Civil War Journal – Week Twenty-One: Good Night, Ladies
By Matt Conner
Civil War II sees the end of popular female-led titles Mockingbird and A-Force, plus the still-dreadful Kingpin.
Welcome back to Civil War Journal, Bam Smack Pow’s weekly recap column of all things Civil War II. This week, three tie-ins are the end of their particular titles. Who went out with a bang, and who just kind of bled out?
What happened? Iron Man and drones of his armors continue their siege on New Attilan in revenge for the way the Inhumans ruined his life. He demands the surrender of Queen Medusa, but Triton realizes the problems he caused by following Maximus. So the fish-man surrenders himself instead, and Maximus gets away.
Was it good? Yes, it tied up the battle neatly, with a few surprises but in line with all the established characters.
Recommendation: Yes, this series had a dramatic change for the Inhumans and played out an important subplot from the first few Civil War II issues.
What happened? Mockingbird defeats the Phantom Rider, who tells her that Hawkeye won his trial. Bobbi celebrates with a threesome in a Swiss Chalet with Hawkeye and Hunter Lance.
Was it good? This series has been one of the best things Marvel published in 2016, densely packed with humor, wit, feminism, sex, and action. I was shocked and sad to read that this was the finale.
Recommendation: It’s not that critical to Civil War II that you find out how Hawkeye’s ex-wife handled the stress of his trial. But man, why are you buying any Civil War II issues when you didn’t budget for this book? Stop reading Civil War II! You can do better!
What happened? Nico tried to find another way to stop the bug monsters but ended up fulfilling the prophecy that she had to murder their leader. And of course, the leader quickly rose from the dead, the spell broken. Nico argued that if Captain Marvel had arrested her out of predictive justice, no one could have beaten the swarm.
Was it good? It was okay, but it felt a little rushed, and finding out it was the final issue shocked me. This has been a solid title, and this wasn’t its best example.
Recommendation: This take on the use of prophecy was done in almost the same way, and better, in All-New Wolverine. I would stick to that one.
What happened? SHIELD tells the world Kingpin died of his injuries but instead hide him and try to force intel out of him. He manipulates them, murders his enemies, and regains his power. His assistant Inhuman, Janus, talks about his power to hide their work from Ulysses’s visions, but it never really comes into play. At the end, Kingpin throws Janus out a window and dares anyone else to challenge his rule.
Was it good? This has been a horrible series. This issue wasn’t as bad as last month’s ridiculous torture porn, but the gore was still heavy and unenjoyable.
Recommendation: Don’t pick it up. And based on this, I don’t recommend this team’s new Kingpin ongoing, either.
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 America: Steve Rogers, Captain Marvel, Civil War II: Ulysses, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Invincible Iron Man #14, 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 until issue 15, The Fallen, International Iron Man, Invincible Iron Man until #13, Mockingbird, Nova, New Avengers, Patsy Walker AKA: Hellcat, Power Man And Iron Fist, Rocket Raccoon And Groot, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman, Squadron Supreme, Totally Awesome Hulk, The Ultimates, Thunderbolts, Uncanny Avengers, Venom
Not good: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., the bulk of Civil War II: Choosing Sides, Civil War II: Kingpin, Deadpool after issue 15
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