It seems strange to review a comic book so soon after I have announced to anyone reading that I'm on the verge of giving up comic books in favor of a new hobby, but having picked up my subscription copy of Civil War #6 just today (several days after its actual release, which should tell you something about how serious I was about not being as interested in comics as I used to be), I can say with certainty that I really and sincerely enjoyed it.
In a nutshell, everything comes to a head as Captain America's anti-registration squad (with new recruits Spider-Man and the Punisher) breaks into the pro-registration squad's Negative Zone prison, setting the stage for the big, final throwdown between the two factions. That's pretty much all I can say without spoilers.
While it seems to be highly fashionable among comic book (read: Marvel) purists to bash the whole series as out-of-character, a big gimmick, and similar such snipes, just as it was en vogue among many DC fans to tear Infinite Crisis a new @$$hole a year ago, and while I've certainly taken my own shots at the series (particularly in issue #4) I really think those die-hard naysayers should really just get bent.
The story is entertaining. There are no more holes in it than there are in a lot of movies that have worked on many levels. The script is engaging, the pacing is good, and the art is consistently stellar (though one can spot the chinks in McNiven's armor here and there; I guess the pressure of drawing the miniseries of the year can really get to anyone).
The story also works as an allegory, especially considering the recent news that Bush and his cronies in the White House are now authorized to open people's mail, thereby hitting home how scary it can be when the government can poke into every private citizen's last nook and cranny. It's like real life has caught up with the events in this story.
I know that Civil War is really just a jumping point for an all-new, all-different Marvel Universe which I won't really partake in for the most part, if at all, but really, this series really has had its moments and will, in my opinion, be well remembered by fandom in years to come.
Now I'd really like to see how this ends!
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