Comics : Comic Reviews : Marvel Comics

Last Updated: Oct 20, 2009 - 7:25:21 AM

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Civil War #1 By Hervé St-Louis Jun 15, 2006 - 22:41:00 PM Publisher(s): Marvel Comics Writer(s): Mark Millar Penciller(s): Steve McNiven Inker(s): Dexter Vines

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Following an explosion created by careless young super heroes for a reality television show, pressure mounts on the American Government to introduce a bill to curtail and register all super heroes. While the public is not very divided on the issue, the super hero community is and leaders for each camp have taken sides. Captain America leads those against registration, while Iron Man leads the other. Who will prevail?

In my opinion, Marvel lost the fight with DC Comics for the dominance of the American comic book market in 2005. Apart for a few select series with unusual creators, most of the company’s books were not interesting. The visuals are some of the best, but some of the stories behind these gorgeous pieces of art are dumb. Civil. War is a step in the right direction and an indication that Marvel finally understands what makes it books good. Instead of playing catch up with DC Comics, Marvel delivers a grand story set in its familial territory.

There is no more destruction of characters like Avengers Disassembled which only alienated many readers. Instead, we get a civil war that splits all heroes but leaves the fan outside the wrestling game. All one has to do is sit down and enjoy the ride. The motion is set with an emotional tear jerker, the likes of which often influences public opinions and governments. The rest is history and only passing comments are required for us to understand the passion of people toward their super heroes.

One caveat, Captain America. In all likelihood, he should be on the side of the registration act. He never enjoyed any privacy from the government. But perhaps, that’s ignoring who Captain America really is. He’s the guy who invited more outcasts than anybody, including Professor X, to join his merry go round team. He believes in rehabilitation and offering second chances. We don’t see that in this story so he motivations are unclear. Still, the plot moves like clockwork and goes into action sequences quickly. It’s always a good thing.

McNiven is a great artist capable of capturing emotions and rendering actions. With such a gigantic cast of characters, it takes a strong illustrator who can seek out the individuality of each. McNiven has a realistic style that makes the characters almost lifelike. Yet, the action is not encumbered by the level of details.

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