Rating:  -
With the revelations in New Avengers #31 (Elektra's a shape-shifting alien Skrull!), the Marvel Civil War may take on an entirely new meaning. Maybe.
As Brian Bendis said in an interview with Comic Book Resources, "People who spent good money on 'Civil War' and now 'World War Hulk' can rest assured -- as promised that those events happened unto themselves... Whatever the plan afoot is for the Skrull Empire, 'Civil War' certainly helped it. They let it happen. They were sort of like, 'Oh you guys want to beat the s**t out of each other?' Go ahead.'"
On its own, fans were overall pretty disappointed in the conclusion to Civil War--itself just a set-up to the death of Captain America in Captain America #25. (That's right--the "money shot" here isn't even included in this collection!) I don't think it would disappoint anyone to see a Tony Stark shapeshift into a Skrull--in fact, it would actually help explain quite a bit of his bizarre, out-of-character behavior since the start of the Civil War.
Rating: -
As you've probably heard, in 2006 Marvel launched a huge event that promised to change the Marvel Universe forever. Unlike many such crossover events, this might actually deliver on that promise. When the heroes of the Marvel Universe fight each other over a law that requires them to register their secret identities and start working under the guidance of S.H.I.E.L.D., all heck breaks loose. The result is a fun and energetic story packed with action. The art is spectacular, guided by Steve McNiven's exceedingly capable pencil hand, with support from Dexter Vines (inks) and Morry Hollowell (inks). Mark Millar's scripts are often good, though there are a few moments that seem out of character. With a cast this large, that should be easy to forgive, but when those moments include virtually every appearance by Reed Richards and the conflict-ending moment itself, they add up to enough to cause problems for some readers. They irk me, but not so much so that I can't enjoy the collection, which should be considered mandatory reading for anyone trying to follow along with Marvel's post-Civil War universe today.
Rating:  -
I dont think anyone really loved the ending but the art is great.
If you want to get into comics this would be a good place to start from.
Rating:  -
The name tells the tail for this comic. The whole Meta-Human community is split in two. Capitan America the leader of one side and Iron Man the other. Sadly however, this just tells the main story but to really understand the events you have to read some of the other tie ins (I suggest Iron Man's). But wow this is going to tear apart the Marvel Universe even more then pas "Big Event" stories they've done.
Rating: -
In the mid-nineties, I'd had enough. I was so sick of the foil-embossed, glow-in-the-dark, one-of-twelve variant covers that jacked up the prices of my favorite comics. The culprit of such nefarious acts: Marvel Comics. At that point in time, I was eighteen, and even I realized what they were doing was ridiculous and so I boycotted Marvel from that moment on.
Well, here we are, a little over ten years later, and Marvel has finally won me back. It started with Brian Michael Bendis on Daredevil. Kevin Smith got me onboard, Bendis kept me there, and Brubaker is making sure I never leave. Then, Mark Millar showed me something I'd never seen before in comics with The Ultimates. After that, Joss Whedon started Astonishing X-Men, and how could I pass that excellent series up? Finally, Bendis, the man who first got a toehold on me, brought us his version of The New Avengers, which I love. House of M entertained me to no end as well, and, of course, the writer was none other than Bendis.
So there I was, an avid Marvel haterator, but I was reading primarily Marvel and Vertigo! So when Civil War came out in collected edition, I couldn't resist, even though it is hugely overpriced.
I know Civil War is a polarizing comic, and I think that's the point. The whole storyline is about taking sides, and so of course the comic book community is either going to love it or hate it. I, as you've probably guessed, loved it.
I love the idea of two of Earth's best heroes, Captain America and Iron Man, falling into opposition on a wildly political landscape. The idea of having to register if you're a super hero is completely logical, and while many people think Iron Man became a villain because of this storyline, I couldn't disagree more. But, that's an argument for another time.
Millar successfully showed us both sides of the registration viewpoint, and I felt he really conveyed the heroes' viewpoints on the subject equally and without favor. Make no mistake, though, this series was not about philosophical rhetoric, this was an event! Millar is one of the best at delivering nonstop action with an almost cinematic feel, and Civil War was more the same.
Be aware, however, that as you're reading it, there are definite breaks between issues. Millar does a nice job of catching us up to speed as to what happened in the characters' own titles between issue of Civil War, but for some the shift may be too abrupt. However, to me, it just felt like a television show where you have to kind of fill in the gaps between episodes. The overall story progressed fluidly enough to make these shifts manageable.
I totally dug Civil War. I love seeing all of these Marvel characters together in one book, and while the super hero fighting super hero thing can get old in comics, I thought this was a fresh way of delivering that time-honored tradition. Best of all, there seems to have been a concerted effort throughout the Marvel Universe to lead up to Civil War, and, also best of all, this is anything but a one-and-done. The Civil War fallout is continuing throughout the Marvel titles, which shows me that there is superb editorial communication taking place, which in my opinion, makes for a more enjoyable reading experience.
Oh, by the way, the artist of the series, Steve McNiven, is absolutely wonderful. The art alone makes this book worth picking up. He and Bryan Hitch have a real feel for Millar's scripts.
So, all that being said, you might love Civil War, you might hate it, but you will assuredly become captivated by it and form a definite opinion. And isn't that the point? I'm not going to go crazy and shout from on high, "Make mine Marvel!" But, I'm getting there. Who'd a thunk it?
~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant
|
