Civil War Journal – Week Eleven

Civil War II releases the worth-the-hype Accused one-shot and crosses into five other books with varying success.

Welcome back to Civil War Journal, Bam Smack Pow’s weekly recap column of all things Civil War II. This week, the long-solicited Accused one-shot sees the light of day, the events of the war affect the Vision and his ex-wife, and Spider-Man 2099 gets to claim tie-in status because Ulysses was watching him.

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

Previously: Captain Marvel has been using the visions of Inhuman Ulysses to plan big moves, but She-Hulk was critically injured in one mission and Hawkeye killed Bruce Banner in another.

What happened? Daredevil is tapped to prosecute Hawkeye for the death of the Hulk. All the dialogue from Bendis’s courtrooms scenes in Civil War II #3 is faithfully represented, but Marc Guggenheim loads this one-shot with the tension. Daredevil believes his side is right, but he also thinks the trial is rigged in his favor to promote a resurrection of the Superhuman Registration Act, and he has to make difficult legal decisions in order to secure a fair trial for his enemy.

Was it good? Very. I liked Brian Michael Bendis’s testimony scenes, and this author respects them while folding into a parallel narrative, not just rehashing what we read last month.

Recommendation: I’m recommending it. It gives depth to a big part of the Civil War II series, and Marvel hasn’t had enough legal dramas since we lost She-Hulk (to cancellation of Charles Soule’s series, not the coma that Thanos put her in) (though the coma, too, was bad).

What happened? Quicksilver races to his sister’s side to tell her about the Civil War brewing. She actually agrees with Captain Marvel’s position – as a witch, she’s comfortable with the use of oracles, and she used prediction to guide the missions of Force Works when she led that team in the 90s. But she thinks hero fighting hero is freaking stupid and declares herself Switzerland rather than get in that muck. And Quicksilver is such a jerk to her about it that she calls him a sociopath and says she will never see him again.

Was it good? It was great. It didn’t really help the main series, but Scarlet Witch is one of the top books Marvel is putting out right now, and writer James Robinson is genius to reduce the bombast of the Civil War down to an understandable sibling rivalry that moves both characters along their greater narrative arcs.

Recommendation: Okay, for people who just want to read Civil War II, this is one to let slide. But for fans of the Avengers, the Scarlet Witch, or fighting with their own siblings, this is a wonderful work.

What happened? Scarlet Witch’s ex-husband, Vision, is tired of the ways Kang has messed with his programming, so he asks Ulysses for advice on the ethics of hunting down the time-traveling conqueror and killing him in his crib. Ulysses’s answer is, literally, “…” So Vision bounces around time and kidnaps baby Kang.

Was it good? Umm, it was a good Avengers story, giving spotlight to an iconic team member and pitting him against a classic villain, something Mark Waid excels at. But the tie-in banner of the cover is justified because the Vision almost gets advice from the Inhuman at the heart of Civil War II? That feels like cheating.

Recommendation: This book is not recommended for the Civil War II crossover, but it’s a good one-shot and does address the “Would You Kill Baby Hitler?” part of every debate about profiling.

What happened? The team is reeling from the near-death of teammate She-Hulk when Ulysses predicts that Nico Minoru is going to kill a girl named Alice. Medusa and Captain Marvel want to arrest Nico until they can figure this out; Dazzler is against it, and Singularity joins her just to keep the peace. Nico, ever the Runaway, teleports to her safe house and finds a town overrun by mutation into bug-monsters. The patient zero of this outbreak? Alice.

Was it good? Yes, the grief over She-Hulk was well-done and necessary, and the team’s split over pre-emptive arrest felt organic and true to the established dynamics.

Recommendation: It’s good, and readers should keep it in mind, but Ms. Marvel and Sam Wilson make better arguments about profiling and the main series is doing a fine job showing Captain Marvel’s regret about her teammate’s injuries.

What happened? When Captain America 2099 opens a portal to her home time, data floods in and gives Ulysses a vision that she will be crucified in front of Spider-Man 2099. So Spider-Man 2099 reopens the portal to try to warn her.

Was it good? Kudos for the first joke of the summer about “Ulysses? Tried reading it once, couldn’t hack the stream of the consciousness style, gave up halfway through episode two.” But Ulysses is barely involved in this story, and when Miguel asks Peter Parker if the vision is “one hundred percent going to happen,” and Peter responds, “Not necessarily,” we have once again ended the stupid War about using predictive data in two lines of dialogue.

Recommendation: Spider-Man 2099 is a solid mid-level title that I wish more people would read, but it’s not doing much to help the main summer event.

What happened? Phil Coulson, fired from S.H.I.E.L.D. for listening to Iron Man’s side of the War, breaks into Captain Marvel’s office to see what’s going on with her side. He finds a description of a vision that Daredevil will be killed in a fight with the Wrecking Crew on a bridge, but when Marvel preemptively arrests the Crew, they bust out of their transport. On a bridge. Where Daredevil can help stop them. Coulson saves Daredevil’s life but challenges Marvel that her actions to prevent the vision may have caused the vision. And he’s so disgusted by both Iron Man and the Captain that he vows to find a third side to support.

Was it good? It was better than the last issue, that’s for sure.

Recommendation: It’s still not good enough to move out of the lowest tier for me. Yes, it makes a nice argument against Captain Marvel, but that argument is being made across the Marvel publishing line this summer.

So this week, one book is firmly embedded in the crossover, three others have a lot to say about choosing sides and acting on predictions, and two get the bump in sales from tying in to the summer blockbuster without actually interacting with it in a significant way. Buyer beware – we love you here at Bam Smack Pow, and weeks like this are why we do what we do.

Tie-In Round-Up:

Recommended: The main series, of course, with preludes from the zero issue and the Free Comic Book Day pages. Also The Accused, All-New Wolverine, Captain America: Sam Wilson, Captain Marvel, Civil War II: Ulysses, Ms. Marvel, and Uncanny Inhumans.

Good but not top tier: A-Force, All-New All-Different Avengers, Civil War II: Amazing Spider-Man, Civil War II: Choosing Sides (but only the Damage Control story and the Whitley/Sauvage eulogy for War Machine), Civil War II: Gods Of War, Civil War II: X-Men, Deadpool, International Iron Man, Invincible Iron Man, Nova, New Avengers, Patsy Walker AKA: Hellcat, Power Man And Iron Fist, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman, Squadron Supreme, Totally Awesome Hulk, The Ultimates

Not good: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., the bulk of Civil War II: Choosing Sides, Civil War II: Kingpin

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