We are treated to an old villain, Arnim Zola, in dimension Z, an otherworldy place filled with pathetic creatures Arnim has somehow managed to rule over and totally manipulate for his own purposes. Arnim is an evil consciousness, you see, that has occupied a machine body for some time, and his intent is to somehow build an army of the pathetic alien creatures he has discovered here in dimension Z and invade the Earth he has been forced to leave behind. Then, if all goes accordingly, he will infect the human race with his consciousness, making the entire species an extension of his own ugly self. Insert a good man into this equation, aka Steve Rogers, who we find, in a series of flashback scenes, has a sad origin tale to tell as well, and we are quickly caught up in the mix.
Not that it doesn't have its action sequences, because it does, and plenty of them; but this is more a story of the differences between what drives the two main characters forward. Zola, with his desire to dominate, Captain America, with his core desire to free and Remender does his job well, reminding us at every turn how easily the message can be perverted and altered to seem as if it means something else. The soldiers Zola creates, for example, are all built using Captain America's blood sample, and retain his memories and his abilities, yet are turned towards another path by their conditioning and training, being brainwashed to follow Zola blindly as they seek only to hunt and kill Captain America.
But Zola isn't just hunting Steve Rogers because he hates his ideals. Zola thinks Cap has killed his child, the precious little one he was creating in perfection to rule over his dynasty once it was completed. He doesn't know that the child lived and that Steve Rogers is raising the boy.
Remender pulls from historic sources for these concepts, and I am reminded, as I said before, of Jack Kirby's Fourth World stuff. Scott Free, a child of New Eden, raised on Apokolips, becomes Mister Miracle, a character Cap more than a little resembles in this series due to his many escapes and his clandestine teachings of his own philosophy to any who will listen.
The series takes years off Steve Rogers life in dimension Z, but only seconds transpire in our universe, leading one to wonder if the statements made at the end of issue nine has any truth to it-
is this just all a product of Caps own mind?
But then Remender salvages himself with issue ten.
The final frame of the tale is pure magic.
This was a throwback to comics of my day, but a reminder also, of what they have the potential to be. I was very impressed also with the artwork, although I can honestly say I am not a huge fan of Johnny Romita, Jr., this was pretty cool stuff. The addition of Klaus Janson and Dean White (Colorist) didn't hurt either. I always thought of Rimita's art style as a little too sketchy, but it's growing on me. As a storyteller, I think he's amazing, though, and he is in fine form here.
Finally, I want to close with this idea. Comics as a medium have always been topical and reflective at their best and this story doesn't miss the mark there, either.
The world outside of our living rooms where we sit and watch HBO and drink iced tea and yes, read blogs - that world isn't the world we grew up in. This book is often depressing and creepy and looks kind of like a garbage site peopled by intelligent aliens who formed communities and forged a social structure based upon the same things we believe in, the same core family ideals.
This is a comment, I feel, on what is happening out there.
A lot of the world looks like an alien environment where the society is ruled by a dictatorial regime that takes OUR thoughts and dreams and ideas and twists them into a rope that becomes just long enough for us to hang ourselves with.
This story is science fiction, but this idea is not. The idea that we are creating a world that hates us because we have forgotten our own center, our own hearts, and our own humanity is as relevant today as it ever was. Maybe more so.
In a world where children come to American for education and see the way the we live, free and happy, only to return to a country where the bright blue sky of a sunny day means the threat of a drone passing over that could annihilate a neighborhood, maybe we need to ask ourselves what kind of a rope we are weaving.
I love my country.
I love my freedom.
I love my ability to speak and say what is on my mind.
But we should never forget that the cost of freedom has always been the same, since history began.
Blood.
And it is our choice as to whether it is the blood of innocents or the blood of dictators and extremists that we decide to take.
Whatever it is we think we are, we can no longer afford to ignore what we have become to others.
So yes, this story was about Dimension Z and fictional villain and a fictional superhero.
But read a little deeper… there's a lot more here than meets the eye.