Civil War #6 (of 7)

Released: January 3, 2007

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Mark Millar

Pencils: Steve McNiven

Inks: Dexter Vines

Colors: Morry Hollowell

Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos

Cover: Steve McNiven

 

[Editor’s Note] Out of respect for those who didn’t get Civil War on time because of the shipping error, I’ve postponed this review until Wednesday (obviously).

 

Oh, the hilarity of it all—the complete lack of surprises, the anti-climatic showdown, the weak feints at neutrality, the even weaker attempts at emotion, and the complete scorn for any real contemporary relevance. It’s all there in its unabashed self-amusement. If Millar really thinks this is the best he’s ever written then he’s either highly self-delusional or poorly misjudging his earlier (better) work. I’ve already given one rant on this series that sums everything up nicely, just read my review of Civil War #5. Nothing has changed on those topics since then.

 

I’m sorry. I’m just too cynical at this point to take anything Millar says seriously. They’re nothing but drive-by comments, given little room to breathe, develop, and turn into a real discussion. Instead the fighting and plot are crowding out all the themes and ideas behind the whole event, like most Millar stories of this type.

 

The front synopsis states clearly that the Registration Act forces all paranormal persons to register whether they were committing vigilantism or not. The problem with this concept is that it makes the Registration essentially the same as the Mutant Registration Act, something Marvel has tried to avoid entirely. Even this could have been a source of good drama since what exactly is a ‘paranormal person’. Does Shang Chi count simply because he knows martial arts? Does Tony Stark even? THAT would have caused a lot of good drama. But what that phrase specifically ignores is the idea that many of the superheroes are being forced to work for the government, just registering isn’t enough (something established in the satellite books).

 

It goes without saying that the series is pretty, it better be since we waited so long for it. The Dr. Strange scene, in particular, is gorgeous and gives the scene the perfect mood. But pretty visuals and superheroes slugging it out over nonsense is hardly enough to make it all worth delay, money, and hype.

 

I’m tired of the Civil War—I’m ready for it to be over. I’m ready for Marvel to stop producing ‘big events’ and stick to a year of focusing on the series themselves. Corporate Marvel may not let that happen having realized the profit generated from these giant crossovers. Business demands either higher sales or (in its mind) stagnation. Hulk War is on the horizon and I really couldn’t be less enthused.

 

Rating - 5