Captain America #2

One year into Dimension Z, Steve Rogers is facing some harsh realities and may be at his most vulnerable yet.

Writer: Rick Remender| Artist: John Romita Jr.

Cover: John Romita Jr, Klaus Janson, & Dean White| Publisher: Marvel

It seems that Remender has decided to strike his readers in a soft spot. He’s played the vulnerable children card and there are times when it just hurts. Steve has found himself still stuck in Zola’s strange Dimension Z where everything is unpredictable for approximately a year, and he’s left hopeless. You know things are bad when Captain America is at a total and complete loss. He’s essentially the best tactician there is, and should be able to eventually see his way through any problem, but even after one year, he’s thinking his way out isn’t the most desirable. Just when the reader is latching on to the same sense of loss as Steve himself, we’re reminded that he found a little boy along the way, and he’s been looking after this kid for the year as well. This little boy, Ian, isn’t the only kid we’re feeling bad for. Remender also tosses us a flashback of a young little Steve Rogers getting punt around by some other really jerk-ish boys.

A good portion of the issue focuses on Steve’s inner dialogue and places the reader in the same desperate position at him. All of Steve’s knowledge is tossed aside because it’s hardly useful in this strange dimension. He and Ian are constantly at death’s door and have far too many close calls it seems. Remender’s writing is strong and more sensitive reader’s (like me this reviewer) are whittling their nails down from anticipation, and then critical point happens. (Critical in relative terms of the issue).

It seems that Steve and Ian aren’t the only ones who aren’t keen on Zola’s presence over this dimension, only problem Steve’s struggling to communicate their common interests. And like any good comic, we’re not quite sure how it’ll pan out until next issue.  

Remender has a good story going for him it seems and luckily the art to go with it, carries the story just as well. At first the idea of Steve sporting the long hair worthy of Thor himself and some rather impressive facial hair, which is understandable given his circumstances, but that doesn’t really stop it from being strange that Steve isn’t his usual clean-cut self (which adds to the off putting essence of the story), but Romita Jr., pulled it off nicely. Steve is still Steve, and the jerk kids look like real jerks. Okay, there’s no defined mold for what a jerk looks like, but those bullies still look nasty regardless. People aside, the extra terrestrials look fantastic and it’s actually possible to tell them apart from each other. Not to mention the gorgeous coloring of it all.

Other dimensions are always an opportunity to get pretty wild. So far it’s all been pretty subtle, but this particular team is showing great potential and that’s the great intricacy of it all, still feeling real and relatable while other worldly.