Marvel Civil Wars

I haven't read any comic books in a while. There haven't been any series that get my attention . And the stories in most comic series either frustrate or bore me. I still look for good graphic novels, but I've pretty much given up on comics.

Then Blair Butler on G4 TV recommended the Marvel Civil war series. She has always steered me right in the past, so I got the first comic. It was good. So i got a bunch more.

The "Civil War" event has 2 core short series. "Civil War", and "Civil War Frontline". The first is sort of an overview of events as they unfold, and the second is the story told through the eyes of two reporters, one a liberal, one a conservative. These two series have done a good job of summing everything up. They tell a good story, and the dialogue is smart and peppered with current culture references.

There's one part from "Civil War Frontline" where the two reporters, Sally and Ben, are sitting in a bar. Though they work for papers on the opposite end of the political spectrum they are friends.

Sally: I don't want to beleive it just yet Ben. But i don't think anyone at the White House could have scripted this Nitro thing any better. A school full of kids wiped out in a punch-up involving untrained, unsupervised, underaged super heroes. How's Jonah taking it?

Ben: Like he won the lottery.

Sally: Oh, God... I can just imagine: "Laydeez and gentlemen... In the red corner, the United States Constitution." "In the blue corner, the unstoppable tag-team of disinformation and paranoia, winner by two falls and a submission."

Ben: Hehh... That's the Bugle, all right. What did they give you at the Alternative?

Sally: Carte Blanche to write about the erosion of civil liberties in America. And can I link it to the wiretapping thing, if I would be so kind?

That sort of sums up the premise as well. That there was an incident, innocents were killed, and the government takes action. This action that the government takes splits the heroes we know down the middle. You end up with heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Daredevil, and the Fantastic Four lining up on opposite sides of the line.

Since this is an event that touches on almost all aspects of the Marvel universe, there are single, or sets of issues in the other series that you need to read to get the whole story.



Here's a checklist that helps.