For the Civil War tie-in, Brubaker starts with an issue focusing on Sharon Carter.  As an agent of SHIELD, she’s on the Iron Man side of the war. 

Her boss, Maria Hill, orders her to use her close connection to Steve Rogers to try to persuade him to comply with law.  Sharon reluctantly meets with Cap, but he refuses.  Meanwhile, we see SHIELD cape killers storming the address of the meeting, but Sharon lied to them and sent them on a goose chase.

This issue does a great job at portraying her ambivalence and how she begins to pull away from her agency.  Sharon narrates this story as a flashback, telling it to a psychiatrist as part of SHIELD-ordered therapy. This is ironic because although her motives seem to be based on her strong feelings for Cap, the big reveal is that criminal psychiatrist Dr. Faustus has used his mind-powers to create those emotions–she may not really be in love with Captain America.

But come on.  Who ISN’T in love with Captain America, really?

There’s also a focus on Winter Soldier, who is working with Nick Fury to undermine the law. We also see Doctor Doom offering some tech to Red Skull.  This is tied to the 65th Anniversary Special, where we learn that Doom owns the site where the original Sleeper Robot was buried

In the third Civil War issue, we finally get to Captain America.  Working with Nick Fury, he infiltrates a HYDRA base. Sharon helps him with his escape…

…And officially joins his side of the battle.  Cap also questions whether Tony Stark is working with HYDRA.

The very last page tees up Arnim Zola as joining Red Skull’s effort.

The connectivity to Civil War is almost irrelevant here–Brubaker clearly has a vision for this series and he wisely builds the Civil War tie-in within that vision.  Where we stand now, as we approach the all-important issue #25, is that Captain America has Sharon and Nick Fury with him, which means that he also has Bucky Barnes by extension, since Fury and Winter Solder are working together.  Red Skull now has Faustus and Zola with him, as well as an alliance with Doom, and promises to destroy cap.

Next: It happens, and he does!