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Civil War : The Road to Civil WarReviewed by Lawrence Cicchetti
The Road to Civil War is the story that shows the conflicts that lead up to the superhuman civil war in the Marvel Universe. It starts with Avengers: Illuminati, the story of Iron Man, Namor, Blackbolt, Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic, and Professor Xavier, and their secret meetings starting not long after a story that happened back in the 1980s in which the entire planet was in danger and they wanted to truly stand together. Then around modern times, Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. deal with the Hulk rampaging through Vegas. The Illuminati meet once again to discuss what they should do. Iron Man thinks that the Hulk should be terminated, but Namor thinks that it is a form of betrayal. Long story short: Namor and Iron Man get into a fight and there is a large grudge between the two. A “satellite” suffers some malfunctions and the people inside are in danger. The Hulk comes to their rescue to find that there is no one in there; instead a display comes on and it is Mr. Fantastic, Iron man, Blackbolt, and Dr. Strange. There is a short message and then the ship warps away. The third time the Illuminati meets, they discuss a bill that was handed to Iron Man under the table. The bill discusses the requirement of every superhuman to register themselves under federal law. Namor and Dr. Strange feel it is a bad idea, Namor leaves and Strange tries to reason but disappears. Blackbolt and Reed stand by Tony on the situation, but eventually Tony is left by himself in the dark. The next story in the graphic novel is Fantastic Four #536-537. It is about Dr. Doom’s return from hell and attempt to capture Thor’s hammer. It starts with Reed’s return from the last Illuminati meeting, Sue wonders where he was, but the discussion is cut short by an emergency call from a fort in Oklahoma. When they get there the place is overrun with Doombots, which could only mean that Latveria was attacking America, but Doom shows up. Doom tells his story of how he escaped hell and he blows up the fort. In place of the fort was a crater, and at the bottom laid a hammer. Doom gets to the bottom only to be stopped by The Thing, but he is simply pushed aside, temporarily blinded. Doom makes his way to the hammer and grabs it… a flash comes out and he stands there dumbstruck still trying to pry the hammer away, but calls for his ship to pick him up and disappears. The next stop on the Road to Civil War is Amazing Spider-Man #529-531. It is about Peter Parker’s trip to Washington, DC with Tony Stark (Iron Man). But before they get on the plane, Tony gives him a new Spidey suit, the same colors as his suit and almost as high-tech. They set out to discuss the superhuman registration bill. The first day doesn’t go so well, especially when they exit the building. As soon as they get out they are attacked by a Russian assassin known as Titanium Man. Spider-Man fails to take out Titanium Man, but mysteriously he leaves. The next day Spider-Man shows up to the discussion and leaves a very deep point into the minds of the senators. This graphic novel doesn’t have as much as its sequel, but this story has more of a deep effect rather than an adrenaline rush. It talks more about philosophies and ideas rather than hates and fights. More Images :
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Authors:
New Avengers: Illuminati: Brian Michael Bendis, Fantastic Four #536-537: J. Michael Straczynski, Amazing Spider-Man #529-531: J. Michael Straczynski
Because this is more about ideas and such, I think it will last longer than other graphic novels. It shows more of an importance in individuality rather than people having to be in groups.
