My grandfather used to say, when something ended that he didn’t like, “I’m glad that mess is over with.” That’s my feeling on Captain America #10. This is the final chapter in Rick Remender’s long-winded and ridiculous Dimension Z story arc. After ten long months of dealing with a story that Remender himself implied went on too long, the whole mess is finally over. How does it end up? Well, with as much eye rolling as it began with. Remender decides to throw one more shock into this arc, and it just adds to what makes the Dimension Z story so stupid.
All hell has broken loose in D-Z. Arnim Zola is dead. He used his last bit of energy to save his daughter Jet, and urged her to take up his legacy. The giant Zola city has become mobile, and is heading towards Earth in order to infect the world with Zola’s mutant mind wipe. Meanwhile, the son Captain America had raised for ten years (only two minutes Earth time) is dead, turned against him by Zola and killed by Sharon Carter. Jet, distraught by her father’s death, decides that she’s turning back to the dark side, stealing the detonator that will blow up the ship carrying Zola’s mutant virus.
Sharon and Cap zip after her, only Cap jumps ships to kick ass on some mutants, leaving Sharon to try and bring Jet back from the dark side. With some well-placed comments and cooing looks of concern, Sharon manages to turn Jet back around. Reclaiming Cap, the three race towards the portal back to Earth. Nope. Too bad. Zola is still around, his energy formulated into a new host. He rages at his daughter’s betrayal, shooting lasers at them. Jet, Cap and Sharon are racing for the portal when Sharon slips, hanging onto the jet-bike by her fingernails. Then, in a moment of sacrifice, Sharon lets go of Cap’s hand and drops down to face Zola, detonating the charge, killing herself and blowing up the ship. Cap and Jet stumble through the portal, back into normal Earth.
So, yeah, now that Dimension Z is over, let’s recap why it doesn’t work. First, the whole ten years thing. I don’t care how badass you are, or how super solider you might be, a decade away from anything you know, in a dimension you don’t understand, is going to make you insane. Couple that with raising a child, and anything that you once knew will slip away. Then there’s Jet’s sudden turn of heart. After all she’s done and seen, after being raised by Zola, all it takes is a righteous pep talk from Captain America and she’s ready to screw her dad over? I’m also confused as to why have her turn bad, then back to good, outside of a need for easy tension.
Finally, what is Rick Remender’s beef with Captain America? The torture Cap goes through is unnecessary. A decade away. Beaten, tortured, and abused nearly to death. Topping it off, Cap loses the love of his life and his child? Seriously? Readers are checking out post-Dimension Z stories involving Captain America where none of this is mentioned. Cap’s psychological profile is hunky-dory. After something like that, I doubt he’d still be leading the Avengers. It’s too much, and it casts a long shadow on everything involved with Captain America. Remender tried to step out of Ed Brubaker’s style and went way, way too far to the other side.
John Romita Jr.’s art is top notch, but feels entirely too cartoonish for something like this. If Remender is hell bent on crushing Captain America, he needs an artist who can copy that darkness. Romita, who is one of my all time favorites, just isn’t the man for this job. I love the physical drawings of Captain America #10, but it feels like the wrong style for this story.
Captain America should be a great series. I usually love Remender and I always love Romita Jr. Sadly, this time their contribution to an icon’s history is a complete bust.
(2 Story, 3 Art)
