Civl War Fallout: The Initiative Week 3, "Sorry About That Cap."

Well if it’s Thursday, it's time for our weekly Marvel Civil War recap. Compared to Captain America’s death, it was a pretty slow week. That being said, I will briefly go through each book listing them in what is my right opinion of Crappiest to Best.

Ghost Rider #9 hit the shelves this week with the “Casualties of War” banner. This issue goes a long way to fulfill Joe Quesada’s words, “Death should mean something…” by bringing back Jack O’ Lantern. He has been dead what, three months? Of course it’s not really him but Satan possessing his body (hate it when that happens). If you don’t read Ghost Rider usually, don’t waste your time.

Moon Knight #8 also is listed as a “Casualties” title. This is due to the random appearance of Captain America. Apparently before he died, Cap wanted to take some time off from running from the law to hunt down Marc Spector. Cap just wanted to tell him that he didn’t like his methods and to stay out of the Civil War. Then he leaves without even a goodbye. If you don’t read it, don’t buy it.

Thunderbolts #112 is a pretty good read. Warren Ellis is the savior of this book. He has taken an otherwise ridiculous premise and made it enjoyable. Let me first say that I am sick of Norman Osborn. Why is this guy not rotting away in some prison? He does not deserve a second chance—let alone a hundredth. His psychosis is getting a little old as well. Oh no, he is talking to himself, I wonder what’s going to happen?

Am I the only one that doesn’t buy it? Would America really embrace these killers? The Thunderbolts started with a group of villains pretending to be good guys. Now it’s a bunch of bad guys being forced to take care of the government’s dirty work. For some reason we are supposed to believe that people love them. They have action figures for God’s sake. Kids love Venom and Penance and hate Captain America? I don’t think so.

Marvel likes to brag that they are a mirror of the “real world” with super powered individuals in it. Well in the “real world” we reject Supreme Court nominees and Presidential candidates if they inhaled 30 years ago. We crucify them if they were ever divorced or got a hard on. But we are to believe that Tony freaking Stark could become the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. He has so many skeletons in his closet (and in the ground), it is unbelievable.

New Avengers #28 clears up the confusion several of us had last week. Spider-Woman goes back to rogue Avengers to tell them Cap isn’t dead. He is in The Raft. With the help of Dr. Strange they go to free their leader. Once there, Wolverine gives him a sniff and immediately knows that the body isn’t Cap’s. Yep, Ms Marvel lied. Iron Man pops out of hiding with a few hundred buddies to arrest them. I have really enjoyed the New Avengers from the beginning. However, I really don’t like Leinil Yu’s artwork. It just doesn’t work for this title.

Punisher #5 also came out this week, but for some reason it did not have a “Civil War” banner. It clearly is related to the story—a lot more than Ghost Rider. I wonder if Marvel is trying to throw us off. Castle sees Captain America get killed on the jumbo-tron in Times Square. I’m telling you, he is going to be the next Captain America. Previous issues showed us the Punisher’s love and respect for Cap. We know he does have Cap’s cowl. I’m just saying.

Check out the interesting cover from an old What If:

Marvel Spotlight: Civil War Aftermath is something you should pick up this week. I usually pass on most spotlight books. However, this one provides a great recap of the events of Civil War. This is especially great if you haven’t been going to the clinic to sell your plasma so you could afford to buy every book with the “Civil War” logo. Check it out.

Civil War: The Confession is probably the best book of the week. Buy it quick because it is pretty hard to find. It was never solicited in Previews and a lot of stores did not know about it. It gives us a pretty sobering picture of Tony Stark pouring his heart out to the corpse of Steve Rogers. However, I do think it is a little to quick for Stark’s change of heart. It is almost as quick (and convenient) as Cap’s change at the end of Civil War. Still a good read.

With all the Captain America talk last week, I didn’t get to talk about the other “Civil War” titles. I want to comment on two of them.

First, Fantastic Four #543 was a piece of crap. There is no other way to put it. Yeah, I understand that it is the 45^th Anniversary of the FF. But, we are supposed to believe that Doom actually sat down for a television interview! Oh, and the fugitive Luke Cage was interviewed as well. Give me a break. I also think it is a little to quick for Sue to run back to Reed.

Lastly, let’s talk about The Mighty Avengers #1. The majority of the emails I received about this book were complaining about the same thing…you guessed it, the thought bubbles. Wow, I guess you guys hated them. I really wanted to defend Bendis. I really like his stuff. He is a great writer and will do great on this book, but the bubbles have to go. I am also having a hard time with looking at these guys as heroes. I don’t think they are. As good intentioned as they may be, they need to be held accountable for their actions.

What do you think?

Richard

Marvel Civil War, No Bang, No Whimper. "Can't we all just get along?"

Civil War #7, the final chapter of the Marvel Comic series, hit the shelves this week. Has it lived up to the hype? Was it worth the delays? Let’s review the whole series from the start.

The Story So Far

The first issue of Civil War set a perfect stage. It starts with the New Warriors filming the latest episode of their “reality” television show. For the ratings, they decide to capture a band of villains on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Microbe is ignored when he points out that these guys are, “…way out of our league.” Chaos ensues and concludes with Nitro blowing himself up. Unfortunate for the New Warriors (and kiddies on a bus) the explosion destroys a large chunk of Stamford Connecticut and is telecast live on TV.

This event leads the US government to pass the Superhuman Registration Act. No longer would the government allow those with super powers run around unbridled. This forces the heroes of the Marvel Universe to quickly take sides. Those in favor of the act line up behind Iron Man. The heroes concerned with maintaining their freedom are forced underground and form up behind Captain America.

The second issue kept the surprises coming. In the last few pages, Spider-Man takes his mask off and reveals to the world that he was Peter Parker. Wow! Who the hell saw this coming? Of all the super heroes in the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man needs his secret identity. He has the most to lose. His family is not made up of other superheroes and he can’t protect them with his money. They (and he) are totally vulnerable.

Tony Stark convinces Peter that it is his only choice. By not complying, he makes Mary Jane and Aunt May coconspirators. Tony would help him protect his family. Besides they lived in Stark Tower now.

The third installment was one hell of a fight. It ended with one of the best final pages in history. The God of Thunder, Thor, appears after a long absence and is ready to kick some major ass. It was spectacular. The buzz was ecstatic!

The first few issues of Civil War provided a much needed shot in the arm for the sickly comic industry. Tons of magazines, newspapers and television shows ran stories on the event. New readers were daily walking into comic book stores for the first time. Not even the recent deluge of comic movies was able to do that. Even more surprisingly, many of the disgruntled comic fans of the 1990s were returning.

The issues Civil War raised could not have been timelier. The parallels between the Marvel Universe and our own were easy to identify. The Patriot Act, the torturing of war criminals, the definitions of terrorists and freedom fighters, were all reflected. And as it is in real life, there were no villains in black and heroes in white. The Marvel super heroes, like us, were living in the shades of gray.

Then the delays started. Blamed on a hundred different things, Marvel pushed back the release dates for the remaining issues. Fans and store owners alike were outraged. But it didn’t slow sales. As usual, many quickly said it was all a sales ploy. However, it seemed the delays were to accommodate Steve McNiven. His tremendous art was taking longer than anticipated.

Issue four hit the shelves with mixed emotions. The art was stellar (as usual), but the story seemed rushed. It could all be summed up as one big fight that climaxed with the clone of Thor killing Goliath. Surprise, controversy erupted. Some accused Marvel as being racist and others said Marvel was playing it safe by killing a useless character. (Read my blog about it)

Issues five and six also seemed rushed, and like issue three nothing significant happened. They were mostly summaries of what was occurring in the regular titles. Reed and Sue Richards separated, Spider-Man realized he was wrong and turned on Stark, and the Thunderbolts new roster were a band of “controlled” super villains. Fans gave it a pass. It’s okay. We all understood that Marvel was building up momentum for the epic final battle in issue seven. Feel the anticipation.

The Story Now

A few days ago I got my hands on a copy of Civil War #7. I read it immediately. It was impressive from the very beginning. Captain America smashed Bishop’s head in the ground after yelling, “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” Ha, Ha! Awesome! Turn the page…

Then it was over. It was over and nothing happened! All the build up! All the controversy! The months of delayed gratification! For this!? It not only didn’t end with a bang, it didn’t end with a whimper. It barely ended with a fizzle.

In a nutshell, Captain America quit. Some random civilian causes Cap to realize all the destruction their Civil War had caused. So he quits. He says, “We’re not fighting for the people anymore…” pulls off his mask and allows himself to get arrested. WTF?

He can’t do that. That is not the way Cap goes down. Good or bad, that’s not the American way. Keep in mind; Cap is not just responsible for himself, he is responsible for the lives of all the heroes who have given up their lives to follow him. Damn, Peter Parker alone goes from the proverbial frying pan to the fire and then flops out into hell.

What if Captain America had this attitude during World War II? What if after we stormed Normandy or we saw the destruction in Europe he decided to just quit? Hey, Hitler might be evil incarnate, but think of the real estate. I know a lot of you think I am blowing this out of proportion, but I’m not. What about personal freedoms? What about standing up for what’s right? Are the rights of the many worth more than the rights of the few? Is peace our goal regardless of the cost?

Possibly Mark Millar is trying to comment on the current fiasco in Iraq? I hope not. It really doesn’t work as a solution. I am more inclined to believe that he was forced to bring the whole thing to a quick resolution. But that sucks as an answer as well.

To me, the best part of Civil War has been the tie-ins. Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Black Panther to name a few, have been great. I can’t imagine trying to read Civil War without reading all the other stories. In fact, reading them all made the whole series a lot better.

What do you guys think? Am I way off?

Do you think they are going to kill Aunt May? The new issue of Amazing seems like they might. I believe Civil War should have ended with the death of Mary Jane. What a perfect way to show that heroes need their secret identities.

What do you think will happen with Tony Stark? Is there any way he can be trusted again? I think not. This might be a good opportunity to turn him into a villain. Probably not with the new movie and all.

Let me know your opinion.

Richard

I'm Back...Just in time for the end of Marvel's Civil War!

Okay, okay. I'm back. Thanks for all the great posts and emails. Yes, I know I have been gone for quite a while. No, I haven't given up. Here go the excuses…

As most of you Atlanta, GA readers know, my wife and I have sold our comic book store. After 16 years of sweat and toil we have finally let our baby go. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we knew it was the right one to make. Our focus for the past few years has been developing our web business. After trying to be dual focused for so long, we knew it was time to dedicate ourselves full time to it. So the day after Thanksgiving, my wife and I signed the final papers and sold our baby (or teenager) to the new parents. We have been competitors and friends of theirs for years and are very happy with our choice.

I want to make it clear that I am in no way leaving the comic book industry. I am now dedicating myself to writing. If things go as planned I should be able to let you know about a few up and coming projects I have in the works. And with all the extra money I am going to receive when I prove I am the father of Anna Nicol’s baby, it should be a lot easier.

Also, as I mentioned, we are dedicating ourselves to our online business. For those of you who don’t know, we sell comic books and related items at http://www.heroesdirect.com/servlet/StoreFront . It has been quite tedious getting all the web design and inventory management figured out (any volunteers out there?). Until we get it finished, we would appreciate any support and business you can give us. We have a pretty strong customer base right now, but can always use more.

Much like a regular store, we take preorders from Previews (this way you can get discounts), or you can set up a pull box with us. Just give us a list of the titles you want and we will pull them weekly for you. Every time you get $25.00 or more in your box, we will mail them to you with FREE shipping! That’s right FREE! This way you get all the benefits of a local store and aren’t screwed with shipping. If you are interested check out the web page and drop us and email.

To all our former brick and mortar customers, I want to take the time to thank you. We did not get the opportunity to thank most of your personally. This is our only regret. You guys have been our family and we will always be grateful.

For all you guys who aren’t from Atlanta and want to read more gossip and crap about comics, I’m getting there.

So much has happened since my last posting. Joss Whedon is no longer doing the Wonder Woman movie; so we don’t have to worry about the bad Diana choices. Then there’s that Ghost Rider movie….the new Fantastic Four….300... Oh and did you hear HBO is going to make a series out of the Preacher comics. And, Brian K Vaughan is going to start writing for the television show Lost.

Check back tomorrow, I have just finished reading the end of Marvel’s Civil War. I have been dying to bitch (I mean talk) about it. Viva Captain France....I mean America....oh...I'll wait till tomorrow. (and yes I am joking...take it easy my French friends.)

Richard

Marvel Civil War: Clones, Racists, and Skrulls, Oh My?

CLICK HERE For The NEW Complete Marvel Civil War Review. (updated 2/21/07)


The following post was written after Marvel Civil War #4.

Where the hell are the real Tony Stark and Reed Richards? There is no way these people are the same guys we have all grown up reading.

How will we be able to look at Iron Man as a hero again?

No matter how you slice it, Reed Richards is responsible for the death of Goliath. He’s going to have to be held accountable.

I hope and pray that Marvel will give us a good explanation as to why everyone is acting so out of character.

Before you think I am breaking my own Commandment #7, let me state that I am really digging the story so far. It reads, looks and flows like a great movie. It has continually been unpredictable and given us some of the best cliffhangers in comic history. Nevertheless, I am starting to get worried as to how this thing is going to end. I do know...

The 5 worst ways to end Marvel's Civil War:

1. Peter Parker regains his secret identity when Ben Reilly returns to don the Spidey garb. This will allow both Spider-Man and Parker to be seen in public together.

2. We find out that these events never even happened. This super-power hating world is contained in a tether ball owned by Franklin Richards.

3. The Scarlet Witch wipes the mind of everyone on Earth and returns things to normal. Nah, they would never do anything that ridiculous.

4. We find out that Richards and Stark are from Bizzaro World. Damn, they actually might be acting screwy because they are from the Negative Zone.

5. Everyone’s a Skrull!

Regardless of how they end Civil War, Marvel needs to let it stick. I am sick of everything conveniently going back to normal.

In recent years, DC has been much better at character development than Marvel. Most Marvel books have been pretty much like a Star Trek episodes—totally interchangeable.

Now let me explain the picture at the top of this blog.

First, I want to make it clear that I am in NO WAY a fan of the Confederate flag or the South’s role in the real Civil War. I do however; think this picture shows just how idiotic some people’s views are concerning Marvel’s Civil War.

You see, I read a lot of blogs and forums, and over the past week I have been shocked at one recurring theme. It seems some of our fellow comic fans are convinced that the guys at Marvel are racists.

Apparently, Thor (who is a white supremacist wet dream—blond hair, blue eyes), killed Goliath because he was black. I thought it was a joke the first couple times I read it. By the fifth and sixth time, I was dumbfounded. What kind of glasses are you wearing to read Civil War #4 that way? In my opinion, you have to be quite a bigot yourself.

If the guys at Marvel were racist, do you think Luke Cage and Jessica Drew would have married and had a baby? Would Black Panther be a pivotal member of the Illuminati? I don’t think so.

Wait…Now that I think about it…Marvel did keep Bishop in Jerry Curls way to long.

What do you think?