(MARVEL NOW!, 2013)   -   Reviewed by Feral Fang

The Marvel Now! ‘Captain America’ title keeps getting better and better, and I was already excited after the first issue, so this makes me happy.  Opening up one year after the end of issue #1, we find Cap and his new side-kick roughing it - no shelter, hardly any food, dangers around every corner.  Steve Rogers has grown long hair and a beard, and the boy he is protecting (Ian) also sports a more aged look, even with it only being a year that has passed.  This shows you how much the two have gone through in the past 12 months - the battles and the hunger has nearly broken them, causing Cap to momentarily consider ending their lives.  He only toys with the idea for a split second before regaining his composure, but it was an option for a second, that’s how bad things have gotten for them.  Still trapped in Dimension Z, they deal with dangerous sand storms, a hostile environment on all fronts, and an attack by ‘the Mutates’, creatures that resemble how it might look if you mixed the Brood with Venom.  Genetically engineered ‘evil’, these creatures have varied powers and vehicles with which to attack.  This fight leads into an awesome creature reveal, which then leads us to the end of the issue, with both Cap and Ian in a very deadly situation.  The writing by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr.’s artwork are still perfectly executed, and I was excited to see more flashbacks to the younger Steve Rogers, the vulnerable and powerless kid with the world crashing around him.  The character study underlining the main storyline is great and flows perfectly from scene-to-scene.  This is still my favorite Marvel Now! title so far, and once again the team behind this book have created something really special.

— 5 out of 5 Murder-Slices

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