Civil War #7 of 7
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Steve McNiven
Company: Marvel Comics
Well, it’s time to cue the house band, my friends and start heading to the back of the room and the double doors that lead on the next big thing, for the end of yet another crossover event has come. As to which one has been finalized this go around, well that would be Civil War, Marvel’s infinitely popular summer spectacular that has rocked the comic book world and topped the sales charts in almost every market. From that perspective alone, Civil War is unmistakably one of the biggest successes that has occurred in the realm of comics in the last five years. It’s brought in new readers, kept them interested and with the immediate fallout to occur in the pages of The Initiative (not to mention in almost every other Marvel book out on the shelves), it’s likely that fans will want to stick around to see what happens next.
But let’s take a moment to look at this final issue of this summer blockbuster through a different set of eyes. Let’s see it for what it truly is and for what it tried to be; and let’s inspect the bare bones of it, scrutinize the fine details, and see if it ultimately succeeds in doing what it set out to do. I’ll take a moment now to warn anyone reading this review, that from this point on there are going to be some MAJOR spoilers mentioned. So, if you haven’t already read the issue (And I know that there may not be many people who haven’t) and don’t want to be cheated out of the excitement of reading and experiencing the book itself for the first time, BEWARE!
To start, as with titles such as Wildstorm’s The Authority and Marvel’s other crossover Annihilation, Civil War has the distinct taste of having a “wide screen†style of storytelling attached to it. This is a story that has two factions of heroes fighting each other, duking it out in a no-holds bar cage match. And In theory, and perhaps done in the Ultimate Universe or in some multiplex, the grand and massive idea of seeing Captain America and Iron Man battling against one another would be an insanely cool visual. As it is though, for the main plot point for a comic book series, a seven issue one at that, the idea is less engaging and more to the point with this final issue, the whole kit and caboodle ends with a whimper instead of a definitive high note that makes any kind of sense.
For this, one has to point the finger at the writing as the main culprit. But before any negatives against this book are told, let’s first mention some positives, which the book does have. The two that stand out more than any other are basic things that you hope to find in any comic book: Good action and good Art.
Mark Millar can write the hell out of action. More to the point, he does it well on a regular basis. On the Ultimates, action is what it’s all about and it works and with Civil War, the action portion of the book doesn’t disappoint. We get to see fights that fans have more than likely dreamed of, things like Spider-Man single handed-ly taking out Bishop, Doc Samson, Radioactive Man and Mr. Fantastic. Not to mention Hercules (a favorite character of mine) kicking the living shit out of Thor’s clone and Invisible Woman mauling the Taskmaster. All of these are very cool moments that are made even better by Steve McNiven’s super detailed artwork. He takes the simple idea of a battle and runs with it, adding a flair and level of detail to the panels that really is quite striking and fun. You can actually go back to each one several times and with each visit, see new things that give the art new depth. For example, in the above mention battle with Spider-Man and the quartet he takes out, McNiven does what few artists do, and gives us the after image of the character as he strikes each blow and continues to move. Tim Sale did this exceptionally well in Daredevil Yellow, and while McNiven isn’t quite as good as Sale, the effect of the device is a great addition to his already large repertoire and makes the action that much smoother and pleasing to the eye.
But as good as the art is, a great story really is the backbone of a book. So, let’s get back to the meat of the story, the anima as it were, and see what is accomplished besides writing a few chunks of good action. Sad to say, not much else is accomplished. Yes, there are great moments peppered about here and there, but when you take them all as a whole, along with the idea that there has to be a winner of the battle in this issue, they don’t add up to much more than a mediocre Michael Bay action flick. There’s style but no substance, and that in a nutshell is the book’s downfall.
Endings are also important in the grand scheme of things. They can make or break a book and with Civil War, the ending feels immensely anticlimactic for all of the buildup that has occured in the previous issues. You have Captain America giving up, in mid-battle no less, after seeing the error of his ways. That’s it? No edgy death or giant alien invasion? No big bad appearing for a final showdown? Nope, afraid that’s it. That’s the ending that we’ve been waiting over a year for. Cap gives up, is put in prison and Tony Stark is made director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Yeah, that’s a bad ending, not only for a huge crossover event, but for any comic.
So, another crossover bites the dust and while most people have enjoyed the ride, I personally miss the crossovers of old. The ones that pit superheros versus supervillains and have clean cut and satisfying endings that make sense. I could blame my disappointment with this series on the mis-characterization alone but it really hinges on the fact that the story didn’t deliver and was heavily reliant on shock value to grab the reader’s attention. What could have made Civil War better? Well, maybe Scarlett Witch could have made a guest appearance at the end and said with much joy in her voice, “No more Civil War.â€
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Despite my mixed feelings towards this event, I surprisingly found it pretty satisifying, and I find myself pretty excited about the Initiative. The resolution was a bit rushed, and I`m glad it’s finally all over, but as long as Cap doesn’t die, I can hopefully look back at this as an interesting roller coaster of a diversion.
24 Feb 2007 at 12:21 am
QuoteCaptain America giving up was a terrible ending, I mean Cap gives up? I almost rather he was dead and that saying something because he is probably my favorite among favorites and has been since I was 14.
Are we to believe is he stupid? I’m not saying I thought this whole thing wasn’t wrong from the start, Captain America the man who symbolizes the American ideal should well know that this situation wasn’t one to be solved by smacking people around, but to have the story lay him on that desperate course, supposedly because he believed it was the only one to take, because he believed it was the right thing to do, than have him give up, just as he was winning - crying no less? Because fighting is mean? Because the living legend of WWII didn’t realize when he started this that innocents would get hurt in a war? Lame, just lame beyond words.
As to the Initiative, might be interesting, but having trouble seeing states like Alaska having much of a need for a full blow super-team, though as resident of Texas I did get chuckle out the team we got, three cowboys two Indians and the Armadillo led apparently by Yellow Jacket (though maybe he’s just a mentor or something) so what did Maine get Lobsterman? Maybe Maple Syrup Lass for Vermont?
24 Feb 2007 at 3:39 am
QuoteNot even going in to the gross mischaracterisation (how, by any margin, is Captain “I fought the Nazis in WWII” America surrendering to the bad guys a logical or satisfying ending?) and money-grabbing perpatrated by Marvel, the idea of every character either being employed by the government or an outlaw is boring as hell. Trying to make the Marvel or DC superheroes realistic is just pontless and harmful to the characters - in the real world there are no superheroes.
24 Feb 2007 at 6:27 am
QuoteJust an awful series on so many levels. I’m sure the leader of the Connecticut team in the Initiative is going to be the Underwriter.
24 Feb 2007 at 6:56 am
QuoteGlad to report I did not buy one title that was tied into another short-sighted sales pitch by Marvel. I did thumb through a few at the stands and my judgement was most always confirmed. Too many main role players were way out of character. Marvel stepped over the integrity they had built up over the years to “shake-up” their universe and push something that wasn’t built off the format of their company to begin with.
Civil War #7 concludes the Civil War arc and resolves nothing.
I fear Marvel has forgot what sent them at the door of bankruptcy in the 1990’s. And once again it’s all summed up easily in those words Nick Budd echoed above - “style over substance”.
Marvel continues to deliver a corporate approach that creates “an opposite effect”. That is, Marvel’s direction over several years or so has everything to do with my embracing so many of their competitor’s titles. While Marvel “dummy downs” their books to gain a quick market share, I see other books embrace greater integrity which impacts LOYAL customers.
Ford Escort was, I think, a best selling car over a number of years. It was incredibly affordable and gave great gas mileage. Also, as it approached 50,000 miles, it was in need of constant material repairs. Repeat customers shrank.
This may not be a car or hardly a Ford Escort, but the corporate strategy has many similarities.
So with that, I agree with Marvel in one aspect - the Marvel Universe will never be the same. In this case, however, after the dust has all settled I think the glass won’t be close to HALF full (or empty).
24 Feb 2007 at 8:39 am
QuoteWhile I’m just as disappointed int he series as anyone else, anyone who claims Cap surrendering is out of character doesn’t know the character. Cap fighting Nazi’s in WWII is completely different from battling it out with a bunch of other super heroes in mid-town Manhattan. While Iron Man and his cronies were certainly the villains of the story, they weren’t committing genocide.
If anything, Cap never would have started this war to begin with. He would have gone underground to continue fighting crime on his own terms.
24 Feb 2007 at 9:21 am
QuoteWell as I said, he should have realized that smacking on Iron Man wasn’t gonna change the law. What he should have gone through legal channels and gone before congress and exposed the registrations sides draconian abuses. But Marvel didn’t want that, they wanted a big brawl, and to have Cap take that route and then abandoned it because a few buildings got wrecked is just silly, they had him go to war and in any war innocents get hurt, to have that be sudden realization, to a man who supposedly a super solider is just ludicrous.
And no the registration side wasn’t committing genocide but they did have tanks rolling down the Bronx and “Cape Killers†firing on teen aged kids. They were, before there sudden reversal, portrayed as a threat to the nation’s freedoms, even employing mass murderers in their cause. It was just a bad idea and an even worse, ham fisted nonsensical conclusion.
24 Feb 2007 at 10:16 am
QuoteSee, I thought this issue was more in-character than the previous. Cap realizing he never should have engaged in this type of war, Reed protecting and apologizing to Sue, etc….which makes it inconsistant with the rest of the series.
Like it or not, you gotta give Marvel props for actually changing the status quo…I think things will be truly different in the MU for a while at least. Whether you like the changes or not, it’s pretty rare for a big event like this to actually deliver in that regard. I’m definitely the minority on this site, but I’m excited to see what happens next.
And there’s no denying the art was great. McNiven’s best work yet. Although, if Millar hadn’t given C-list characters a bunch of random and useless lines, it might have been released in a more timely fashion. Ah well.
24 Feb 2007 at 12:47 pm
QuoteI give Marvel’s Marketing props! The fact that anyone could sell the first issuse shows they have some balls
SHeild agents attacked STEVE ROGERS for not enforcing a law that had not become LAW YET! That’s really all I needed.
But then The pro-reg side were SO EVIL!
24 Feb 2007 at 1:01 pm
QuoteWell, I will give Marvel props for hooking me in, as much as I’ve complained about Civil War it’s had me talking and buying the books, least the main series, didn’t really pick much of the others I wasn’t reading already. Will there be a backlash? Time will tell.
I’m not so sure just how much things have changed though, like you said they did sort of make folks in-character than they we’re previously, no matter how non-nonsensical it was within the context of the premise they set up in the first place. And now we’re told that the nation at large seems happy with horrible civil rights abuses of the registration side. Cause all this time everyone was afraid of super-heroes. But in the end other than new super-teams and change in the director of SHIELD, how much of it will be real change and how much is simply the illusion of change?
On the other end of the spectrum, is change for change sake a good thing? Does shaking up the status quo make for better stories? I dunno, but judging from Civil War probably not.
24 Feb 2007 at 1:39 pm
QuoteWell, I think there are some good stories to be told in The Initiative, especially with creators like Dan Slott and Matt Fraction attached to them.
And they have changed the status quo, but you can only go so far. And if the stories turn out to be TOTAL duds, well…the status quo will be back to ‘normal’ sooner rather than later. Marvel is setting up almost their entire line for new directions, so the potential is certainly there - it’s up to the creative teams to deliver on that. And with creators like Slott, Fraction, Christos Gage, Greg Pak, and others involved with it, I’m thinking positively here.
24 Feb 2007 at 3:12 pm
QuoteI DO like the idea of Black Panther in FF but that’s about all I SEE good the last time Marvel made “There’s absoulutely nowhere to hide” changes was Onslaught Objectively CW IS better than that! But I still get such a pissy vibe from these stories such a feeling that my kind of fan is not really wanted..very well they don’t want my money.
24 Feb 2007 at 11:49 pm
QuoteI too am intrested in seeing the Panter in the FF, and as I fan of Duffie work I’ll be checking it out.
Kyle I hope you’re right in your optimism but when I see the editor and chief say things like he does in this excerpt from Joe Fridays interview, it makes me wonder.
JQ: Cap stops partly because he sees the destruction, but more than anything, he sees into the eyes of American citizens who are telling him he’s wrong. That to me, more than the destroyed landscape, is what hits home with Steve Rogers. He wears the colors of the U.S.A., a country by the people, for the people. Somewhere along the line, I believe, Cap forgot to look around and took for granted that because he felt a certain way about an issue, the rest of America did as well. It’s the realization that he went as far as he did and that he is so out of touch that, I think, struck the note it did and caused him to surrender. Does Cap change his mind and agree with Tony? Well, you’re just going to have to see over the next few months exactly how Cap feels about it. And mind you, that’s just what I read into it but I think the last issue of Front Line also helps to give a clearer picture of all of this.
To me Captain America has, ever since Stan brought him back, been portrayed as man who symbolizes the ideals his nation was founded on. A man who draws his inspiration from the founding principles of his country, principles that came from men who said such things as, “Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither” and were very skeptical as to whether the people would preserve liberty or give it up willingly. It’s always been made very clear he doesn’t represent the current US government, and also that he doesn’t represent the most popular contemporary opinions. By this logic if the mob were decide that slavery was a good thing, JQ’s Cap would say well I’m out of the mainstream so I must be wrong and I better fall in line. And yeah I know I’m coming off like an uber-geek here and I sorry, but like I said he’s probably my favorite character and I hate to see him written so badly. But to get to my point when the Editor and Chief seems to not grasp one of his most iconic characters I just have trouble having faith the house of his ideas.
25 Feb 2007 at 12:02 pm
Quotethe other point about Civil War is this is Marvel not Dc the pro reg side does’nt have to work very hard to come up with reasons why a law might be good. Magneto and Sabertooth have both been X-MEN, the HULK,Wolverine Ghost-rider etc the COULD have really have made it two-sided but with the ILumantuti attacking the Hulk the REAL point of the whole story is “if you’re smart you’re a dick!” Which I can’t help but think is a comfort to a lot of people.
25 Feb 2007 at 1:18 pm
QuoteThe talk is that it has potential, I must give Marvel credit for change, this is just the way it is and people buy it.
My type of fan is no welcome at Marvel, that is painfully clear. DC has opened a dorr and not earns the mjority of my dollars. It is with a tear in my eye much like Cap that I surrender to the destruction wrought by Quesada & Comany. The man who was one of “us” and suppose to bring a new golden age has tarnished that gold.
If you like it, good for you. Just keep buying after the event and the next event and the next event occur. I was loyal for years, but now have been dismissed as a customer.
25 Feb 2007 at 1:36 pm
Quotedc has always been more free for me. I’ve never LOVED DC so if do somthing I dont like it easy to blow off.
25 Feb 2007 at 1:51 pm
QuoteCap’s surrender was lame, but even the guys tackling him were out of character. I mean, he was just moments earlier getting mauled by psychotic supervillians. So then local Joes are going to run up and tackle him? It was forced at best.
25 Feb 2007 at 1:58 pm
QuotePersonally, I found the entire series to be contrived from the get go. Quesada may claim that the ending is realistic, but comics aren’t meant to be that realistic. Is it realistic that we’re meant to believe that the incident with Nitro was the first time in the history of the Marvel Universe that major civilian deaths resulted from a super powered battle?
For all Quesada’s harping about how a married Spidey hinders the kinds of stories that can be told about him, he sure doesn’t seem to have much problem with allowing another portion of the character’s concept to be cast aside (i.e. his secret identity).
Despite Marvel’s promises that there was no right side during the conflict, they did a good job of making the pro-reg side look like a bunch of dickheads. If there was no right side, why does Cap decide he was wrong at the end? Are we really meant to believe that Cap is that short sighted? If the majority of the people in the Marvel Universe wanted to round up superheroes and kill them, would Cap go along with that too because he lacked popular support?
I hate to wish ill on any part of the comics industry, but I really hope this series causes a backlash against Marvel sales-wise. Nothing at Marvel is going to change for the better until we start voting with our wallets.
25 Feb 2007 at 3:14 pm
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25 Feb 2007 at 10:13 pm
QuoteI’m very glad I didn’t read Civil War. I’ll stick to fun books like Brave and the Bold, Spirit, Runaways and Shazam! Monster Society of Evil.
26 Feb 2007 at 10:22 pm
QuoteOne of my online friends has this theory regarding Civil War and the Initiative that I found interesting. Basically most of us pretty much accept/suspect that real reason Spidey is back in the black costume is because of the forth coming movie, sure they provided story reasons but the tie-in factor is there.
Well as a player of morg he realized that set up for the Initiative sits very well with the set up for a MMO game, which we know Marvel is planning to put out.
What does an MMO need? Well, you’ve got everyone going to the same quest givers, for one thing. Generally, the thinking is that all players of a given faction should be able to take the same quest lines / missions and have a chance at having the same adventures. Interacting with the same NPCs. going through the same tutorial. It means you’re providing maximum content to everyone, stretching out the material you’ve developed, and no one feels gypped by their choices.
Except… that wouldn’t really make sense for the Marvel setting… until you have superhero registration and all the other fine stuff that comes out of Civil War. Superheroes taking missions from SHIELD. Superheroes getting trained, all by the same people. A giant Initiative where 50-some obscure superhero teams are running around, some with rotating membership a la the new Champions, most of which you’ve never seen, certainly helps to account for all these strange new heroes running around in a game.
Registration, SHIELD training, the Initiative teams seems to make it all work in a very MMO-like fashion.
And let’s not forget that there are actual, multiple “playable” factions now: New Warriors and New (Secret) Avengers types, Initiative registration people, plus the mutant camp…. PVP, baby!
Sure it’s a conspiracy theory but one I thought I’d share because it does make a scary kind of sense.
27 Feb 2007 at 9:14 am
QuoteThe side stories were by far better than the main title, but the main title wasn’t that bad. It left a lot to be desired, but it gave us the main aspects of the story. There’s NO WAY you could enjoy this by just reading the main title alone. I guess that was it’s failure, but in total this was by far a more superior story than Infinite Crisis. However, Annihilation ruled supreme. That series just delivered.
27 Feb 2007 at 12:59 pm
QuoteWow. That does make a scary kind of sense. To be honest, if that *is* the reason for the new Initiative, then I have to give Marvel some credit for smart marketing and planning. I mean, this may not really be the Marvel Universe I want to read, but it’s one that’d be a lot easier to play in.
Of course, because it involves smart marketing and planning, I’m not sure I can quite credit it to them. Marvel excels at hype, but smart planning? That doesn’t really seem to be their cup of tea.
27 Feb 2007 at 6:54 pm
QuoteI LOVED Civil War and I just collected the series itself. It was very easy to follow and it delivered. The ending was very poignant and touching to me. Average marvel citizens stopping Cap and clearly making their feelings known…….. and having Cap suddenly realize just how out of touch he was with the spirit of America….. was truly poignant….. and is an obviously great lead into a storyline appropriately titled ‘Fallen Son’.
Captain America was wrong. Period. He finally woke up and realized that. This is why I admire Marvel so much…. and why this former DC fanatic is dropping a slew of DC titles and picking up a majority of Marvel titles. Infiniet Crisis was a cop out and a failure for not addressing the issues between the Trinity. We still have NO iDEA how or why the trinity suddenly gets along. It was like all those years of tearing down the trinity….. only to have them suddenly get along and not bother having them actually confront each other and have a genuine confrontation. What a complete waste. IC had almost no character moments where something significant was revealed about any one person.
But Civil War was incredible. Characters actaully took stands on the issues and fought for them. And in the end, there was a clear winner and loser….. with actual consequences.
I find it funny that so many had complained inadvance that Marvel would probably just have Scarlet Witch pop by and undo Civil War………. but then remain upset when Marvel actually takes the story to its only plausible and realistic conclusion. The majority of the entire EARTH is in favor of registration….. not just the majority of the US people. The ending makes sense.
And as Mark Millar himself has stated….. Cap fans can be happy that he defeated Tony….. and Iron Man fans can be happy that he won the war. There was something in the story for everyone.
And it actually had an ending…. with great set ups for what is to come.
27 Feb 2007 at 7:34 pm
QuoteWell I feel like I’m beating a dead horse but, felt I had to share this tid-bit of Millar news.
http://kotaku.com/gaming/mark-miller/marvel-comic-writer-games-are-for-pedophiles-240281.php
Holy out of left field Batman! I mean we all slip up and say stupid things, or maybe he’s trying to be all controversial, but WTF kinda disconnected non sequitur thinking is that?
Well I guess it explains a lot.
Tune in next week when Mark tells us, “Parcheesi is for serial killers”
01 Mar 2007 at 10:49 am
QuoteI can’t understand why people keep saying that Captain America “gave up”. He didn’t!! He finally STOOD UP for the American citizens he supposedly fights for. When he decided to oppose the will of the people in CW #1-6, this was Cap quitting. Only at the end of Civil War #7 does he recognize that he had ceased fighting for democracy. By putting his personal views aside and allowing himself to be arrested he re-affirmed what he has always stood for (for better or worse). Amazingly, Millar was able to convince everyone to root for Cap’s side, then when it all ended people got upset. Why? Because, like Captain America, we were all wrong.
And somehow that makes the ending all the more right. And powerful.
05 Mar 2007 at 11:46 am
QuoteIf the majority of American people voted to bar women and African Americans from voting, would opposing that law be Un-American? Cap doesn’t fight for America; Cap fights for the American way.
We look back on this policy that actually existed and wonder, how did the American people ever believe this was the right thing to do. In seventy years, our grandchildren will look back on some of the policies we see as morally correct and wonder the same thing. Legal does not necessitate moral, and sometimes fighting for what is right isn’t terribly popular or safe.
A large part of the American way that Cap fights for is the tenant that a patriot has the right and duty to directly oppose his government by force of arms if needed when his/her government has become abusive rather than protective. That is exactly why, when Cap did indeed give up, it was completely out of character.
Don’t even get me started on why it was out of character for him to go directly to fighting rather than pursuing legal channels, but if he did in fact, need to fight, he would never have given up; he’s Captain friggin America!
The manner in which Millar wrote Cap’s character betrays both a misunderstanding of Cap and the American ideals he fights for.
05 Mar 2007 at 2:46 pm
QuoteThe entire Civil War Series is nothing but garbage in, garbage out. I’ve been reading Marvel since 1964, and this isn’t Marvel.
I wouldn’t recommend Marvel to my kids, my grandkids, or my students if this is what it’s become.
02 Sep 2007 at 9:21 pm
Quote