy & the wife of natasha. he is only depicted once, in a photograph.) - a-force (2016) #5
(features a brief but cute cameo where bucky is called a heroine.) - 1602 witch hunter angela (2015) #1
(in this battleworlds alternate universe, witchhunters angela and serah - a wlw couple - hunt down and kill captain james barnes of clan buchanan, who transforms into a monster.) - batman/captain america (1996) #1
(in the 40s, bucky and steve team up with batman and robin in this dc / marvel crossover comic. there’s some very cute stuff with bucky and robin.) - the ultimates (2002) #1-13
(frankly, i hate this because everyone is an asshole. there’s a whole lot of things set in this universe if you seek them out. bucky didn’t tragically “die” in the 40s and instead marries steve’s fiance and grows old with her.) - wolverine (2003) #66-74
(most of these issues are from the ‘old man logan’ run, and feature bucky!cap in a few panels.) - old man hawkeye (2018) #6-8
(bucky features as the winter soldier with glowing red eyes - after the events shown in the old man logan flashbacks. he’s put on a mission for the bad guys, and then dies.) - bullet points (2006) #1-6
(a ‘what if’ dr. erskine died before giving steve the serum; steve becomes iron man; bucky has two small roles in this, but nothing too major) - marvel zombies vs the army of darkness (2007) #2
(there’s a zombified winter soldier featured on a single page, where he’s killed by ashley.) - marvel zombies destroy! (2015) #1-5
(in this one, bucky is a nazi zombie & member of the invaders. in the last issue, we see his demise.) - marvel apes (2008) #1-4
(a weird story where everyone is an ape and ape-cap and ape-bucky are vampires. skip it.) - marvel apes: amazing spider-monkey special (2009) #1
(spins out of the above ‘marvel apes’ story, and features a quick update on what happens to ape-bucky after the vampires are defeated.) - world war hulks: hulked-out heroes (2010) #2
(hulkpool, captain america, and 40s bucky briefly team-up in this issue.) - captain america corps (2011) #1-5
(takes place in the lead-up to bucky turning himself in in the brubaker issue #611. captain americas of the multiverse are going missing, and john walker, 40s cap, bucky cap, a sharon cap, and a future descendent of luke cage cap all team up.) - a-babies vs x-babies (2012) #1
(‘bucky bear’ features centrally, with great/cute art by gurihiru.)
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nomad
- captain america vol 2 (1996) #1-12
(heroes reborn era marvel, which was super unpopular for good reason. this introduces rebecca ‘rikki’/‘bucky’ barnes, the child of richard barnes and peggy carter barnes in a pocket universe created by franklin richards.) - heroes reborn the return (1997) #3-4
(rikki barnes says goodbye to cap/steve in this, as the heroes reborn era wraps up and the universe returns to normal.) - heroes reborn: young allies (2000) #1
(truly this is a mess and not worthwhile at all. in short, it’s an alternative universe version of the young allies, led by rikki barnes, with a hard to follow and bizarre plot.) - exiles vol 1 (2006) #81-82
(the pocket universe where rikki is from has been removed and placed in the 616-universe. rikki’s young allies and exiles team up to stop proteus from destroying the pocket planet.) - onslaught reborn (2007) #1-5
(onslaught, the villain involved in the creation of the pocket verse by franklin richards, returns in the wake of the genocide in house of m. in the pocket verse, rikki narrates the events leading to her death, which then draw her into a post-civil war/cap’s death 616.) - nomad: girl without a world (2009) #1-4
(rikki barnes takes on steve’s old title - nomad - and deals with the jarring move to a new reality. bucky!cap appears a few times in this one, too!) - captain america (2005) b-sides #600, #602-615
(pretty solid stuff - rikki barnes is acclimating to the 616 universe, and she teams up with anya corazon/spider-girl, patriot, steve rogers, & black widow.) - spider-girl (2010) #1-6
- young allies (2011) #1-6
- avengers academy (2011) #13
- onslaught unleashed (2011) #1-4
- exiles vol 3 (2018) #1-12
- future foundation (2019) #1-5
(brief point of clarification: rikki/nomad is an entirely separately character from bucky barnes. though she is included here for comprehension's sake, she is a separate character and this can be treated as a separate mini-guide. though, those interested in bucky may appreciate this au, gender-swapped-esque version of him as well.)
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mcu bucky
- [ ▶ ] captain america: first vengeance (2011) #1-8
(a captain america: the first avenger comic that shows a ton of extra content not in the movies, like bucky taking steve boxing & bucky meeting the howling commandos at azzano.) - [ ▶ ] captain america civil war prelude infinite (2016) #1
(a really beautiful short comic that shows the immediate fall-out of the final events of the winter soldier film.) - marvel’s avengers: infinity war prelude (2018) #1
(covers events immediately following civil war, including bucky’s move to wakanda.) - marvel’s black widow prelude (2020) #1
(comic that provides some background for natasha’s history in the lead-up to the black widow film. there’s a page that gives a brief overview of natasha and bucky’s mcu-verse relationship - which, notably, does not place him in the red room program.) - quick note: other prelude comics
(if you’re a big bucky fan, you might like to know that there are other prelude comics about the mcu films specifically. i’m not including them as must-reads because, unlike the others listed above, they add no new info - they are mostly line-by-line and scene-by-scene comic renderings of the films, which i found quite dull. if you’d like to seek them out, try captain america: the first avenger adaptation 2013, marvel’s avengers: civil war prelude 2015 #4 (catws adaptation), marvel's avengers infinity war prelude 2018, marvel’s avengers endgame prelude 2018.)
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ongoing
- captain america vol 9 (2017)#27 coming january 20, 2021
- black widow vol 8 (2020)#5 coming february 17, 2021
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blink-and-miss-it
- quick note:
these are issues commonly included on others’ rec lists for bucky. everything in this section has bucky in the background / in a single panel / in some other inconsequential role that is easily looked over. none of these are worth reading specifically for bucky, unless noted otherwise.
- deadpool (1997) #0
- iron man vol 3 (1998) #73
- deadpool (2002) #61
- mythos: captain america (2008) #1
- secret invasion: front line (2008) #4-5
- the mighty avengers (2009) #29-31
- new mutants (2009) #30
- timestorm 2099 (2009) #1-4
- fantastic four (2009) #569, #584, #588
- ms. marvel (2006) #41-42
- incredible hulks (2010) #601, #606, #607, #609
- dark avengers annual (2010) #1
- origins of siege (2009) #1
- spider-woman (2010) #7
- dark avengers (2009) #16
- siege: embedded (2010) #4
- age of heroes (2010) #1
- new avengers vol 2 (2010) #1
- heroic age: prince of power (2010) #1
- x-men: legacy (2010) #236
- web of spider-man (2009) #8
- all-winners comics 70th anniversary special (2009) #1
- heroic age: one month to live (2010) #5
- uncanny x-men (2010) #525
- shadowland (2010) #1
- doomwar (2010) #6
- chaos war (2010) #1-2, #5
- chaos war: dead avengers (2010) #1; #3
- thunderstrike (2010) #2
- the twelve: spearhead (2010) #1
- invincible iron man (2011) #501
- all-winners squad: band of heroes (2011) #1-5
- herc (2011) #4
- heroes for hire (2011) #9-10
- avengers vs x-men: versus (2011) #6
- battle scars (2012) #3
- deadpool (2012) #49.1
- deadpool: killustrated (2013) #1
- deadpool (2013) #17
- superior foes of spider-man (2013) #7
- all-new marvel now! point one (2014) #1
- loki: agent of asgard (2014) #12
- what if? age of ultron (2014) #4
- amazing spider-man vol 3 (2014) #1
- secret wars: secret love (2015) #1
- inhuman special (2015) #1
- agents of shield (2016) #8
- all-new, all-different avengers annual (2016) #1
- guardians of the galaxy vol 4 (2017) #16
- generations: sam wilson captain america & steve rogers captain america (2017) #1
- unstoppable wasp (2017) #7
- unbelievable gwenpool (2017) #16-18
- ant-man & the wasp (2018) #2
- cosmic ghost rider destroys marvel history (2019) #4
- friendly neighborhood spider-man (2019) #9
- marvels epilogue (2019) #1
- spider-man annual (2019) #1
- amazing spider-man (2020) #38
- captain america infinity comic (2021)
- it's jeff infinity comic (2021) #1
- infinite possibilities infinity comic (2022)
- winter guard vol 1 #4 (2021)
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frequently asked
- where/how can i read comics?
you can search for a local shop here. digital comics are also an option. i recommend marvel unlimited, which you can pay $9.99/mo or $69/yr for almost all marvel comics older than 6 months.
if you want to try an issue out before purchasing, there are also sites dedicated to pirating comics - getcomics and readcomiconline being the most popular. if you can afford to pay, please do. for anyone else just trying to dip their toes in and lacking the funds, i'll try and update with links to individual comics when time allows. - there is a comic missing from this list! what gives?
i do have an ongoing list of possible bucky appearances mentioned by others that i haven’t vetted myself that you can find on this google doc. if not listed there, please feel free to send an ask on tumblr or dm me on twitter and recommend with as much detail as possible (title, issue, year, volume, author, etc).
if i’ve read it and it isn’t listed here, it probably means that it doesn’t fit my own arbitrary criteria (in the background of a single distant panel, merely mentioned by another character, etc). - i would like to know more about [x]…?
there’s a lot of cool resources for those types of questions. to find more comics about a certain character/event/etc that excites you, try googling “[name] comics reading order guide” or “[x] marvel wikia.“
these pages were really essential for me trying to figure this stuff out:
comic book herald guide to bucky barnes
comic vine’s captain america: the definitive reading guide
marvel wikia’s james buchanan barnes (earth-616) extended history
wikipedia’s bucky barnes page angela’s comic-bucky tumblr posts travis starnes’s bucky 616 appearances list - how are comics bucky and movie bucky different?
this is getting harder to answer, because newer writers keep retconing things to fit the movies. but for (most of) the comics above, the stories differ mostly in bucky’s timeline. for most authors, he meets steve for the first time at camp lehigh & doesn’t die by falling off a train, but on an exploding plane. he also does not kill tony’s parents as in the mcu. he is also generally a more well-developed character, by virtue of actually having lines in the comics.