Broken Frontier

The Civil War finally reaches critical mass, fine tuning an explosive ending that will be talked about for many years to come.

Well, the wait is over and after a myriad of publishing delays, the final installment to Marvel’s Civil War comes to an end. I can’t say I expected this series to end in the manner that it did, but expect a much different looking landscape in the Marvel Universe now that it is finished. But is it for the better?

That question still begs to be answered and although a definite ending was reached, the implications resulting from it will reverberate throughout several other titles. In particular Captain America, since he’s obviously the one mainstay hero directly affected by the events of the War. It is here that he urges his troops to assemble as they come face to face with Stark’s army of pro-registration heroes. The battle ensues quickly and the one big highlight taking place within the melee is a scene of Hercules totally obliterating the cloned Thor. It sort of sets the tone for what’s to happen next as Cap out duels Iron Man, and then is forced to make a decision that he may come to ultimately regret.

So with this much action jammed packed into a single issue, you would think writer Mark Millar left himself very little room for dialogue. Well, that may be partly true, but this superstar writer always managed to reserve a panel or two for a key piece of dialogue. Such is the case when Captain America uttered those familiar words of "Avengers Assemble," or when Hercules lays the smack down upon the cloned Thor. All those moments were integral to the overall effect of the story, and I think Millar justifiably allowed his most important characters a chance to shine during the highs and lows of the story beats.

Of course Millar’s partner in crime, Steve McNiven was also up to the daunting task of keeping pace by supplying some strong moments visually. My favorite moment is when Hercules pulverized Thor and the talented artist added to that with several other gregarious type panels showcasing nonstop action. Every scenegelled together into a cohesive page turner from start to finish and there’s no doubt this series will raise McNiven’s profile extensively. I am looking forward to his next big assignment at the House of Ideas, and I am sure it will be as engaging and challenging as this series turned out to be.

In the end though, this series stayed true to the promise of delivering some of the biggest moments in Marvel’s history. I can’t say I have ever seen a civil war among superheroes that played out with this much drama before, but it kept readers coming back for more. My only big question here is how the new landscape of post-Civil War unfolds itself, particularly for a hero like Captain America. His actions at the end of the issue will have far reaching implications and I guess this is what made this series such a great read. It’s too bad for Cap, but now the Marvel Universe will thrive under a different leader and one that I hope can handle change. I guess only time will tell.