by
Nathan Libecap
Civil War #4
Note: Last update I mentioned reviewing "Civil War #4, but being that Nathan Libecap, our full-time contributor to the comics page submitted a review before I wrote mine, I thought I would just post his. We're pretty much of the same opinion on this issue any way, so I see no point reviewing it twice. Thanks for the review Nate. Keep up the good work.
Well, it finally arrived. Civil War, for those of you who don't know, was supposed to be Marvel Comics' big summer blockbuster. It started out as a very promising story, which is a good thing. I made a deal with myself that if the story sucked I would never buy a comic book crossover, ever again. Those are the really tough decisions you have to make when you're in your late 20's. And I'm not afraid to make tough decisions.
The major plot of Civil War is that superheroes are so destructive and cause so much damage that they're more trouble than they're worth. So the government decides to make a law that requires all superheroes to register and reveal their real identities to the government. Any superheroes that don't register will be declared illegal and will be arrested by the government. So there's a big split with the two sides being lead by Captain America (against registration) and Robert E. Lee (for segragation) . Well, Robert E. Lee surrenders pretty quickly and Iron Man takes over for him.
The big deal at the beginning of the series is that Spider-man reveals his identity. Well, there was a big delay between #3 and #4. Like over two months. I waited and waited, playing out the "what next" in my head. Last week #4 arrived. By this time, I was more excited about my cable bill. So how was I repaid for my patience? You won't believe it, but someone dies in issue #4. Someone big. And that someone big is killed by someone who has been absent from the Marvel Universe for a long time: Thor. Why? I think Thor died too.
So Thor comes back and he kills...Goliath. Wooo. Goliath. Wow, I...couldn't care less. Was Goliath a big Marvel character? I've never heard of him as such. His death in the Old Testament was way more exciting, and the old Testament wasn't even drawn by Steve McNiven. Also, Sue Storm leaves the Fantastic Four. The way she leaves? Well, let's just say that the reading of a "Dear John" letter has never been more boring or anti-climatic.
There are three more issues of Civil War. My expectations are really low. It's a little sad to me that I won't be buying Marvel comics anymore. There's a few that I'll continue buying but this is my last crossover. The only thing that's going to get me to buy Civil War #5 is the last page of Civil War #4.
The government has decided to send a new group after Captain America's rebel group. Apparently Reed Richards thinks he can control this group even though he didn't control Thor very well. Oh yeah, that's the other big thing that happened in Civil War #4. It wasn't really Thor. It was a Thor robot or clone or something. Wow. And here I was so excited that the real Thor was back. ( Read that last sentence like I couldn't care less. )
The best part of #4? There's a part where the clone Thor is about to blast a big group of rebels. In the last pannel of the page he says "you are all going down." So you just know a big, beautiful splash page is coming. Some great action. So I turn the page and ... a double spread of ... the T.V. show "Heroes,"
(which I'm watching right now) . There's another reason why I won't be buying many Marvel comics anymore. Poorly placed ads.
What else sucks?
The T.V. show "Heroes" is really awful.
What's worth checking out?
"Wolverine" -the regular comic book.. Yeah it's by Marvel, but the art is beautiful.
"The Wire"-the best show on T.V. ( better than Deadwood...?)
"Fables"-another great comic book.
That's all for now!
Nathan