CAPTAIN AMERICA Vol. 3: LOOSE NUKE

CAPTAIN AMERICA Vol. 3: LOOSE NUKE

Writer: Rick Remender

Artists: Carlos Pacheco, Nick Klein, Klaus Janson, and Mariano Taibo 

$24.99, Marvel Comics, 136 pgs.

ISBN 978-0785189510

After more than a decade in the hellish Dimension Z, Captain America returns home. Once again he is a man out of time, out of place, scarred by the losses of his adoptive son Ian and his fiancée Sharon Carter. While Cap's grief threatens to consume him, the rogue super-soldier Nuke embarks on a campaign of violence in politically volatile global hotspots. Can Cap and the Falcon stop Nuke's rampage before the world plunges into war? Who is the Iron Nail, and what is his relationship to the mysterious Weapon Minus?

Writer Rick Remender continues to introduce new characters into Cap's mythos. At the same time, he restores one of Cap's most historically significant traits: Cap is once again out-of-place in the modern world. While Marvel's film series trades heavily on this conundrum (a dramatic device dating back to the character's classic 1960s comics appearances), comic book Cap has been firmly embedded in the Marvel Universe for so long that he's been, for the most part, quite at home the past couple of decades. This third volume changes all that, thus restoring the character to his classic dramatic roots even as it pushes the narrative in new directions.

One of the best things about this book is the energy invested in the supporting characters. While we don't yet know much about the mysterious Iron Nail (Could this be Cap's next arch-nemesis?), the Falcon, Jet Black, and even Nuke are given layers of characterization too rarely seen in superhero comics. The friendship between Cap and the Falcon is especially well-handled, which—given the Falcon's significant role in the recent film Captain America: The Winter Soldier—will resonate with both fans of the film franchise and fans of the comics that inspired it.

TIPS FOR LIBRARIANS: If this series has circ'ed for you thus far, there's every likelihood it will continue to do so. It might even circulate better than the previous two volumes (see below). Though this hardcover collects only five issues of continuity (a practice we're seeing more and more often from Marvel), it has some nice extra features, including the full script for issue #11, sketches, concept art, and a gallery of variant covers.

READERS' ADVISORY TIPS: This third volume collects Captain America (Vol. 7) #11-15, but is a surprisingly good jumping-on point for new readers. It also demonstrates a tone much more in keeping with that of Cap's film series than the previous two volumes (on which fan opinion has been somewhat divided); this makes it a solid suggestion for lapsed readers and filmgoers interested in picking up the comics. 

CONTENT ADVISORY: Superhero action/violence

Review©2014, C. Michael Hall.