Civil War

Writer: Mark Millar

Artist: Steve McNiven

Civil War's conflict and themes are highly compelling, though it's ending seriously hurts what it attempts to get across...

Ranking: 3 stars

If there were one aspect of comic books that spikes more heated debate and controversy from readers, then it would have to be the stories known as "Event Comics." An event comic is a story has all of the superheroes and characters in an established universe coming together and fighting against a threat bigger than what one would see in an ordinary comic. These events are often crossovers, meaning that not only a miniseries is created as the main book, but that it crosses over with almost all other comics published by the company, creating tie-ins that coincide with the events of the main storyline. The controversy that many of these event comics spark from fans is often relentless, as many of them often result in long lasting continuity changes or character deaths that are unpopular with readers, or because of inconsistent narrative structure between the main book and the tie-ins. Marvel's big crossover in 2007 CIVIL WAR, is one that has received a very polarizing response for fans, and for awhile I never understood why. In my opinion, many ideas for a story have potential based on their concept alone, and I felt the concept of CIVIL WAR was a brilliant one: Because of a growing distrust of superhumans among the general public, a Superhuman Registration Act passed, requiring superheroes to submit their identities and services to the federal government, causing a heavy division among the superhero community with Iron Man leading the Pro-Registration side, and Captain America leading the Anti-Registration side. That idea alone seems like it would be enough to create an entertaining event comic, as it would not only have peoples favorite heroes duking it out with one-another, but would also provide intriguing arguments on whether or not superheroes should be mandated and watched over by the government, or if they should simply do what they do because it's the right thing to do. The tagline of the series, "Whose side are you on?" perfectly conveys the themes and questions that a story like this would convey. So for awhile I never understood the hate that many fans were giving this comic, with one reviewer even stating that it (along with DC's INFINITE CRISIS) made him vow to never read another comic again (Isn't that going to far for simply being angry at a single story?). I was nervous about reading this book because of the backlash it was receiving, but I decided to check out a copy at my local library as it still looked intriguing. After reading it, I can safely say that it's not as bad as many have claimed it to be, as the arguments created from the Superhuman Registration Act were extremely engaging, and showed that each side had logical reasons behind their stance. Despite the weight and power of the arguments provided, they are seriously undermined by the book's ending (I'll get to that later the SPOILER ALERT SECTION). In recent years, several controversial events have caused a growing public distrust of superhumans, including the events of AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED, HOUSE OF M, and SECRET WARS (not the classic 80's story that introduced Spidey's black suit). The controversy reaches its boiling point however, when a group of superhumans filming a superhero reality show assault a group of dangerous villains in Stamford, Connecticut. The battle results in the mutant Nitro causing a blast wave that wipes out the city, killing at least over 600 civilians including children. In wake of the tragedy, congress is pressured to pass a bill that would require superhumans to register their identities, powers, and services to the federal government, and all of their activities would be monitored and government mandated. This bill is soon enacted as the Superhuman Registration Act, and causes a great rift among the superhero community. The two factions that emerge are the Pro-Registration side (led by Iron Man), which believes that the act will benefit both superhuman activities and public relations, and the Anti-Registration side (led by Captain America), view the act as immoral, and impending on their rights to serve the community and fight for what they believe to be right. With the superheroes of the Marvel Universe now battling each other over their a debate of law vs. right, heroes will live, heroes will die, heroes will be imprisoned, and the superhero community will never be the same again. Whose side are you on? From my experiences, most event comics range between great, good, okay, or terrible. Comics like BATMAN KNIGHTFALL and THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN are among my all-time favorite comics, while HOUSE OF M and FINAL CRISIS were good but nothing stellar, and ULTIMATUM nearly brought ruin to the Ultimate Universe (though I blame Marvel Editorial for that and not Jeph Loeb (leave the man alone people!)). CIVIL WAR on the other hand is an interesting case in my eyes, as while the story is well-paced and it's concept provides commentary presented from both sides of the fence, the messages that the book attempts to get across are seriously hindered by an ending that is random and goes against what the themes were building up to. This doesn't make CIVIL WAR a bad comic however, as the majority of the book caught my attention hook,line, and sinker. The advantage of any event comic is that there is usually always something going on, making it difficult for the reader to lose interest or focus. In CIVIL WAR'S case, this attention is mostly drawn to the battle between the pro-registration and anti-registration side. This isn't limited to action scenes however (though there are a lot), as the majority of the book focuses on dialogue and debates between the two factions of superheroes, which is where I feel CIVIL WAR'S greatest strength lies in. The reader is provided different reasons and justifications from both the Pro and Anti-Registration sides, bringing up unique ethical questions. Should superheroes be monitored by the government, or fight solely for what they believe is right? Is revealing their identities a benefit for public relations, or a danger to their personal lives and loved ones? Do the unwatched activities of superheroes cause property damage and creation of public menace rather than help others? Does just because something is a law make it automatically moral or ethical? And should people follow that controversial law because it's the law, or oppose it because they know that it's inherently wrong? These are interesting questions that are presented throughout the book, and kept me invested in the conflict between the two sides. Mark Millar's decision to have Iron Man lead the Pro-Registration side and Captain America lead the Anti-Registration side also contributes well to CIVIL WAR'S themes. Not only does it help drive the plot forward as they are two of Marvel's biggest superheroes (and leading members of the Avengers), but it also works in the context of their characters (plus it's cool too watch Iron Man and Cap duke it out!). As a former weapons manufacturer, Tony Stark is aware of the dangers that weapons left unchecked could pose to humanity, hence why he feels that the Registration Act would benefit both superheroes and the general public. Steve Rogers, on the other hand, believes in fighting for what is morally correct and see's superheroes as living beings rather than weapons, as a result of his experiences in World War II. Their differing ideologies serve to convey the level of heated debate caused by the act, reflecting how all laws can have pros and cons. It's asks the question of whether or not the sacrifices are worth the outcome, and CIVIL WAR is one of the few comics I've seen to tackle this theme over real-life issues like government-imposed laws rather than the typical threads found in superhero comics. In these areas, CIVIL WAR is definitely worth checking out. (WARNING: SPOILER SECTION BEGINS HERE!!!) Unfortunately however, these unique and interesting themes are seriously undermined by the book's ending. Throughout the book's progression, the Pro-Registration side is gradually vilified as more controversial elements surrounding the act are revealed. Not only lives lost from both sides (many of whom used to be friends or allies before the Act's passage), but heroes who refused to register would be imprisoned without trial for life inside the Negative Zone (an alternate dimension), with registering being their only chance of being released. These events cause many on the Pro-Registration side to question to question the morality of both the Registration Act and their individual actions, and many (including Spider-Man, Susan Storm, the Human Torch, and the Thing) to switch over to the Anti-Registration Act. All of this characterization and build-up is ruined however, when Captain America surrenders to Iron Man after seeing how their final battle devastated New York, leading to the Pro-Registration's side's victory. This wouldn't be so bad if it melded with what the plot was building up to, but despite the Pro-Registration side being antagonized, not only do they win, but the final passages of the book state that they were always the right side. This not only makes CIVIL WAR feel anticlimactic, but it is very jarring as it heavily contradicts with what went on earlier in the book. All of the interesting themes, political commentary, and investment that the reader gave end up wasted, as they built up to nothing. In a single couple of pages, all of the elements that made the book enjoyable and interesting are suddenly thrown out the window. I don't think since the climax of the WATCHMEN film (which I could go on for days on how inaccurate it is to the comic; go read the book as it is one of the best comics out there and one of my personal favorites (top 5 actually)), has an ending frustrated me to this extent. (END OF SPOILER SECTION) In other cases, this atrocious ending would have warranted the book a negative rating, but I can't bring myself to hate it as I was heavily enjoying myself before the ending came. I'd like to think of CIVIL WAR as being the MASS EFFECT 3 (which I haven't played, but may check out) of event comics, as while the ending was horrendous, everything else about it was fine. Just because the ending is bad doesn't mean that the entire book is, and the rest of CIVIL WAR was simply awesome! I could not put this book down as I was heavily invested into the ethical debates it brought up, the concept behind the comic, as well as the character's conflict. I know all good books should end on a high note, as they are not only the climax, but also the final chance to make an impression on the reader. CIVIL WAR fails in this regard, but I still recommend giving it a chance as everything up until the ending was highly compelling. As I've said, event comics in general are highly controversial among readers, creating heated debates over if they benefit or ruin the characters involved. CIVIL WAR is definitely one of the more divided ones, but I cannot fully decide if the comic as a whole achieved what it aimed to accomplish. I guess like the Superhuman Registration Act, I am divided on where I stand towards this particular event comic. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." -Abraham Lincoln

#3StarReviews #Marvel #CaptainAmerica #ComicReviews #IronMan