Wolverine: Civil War Review

Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: Humberto Ramos

I read the crossover story Civil War, and planned on reading, and reviewing the tie-in novels that I had, and although I read them I never got round to reviewing them. I am however hoping to do that now, and am continuing with the this Wolverine tie-in volume, with this being my seventh review on Wolverine.

Plot

After the deaths of innocent people in Stamford, CT causes the start of the superhero Civil War Wolverine decides to track down the man responsible, Nitro.

Review

This was yet another brilliant tie-in story to Civil War, also being a great Wolverine story. Marc Guggenheim did a great job of putting Wolverine into this event, as with the X-Men staying out of the Civil War, I was wondering how Wolverine could have a tie-in story, and this story showed perfectly how there could, and should have been one. The drama, and excitement in this story was simply outstanding, as it had a great atmosphere, with brilliant tone. It also had some amazing action that was fitting of a Wolverine story, being explosive, and exciting, whilst also being gritty, and slightly graphic. The emotion in this story was also great, as although Wolverine doesn't produce your normal sad, or happy emotion often, there's a lot that he cares about, and this is shown through his rage, which Guggenheim handled perfectly, adding depth to his character throughout this story.

I was in two minds whether I liked the art in this story, as although I usually love Humberto Ramos' art, I wasn't entirely sure whether it suits Wolverine. Now I loved how he drew Wolverine in costume, as he looked amazing, but the problem I had was that outside of costume Ramos went a little over the top, as the hair was a little too jarring, and the distinguishing features of Wolverine were enhanced too much. The action however was handled perfectly, being very graphic, and explosive, and if Ramos either kept Wolverine in costume all the time, or improved his look outside of the costume he'd be perfect for this series. Ramos' layouts were also brilliant, adding depth, and tone to the story, also giving a brilliant atmosphere to the story. The colours from Edgar Delgado was also brilliant, making Ramos' art more vibrant, also adding more texture, and tone to the finished artwork.

With the X-Men staying out of the Civil War, Wolverine would have a dilemma, as although he sided with his team, he wanted to do what he felt was right, and that was track down Nitro. I loved the interaction that Wolverine had with both Cyclops, and Emma Frost, as although he was friends with them at the time, he didn't always see eye to eye with them, and this is obvious during this interaction. I also enjoyed seeing how he interacted with members from his other team, the New Avengers, who were mainly involved in Civil War, and I especially enjoyed his interaction with Iron Man, and Luke Cage.

What I liked most about this story was that it actually showed something getting done about Nitro, as although he was only the catalyst to start the Civil War nothing happened about him in that story, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I am however happy that there is a series that is dealing with it, and what better series than this one. Besides Wolverine's personality the fact that he isn't on either side of this war makes him the perfect candidate to track down this killer. I also loved seeing Nitro himself, and the fights he had with Wolverine throughout this story was amazing.

This story would also see the involvement of Atlanteans, and with the Atlanteans come their ruler, Namor, who wants justice for his cousin, Namorita, who was killed by Nitro. The inclusion of Namor usually adds excitement, and this time was no different. I found his appearance to be very interesting, and the interaction between him, and Wolverine was brilliant, only being beaten by the small fight that they had, which was simply outstanding. I also loved how this would develop from another part of Civil War that got forgotten, and it was very appropriate that it was developed in this story..

Following the main story there was an issue that would showed what happened to Wolverine during his healing process. Now you may say that this was a cheap additional issue, as a fair chunk of it was the reprint of events from the main story, with new thought boxes added, as well as some additional sequences in between the events. I did however like it, and felt it was a very unique addition, and a nice extra. I also loved how there was thought put into it, and although it wasn't a necessary addition, it was a nice addition.

Final Verdict

This was a great tie-in story, and it was great to see some development from the actual Stamford incident. The story itself was also very gritty, and dramatic, having the perfect tone for a Wolverine story, also having great action sequences, as well as a great addition cast. Due to all this I'd easily recommend this story, as it's a great accompaniment to the Civil War event itself, and although it's not necessary to get Civil War as well to enjoy this I'd highly recommend doing so, as that is a tremendous story itself.

Rating: 9/10

The next Wolverine book I'll be reviewing will be Wolverine Origins: Born in Blood.

Punisher War Journal: Civil War Review

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artists: Ariel Olivetti & Mike Deodato, Jr.

I read the crossover story Civil War, and planned on reading, and reviewing the tie-in novels that I had, and although I read them I never got round to reviewing them. I am however hoping to do that now, and am continuing with this Punisher tie-in volume, with this being my first review from the Punisher War Journal series.

Plot

After killing Stilt-Man, Punisher looks for the person supplying villains with high teach weapons, finding a new ally in Stuart Clarke. Punisher the joins Captain America's Secret Avengers after saving Spider-Man.

Review

This was a very good book, and a great opening story for the series. Matt Fraction does a great job of starting this series, using the Civil War event to it's best advantage. I also liked that despite it being a Civil War tie-in that it managed to divert from that story, as with Punisher featuring briefly in the event I was worrying that this may just be a direct copy from Punisher's perspective, but it turned out to be so much more. Faction also added plenty of drama, and suspense in this story, also giving some exciting action sequences. Fraction also got Punisher's characteristics right, and I loved both the dialogue, and the thought boxes that Fraction wrote, as he really seems to understand the character well, as some writers haven't grasped his characteristics in the past, so it was nice that Fraction was able to do this, as although this wasn't the best Punisher story that I've ever read, it helped with the overall quality.

The art in this book was mainly done by Ariel Olivetti, with Mike Deodato, Jr. doing the last issue in the book. Now both artist did an amazing, job, and although I prefer Deodato Jr.'s art over Olivetti's, Ollivetti's suited the Punisher much more, as Deodato Jr.'s art had too much going in it, and felt a little too dark. It also didn't help that the Punisher didn't appear much, but even when he did, he didn't look as rugged, and rough as he did in Olivetti's art. The detail in both artists art was amazing, with very few imperfections. I loved the layout of Olivetti's art, as it was so dynamic, and dramatic, giving a lot of tone to the story. I also loved how Olivetti handled the action as it was very explosive, and exciting, as well as entertaining. The colouring in this book was also brilliant, with both Dean White, and Rain Beredo doing a geat job, though I did feel that White's gave a much better tone that Beredo's.

This story would start with the Punisher killing Stilt-Man. Now I've enjoyed reading stories with Stilt-Man in them before, but he isn't one of my favourite villains, so to be honest I wasn't upset about him getting killed. I did however find this to be a great way of starting the story, as it felt like the start of a Punisher story, rather than an attempt to throw him into an event. I also loved the interaction between Punisher, and Stilt-Man, and how that despite him now being a hero, he was still a killer in Punisher's eyes, which is how the Punisher should react, as he doesn't see heroes, and villains, just good guys, and criminals.

Punisher would then go onto try and find the person supplying the villains with upgrades, eventually finding Stuart Clarke, who used to go under the name of Rampage. Now I found the interaction between these two characters to be very entertaining, and the way Clarke's hatred for Iron Man was utilised was brilliant, as with Iron Man leading the pro-registration side of the Civil War it's nice to have things connect like that. I also enjoyed that despite getting off on the wrong foot how they managed to form an unusual alliance, with Clarke becoming his new Microchip.

During this story Punisher would be pursued by G.W. Bridge, who decided to hunt down the Punisher after he killed Stilt-Man. Now I'm not overly familiar with Bridge, only knowing the basics, and that he was an ally of Cable's at one point as a member Six Pack. I did however enjoy seeing him in this story, as I love seeing powerful characters in Punisher stories, but especially when they're relatively ordinary. I also liked the fact that he really disliked Punisher, and that he would go to any lengths to stop him, something that we haven't seen too much over the last few years.

Finally Punisher joins up with Captain America's Secret Avengers, by brining a near dead Spider-Man to their base. Now I loved Punisher's involvement in the main Civil War story, and it was nice to see his perspective of the events, as although I was glad that this wasn't a carbon copy, I was also happy to see some similarities, as it wouldn't be a good tie-in otherwise. I also loved seeing Punisher interact with Cap during this time, and how all the heroes questioned whether it was the right decision to have Punisher with them. I did however find it slightly disappointing how the Secret Avengers base was a lot planer in this version, as although it suited this story more than the one from the Civil War series itself, I'd have preferred a bit of continuity, even if they were only a little more similar.

Final Verdict

This was a great tie-in story, as well as a brilliant start to this series. It may not have been the best Punisher story ever written, but it had all the elements that a Punisher story should have, feeling very gritty, and realistic. It also had plenty of drama, and suspense, as well as tremendous action. It also had some great developments for the future of this series, also having some great additional characters. Due to all this I'd recommend this story, as it was a great tie-in, and a brilliant Punisher story.

Rating: 8/10

The next Punisher book I'll be reviewing will be Punisher War Journal: Goin' Out West.

Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways Review

Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Stefano Caselli

I read the crossover story Civil War, and planned on reading, and reviewing the tie-in novels that I had, and although I read them I never got round to reviewing them. I am however hoping to do that now, and am continuing with the this Young Avengers/Runaways tie-in volume, with this being my second trade review on Young Avengers, and first for Runaways.

Plot

After the Runaways are attacked and targeted by S.H.I.E.L.D. the Young Avengers go to lend a hand, but aren't greated with open arms. Meanwhile acting S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill enlists Warden to track down the Runaways.

Review

This was a great story, and one of the better tie-ins that I've read, with Civil War in general producing some amazing tie-in stories. Zeb Wells did a great job at bringing these two great young groups together, and although I've never read the Runaways before (even though I've heard that they're series' are great), Wells made me love them. He also did a great job of adding drama, and suspense to this story, whilst ultimately keeping it fun, like a young team story should be. Wells also did a great job with the action in this story as well, adding excitement, and entertainment, whilst also allowing it to be slightly gritty, and dynamic at times. The dialogue, and interaction in this story was also spectacularly handled, adding a lot of depth, and more drama to the story. Wells also added an unique twist with the direction he went with this story, which made it even more interesting.

The art on this story was simply amazing, and Stefano Caselli did an outstanding job. The detail in Caselli's art was simply outstanding, with very few imperfections. The layout of Caselli's art was also very dynamic, adding more depth, and drama to the story. I did however feel that the backgrounds were a little plane, with not a lot happening in most of them, but I could easily live with that, as in general his art was spectacular, being very dynamic, and unique. The action sequences also looked amazing, and Caselli added plenty of excitement, and suspense throughout them, with them being very explosive, and entertaining. I also enjoyed how he drew the characters, especially the Runaways, but I didn't feel his style suited Wiccan, as he looked a little squarish at times, which didn't look natural. Caselli did however do a great job at showing the characters emotions, and overall he did an amazing job with this story.

This story starts with the Runaways saving a group of Capekillers from Flag-Smasher, and then getting hunted by other Capekillers for doing so. Due to this S.H.I.E.L.D. acting director Maria Hill enlists Warden to help her. Now I found this to be very interesting, as it showed just how far the Super-Human Registration Act would go, as it's not bad enough that these are kids, but they're being hunted for helping protect S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Capekillers. I was however not surprised with this, and it would be a brilliant catalyst for a great story.

Due to S.H.I.E.L.D. targeting the Runaways the Young Avengers see it as their duty to protect these young heroes, but when the two teams first meet they don't get along well, getting into a fight. This did however give a great explosive fight sequence, adding great excitement, and considering the events leading to this meeting it's natural that the Runaways would feel this way. The interaction between the two teams itself was however amazing, and really entertaining, and I really enjoyed seeing them eventually team-up.

I already mentioned that Maria Hill enlisted the help of Warden, but I thought I'd talk a bit more about what I thought of his appearance in this story. Now I'll start by saying that I'm not overly familiar with Warden bar the basics, but I did find it rather unique by going with him as a villain. I did however love his mentality, as although it's not very pleasant, or nice, it added more depth to the story, making it gritty, and dramatic, also giving us a villain that we want to hate, which is always nice.

The other villain in this story would be rather different, as Warden would use Noh-Varr to track, and capture the Runaways (and subsequently the Young Avengers). I loved seeing Noh-Varr as a bad guy, as having only seen him in Avengers stories, as well as the current Young Avengers series I've only ever seen him as a hero. The action between him, and both the Runaways, and Young Avengers was simply astonishing, being very exciting, and entertaining, and considering his background it was a smart choice having him as a villain, and Wells handled the character perfectly.

Final Verdict

This was an outstanding tie-in story, being one of the best tie-in stories that I've ever read. It had plenty of drama, and suspense, as well as superb action, and tremendous dialogue. It also had great character interaction, and wonderful development, being a tremendously fun, and entertaining read. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this to anyone, but would obviously also recommend the actual Civil War story itself to go with it, as although it's not essential, it is an amazing story, and would give better understanding to the background of this one.

Rating: 9/10

Civil War: Captain America Review

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Mike Perkins & Lee Weeks

I read the crossover story Civil War, and planned on reading, and reviewing the tie-in novels that I had, and although I read them I never got round to reviewing them. I am however hoping to do that now, and am continuing with the this Captain America tie-in volume, with this being my third review on Captain America.

Plot

As the superhero Civil War rages on, Sharon Carter is tasked with bringing in Captain America, Bucky Barnes continues his work for Nick Fury infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D., and Captain America feels it's his responsibility to stop a HYDRA group who's taking over an empty A.I.M. base. Also Bucky spends his first Christmas since regaining his memories, and reminisces over fonder Christmas', whilst also having to help the Young Avengers.

Review

This was a great book, and although the crossover event has slightly hurt the flow of the series, it's not affected it as much as some tie-in events do, still managing to stick to it's own story development. Ed Brubaker has done an excellent job on this book, giving three individual stories that merge together, setting up the future of the series, as well as playing nicely into the Civil War event. I also loved how Brubaker managed to use the event to his advantage, not letting it take over his series like some events do to other series'. There was also plenty of action, as well as some emotion, and conflict, making for a very dramatic, and suspenseful story. Brubaker also did an excellent job of showing how this has effected Sharon's career as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, as well as how Bucky's growing in this modern world.

The art was mainly done by Mike Perkins, with Lee Weeks doing the art on the Winter Soldier: Winter Kills special. Perkins art was simply amazing, and really realistic, with great attention to detail. The layout of his art is also brilliant, adding drama, and depth to the story, as well as helping to give tone. Perkins also did a great job of both the action, and the facial expressions, as you could easily see the character emotions, and the action was very explosive, and exciting. The colours from Frank D'Armata was also amazing, helping to give tone, as well as make Perkins art stand out more. Weeks art on the Winter Kills special was also very good, as although it wasn't to the same quality level as Perkin's, it was still brilliant, and suited the tone of the story, especially during the flashbacks.

The first issue would see Sharon go to a S.H.I.E.L.D. psychologist, telling him how Maria Hill has put her into a awkward position of helping to bring in Captain America. I found this to be simply amazing, with lots of depth, and emotion to it. I also loved how Brubaker handled the conflict within Sharon, and how she wanted to be loyal to Cap, without jeopardising her job as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I also liked how it referenced events from The New Avengers #21, but in a subtle way, not feeling forced.

This story would also see the continuation of Bucky working for Fury, by going into a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, and allowing Fury to take control of one of the body-double robots of him that S.H.I.E.L.D. have been using. I just loved how Bucky was able to show his own concerns, and opinions on the superhero Civil War, whilst also staying focused on his own agenda of finding Aleksander Lukin. I also loved the action, as well as the interaction between Fury, and Bucky, as it added drama to the story, as well as some depth.

This story would also show that Cap hadn't forgotten about his responsibilities, by stopping a HYDRA group form taking over an empty A.I.M. base. Now this was actually probably the weakest part of this story, as although it had some amazing action, it didn't feel as unique as the Sharon, or Bucky parts, also having less depth to it. I also questioned how Cap was able to have time to do this, as from other tie-ins, and the main event itself I wouldn't have thought he would have. All the same it was still a great part of the story, and very exciting, also delving deeper into Cap's thoughts on the Civil War.

This book would also feature the Winter Kills special which would show Bucky spending his first Christmas since regaining his memories. This was an amazing story in itself, and I've always felt that Brubaker's best work has came from the Bucky character. I also loved how we also got to see some of his time with fellow Invader, Toro, and how working with the Young Avengers in the present reminds him of his time as an Invader. I also loved seeing Bucky, and Namor interact with each other again, and overall this was a great additional story.

Final Verdict

This was a great tie-in story, and although it took away slightly from the pace that the series was going at, Brubaker used the event to his advantage, helping set-up the next story brilliantly. It also had some amazing action, as well as interesting character development, with plenty of depth, and drama. The extra story was also amazing, and I'd easily recommend this story to anyone, but would obviously also recommend getting the main Civil War story either first, or to go with it.

Rating: 4/5

The next Captain America book I'll be reviewing will be Death of Captain America: The Death of the Dream.

New Avengers: Civil War Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Howard Chaykin, Leinil Francis Yu, Olivier Coipel, Pasqual Ferry & Jim Cheung

I read the crossover story Civil War, and planned on reading, and reviewing the tie-in novels that I had, and although I read them I never got round to reviewing them. I am however hoping to do that now, and am starting with the New Avengers tie-in volume, with this being my sixth review on Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers run, and my fifth from The New Avengers series.

Plot

When an accident starts a superhero Civil War, Captain America, and Iron Man are now enemies, and the rest of the New Avengers have to decide whose side they're on.

Review

This was a very good book, and although in general I'm not a huge fan of event tie-in's, due to their quality usually being much poorer than usual, this was actually really good, and one of the best tie-in books I've ever read (though to be fair it helps when you have a brilliant event in the first place). Brian Michael Bendis did a great job of showing the effect that the superhero Civil War was having on certain character's, and although some of these one-shot stories were better than others, they were all brilliant. This style usually doesn't work in my opinion, as although they give unique stories, they're usually all over the place, but luckily that didn't harm this book too much. The stories also had plenty of action, and emotion, showing that although each character had a certain view on the war, that they all didn't want to fight each other, which was nicely shown by Bendis.

With this story featuring five one-shot stories, the book would feature five artists, with Howard Chaykin, Leinil Francis Yu, Olivier Coipel, Pasqual Ferry, and Jim Cheung working on one issue each. I usually hate multiple artists on the same book, but with this being a collection of one-shot stories, as well as the fact that they're all great artists allows me to make an exception. The only artist who's work I wasn't a fan of was Chaykin, as although it wasn't terrible, I didn't like the way he drew Cap, feeling that his art was a little too rough. The artists that stood out however were Yu, Coipel, and Cheung, which were expertly detailed, with brilliant emotion being shown. They're individual layouts also added drama, and dynamic to their respective issues, and they all did a phenomenal job. Now I've not forgot Ferry, as although I'm not his biggest fan (with some of his previous work being terrible), I enjoyed his art on the issue he worked on, but felt that it couldn't compete with Yu, Coipel, or Cheung.

With this book having five individual storied I'll talk a little on how I felt about each one, starting with the first one which saw Captain America have to escape from a group of Capekillers. This was one of the weaker stories in this book, as although it was good, it wasn't brilliant. What I did like about this story however was how Falcon was involved, and how Captain America was wishing that he was still frozen in the ice, and that he didn't like the position that he was in. His, and Falcon's confrontation with Hank Pym was also interesting, and very entertaining, and overall this was a decent story.

The second story would see Iron Man pleading with Luke Cage to sign the Super-Human Registration Act, with Cage not wanting to be forced to become as he put it a slave. This wasn't the best issue in this book, but it was one of them, having some very interesting subjects, showing the morales that certain character's hold. The issue also had some explosive action, with Cap, Falcon, and Daredevil, also making an appearance. I also enjoyed the emotional tone to the story, with both Cage, and Jessica Jones wanting to look after their baby.

The third story would see Spider-Woman outed by Iron Man as a triple agent, and would also involve HYDRA. This was also amongst one of the better stories in this book, probably holding second spot with the last story that featured Cage. Besides the amazing art it showed how Spider-Woman is as a character, showing that she's just trying to do what she feels is the correct thing, whilst at the same time trying to stay alive. I also found it interesting how quickly Iron Man would betray Spider-Woman, as although he's not always a trustworthy person, especially due to the events of Civil War, I wouldn't have expected this. The story also had plenty of action as well, being very interesting, and exciting.

The fourth story would feature Sentry, and show him trying to avoid the Civil War, by meditating in space, being confront by the Inhumans. Like the Cap story, this was one of the weaker stories in this book, as although it was interesting, it was a little too slow in my opinion. At the same time, I once again liked seeing the conflict, and Sentry's probably the best character to show this in, as he's a confused, and misunderstood character, wanting peace. I also enjoyed his interactions with the Inhuman's, which was also interesting, though still didn't take away from the slow pace.

The final story in this book would see a former Stark Industries employee, named Kenny infiltrate Avengers Tower, taking down the security, as well as de-powering Iron Man's Armour. Now in my opinion this was the best story in this book, as although there wasn't a great deal of action, it had plenty of excitement, as well as suspense, and drama. What I really liked about the story however was that it showed how the Civil War effected normal people, with Kenny being upset about his designs being used to go against Captain America. I also felt that this story also had lot's of emotion, as well as some conflictive motives, also feeling that it was a unique, and brilliant way of ending the New Avengers tie-in's to Civil War.

Final Verdict

This was an amazing book, with a collection of some of the best event tie-in's that I've ever read. Now the book itself wasn't perfect, as with the stories being different, and varied, it left room for inconsistency, as although all the stories were good to a certain level, not all of them were phenomenal. The phenomenal ones were however outstanding, and the action, emotion, and drama combined between them was awesome. I'd highly recommend this book, but would obviously also recommend getting the main Civil War story either first, or to go with it.

Rating: 4/5

The next Avengers book I'll be reviewing will be New Avengers: Revolution.

Civil War Review

Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Steve McNiven

Civil War was one of the first stories that I ever read, with it, and Batman: Hush helping persuade me to collect comics. The concept alone is intriguing, and the impact it would have in Marvel's future was also brilliant.

Plot

After the New Warriors, a group of inexperienced teen superhero's cause the death of hundreds of innocent people the Super-Human Registration Act is about to be put into place, which would mean that superhero's would need to reveal who they are, and work for the government, and when this doesn't go well with Captain America, and other hero's it starts the superhero Civil War, with Captain America's Secret Avengers going up against Iron Man, and the registered superhero's.

Review

This was a truly phenomenal story, and one of my favourite stories of all time, being my favourite Marvel event to date. Mark Millar simply did an amazing job on this story, and although his other work such as, The Ultimates, Kick-Ass, and Old Man Logan were all brilliant, this has to be his best work to date, showing why he's my favourite writer. Although I never read this story when it was released in comics, it was however one of the first graphic novels I read, and was the first that I classed as phenomenal. When reading the story I did however question to myself why nothing like this had happened before then, and although I'm happy it didn't, as we may never have had this great story, I do have to say that I believe this shows the levels that comics have developed in stature over the years, and why modern comics are a much more deeper form of storytelling than they were in the 60's-80's. Besides all that Millar made something that wasn't just thought out, and deep, but epic, and exciting, and it almost feels like you're watching a film when you read this, as the drama, and action, as well as the depth are off the scales. Although I didn't expect this kind of level when first reading the story, having not known who Millar was, since then I have read many of his stories, and to be honest it's no surprise that this was epic, as nearly everything he's done has been amazing to a certain extent. I also loved how Millar build up the animosity between the two warring teams, as it produced a brilliant atmosphere, allowing these character's to not hold back. There is however only one minor hint of negativity in this story, and that is the ending, as although I won't spoil it, it did feel slightly anticlimactic. At the same time I also saw perfect reasoning for this ending, and although slightly disappointing it in no way spoiled the quality of the story.

The art from Steve McNiven was just as phenomenal as Millar's writing, and although I've seen him do tremendous work in other series including, The New Avengers, Millar & McNiven's Nemesis, Old Man Logan, and Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few, this has to be the best artwork I have ever seen from him. The art in this book was simply splendid, and McNiven deserves to get a lot of praise for it, as although I'm sure Millar's script would be brilliantly detailed, describing the sequences, it's still up to the artist to make it come alive, which McNiven more than done. The dramatic tone of the art was immense and it truly felt like watching a film, but in a book, as everything felt so exciting, and vibrant. The detail in McNiven's art was also outstanding, as everything was perfect, whether it was the small details, or the explosive action, and it really made the art much more sleek, and appealing. The way McNiven drew the character's was also amazing, as although there were so many different types of character's, with different looks, they all looked brilliant, and although there was obviously some that looked better than other's, they all looked spectacular. The character's facial emotions were also pretty good, as although probably the weakest part of McNiven's artwork (and that's saying something as it's also brilliant), when he does show emotion it's phenomenal, and I especially loved the anger that came from Hercules throughout certain battles. Talking about battles the action was also outstandingly brilliant, and truly epic, as it was the perfect mix of disaster, and brawling, as there were times were the fighting was very elegant, and other's were it was down right brutal, which gave more depth, and drama.

This story started with the New Warriors tangling with Nitro, causing a massive explosion which caused the death of hundreds of people, including children. Now what a better way to start this type of story off, as to be fair if it was someone like Captain America that fought Nitro at the time there wouldn't be as much done about it, but due to the fact that these are inexperienced hero's, it made perfect sense. Another thing I liked about this was that having these young hero's in the form of the New Warriors added a level of fun, and lightness to the story, which is perfect considering nearly everything since that point will be gritty, and suspenseful. The fact that the New Warriors only really seemed to care about TV ratings also wouldn't have helped, as it showed that these young hero's had little concern for the public, and although that's slightly morbid, it make the start that much more amazing.

The aftermath of this would obviously be the Super-Human Registration Act, which would make anyone with superpowers have to sign, and register with the government, and S.H.I.E.L.D., also revealing their identities. Now this was a thing that had been building up for some time, ever since Nick Fury's Secret War, and the Scarlet Witch causing the House of M, also being mentioned in The New Avengers prior to this. Now although this caused a controversial debate over who's right, and who's wrong, I felt that it was great, as it would have changed certain readers opinion on certain character's, as with them being on different sides of the fence, some people will most likely class one side as bad, and the others good, whereas before that they'd all be good. I personally didn't have much of a change in opinion over character's, but at the same time I did find some of the characteristic changes shocking, whilst also overall finding it perfect for Marvel, as it would lead to a very interesting time.

Now the main question in this book was, "Who's side... are you on?" as Cap, and Iron Man square of against each other, with Iron Man supporting the Registration Act, and Cap against it. The way that Iron Man was swayed into making his decision was brilliant, and it really added another level of emotion, and meaning to the story, as although most people, me included would have seen him as a jerk, his morales were good, and he did honestly believe that this was the right thing, which in a way it was. The fact that Cap went against the Registration Act however was a little bit of a shock at first, but I quickly came to realise that it made perfect sense, as although he's worked for the government all his life, with people knowing who he is, that doesn't mean that others should be deprived their freedom of choosing. The other character's that chose what side they were on were pretty predictable, as with Fantastic Four being open, and Mr. Fantastic working with Iron Man on ideas to help humanity it made perfect sense, as did government workers like Ms. Marvel, Hank Pym, and others. The same could be said for Cap's side, as people like Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Hercules, who are all open minded, as well as for the people would naturally follow Cap. There was however one exception to this, and that would be Spider-Man.

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!

This is a spoiler for the story, but most people should know about this anyway, unless you're completely new to comics, but I thought I'd give the spoiler warning anyway. Normally you'd think that Spidey would never go for the Registration Act, as he holds his secret identity as a close guarded secret, more so than nearly any superhero, but at the same time, as he's been pals with Iron Man over the recent times it's natural that he'd side with him, but all the same when I first read this, the fact that Peter revealed himself to be Spidey it was a shock. I did however love the fact J. Jonah Jameson fainted at this news though. Anyway besides the Registration Act this would probably be the biggest change to happen in this story, as now that everyone knows who Spidery is it'd change his life, but I won't go into details as that would be too big a spoiler. The fact that Peter had a dilemma after revealing himself was however more interesting, as you'd have thought the fact of revealing his identity in the first place would do that, but it was actually the question of whether he did the right thing that lingered over him, which was brilliant, and really interesting.

This story would also feature the Punisher, which is a strange thing, as he usually stays out of the main part of crossover events, and only really deals with superhero's occasionally, so to have him in this story said a lot. I won't go into details as to why he was involved, or some of what he did, as it would give too big a spoilers, but I will say on what I though of this, and more importantly the interaction he had with Cap. Now to be fair Cap, and Punisher are very similar character's, if you take away the fact that Punisher kills villains, as they are both soldier's, and to certain extent patriots. The way they'd react would however be interesting, as although I can see why Cap couldn't get over the fact that Punisher was a killer, I'd have thought that knowing his story, and background that he'd be slightly easier on him, and try to help him rather than class him a lost cause. Besides the interaction Punisher had with Cap, he'd also pull his weight during his time in the story, and he was used perfectly, and overall the decision to add him was good, even if mainly to launch a then new series (Punisher War Journal).

A character that I always find interesting is the Watcher, as although he's not the most developed character, he's still very interesting, and always makes things exciting. For anyone who doesn't know who the Watcher is (probably not many) he's a being who watches the changes in the universe, never interfering and mainly appearing during times of great change, and disaster. This is what makes him interesting, as it usually doesn't bode well for the superhero community if he shows up, which means that there's a good chance that the story will be exciting. This was also one of the more rarer occasions, as the Watcher actually interacts with a character, and although I won't name who, as to avoid spoiling, it did make things more interesting, and unique, and his overall appearance in this went to show why he's interesting, even though he himself isn't exciting.

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!

Again this spoiler only really relates to people who are completely new to comics, as most people will probably know this, and although I do try to avoid spoilers at all cost, this was an addition to the story that I personally found very interesting. This story would see the return of Thor, or so it would seem, as when Iron Man's group were in trouble a being who looked exactly like Thor would show up. It would be revealed that this was actually a cyborg clone of Thor, being created from a particle of hair that Iron Man kept. The cyborg would later be known as Ragnarok, and would also be very different than the real Thor. To be honest when I first got this story I wasn't keeping up with comic events, so I didn't even know that Thor disappeared, but to see this cyborg clone was brilliant, and would also add shock, drama, and suspense to the story. The aftermath this character would cause in later stories would also be very interesting, as although I won't go into details as to avoid unnecessary spoilers, this introduction would turn out more important than just his role in this story.

This story would also see S.H.I.E.L.D., and Iron Man go to drastic lengths, using it's newly acquired Thunderbolts team in the capturing of rogue superhuman's. Now I don't know a great deal about the Thunderbolts prior to them working for the government, and S.H.I.E.L.D., but I believe that this was the first time they would, having worked for Baron Zemo prior to that. Anyway, the use of them in this story was brilliant, as besides the fact it would be the start of a new era for the Thunderbolts, it also showed the lengths, and levels that S.H.I.E.L.D. were going to to make their Registration Act stick. At the same time I also found it slightly ironic that leashed criminals would be hunting down hero's in the name of the law, and overall this was a very interesting, and a brilliant addition to this story.

Final Verdict

A brilliant story, and probably the best Marvel event of all time, this saw a dramatic change in the way the Marvel Universe would operate, as well as how it's character's would live. The action, and excitement in the story was outstanding, and the dramatic film like atmosphere that it gave was just phenomenal, making this a must read story. I would highly recommend this story as like I've said in my review, it was truly amazing, and well worth the read.

Rating: 5/5