The thing to ask yourself before going into Civil War is ‘do I like change?’ I figure most readers of trade paperbacks do enjoy change. They enjoy villains rising from the dead, characters changing powers and even super-heroes getting killed. Not all the time mind you, but once in a while to shake things up. Well that’s exactly what Civil War does to the entire Marvel universe, and things will never be quite the same.

This is important for you TPB readers and I can’t emphasize this more, if you want to understand what Marvel’s Civil War was all about, buy this TPB first! I have read many of the other Civil War TPBs and some of them are downright confusing and most add nothing substantial to the main plot.

Long story short and a minor spoiler– chances are anyone knowing even the slightest about Marvel’s Civil War probably knows all of this anyway — the New Warriors which include Speedball and Namorita are starring in a reality TV show about super-heroes and to boost their ratings they raid a hide out for super-villains. Unfortunately they aren’t up for the challenge and things go wrong when the villain named Nitro uses his exploding power to kill everyone in a two block radius which just happens to include an elementary school. There’s major repercussions from this tragedy as the American people demand accountability from their super-heroes and in this case, accountability means un-masking.

What really sets things off in this book is the horrible way the current Director of SHIELD Maria Hill handled the situation in her briefing with Captain America which forced him to take a stance. In fact Cap took a stance so an extreme that he probably never would have done had cooler minds had prevailed.

So here’s the synopsis. Half of the Marvel super-heroes led by Iron Man agree to register with the government, get trained in how to use their powers responsibly and even draw a government paycheck. The rest of the heroes following Captain America believe the registration act is a violation of their civil rights and refuse to arrest and imprison super-heroes who don’t feel that they need to register. So of course, the two sides must clash.

Perhaps if the rebellious team led by Captain America had just taken a low profile and hidden things wouldn’t have turned violent, but these are still heroes, people who feel the need to be where the public needs them most, making themselves easy targets for Tony Stark’s team of heroes and the entire SHIELD force.

This is a great book as far as trade paperbacks go because with minimal knowledge of the Marvel Universe you can still easily understand what is going on, yet fanboys will enjoy the more subtle references that aren’t integral to the storyline. That’s the other great thing about this book as a read, it’s completely self-contained and meant to be just that. There’s a beginning, we see how and why the conflict began, there’s a middle filled with conflict and loss and finally there is an ending that offers closure. This is a result of the Civil War trade paperback fully covering a crossover event and the end result is a very enjoyable read.

Spoilers

Ok, this is going to take a while. The New Avengers get split down the middle as far as alliances go. The X-Men, constantly under watch by Sentinals refuse to get involved, but Bishop can’t but help to join in the fight.

Thor is back! Well, it’s not so much Thor as a clone of Thor packed with cybernetics thanks to Dr Pym & Mr Fantastic. As we soon discover this clone is faulty and in its’ first battle it slays Goliath with a lightning attack that blows a hole right through him. Goliath was giant sized when he died and that’s the size he was when they had to bury him. The Thor clone is killed in the final battle by Hercules.

Mr Fantastic is in deep with Tony Stark’s commitment to the registration act and the 50 in 50 initiative (50 states, each with at least 1 super hero team). Mrs Fantastic isn’t so sure and after watching the Thor clone kill one of her friends she defects and splits the family right down the middle which will have repurcussions to their relationship that go beyond this book.

As part of Tony Starks new initiatives and after years of painstaking effort to keep his identity a secret, Peter Parker unmasks himself on live television and tells the world that he has been Spider-Man since he was fifteen years old. J. Jonah Jameson’s reaction to the news is priceless.

The registration side drafts super villains to their side to help capture the rebels. We’re talking Venom, the Green Goblin, Bullseye, the Taskmaster, the Jester and Jack O’Lantern. The last two team up against Spider-Man in a tight sewer passage when he defects to the rebel’s side and almost kill the web-slinger before Spidey gets saved by the Punisher of all people – who apparently kills both of the villains. The Punisher joins with the rebels briefly before he murders two villains who were brought in to help the rebels and Captain America expels him as he calls him a murderer.

In the final battle, Namor and the Atlantians come to Captain America’s aid and the battle only stops when innocent bystanders jump into to restrain Captain America and show all of the super heroes the damage that their battle has brought upon the city. At this, Captain America surrenders himself and tells his men to stand down which is the beginning of the end for the man in blue and red. His followers are offered amnesty for their part in the rebellion against the registration act.

Just about everyone in the Marvel universe picked a side, fought for it and had their lives changed by all that happened. To me, this Civil War trade paperback is a must have for any Marvel fan, the companion books…not so much.

Story
Artwork
Value
Can It Stand Alone
Cool Factor
Average