Black Panther 24 & 25
The Black Panther sniffs out a traitor in the resistance movements ranks (although the revelation is saved for Civil War) while Storm goes to see her Grandparents in issue 24. Number 25 spotlights a confrontation between Storm and the clone/robot/what ever the hell it is of Thor that takes place during the final Civil War confrontation. The artwork is average at best but at least the writing improves. Hudlin still can’t resist having all the Black heroes winning there respective confrontations though (Storm Vs Thor, Luke Cage Vs Doc Samson, Falcon Vs Nighthawk). Am I the only one who finds this comic racist? Grade: C
Blade 5
SHIELD send Blade after Wolverine in what is a throwaway story with a resolution that comes as no surprise. Perhaps the most pointless Civil War crossover of them all. Grade C
Captain America 25
Cap is dead! Or is he? This is after all just part one of "The Death of the Dream". Dead or not this is still a great read and features a truly shocking climax. Ed Brubaker gives us three different perspectives on the man who is a living symbol of his country, and through them we see him as a man not a icon. Ex-partners Bucky and Falcon and Cap's lover SHIELD agent Sharon Carter offer different perspectives on the hero.
Steve Epting shows yet again that you don't need flashy panel layouts to be a great comic book artist, you just need talent and he has it in spades. Even if he is dead I'll be back for the next issue. Grade: B+
Civil War 6 & 7
The final two issues of the series bring some memorable moments but the conclusion left me strangely unsatisfied.
In issue 6 Cap beats Punisher senseless after he guns two criminals in cold blood but it's the conclusion of the scrap that makes it stand out. Frank Castle refuses to defend himself, unwilling to raise a hand against the living symbol of America. It's a deeply moving exchange with Millar showing a grasp of both these iconic characters.
The best moments in the finale, an all out action issue, are Hercules taking down the replica of his friend Thor and the Captain America realising the destruction the conflict has caused surrendering. So why am I unsatisfied? Well the good guy didn't win but that is so often the reality of war. It may not have been the ending I wanted but it was the right ending for the story. Of course we now have to suffer that self-righteous prick Tony Stark as head of SHIELD but that's a small price to pay for such a cracking story. Grade: B+
Article comments
1 - Q
Dude, invest in a spellchecker.
2 - Ian Woolstencroft
Thanks for the insightful comment.
3 - manfred
The Spiderman series are great and JMS is really leaving the title. The rumours are confirmed. The Spiderman teams are losing their top artists / writers with Mark Bagley and JMS leaving. Hopefully the next team will do grand as well but it's going to be tough to live up to the legacy left behind.