Captain America Vol.7 #4 Page 4 John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson Splash (2013) First Reference Steve as a Dad

Why I love this page... This volume sends Steve Rogers to a pocket dimension created by Arnim Zola. He is trapped there for over a decade, fighting for survival, protecting and raising Zola's experiment, whom Zola thinks of as his son. There is a jump from issues #3 and #4, where Cap has rescued this baby to 11 years later. On pages 2 & 3 of this issue, we see a bearded and tattered Steve training a young Ian and Steve thinks to himself, "If I hadn't stepped on that train, I'd never have had the privilege of knowing Ian." Then... you turn the page and see this stunning image of the two of them jumping off the cliff, with the big reveal of Steve saying to himself... "I'd have never met my son."

As a father, my heart leapt at this moment, as I could connect with my favorite character on a whole new level. My own son was 11 years old at the time so I instantly understood what Steve had been through, and further aghast he did it in a dangerous and inhospitable environment like Dimension Z.

To add to the moment, Ian yells out, "Show me how it's done, pop!"

This page instantly changed the dynamic of Steve's life forever. He was now revealed a father, and Ian Rogers (his adopted name) was a boy who loved him. I am so excited to own this key moment in Captain America history.

If you love Cap, come hang with fellow Cap fans (including several creators) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/captainamericacomicbookfans. I also have a weekly Cap comic book podcast where I interview several Cap artists: https://captainamericacomicbookfans.com