Captain America #14

By Rick Remender & Carlos Pacheco

With the penultimate issue of the ‘Loose Nuke‘ storyline, we finally see writer Rick Remender and artist Carlos Pacheco let Cap unwind all of his anger, sadness and confusion that he has kept bottled up since Dimension Z. The issue is the first big action issue of the storyline and both writer and artist deliver in a big way and Cap’s emotional payoff is worth the price of admission alone.

Since the end of Dimension Z, Remender has been writing a very introverted Cap. He has been living in his own head and has fallen into a depression at the loss of his family. Issue #14 turns his depression and sadness into power and rage, which he uses effectively on Nuke. Remender loves a good payoff, and while many of his are left on the burner for a longer period of time, it is satisfying to see Cap finally unleash himself.

On top of all that, the issue also raises some interesting and topical concerns with the media and its portrayal of war. The scene between Falcon and the journalist really makes the reader think about how the world works, while giving a nice breather from the Cap v. Nuke beatdown.

Pacheco offers another great issue with page after page of flowing action. Both Cap and Falcon’s fight with Nuke look great in the snowy woodland area. Along with the action, the facial expressions, especially on Cap, are filled with great emotion. Early on in the issue there are some great panels of Nuke going from angry and bloodthirsty to confused and upset. It all adds a new dimension to the issue.

Captain America #14 is another great issue in Remender’s run. The payoffs due to past issues are great and the stage is set wonderfully for a showdown between Cap and The Iron Nail in issue #15. It’s a great time to be a fan of the Captain.