Civil War Journal – Week Five

Civil War Journal is back to help readers navigate the summer crossover with recaps of all the related books!

Welcome back to Civil War Journal, Bam Smack Pow’s weekly recap column of all things Civil War II. This week, five tie-ins take us from War Machine’s funeral to the secret whereabouts of Bruce Banner!

Previously: Captain Marvel saved the world by using Inhuman predictions to defeat The Celestial Destructor, but when she tried to get Ulysses to set a trap for Thanos, War Machine was killed and She-Hulk was put in a coma.

More from Comics

• X-Men: 6 reasons why Marvel’s mutants are the best superhero team
• Harley Quinn renewed for a fifth season on Max (and it’s well-deserved)
• Marvel Comics announces seven important X-Men comic books
• The X-Men were betrayed by Captain America in Uncanny Avengers
• Spider-Man: Miles and Peter team-up for their first ongoing series

What happened? In the Nick Fury story, Nick, Jr., is attacked by a bunch of double agents convinced by prophecy to kill him. He uses a lot of new technology to defend himself and fake his death in an explosion. In the Night Thrasher story, the resurrected hero saves people during the battle against The Celestial Destructor, and a little girl suggests he could do a lot of good work based out of Baltimore. In the Damage Control story, the company that cleans up superfights is going broke, and they need to figure out who has been vandalizing their Celestial Destructor construction site fast.

Was it good? The Damage Control story was really good – funny, with a Nick Spencer ear for corporate satire, and I want another Damage Control miniseries by Chad Bowers and Chris Sims. These guys made top-tier recommendations in Secret Wars with their X-Men ’92 mini, and it’s obvious that these are talented, clever fans. The Night Thrasher story was pretty dull, hinting at the history with the New Warriors but not actually covering it, and never covering how this man has risen from the dead this time. The upgrade to his tech is interesting enough that I’d take a look if this team got a Night Thrasher ongoing out of it, but this wasn’t a great showcase story. The Nick Fury story seemed out of place. The double agents are so pulpy and dogmatic, more like a bunch of Temple Of Doom cultists than a credible threat, and Nick Fury’s technology saves the day too neatly, like he has a magic bag that just gives him whatever the plot needs him to have right then. The prophecy itself isn’t even from Ulysses and has nothing to do with the Civil War II series. This story is going to be serialized across the Choosing Sides miniseries, and I’m not looking forward to it.

Recommendation: If you could just get the Damage Control story, then yes. Otherwise, no. Anthology titles generally don’t impact the main story, and this one seems to follow that trend.

What happened? Sam Wilson is asked to deliver the eulogy for War Machine, and the surviving Black heroes of the Marvel Universe (Sam Wilson, Misty Knight, Black Panther, Luke Cage, Storm, Doctor Voodoo, Nick Fury, Jr., and Monica Rambeau – Blade is out on a mission and I guess Miles Morales is too young) discuss a little of the ethical battle around using the Inhuman predictions for strategy.

Was it good? Very much yes. The eulogy is beautiful, the kind of thing that should have been in an Iron Man story or a dedicated War Machine one-shot, praising the character’s long history. And when a crossover kills a character of color, it is important that someone point out that these comics don’t have many prominent examples of Black heroes. This book isn’t a condemnation, but attention must be paid, and Nick Spencer is the man to do that.

Recommendation: Pick this up. It’s a story beat that Civil War II needs but that would have disrupted the main flow, and that’s exactly what tie-ins are for.

What happened? Captain Marvel gives Kamala Khan a handful of energetic sidekicks and sends her around New Jersey investigating Ulysses’s visions, explained here as “more like mathematics – he can determine, to within a fraction of a percent, the probability that certain events are going to take place.” Kamala is uncomfortable with the idea of profiling, but since it’s for individuals and not races, and because she sees early successes, she’s on board. But when the next assignment is to take out a classmate of hers, she tries to remember if she’s ever seen Minority Report.

Was it good? Yes. Profiling a group of people is a real-world application of predictive statistics that has enough moral argument to make for a compelling read, and giving the voice to an idealistic young Muslim woman crimefighter means the book could reasonably fall on either side of this debate.

Recommendation: Yes, pick this one up. So far, it’s going to cover the same ethical discussion as Civil War II but will relate more directly to your life.

What happened? Medusa brings Ulysses to The Ultimates to warn that Thanos is coming, and we see Captain Marvel put together her trap, with the eventual tragic casualties of War Machine and She Hulk. The team reacts with hurt and shock in the medical bay, and then Iron Man shows up loaded for bear.

Was it good? Carol’s emotional response, taking responsibility but not regret, is in line with how Bendis is writing her and a great take on the character. The book doesn’t give much of anything readers of Civil War II haven’t gotten at least once in the main book or on Free Comic Book Day, but if someone’s only reading The Ultimates, this would be a complete story for them.

Recommendation: Only if you’re already reading The Ultimates, which is not a bad idea in the first place.

What happened? Amadeus Cho healed the Hulk by absorbing his gamma curse. Bruce Banner has spent the last few months wandering the American Southwest, thrill-seeking a little bit and reveling in the fact that he can get as angry as he needs to be without turning green. This finally lets him tell Tony Stark what a jerk he and the other puny humans have been for not getting that he just wanted to be left alone, and getting that off his chest makes him cry with relief.

Was it good? Sure. I mean, Alan Davis art makes everything better, and this was a nice exploration of what it’s like for someone who never gets to be angry to suddenly have that release. But this hasn’t really said what it has to do with Civil War II. I mean, the end of Civil War II #2 had that vision of the Banner Hulk killing people, and Captain Marvel tracked Bruce down in the cliffhanger page, but if he’s not the Hulk anymore..?

Recommendation: Not yet, not until we see what role the character will play in the overall event.

So yet again, writers cannot agree on how Ulysses’s powers work, which is a problem when they are the MacGuffin for your summer event and their nature is the crux of your book’s moral theme. Ulysses himself barely showed up this week, and we got some of our best tie-in books, proving once again that Inhumans make everything worse. Next week, a Very Important Death is going to happen, so maybe that’ll tighten up the crossover. But my prediction is that this summer is going to be remembered as something of a disaster and swept quietly aside by Christmas.

Tie-In Round-Up:

Recommended: The main series, of course, with preludes from the zero issue and the Free Comic Book Day pages. Also Captain America: Sam Wilson and Ms. Marvel.

Good but not top tier: Civil War II: Amazing Spider-Man, Civil War II: Choosing Sides (but only the Damage Control story), Civil War II: Gods Of War, Civil War II: Ulysses, Civil War II: X-Men, Deadpool, International Iron Man, Nova, New Avengers, Totally Awesome Hulk, The Ultimates

Not good: None yet, but Choosing Sides has potential to drop here soon.

Keep up with the Civil War Journal by following this link!