In the cold Siberian wastes of Mother Russia, one team and one team alone stands in the face of all that is wrong and against the country's interests: The Winter Guard!With the current roster including the seventh Red Guardian (Russia's answer to Captain America), Ursa Major, the third Darkstar and the thriteenth Crimson Dynamo (essentially the Russian Iron Man), one things does make me wonder. Why would you join a team with such a high rate of turnover? Oh yes, and death?
In his interview with CBR, writer David Gallaher said, "They're Russia's GI Joe, essentially. Russia's got other super human teams, but these are the top guys. These are the guys that, when they show up, everything stops. It's like, 'Holy crap. It's the Winter Guard. We're in big trouble.' I think Russia wants their heroes to feel immortal. They want their heroes to feel proud and everlasting. With the Winter Guard, there is no case to set a better example by. As opposed to our heroes - like Captain America who got assassinated or the X-Men who die on a regular basis - in Russia's mind, their heroes never die."
Personally, I'm a big fan of Russia, especially the Soviet Union. I wish I could speak Russian so I could sit on the tram into the city and pretend to be a spy, but that's my cross to bear. Now I know Stalin was a bit of a complete maniac, but something about the sense of perseverance and solidarity of Russia and its people really draws me in. And who doesn't love a bear on a superteam? I've never encountered the Winter Guard in my comics reading before (except for the former Crimson Dynamo in The Invincible Iron Man), but i'm certainly looking forward to getting to know them in the coming months.
The new three issue mini-series Darkstar and the Winter Guard, written by Gallaher and illustrated by Steve Ellis, comes out June 3rd.
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