After several months of not-desperately-inspiring build-up, Civil War finally gets underway, to properly launch Marvel's own 70-odd part summer crossover.  Unlike DC's recent effort, this is pitched unambiguously as a project which is new reader friendly, something which I'll consider a little further in Monday's Article 10 column.

Nonetheless, the striking difference with Infinite Crisis is that Civil War is not a story aimed at hardcore continuity wonks.  On the contrary, it actually has a straightforward story concept - the registration of superheroes as a response to the collateral damage caused by unregulated amateurs.  And since Mark Millar is writing it, the book certainly hits the ground running with its first issue.

Of course, since this is the set-up issue, Millar has a practical problem: Marvel have already told us all the set-up across a multitude of interviews.  If you keep half an eye on the usual news sites, then nothing here is going to be a surprise.  But it's still material which has to be covered, and while Millar may not be subtle, he certainly burns through this act with energy, getting us where we need to be in time for the end of the issue.  Compared to the lacklustre pace of last year's House of M, this is a big step up.

Steve McNiven's artwork is generally a little too fiddly and exact for my taste, but he delivers strong work here.  The second action sequence, with Captain America escaping the Helicarrier, is a little tough to follow, but most of the book is talking heads, and those sequences are great.  It's always nice to see one of these books being drawn by an artist whose primary concern is to tell the story rather than to be flashy.

As for the central concept, I still have my reservations. At least there's a reasonable degree of precedent for this kind of thing in the Marvel Universe.  My initial reaction was that the story didn't provide a strong enough motivation for such a public backlash, but in fairness, the Marvel Universe public have always displayed a healthy distrust for their superheroes, and they've been talking about registering them on and off for twenty years now.  Bearing that in mind, I can buy into the idea that they only need a tipping point.

But Marvel seem to be approaching Civil War as a civil liberties metaphor.  I'm not convinced it works on that level.  After all, the anti-registration faction are effectively arguing for unlicensed vigilantes roaming the streets.  This is tough to argue for, and Captain America is reduced to making the rather lame point that it's always worked in the past.  The real reason why the Marvel Universe has always tolerated vigilantism in the past is simply that it's a superhero universe, and vigilantes are a key part of the genre.  It's just one of those things we turn a blind eye to.

Consequently, I don't think this holds up as a civil liberties metaphor.  It's really a story which challenges one of the underpinnings of the genre.  That's interesting in its own right, but I have a sinking suspicion that it's not the approach the creators are going to take. 

Still, Millar may prove me wrong - and with any luck, he'll stick to his strengths and just deliver a big fight for everyone else to weave stories around, rather than trying to do politics.  Giving them the benefit of the doubt for now, it's a very promising start. 

Rating: A-

back | continue