Saturday, March 10, 2007

Now that Captain America is dead...

…I can admit that I loved CIVIL WAR, Marvel Comics’ recent crossover series. Perfect synthesis of Mark Millar’s work on WANTED and ULTIMATES with the regular Marvel Universe; great art by Steve McNiven; and a plot that holds together beautifully, with lots of twists and turns.

(Disclaimer: I’m working on a few different Marvel projects right now. But I’m fully capable of keeping my mouth shut about projects I don’t like.)

The ending of CIVIL WAR actually shocked me. You can’t read it without irony; it’s the absolute triumph of one, extreme point of view. Not what I expected at all, and much more powerful than the two sides shaking hands and deciding to work things out.

The comics internet, of course, hates CIVIL WAR with a passion. Here are some random replies to their objections:

• Turning “Speedball” into “Penance” does not equal the decline of Western civilization. It’s just Speedball.

• If you think the book is crap, it sounds weird to also complain about it being late. (Retailers excepted.) That’s like the old joke about bad food and small portions.

• Reed and Sue Richards have split up before, in stupider stories than this. Mommy and Daddy will get back together eventually.

• Yes, if you really sit down and think about it, “Clone Thor” is kind of a silly idea. So is “Thor.”

10 comments:

Stuart Moore said...

Whew. Finally I'm off notice!

Anonymous said...

As to your point about readers complaining about how bad Civil War is while also complaining about how late it isbeing akin to the bad food/small portions joke. I, however, think that it is a valid complaint because the lateness of Civil War was not isolated; it caused the delay of books that were actually good. (Such as Brubaker's Captain America.)

Stang said...

I look forward to discussing Civil War when I get caught up with my comics reading. As of this week, I'm up to JLApe.

Stuart Moore said...

Have fun with "Nuff Said," too!

(He said, as one of the perpetrators.)

Peter said...

Wait... are you saying Captain America... died?

The Retropolitan said...

Captain America is dead to me.

Anonymous said...

A friend said CIVIL WARS read like it was started by Keith Olbermann and finished by Dick Cheney.

Anonymous said...

Then wouldn't Cap have to have been shot in the face? And the media not notified until the following day?

Greg Morrow said...

Bah on Civil War. Any series in which Captain America loses, and which takes the position that he was right to quit, is a series that, at the very least, does not understand Captain America.

Not that I have a strong opinion or anything.

Caleb said...

The story in which Reed and Sue broke up which you linked to featured Namor riding a giant turtle.

Civil War featured no one riding any giant turtles. In fact, there wasn't a single giant turtle in it, being ridden or otherwise.

Therefore, that story you linked to about Sue and Reed breaking up can't possibly be stupider than Civil War.