Aside from those initial complaints, the Iron Man/Capital America: Casualties of War one-shot is actually a well-written accompaniment to Marvel's massive Civil War event. Christos Gage has constructed a story that, while wordy and a bit cumbersome, does lay out the essential ideological conflict that's driving the event. When Iron Man and Captain America meet in secret in the ruins of Avenger's mansion, they attempt to talk out their differences, hoping, perhaps unreasonably, to end the schism tearing the superhero community apart. They reminisce about old times, argue, and verbally spar, applying their views on registration to events in the past, such as the death of Gwen Stacy and Tony Stark's alcoholism relapse. The script succesfully conveys the feeling of two old friends torn apart, hopelessly trying to patch things together without backing down from their respective positions, and the alternating tones of hope and despair the story strikes resonate with the reader.

 
However, the art, from penciler Jeremy Haun and inker Mark Morales, is a little disappointing. While Haun is certainly a capable artist, I find his characters too static, and lacking in fluidity, like characters frozen mid-motion instead of snapshots taken of moving figures. While the book consists mainly of dialogue, this probelm isn't necessarily too distracting. However, in the inevitably final fight scene, and many of the flashbacks, it makes the action seem stilted. A little bit of dynamism could have helped to liven the issue up, and that's lacking here to a certain degree. The story-telling is clear, however, and some of the layouts create a sense of cross-cutting that is effective, but still, the art is the weak point of this comic. Ultimately, Iron Man/Capital America: Casualties of War, like the discussions the characters have, doesn't solve anything, and doesn't progress the overall story any further. But it helps flesh everything out a little bit more, and is about as satisfying as two men arguing can be.