Entry tags:

char: captain america/steve rogers, char: diamondback/rachel leighton, creator: len kaminski, creator: rik levins, creator: ron lim, title: marvel holiday special

My final pre-Christmas post... On Christmas Eve, a story set ON Christmas Eve.

From Marvel Holiday Special 1991 comes...


It's Christmas Eve and Steve Rogers is where he normally is on such occasions...



I like this next page, it highlights Steve's view of the world without getting TOO preachy, and he's about to get one heck of a bombshell in return.



Now Bucky was dead to begin with...(Sorry, random Dickensian moment) I mean that Bucky being dead was still absolute at this point (20 years ago now... EEK!) and Bucky was still the underage kid that he was prior to his age-ifying of a few years ago, to make him a legal (ish) soldier.

Steve uses the Avengers SHIELD-level access to Government databases to do some checking.



Steve is slightly baffled, Bucky never once mentioned having any relatives, other than his father who died when he was a kid, and a mother he doesn't even remember, so why would he have a sister?

There's only one thing to do, so the next day, which is Christmas Day for those keeping track, there's a knock at Becky's door (Bucky... Becky... I can't believe that has only just hit me two decades after first reading this story)



Yes that would be QUITE the visitor to receive....



Okay, Steve is just awesome with kids isn't he? (Though if I were this families cat, I'd be running like crazy for the back door before someone decides to try some shield slinging!)

Cap notes that Becky's kids and grandkids are all around her and ponders that this is the sort of life he gave up when he chose to become, and remain, Captain America.

Cap explains (privately) to Becky who Jim (the name she always thought of him as) had been better known as (Which makes sense as Bucky was his nickname on the militaary base). He explains that not only had Bucky fought more bravely than anyone he'd known, and died in the line of duty but had, more importantly, been his best friend.



Seeing that this has been something of a shock, Cap turns to leave, when Becky asks him whether he has plans for Christmas himself.



And the story ends with Steve taking part in the celebrations of the family of his best friend.

This was Becky's first appearance, but I like that she hasn't been forgotten or ignored in Brubaker's revamp of Bucky and his return.


And to finish a rather cute Christmas image of Cap and his then significant other Diamonback, from artist Rik Levins in the same issue.