Marvel Civil War

by Gary Sundt

 As Printed in The Lumberjack

As a comic book reader, it makes me sad knowing I missed certain things, like the first time “Spider-Man” hit the shelves, or when Batman first met Robin, etc.

However, it all feels OK when I think about how I was there for the “Marvel Civil War.”

“Civil War” is a seven-part miniseries by Marvel Comics. This event has been covered by CNN, the BBC and several other news outlets, and has brought several individuals flocking back to the comic books they stopped reading when they were in the 8^th grade.

I know most of you are thinking “Comics? Those are for kids!”

Okay then. Here’s the setup.

The government wants to pass a bill called the Superhero Registration Act, which would require all crime-fighting heroes to register with the government, revealing their secret identities in the process. Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, has been fighting this in Congress for a long time. Until now, he has been all but successful in keeping the Registration Act on the government’s back burner.

A mutant named Nitro, using his ability is to turn himself into a nuclear strike, “sets himself off” next to an elementary school, subsequently killing 612 people.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Iron Man sided with the government, insisting that the law is the law, while Captain America, the American Patriot, decided to fight against the Act. Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, She-Hulk and everybody else took sides. Now there is a civil war that is shaking the very foundation of the Marvel universe and will change the course of said universe forever.

While the mini-series itself is amazing, what sets “Civil War” apart from every other comic book event in the history of the art form is that it spreads to every major book in Marvel. What this means is that this is an event that really does affect the entire Marvel universe, with ramifications that cannot be ignored by a single character.

For example, in “Civil War” No. 2, Spider-Man, the guy who has protected his identity more than any other character in the history of comics, takes off his mask on live television in support of the Superhero Registration Act. Peter Parker has to deal with his secret identity being public for the rest of his life, and opens up his family and friends to danger from all of his major enemies.

This is just one of the moments in “Civil War” that will change the game for all Marvel superheroes forever.

While the event is a mere issue away from its climactic ending, there is no doubt it will be in graphic novel-form by May of this year, and for good reason. The stories and the art are some of the finest seen on bookshelves in a long time, comics or otherwise.

Some of you may have never read a comic book, and others may have forgotten about the art form a long time ago, but this one is worth it. It’s like watching a great movie or reading a great book: You want to know how it ends, but you have no interest in seeing that ending any time soon.

Note: “Civil War” did end, and it was an incredible finale. If you are interested in purchasing the graphic novel, or reading all “Civil War” related material, head over to “http://www.amazon.com/Civil-Marvel-Comics-Mark-Millar/dp/078512179X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206739294&sr=8-1″