Rick Remender's Run on Cap

[Prof. Warren]

I really enjoyed Remender's Cap run. Not as good as Brubaker, no, but that's a hard bar to clear. Dimension Z was probably the high point, just due to its unique flavor, but I don't feel that the quality ever really took a downturn post Dimension Z. It was a solid run all the way through and, based on the first six issues of All-New Cap, I think he was warming up for truly great things with Sam. it's a shame we'll never know where he would've taken the character but...that's life. I'm confident that Cap is in good hands with Spencer and I'm hoping that Remender knew well enough in advance that he'd be leaving that Hail Hydra will be a good bookend to his Cap run.

[MajorHoy]

Dimension Z is the start of something that bugged me. It was a great arc. The story was amazing, but it was out of place for the character. The best way I can describe the run is: "Captain America as Superman".

To me, Dimension Z was "Remender tries to imitate the mid-1970s Kirby-written Captain America", and I wasn't all that thrilled with Kirby's run as a kid.



But, at the end of Dimension Z, when Captain America decided to try to make Jet Black at home by taking ALL his World War II and beyond mementos and burning them in a huge bonfire on the roof of his apartment building . . . that's when I felt Marvel had burned my ties to Captain America. I have never bought another issue since then, and doubt I will any time in the foreseeable future.

[Captain Zolalnadia]

Iron Nail and Loose Nuke were some of my first Captain America Stories, and are still some of my favorites.

Overall, I think Remember's run was excellent, Dimension Z set the tone for the rest of the series and for the finale and Falcon taking the mantle. My main complaint is the Avengers doing alot of the of the heavy lifting at the end instead of having Cap's supporting characters do it, Iron Man, Thor and Hulk being jobbed by Ian just to be beat by Old Man Rogers, even if Ian was standing and not doing anything, I find it hard to believe Steve can get him on the floor in his condition, was a little dumb.

[Babylon23]

Dimension Z is the start of something that bugged me. It was a great arc. The story was amazing, but it was out of place for the character. The best way I can describe the run is: "Captain America as Superman".

As Majorhoy stated, this was Remender's attempt to tap into anotehr aspect of Cap's history, specifically the Kirby run from the 70's. Personally I loved the idea of Cap being taken outside of his element. It makes for a fresh and interesting look at the character.

Honestly, I became less interested when Remender returned him to earth and brought Nuke and the 60's Super Soldier Program into the story. This felt like something I'd seen in countless Cap stories.

[klinton]

I really enjoyed his Cap. In fact, I liked it more than Brubaker's. He kept the spotlight squarely on Steve, and gave him some much needed space from the Marvel Universe as a whole to re-explore the character.

Little things like the constant refrain from his mother, his relationships with Jet and Ian, he and Sharon being old farts together....it was all authentic.

I love what he's done for Sam. In just six issues, he undid a world of mess that have been heaped on the guy and established a nice foundation for future stories. It was a much needed effort. Sam hasn't seen that kind of love in decades.

Other than the 'Bitter March' mini (which was...just okay, serving more as an origin tale for Iron Nail than an actual Bucky tale), Remender's run has been flawless.

As much as I'm legit gutted at Remender's departure, I'm pretty stoked for what Spencer has in store for both Sam and Steve now too.

[klinton]

But, at the end of Dimension Z, when Captain America decided to try to make Jet Black at home by taking ALL his World War II and beyond mementos and burning them in a huge bonfire on the roof of his apartment building . . . that's when I felt Marvel had burned my ties to Captain America. I have never bought another issue since then, and doubt I will any time in the foreseeable future.

This is absolutely bizarre.

That Steve collected WWII memorabilia was a concept Remender introduced for the explicit purpose of having it there as a gesture of good faith he could offer up for Jet's benefit (whom he was asking to give up so much more herself...).

....and this enrages you? That Steve was suddenly given a hobby, and that it was removed just as quickly as it was introduced?

[Of Atlantis]

Granted, the imagery of the WW2 bonfire was... not a great visual. I simply think Remender missed the mark on that end, despite loving his run as a whole.

[Cap10nate]

I wasn't a huge fan of Remender's run. The Dimension Z story was entertaining but John Romita Jr's art was not good in my opinion. He is one of my least favorite artists. I also get worn out with with Remender's writing as well as he tears down the characters so much each issue that it becomes painful to read and start dreading the next issue because you know it will be filled with nothing but misery. I think I enjoyed his X-Force run so much because I don't care about any of those characters so I didn't care what happened to them.

His run on Cap also wasn't his best Marvel work at the time either to me as I enjoyed Uncanny Avengers more. The story dealing with the Apocalypse twins and Kang was great, but I thought the first and last arcs that led into Axis were poor. Not as poor as the Axis event itself, but close.

[Of Atlantis]

I think Axis was the only thing by Remender that truly disappointed me. I never picked up Uncanny Avengers though.

[MajorHoy]

This is absolutely bizarre.

That Steve collected WWII memorabilia was a concept Remender introduced for the explicit purpose of having it there as a gesture of good faith he could offer up for Jet's benefit (whom he was asking to give up so much more herself...).

....and this enrages you? That Steve was suddenly given a hobby, and that it was removed just as quickly as it was introduced?

I don't think Steve's World War II memorabilia was solely a Remender thing. Maybe how much of it Steve had on display at one time was his doing, but over the years and years of previous Captain America stories, Steve had been seen looking at old photos, etc., so he didn't just "suddenly" wind up collecting things. (I'm assuming there were plenty of instances of gifts and memorabilia in the past that just really didn't get played up.)

And yes, it DOES bother me. If Steve no longer wanted HISTORICAL MEMENTOS, wouldn't he have been better off donating those to museums and archives? Wasn't Steve the type of character who would have believed we should NEVER FORGET the horrors of WWII, that we should learn from past atrocities to honor the victims and hopefully never have those things happen again? How is a huge bonfire on his roof going to do that, and didn't he ever think he could be causing a FIRE HAZARD if winds blew embers onto other buildings or anything? That would look cute: New York City neighborhood burns down because hero was careless and didn't observe fire codes!

[Spidey616]

Loved it.

Wish he could have stayed on longer and bring back the Green Skull he introduced in his first issue of Cap and said in interviews he had plans for

[ian0delond]

Loved the run too.
The Iron Nail arc was not great. All New Captain America felt like an introduction of a story paused too soon because Remender's break.
But the whole Dimension Z was very enjoyable, Jet was really cool until the dispapointing rushed end.

The run is not entirely over because the Secret Wars tie in Hail Hydra is a chapter of that story. It had a great first issue in my opinion.

I am waiting for the conclusion of that arc, and I hope Remender is coming back to Captain America in 2016 after his break.

[klinton]

I don't think Steve's World War II memorabilia was solely a Remender thing. Maybe how much of it Steve had on display at one time was his doing, but over the years and years of previous Captain America stories, Steve had been seen looking at old photos, etc., so he didn't just "suddenly" wind up collecting things. (I'm assuming there were plenty of instances of gifts and memorabilia in the past that just really didn't get played up.)

And yes, it DOES bother me. If Steve no longer wanted HISTORICAL MEMENTOS, wouldn't he have been better off donating those to museums and archives? Wasn't Steve the type of character who would have believed we should NEVER FORGET the horrors of WWII, that we should learn from past atrocities to honor the victims and hopefully never have those things happen again? How is a huge bonfire on his roof going to do that, and didn't he ever think he could be causing a FIRE HAZARD if winds blew embers onto other buildings or anything? That would look cute: New York City neighborhood burns down because hero was careless and didn't observe fire codes!

You're obiously trolling now.

These people routinely level entire blocks in thier superhero shenanigans, and you're angry that Steve violated fire codes? Seriously?

The point of the gesture was that it was the past. That these were ties to a world he was no longer part of. Things he treasured and loved, but that he didn't need to move forward.

It was a symbolic, sentimental gesture - not for him, and not for the people who frequent museums - but for Jet's benefit.

He was asking her to let go of literally everything she knew and loved: her father, her world, her ideologies...everything. Anything less than a grande gesture on his part would have been hollow.

[MajorHoy]

You're obiously trolling now.

No, I'm not.

It's merely that I have enjoyed Captain American as a World War 2-era hero who then became a man out of time but still embodied that era. I first started reading his stories way back in the early 1970s, and he remained a character / a concept that I enjoyed over the years.

I get why he did what he did, but it was a stupid, moronic act courtesy of a writer that seems to like destroying things connected to World War 2 (like he did with Miss America and the original Human Torch in his Secret Avengers run), and the destruction of that material which could have instead been preserved to help others better understand the past was moronic.

And don't give me that "These people routinely level entire blocks in their superhero shenanigans" crap since they aren't normally intending to do that. "Eh, so what . . . he only burned down a half dozen buildings housing how many families or so" shouldn't be just shrugged off if it happened through carelessness and not in an effort to overcome a threat to the city.

(And besides that, I thought "Jet Black" was a lame character.)

[klinton]

We're just going to have to agree to dissagree then.

I can't fathom your bitterness over such an inconsequential plot point. Where you refuse to buy Captain America comics at all, forevermore...because Remender created a collection of previously non-existent memorabilia to provide Steve with a sacrificial lamb?

I just don't see how a 'long time fan' can be so hung up on something so....irrellevant. I've been reading Cap all my life, and this is far from the worst thing they've ever done to the guy. That this (and nothing else in his published history, ever) was your breaking point...yeah, I can't follow. Sorry, man. But good luck with that. /shrug.