In this installment of “Captain America,” Rick Remender shows us that Captain America has the tenacity and strength of body and mind to survive in a hostile and unpredictable environment like Dimension Z. How did Cap develop that tenacity and strength of will? Well, Remender flashes back to the nineteen twenties when undersized Steve Rogers was being bullied on mean streets of New York City. Steve Rogers grew up in the equivalent of what we would call “da hood,” today. Many readers may not know what that’s like, but I do, and Remender nails it. This three page flashback is full of compassion and empathy for young Steve, and I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t be inspired to feel rage against the kids who bully him. In particular, I would love to see Remender bring the bully ringleader back as a super villain so that Captain America can knock his teeth down his throat. The story says that Cap and Zola’s baby have spent about a year in Dimension Z, while the child has gone from infancy to being about five or six years old. I suspect this time will end up being about 15 minutes in the main Marvel universe, and that the little boy will end up with super powers of some sort. What to say about John Romita’s art? I can’t say that it doesn’t work, but it really isn’t my cup of tea. Romita can portray subtle emotions, like when Cap stoically contemplates suicide, and then rejects the option. Romita’s blocky design sensibility blends well with his Kirby inspired creature creations. But Romita’s work isn’t pretty, and it isn’t sexy. John Romita drawing comics is like casting an unattractive actress as the lead in a movie. It can work if the actress can act, like Bette Davis or Meryl Streep, but something is lost. Romita could be a great children’s book illustrator. Imagine his work on a fairy tale or on a story like “Where the Wild Things Are.”