Civil War Journal – Week Twenty-Eight: Here’s What You Can Buy Next, Kids!

Civil War II ends with half an issue of a fight we’ve already seen and half an issue trying to get us to buy new comic books. What a mistake!

Welcome back to Civil War Journal, Bam Smack Pow’s weekly recap column of all things Civil War II. We’ve got an epilogue one-shot at the end of next month, but for all intents and purposes, the War is over this week. Let’s see how it ended!

What happened?

For the first half of the book, Captain Marvel and Iron Man fought on the streets of Washington, DC. He blames her for dodging his missiles that almost kill Captain America; she eventually blasts him so hard that his armor disintegrates. The Inhumans bring Ulysses to try to stop the fight and prevent the future he saw with Old Man Logan last issue. His powers flare, showing people seven possible futures, including the Monsters Unleashed crossover this spring, the Inhumans vs. X-Men event going on now, the Spider-Man murder of Captain America that never happened, and one world where Ultron has slaughtered the Avengers. This stops the fight in time for Eternity to take Ulysses to join him as a new member of Marvel’s cosmic pantheon. Surprised? Yep, Eternity saves the day despite appearing in not one panel of this event thus far. And despite being chained up for the past two years in The Ultimates.

After the fight, the Beast explains that Iron Man is in a coma, his technology keeping him alive. Captain Marvel takes a meeting with the President, admits that she was working off intel about possible futures, not definite futures, and receives no consequences at all. She has a monologue about how inspired she is, narrating over panels advertising new books Hulk, Champions, the Riri Williams Iron Man, the post ResurreXion Inhumans, and the Grounded storyline for Guardians Of The Galaxy. And then the President says he’ll grant her any wish she wants, and she suggests we all buy the epilogue one-shot, The Oath, out next month.

Was it good? 

No. Absolutely not. The Inhuman left as… what do you call a deus ex machina when it’s just the deus part? And Carol’s entire rationale for looking up innocent people and endangering lives falls through, and no one is the slightest bit miffed about it. And this book seemed more interested in selling new books than finishing the story it set out to tell. This series had been fine-to-good, but this ending makes me hate the time I’ve spent for the past six months.

Recommendation:

Look, you made it this far. Finish it. Just go in knowing what you’ve got.

Most of my thoughts about this are on my review of the issue itself, so check there for a more in-depth exploration of why this was such a failure. I’ll be back in a month to report on the epilogue one-shot, but I’m looking forward to a few weeks of healing.

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, Spider-Man#10, 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 before #10,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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