In March of 2007, Marvel Comics caught lightning in a bottle when a slow news day picked up the "death" of the iconic American hero Captain America. Of course, we'd find out later that he wasn't killed but struck down by a time bullet that sent him hurdling through his past (Brubaker??? Really? A Time Bullet??). But before those events were revealed in CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN and the recent Death(?) of Bucky Barnes in FEAR ITSELF in 2011, 2008 had Steve Roger's first partner, Bucky Barnes, taking up the shield and the title. But to distinguish himself from other Caps, a new updated uniform was needed and Marvel tapped artist Alex Ross to design it.
At the time, the costume chosen got mixed reviews. Many thought the design "too shiny" and perhaps it was. In theory, it was suppose to be an update on the old chain mail uniform design which is kind of funky too when you think about it.
Other beefs some fans had were of of pistol and knife. "Cap didn't use a gun" was the rationale which wasn't quite true despite the Mark Gruenwald story from the 1980s. Cap did on occasion use a gun and kill during his war years in the Golden Age. But despite that, the biggest reason that the complaint did not hold water was because this was NOT the Steve Rogers Captain America but a new Captain America with slightly different values on what weaponry to use.
At the time, it wasn't revealed to be Bucky Barnes as the new Captain America but it was strongly hinted and while it might be the obvious choice, it was also the BEST choice that made sense. And given that and what Ed Brubaker had established with Bucky's past, both as a WWII sidekick and as the Winter Soldier, the addition of a gun and knife made sense. Brubaker had tweaked Bucky's past to present him as the guy that did the dirty work when it might have looked bad if Captain America was seen doing it. Bucky did the dirty jobs, working a knife and, as seen in many Golden Age covers, working that Tommy Gun. As the Winter Soldier, he became the cold assassin. Given those factors and knowing Barnes to have grown up in the military world, it just made sense. And, without the Super Soldier Serum coursing through his veins, he needed the extra compensation.
Besides the shiny aspect of the new costume, much more black was used in the look. This also fit with the darker past of Barnes. Fans also noted the triangle design on the chest and its similarity to the old Archie Comics hero THE SHIELD, which was probably the first patriotic hero pre-dating Captain America. In fact, it was because of that first character and the publishers threatening to sue that Martin Goodman had Jack Kirby and Joe Simon change Cap's first triangle shield design to the circle by issue two.
The shorter gloves harken back to Dick Purcell's 1944's CAPTAIN AMERICA serial. But what of the forehead "A" and wings? Different designs were used until the final design that said Yes on the A and No on the ears. Some of the different designs really highlight the chest looking like a shield too. And while it is easy to like many of the drawings because of Ross' art, some of the designs just don't work well.
Regardless, Alex Ross' 2008 Sketchbook presented fans with an inside look at the alternate designs. Here is what they looked like....
