Remender does a lot of stuff here. If this issue were part of a movie and not a comic-book arc, I feel like it would've been a really rushed second act.
Cap breaks free of his bonds in time to save himself and Ian from execution and activates his universal translator in time to understand one of the aliens, Ksul, explaining that he, too, is an enemy of Zola. The revelation stays their execution and Steve and Ian recuperate with Ksul and his wife. The problem is that Remender rushes these scenes. We're supposed to believe that Steve has formed a deep bond with Ksul, one that helps him convince Ksul to rebel against Zofjor, the head of the tribe (and the guy who was trying to execute Steve and Ian in the first place). Zofjor kills Ksul for his insolence, pitting a heartbroken Steve against him. But, it all happens so quickly -- over the course of three pages -- that it doesn't really have the emotional impact that it's supposed to have. It's supposed to show that Steve is falling apart quickly in the face of the challenges of Dimension Z, particularly when it's revealed that Zola has implanted a screen in Steve's chest. But, instead, it's just a jumble of action that feels like it's simply moving us to where we need to be, not where the story takes us.
Remender does better in the flashbacks of Steve's youth, showing that his determination to defend his friend is the same determination that led him to try to convince Ksul to rebel. The problem is that JR JR is at his worse here, depicting a young Steve as almost a bobble-head, distracting me for the entire sequence.
Needless to say, I was a little disappointed, particularly after the amazing last issue. But, the twist at the end definitely holds a lot of promise, even though I'm curious why it was only when Zofjor cut Steve that he was able to see the screen. Anyway, hopefully this issue was just a bump in the road.
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