Reviewer: Andrew Jastrzembski, adjastrzem@msn.com
Story Title: War Crimes: Part One

The death march that is Civil War is almost done

Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Steve McNiven
Inkers: Dexter Vines
Colorist: Morry Hollowell
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Production: Kate Levin
Assistant Editors: Molly Lazer & Aubrey Sitterson
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics
Variant Cover by: Michael Turner & Aspen

SPOILERS, SPOILERS, AND SOME MORE SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

With all the tie-in books and long delays, Civil War #6 finally hits the stores. Don’t get me wrong, I have been really annoyed with all the delays in Civil War as the next person. It is hard not to take this into account when you review a book. I hope Marvel takes notes and never repeats this mistake again.

Civil War has had some great moments such as the introduction of the fake Thor (Clor), the unmasking of Spiderman, and the introduction of the new Thunderbolts lineup, but that kind of momentum is hard to sustain. The series seemed to hit a rut somewhere around issue four that lasted through issue five, and after the lengthy delays this book has encountered, I was hardly surprised by some of the backlash from readers.

But this issue of Civil War regained some of my faith. It is not five-star material, but if you sit back and enjoy the ride, you will. It is kind of off topic but I have first mention that the Civil War tie-in books this week really enhanced my enjoyment of Civil War #6. Initially I was afraid that reading Civil War Frontline, Punisher War Journal, and Amazing Spiderman would give away something but they didn’t. Instead, it developed the storyline a little more and helped flush out some holes like how Cap’s team got into the Baxter Building undetected.

Now back to main show. The first thing everyone is going to notice is the artwork is just so darn pretty. Maybe it was worth the delays to have Steve McNiven’s artwork, and that is a big maybe. McNiven’s use of fine lines and well-proportioned bodies give a sleekness and fluidness to his art. Then add in his attention to details, such as uniforms and backgrounds, and the artwork really goes to another level. Dexter Vines and Morry Hollowell both deserve equal praise for their inks and colors, respectively. All three of them have turned out a top notch book as far as the art goes.

As far as the plot goes, there has been enough hashing of the politics behind Civil War. What I want to see at this point is the grand finale and the clash of the heroes that is pretty much been the promised payoff from the beginning of this series, and this issue sets the groundwork for just that. Mark Millar first gives a little more than half of this issue dealt with expounding upon the pro-registrations post-Civil War plans and the anti-registrations plans to spring their comrades from the negative zone. Millar has a lot of loose threads out there and he does a good job addressing all of them in a relatively short space. It is a good read and like I said, the tie-ins fill in some of the details in this part of the issue. One of the most fun aspects of these issues was a lot of characters from around the Marvel Universe pop up. It is like playing "Where’s Waldo" of superheroes. This approach really shows that this is effecting every corner and almost every Marvel hero, but the last half of the issue is where the pay off begins.

The anti-registration team goes for broke and tries to break the good guys out of prison. With their numbers dwindling and lack of support, the prison break scenario seemed like a given and big surprise, Iron Man and his forces were going to be there to stop them. I have to applaud Millar for throwing a curve ball with the Hulking. It was a little too subtle at the beginning of the issue that the he was going to replace Pym. I missed that one completely, but regardless, all the anti-registration heroes are free and ready for some payback. This is where Civil War takes a step away from the all the grandstanding about who is right and who is wrong. This series has now fallen back into same pattern of every big summer crossover: the last few mysteries are answered (Where is Clor though?) and the opposing forces prepping for the big battle.

And you know what, it is about time. I have enjoyed the series and this issue but this series should have ended months ago. I am ready for this war to get down to business and give us adrenaline pounding smack down we expect. Leave the Civil War aftermath to whatever tie in books are left. After all, they don’t have long before the Hulk returns, and we need time to save up their money for all the tie-in books that are bound to pop up along the way.



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