Marvel: Civil War

[The NZA]

 

This is looking to be a really interesting event, if it plays out like Joe Quesada is setting it up. Its an idea that's been in the X books for a long time, but never really acted upon, then Bendis ran with it on a scale like this in Powers, im lookin forward to it in the Marvel U.

 

Newsarama's got the full interveiw/hype with Joe Q here: http://www.newsarama.com/JoeFridays/JoeFridays30.html

 

But here's what's important...

 

Within the next few months, many of our titles will be percolating with word of a “Super Hero Registration Act”. What is it that causes that to boil over and what happens when it does? What happens when heroes are viewed as unlicensed ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ and they’re asked to register, be licensed, and also have their secret identities placed in a general database? It brings up some very important questions within the Marvel Universe that I think will also spill over into fandom and the outside world.

 

If our police or let’s say our military have to train to do what they do, have to be registered or licensed, then how can these masked unknown folks get away with what they do? And for our heroes, the question becomes even greater, but the real world metaphor is very clear.

 

Would you give up your civil liberties for your public safety?

 

Sound familiar? This is a question we’ve all had to deal with in this post-9/11 world. What will be interesting about Civil War is that we as the creators of the event aren’t taking sides; we’re showing both sides of this argument in as clear and fair a manner as we possibly can. It’s our heroes that may surprise you as to which side they stand on and the repercussions of taking a side or perhaps not taking a side.

 

If our internal editorial meetings on Civil War are any indication of how fandom will react, then there should be some hot times coming up on message boards. We have editors and creators that fall on both sides and the debates have been hot and educational. If we do our jobs correctly, then fandom will feel the same and find it all compelling, hence the hype, ‘Whose Side Are You On?’

 

NRAMA: ...Now, from what we understand, two of the current [New] Avengers will be leading each warring faction of heroes. Any comments as to which Avengers that may be? Captain America seems like a logical choice to lead one faction. And given the Illuminati’s role and the current New Avengers line-up, Iron Man seems like a logical choice for the other. How close are we?

 

JQ: That’s correct. The Civil War will begin with two of the closest friends and most powerful heroes being divided on the subject of registration. I’m not going to state which side they’re on just yet, but you can almost see how the scenes write themselves.

 

NRAMA: The events of March’s Fantastic Four #536 and the Illuminati special are both billed as leading into Civil War.

 

JQ: That’s correct.

 

Im just curios if this event stands to have long-term reprocussions like House of M has - will any large characters drop the mask, retire, go outlaw etc? Either way, its cool of Marvel to try something like this and try to maintain their analogy with the times.

[Newtype]

"The storyline centers on a secret past that was supposed to stay hidden from even the most trained electric eyes in the sky. Yet, as history will show us, most secrets are revealed in time. And when exposed, combined with events that have been unfolding in public view, these secrets point to new collaborations we never would have contemplated. In the case of The Illuminati, imagine a new world order! Expect such revelations in the New Avengers: The Illuminati. Witness Marvel's secret team ripped apart too soon after revealing their existence!"

 

Aside from his wolverin run Mark Millar has always done a good job writing a good story and with art from

Steve McNiven. Marvel comic have always had a bit of a dark side to it. Now things are going to get worst if you live in the Marvel U. But it still feels like it's been crowbarred in. The Marvel stories up to this point haven't needed there to be a secret club running things, and it definitely wasn't hinted at, whereas D.C's Crisis had been on the cards at least since Identity Crisis, and definitely since Luthor, all hopped up on drugs, said there'd be one. Marvel's lagging behind on 'THE MEGA-EVENT' stuff, and my worry is that this Civil-Crisis-War-Saga is going to trample on some of the good series that've come out of House of M,but far from the point. Hell, most of the pre-Civil War press seems to be pointing at House of M, Planet Hulk, Secret War and Enemy of the State as the big issues.

 

I mean, hell... look at how the chess game between whomever is running both SHIELD and Hydra vs Nick Fury is cracking open over in the Bendis books.

 

then it'll be lame, but I also think it'll be a good deal more involved in that.

 

And for that matter, how many uber-crossovers haven't involved most of the "Illuminati" members putting their heads together to fix things? The Illuminati have existed for ages in the MU, Bendis is just fleshing it out.

 

 

When fans talk about these events, the focus is often on the heroes, but when Brevoort says "Civil War" will impact everyone, he even means the villains. "Some pretty significant changes to the villains will be seen in 'Civil War,' especially once we hit around issue #4 or so. In some ways, we're going to be redefining what it means to be a hero or a villain in the Marvel Universe, so some characters you'd think of as heroes will be branded villains, and some villains may wind up appearing to be heroes."

 

Can't wait to see how that works out.

 

 

 

 

 

Now that I think about it. The Illuminati did appear in Daredevil occassionally ever since Matt was outed, haven't they?

 

It does make sense in looking back why, say, Dr Strange would give a shit about Matt's identity being revealed publicly, and also Reed Richards. I suppose they dragged Cap and Spidey along with them so it wouldn't look too sus.

[The NZA]

Good points. And youre right, im really hopin Bendis has this tying things up, because youve got a lotta loose plot threads here:

1) like you said, S.H.I.E.L.D. (according to New Avengers) is corrupt without Fury, supposedly working under whoever controls Hydra?

2) "Enemy of the State", which i thought was supposed to wipe out Hydra & The Hand, apparently only thinned them out. Somehow, Elektra's running the Hand now.

3) Secret War establishes why Fury isnt in charge anymore, but now that its finally fucking done, youre left wondering when Fury is coming back.

4) good call on the Illuminati: i think i first saw them in DD, and also wondered why they gave a fuck. I like that its the big players - Cap, Wolvy etc arent present here. And they all know what happend in the House oF M, right?

5) all this, plus you got only 198 mutants or so left, with some losing, then gaining back their fucking powers, like Icaman. Im really hoping there's more lasting effects from this arc.

6) Cap'n was telling me that there's some cosmic shit on the horizon, too, which makes sense given all the "lost enegry" after HoM.

 

...so yeah, that's a lotta shit, and to throw a governmental regulation policy on top of it? Jesus, i hope he can make this work, but he's done great so far, just...im kinda happy things arent as convoluted in the Ultimate U.

 

[Newtype]

I know the idea of a registration has been done with powers before (Marvel's Mutant Registration Act that never gets passed, JSA having to unmask during the McCarthy era, etc) but I like this idea. I always hated how the Marvel U had this line between mutants and people who had superpowers when it some cases it was impossible to differentiate between the two, so making all people with powers register makes more sense.

 

Also, after reading Ultimates #9, I'm much less worried about Millar doing this than I had been. He can write a crazy tale hitting so many plot points and setting up things great. McNiven is just an awesome artist and one of the few people that can bring the epic scope of Millar's writing into a visual form. After the Bendis invasion of the 616 for over a year, it'll be great to see someone else take the reigns for the big summer event.

 

Here's the thing though. Not many Marvel heroes even have secret IDs. The X-Men are all known, the Fantastic Four is well known, the Avengers are known save for Spider-Man and maybe Sentry but practically everyone in Marvel has a government file with all their info on it.

 

Captain America would seem to be the obvious choice to lead those loyal to the government. But maybe it's too obvious a choice. He has been pretty vocal lately about not likeing how things have been going, and how SHIELD has been corrupted.

 

And when the shit hits the fan Brother eye will release the Omacs .... oh woops wrong universe

[The NZA]

 

Yeah, Ultimates # 9 reminded me why Millar's great. He could really pull this off....there's hints that its gonna come down to Stark vs Cap, we'll see how that pans out.

About what we were talking about, with continuity & Fury...

 

NRAMA: "Last week you mentioned that you had a timeline that fit all of the major Marvel Universe events in order, but that it was not handy. Do you have that now?

 

"How does Nick Fury's timeline fit into all this? In Wolverine he is in the hospital, in Secret War/New Avengers he is in hiding, and in Captain America he is up and running the show. Is there an answer to all of this, or is it just a case of suspension of disbelief?"

 

Joe, in a larger sense, we got a number of question from readers are interested in how Secret War, Decimation, House of M, and The Other all fit together, along with titles like New Avengers and Astonishing X-Men, as well as other continuity issues like the many status quos of Nick Fury.

 

Can you address? Is there an editorial timeline you can share with readers?

 

JQ: Dang, Freedom, thanks for reminding me. First lets clear this up, it was the current problems with the Nick Fury timeline that we were discussing, not the entire Marvel Universe. I’ll leave that for greater, more patient minds than mine.

 

But that said, I just received these readers questions and I’m not in the office to gather up the info. Next week is tough too since many of us will be out of the offices for a series of creative summits. Please remind me in two weeks to get this info. Thanks for your patience

 

By the way, much of this will also be explained in Bendis’ Illuminati special.

 

[archangel]

Wow, things have changed alot since I last picked up a comic. i think I just might get back into them again lol

 

where the hell do I start tho?

[The NZA]

I think this'll largely be self-contained...the good thing is, a lotta books these days include the first "catchup" page with any essential info being right there..

Aisde from Liberalit, there's a few books i think you might dig, man.

[Iambaytor]

NBA Superstar Shaquille O'Neal is Kazaam, a larger-than-life genie with a magic touch for nostop fun laughter!  After 5,00 long years of captivity, Kazaam is set free to grant three wishes to a new master.  From then on, he's catapulted to one wild adventure after another... from becoming the latest rap sensation ot untangling an outrageous mob scheme! As the giant genie with an attitude, Shaq scores big laughs in this hilarious comedy hit that's sure to be a slam-dunk winner with everyone!

Edited July 22, 2018 by Iambaytor

[The NZA]

Good points, i think it was just for the spalsh page. I thougth that was Sasquatch from Alpha Flight, or a misplaced Chewbacca, but you might be right.

[APANCHALYPSE NOW]

Yeah, Chewie's in the Marvel Universe now (... oh that Bendis)!

 

What the hell ever happened to that faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. that I liked from Astonishing, S.W.O.R.D.? Supposedly they were the "Intergalactic Department" of S.H.I.E.L.D.! I guess they'll make thier comeback during "Annailation" (that cosmic event that's also supposed to start this year)! I haven't been reading lately so I'm outta the loop...

[The NZA]

variant cover to # 1 by Turner:

 

[Newtype]

: We had about four different endings for Civil War and it got pretty vocal yesterday as each idea was being debated. We spent four hours going back and forth, then the clouds parted and a ray of sunshine came though.

 

Literally as if out of a movie script, Joss Whedon appeared. Within 30 seconds Joss identified the elephant in the room and we had our ending. We managed to put together a bunch of the best solutions and it’s something truly sensational.

 

I'm looking forward to this more then ever now.

[The NZA]

Joe Q has a lot to say this week on Civil War...

 

 

NRAMA: Speaking of Civil War, any updates you got for us? Can you tell us more about the main storyline?

 

JQ: In the next few weeks we’ll be releasing more and more Civil War news so we just need fans to be patient. But as we’ve already shown publicly, we’ve come up with a very cool trade dress that we hope will catch people’s eyes in the comic shops. Variations of that dress will go across the prelude issues and tie-in books, so retailers will have an easy time selling Civil War product to old and new customers alike.

 

[editor’s note, the accompanying image is a mock-up by Greg Horn, and not a final cover]

 

JQ: It’s going to be pretty intense. Mark Millar keeps talking about Marvel in “pre” and “post” Civil War terms, and he’s right, the post-Civil War Marvel is going to be a pretty unique place. Lots of old faces returning, lots of new ideas coming forward the often mentioned genie back in the bottle and in many ways a brave new world coming out of all of it

 

It’s going to be a pretty unique experience and what gets me the most excited about Civil War is that anyone will be able to pick it up and understand it. You won’t need a road map, you won’t need to know much Marvel history to get into it other than the most basic ideas of who are characters are. If you’re a lapsed reader who comes back to comics because you’ve heard of Civil War you’ll dig it right away. If you’re a neophyte you’ll immediately understand the metaphors and the ideas behind them. It’s going to challenge readers, anger them, excite them, make ‘em cheer, and most of all root for the heroes no matter who they perceive that to be.

 

I can’t wait!

 

Oh, and then there’s that genie.

 

NRAMA: Ah, so that’s new. This now infamous second "genie" going back in the bottle ...it happens during or a direct result of Civil War?

 

JQ: Wow, I may have shot my mouth off a bit too much here. Lets just say that the genie will be rearing its head somewhere around the time of Civil War.

 

NRAMA: Hmmm, maybe Peter and Mary Jane vehemently disagree on the superhero registration act and it leads to divorce… a follow-up to “Civil War”….“Marvel: Matrimonial Dispute”!?

 

Feel free to use that…

 

JQ: Are you saying that the genie has something to do with Peter and MJ because I didn’t say that. But if it did, divorce would never be an option. Aside from the fact that having a divorced Spider-Man is just kind of icky, what kind of message do we send to young readers about love and marriage? It’s not someplace I would like to go. So, sorry, I can’t help you with that one, but keep pitching kid, maybe someday you’ll make it.

 

NRAMA: How about any Civil War tie-in projects?

 

JQ: We’re looking at tie-in projects right now. While some of the ongoing titles will tie in, we’re looking at keeping the number of new tie-in series down to a minimum. We’ll have more to report on that down the road.

 

a fan asks newtype's question:

 

“Icewing” asks, “From what I understand one of the major issues of Civil War has to do with the fact that the government wants all the superheroes to register and reveal their identity. My questions is - why is this an issue? We know that S.H.I.E.L.D. has extensive files on all of the heroes and villains, which we have seen in various events, the most recent being Secret War.

 

”Also, last year it was revealed that there is an 'Identity Disk' out there with all that information as well. So, my question is, why would the government go through all this when they already have the information?”

 

JQ: As far we know, S.H.I.E.L.D. has extensive files on some superheroes, based on outside observation, but not necessarily on all of them. These guys keep popping up all the time, hero and villain alike.

 

Beyond that, there's no legitimate oversight on most of these heroes. And the issue is less that the government wants heroes to be registered, and more that the public-at-large wants there to be some measure of accountability. It's not simply about knowing everybody's identity, it's about each hero having the same accountability for their actions that applies to Cops, Federal Agents, or CIA Operatives. More on this in Civil War proper.

 

And as I believe was clearly show by the end of Identity Disk that the Identity Disk in question was a sham.

 

NRAMA: “ArmyMonkey” - “In recent interviews, all three of the 'flagship' X-titles' writers have said that their books will have little to nothing to do with Civil War. In this line-wide event, how will the X-Men be handled? Can we look forward to a spin-off limited series? Will they be featured in the main series? And/or will the so-called secondary X-books (i.e. New X-Men, Cable/Deadpool, X-Factor, etc.) be dealing with it most directly?”

 

JQ: ArmyMonkey, the X-Men will appear in the Civil War series itself and in that all will be made clear. There is a very logical reason why the X-books won’t be directly involved in “MCW”, at least immediately. To give that away would be to give away a few too many story elements than I’d care to.

 

But let’s just say that perhaps there may be some off-world activity occurring in the world of X.

 

Whoa, who said that?

 

NRAMA: “Scribe” – “Given the hero vs. hero goodness of the upcoming Civil War, is there a particular one-on-one fight you are personally looking forward to (and whom does it involve?)”

 

JQ: Scribe, you sneaky devil you. You’re trying to get me to spill at least a small portion of who will be taking separate sides...But ha, I’m no fool!

 

Okay, I am, but I’m still not revealing this ... not yet.

 

That said there is a small skirmish between Spider-Ham and Howard the Duck.

[The NZA]

Those who've read the end of Spider-Man: The Other saw Stark making a few moves that aim to keep Peter on his side, biggest one prolly being the new suit...

 

 

 

Also, Newsarama has the first few pages of Illuminati up, and the book's due out in march.

[Silent Bob]

Spidey's new suit looks like ass buuuut that's just my opinion.

 

Since he's really the only character in the normal Marvel U that I actually care about, I gotta bring it up. I notice DD makes it onto both of those covers. Isn't he a little preoccupied right now to care much about a Civil War?

[The NZA]

eh, i kinda dig it, in that "i know its a temp" way.

And youre absolutely right, but you gotta know continuity's all over the place in marvel right now...Hulk's on another planet, should be public enemy # 1 after terrorist actions while under the Hand, Cap oughta be in therapy after Winter Soldier, Punisher's not even in normal Marvel U these days, Iron Man's got new powers and troubles (like Spidey), and uh, the X-Men are in shambles. But you know, its a big event, so everybody shows up.

[The NZA]

According to the new solicitations, feces will soon be hitting fans at high speeds.

 

Marvel Comics’ full May 2005 Solicitations are due tomorrow (Wednesday 2/15) at 12pm EST, so bookmark this URL and look for them here then.

 

Until then, Marvel has given Newsarama the “go sign” to preview preview a couple of highlights for the month, including a look at Steve McNiven’s cover to Civil War #1. Look for the premier of Civil War covers each month here at Newsarama over the next seven months.

 

Other interesting looking projects include the premier of Marvel Adventures: Avengers that appears to have its own unique team roster; Wolverine: Origins #2 with the full cover Newsarama premiered in b&w a few weeks ago; and last but certainly not least, we offer the last preview (which “replaces” the monthly series for one month in May) without commentary… although it’s a good bet we’ll be talking about this Friday with a certain Marvel Editor-in-Chief…

 

CIVIL WAR #1 (of 7)

Written by Mark Millar

Pencils & Wraparound Cover by Steve McNiven

Variant Cover by MICHAEL TURNER

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE MARVEL U IS CHANGING AND IT’S TIME TO DECIDE: WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

A conflict has been brewing in the Marvel Universe for over a year, threatening to pit friend against friend, brother against brother--and all it will take is a single misstep to cost thousands their lives and ignite the fuse! As the war claims its first victims, no one is safe as teams, friendships, and families begin to fall apart. Civil War, a Marvel Comics event in seven parts, stars Spider-Man, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the entirety of the Marvel pantheon! Civil War – the cross-over that rewrites the rules - begins here in this double-sized first issue!

48 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99

 

 

WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #2

WRITTEN BY DANIEL WAY

PENCILED BY STEVE DILLON

COVER BY JOE QUESADA

Variant Cover by BRYAN HITCH

The new ongoing series continues! By mounting a full-scale assault on the White House, Logan has now clearly shown that both no one is beyond his reach. Knowing that Logan is coming for them—and knowing that he will stop at nothing in order to achieve his mysterious objective—the world governments now prepare to take the offensive. The U.S. government, having the most to lose, strikes first and strikes hard, fighting fire with fire. Who better to combat the Weapon X program’s most successful specimen than with its most bloodthirsty? One hint: Gimme a red.

32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$2.99

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

(..nuke? from frank miller's daredevil run? that could be awesome)

 

 

FANTASTIC FOUR – A DEATH IN THE FAMILY - ONE-SHOT

Written by Karl Kesel

Pencils & Cover by Lee Weeks

The Invisible Woman is dead! As Reed cradles his murdered wife, lost in grief, and Ben rampages after Sue’s killer, Johnny defiantly decides to do whatever it takes— no matter the cost or consequence— to see his sister alive again. What he does will change the way the Fantastic Four look at him forever. “A Death in the Family”-- not a dream, not a hoax... and not to be missed. Includes bonus Fantastic Four issue #245!

64 PGS./Rated A ...$3.99

 

Again, check back Wednesday at 12pm EST for Marvel's full May offerings...

[The NZA]

No way would Marvel use a huge crossover event like this to bring back a formerly-dead character. No way.

 

[Ganny McVagflaps]

The only good Thor is a dead Thor.

 

Or an Ultimate Thor.

 

Straczynski kindly retire from writing comic books. I was thinking about how he did Spidey wrong and for a second the thought of Marvel scrapping everything Spidey since 2001 and getting a John Byrne relaunch sounded good.

[The NZA]

i say thee nay....Thor was good with uh, Simonson, Ennis, and that short Ellis run.

 

Straczynski hasnt been on point since Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, and his early Spidey stuff, i think. But i dont know that Spider-Man: Chapter One is the answer to anything but terrorism.

[The NZA]

 

Marvel's breakin up happy homes this summer...

 

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

but wont sue be dead anyway?

[Newtype]

To think all this stuff starts with the new warriors.

 

5 bucks say cap is against this shit.

[The NZA]

youre serious? it starts there?

also, i was figuring Tony'd be the "against" side....

[Newtype]

It something the new warriors do that finally gets the goverment to pass the bill. There's been hints about it in some of the mavel books for some time now.

 

As for cap. He lived and fought in WWII. So he may not be happy with the superhero act. It may reminded him of the camps. That's what I think anyway.

[archangel]

Ok, I've just realized how long it's been and how far out of the loop I really am.

 

Susie is dead? Since when?

 

And what the hell is Logan doing attacking the White House?! Xavier would let that happen?

 

ok. To get myself up to page, where the hell do I start?! Comics seem a bit more confusing than they did when I was a lad.