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
Rating:  -
This is a great story, kind of sad if your a long time fan, but it's a well written work. The only problem is the stories are very scattered amongst other books.
Rating: -
"Civil War", Marvel Comics' most controversial story ever published is collected here in its entirety. Originally a seven-issue mini-series, Civil War was a multi-pronged storyline that actually was dealt with in several of Marvel Comics serial publications, but the core story is here.
It begins as a group of college-aged superheroes, The New Warriors, discover and ambush a group of escaped super-criminals who were in hiding in Stamford, Connecticut. The New Warriors are the stars of a superhero-based reality TV series, and for some of the Warriors (Speedball in particular), ratings are as much a motivation as civic duty.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, one of their quarry is Nitro: a villain who can literally explode himself with the force of an H-bomb, then re-form himself with no ill effects. The Warriors' fight meets a tragic end when Nitro uses his bomb-power right next to an elementary school--the high-level explosion ends up killing roughly 800 or so people, including the heroes and Nitro's confederates.
When news of the tragedy hits the media, a firestorm of public opinions places the super-hero community under unprecedented scrutiny. Due in part to the political activism of the mother of a Stamford victim, U.S. Congress passes a new Super Human Registration Act (SHRA), which effectively requires all would-be crime fighters (and essentially, anyone with a super-power) to register with the federal government--subsequently, they would be eligible for formal training and deputization as an officially sanctioned super-hero.
Leading the pro-registration initiative are Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, himself a former Secretary of Defense for the White House. His top lieutenants in this endeavor are Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) of the Fantastic Four and Hank Pym (Yellowjacket) of the Avengers. Between the three of them, they conceive dozens of potential strategies to use in the execution of the new status quo for costumed adventurers. Among them is `42'--a trans-dimensional prison where super-criminals--and potentially, unregistered superheroes--will be placed.
The abruptness of the passing of the act, as well as the apparent militarization of its enforcement via the espionage/counter-terror outfit SHIELD doesn't sit well with WWII veteran and longtime iconic crime fighter Captain America. When he balks at registering, he is labeled an enemy of the state, and hunted by government forces as well as the newly registered heroes under Iron Man. `Cap' begins recruiting fellow dissenters among the super-hero community, and they form an anti-resistance partisan movement.
The SHRA basically splits the American super-hero element in half--some see it as a natural evolution to make superheroes a `legitimate' arm of law-enforcement. Others see it as big-government interference, with super-heroes as `Good Samaritans' who help people when standard law enforcement can not--or will not--intervene. During the course of the saga, some heroes die, some switch sides, some make choices that will have drastic consequences for the future, whatever the outcome.
Artist Steve McNiven is an excellent draftsman; his photo-realistic artwork helps maintain the conceit that all the characters are real people, which is appropriate, given the dark themes explored in the book. Author Mark Millar attempts a deconstructive analysis of the role of the `super-hero' in a post-911 America: Most, by traditional legal definitions would be considered vigilantes; he seems to ask the question- is it truly oppression to create legal safeguards for superheroes, to weed out the reckless and the unstable? Is the U.S. government really prepared for the ethical and legal consequences of having a virtual army of superhumans at their beck and call? The political subtexts exposed here are self-evident, and depending on the reader's political alignment, they may find themselves elated or infuriated with them.
While several events throughout the story are exciting, the resolution is somewhat anti-climactic. Also, as mentioned above, several parallel stories were told throughout other Marvel comic book series-- Spider-Man, New Avengers, and more---so purchasing them will give readers a much more thorough examination of this saga, but may prove annoying for readers who don't want to buy multiple volumes for a `single' story.
Rating:  -
Just an excuse to kill off Captain America, get a little publicity and further confuse the Marvel Universe. Marvel really is no good at the big event, they should stick to what they do best- publish stories that delve into the less spectacular aspects of the super hero that focus on love, jealousy, neuroticism and isolation. Marvel should just ignore what DC excells in and continue to tell their little stories that bring their heroes to life and make them so much more accessable than most of the DC characters.
Rating: -
Civil War may be one of the biggest homeruns in comic stories. With comics now in the mainstream once again, Civil War takes huge, iconic characters and develops them in a direction that even the biggest fanboys wouldn't expect.
The heart of the story is very layered. On a superficial level, the story shows off the gusto of a well-written Hollywood blockbuster, delivering smart dialogue, weaving plot twists and a superhero vs. superhero brawl that'll appease the pallets of any action-hungry reader. On a deeper level lies a satirical story examining America's current terror-phobic state, with writer Millar not so subtly delivering jab after jab to hot button issues like the Patriot Act and the military's current "cowboy" mentality towards war. This is once of the story's most enjoyable qualities. Seeing these larger-than-life characters not only take their own individual stands, but stands that are reflective of a divided America is not only engaging, it's also insightful.
The story executed superbly by McNiven's detailed pencils and Millar's "Who could come up with that?" style of writing. The story and art marry each other perfectly, coddling readers when it should, and smacking them around when it's not.
Civil War is a surprisingly deep and enjoyable story that not only will impress long-time comic loyalists, but is also very user friendly and entertaining to those not so familiar with the funny pages. Overall, a solid read for people who like a good action/drama.
Michael Ferrari
Author, Assault on the Senses
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