General Information
Title: Civil War #4
Author: Mark Millar
Illustrator(s): Steve McNiven (pencils), Dexter Vines (inks), Morry Hollowell (colours), Chris Eliopoulos (letters)
Original Publication Date: September 20, 2006
Cover Price: $2.99 US, $3.75 Can
Past comic reviews can be found
here.
Premise
The Civil War continues, picking up at the pro-registration ambush of Cap's Secret Avengers. Thor, long thought dead, appears on the pro-registration side, and kills one of Captain America's team. As a direct result of this, several heroes start questioning which side they've joined, and the pro-registration team starts to consider other tactics.
High Point
A hero falls. Granted, that hero's death is going to mean a heck of a lot more to most of the characters than to the readers, but it still marks a significant "point of no return" that will impact the way every character acts for the rest of the series. (After all, the character is important enough to be known to the heroes, but unpopular enough to die and stay dead.)
Low Point
I'm going to need one heck of a great explanation to justify why they're willing to risk using the new Thunderbolts.
The Scores
The originality here gets a boost in two ways; not only do we have the unusual method of bringing Thor back, but we've got the death of a hero in a "dead and gone" kind of way, and a final step that is completely different from anything we've seen the heroes do in the past. I give it 5 out of 6.
The artwork is incredible. The entire team is doing a great job here; it's worth the delays to keep the quality consistent from one issue to the next. I give it 6 out of 6.
The story is well told, right up until the final page. I still think we need more justification for that last decision, but that may come out in the upcoming issues. I give it 4 out of 6.
The characterization is a strong suit. I question the motives behind the decisions Reed and Tony are making, but I think we're meant to at this point. Cap's side is clearly revealed, with everything out in the open. I give it 4 out of 6.
The emotional response is very strong. Even after a six week delay, one easily gets drawn back in to the story and its rapid pace. I may want to see more to figure out why Reed and Tony make their final decision, but the important part of that sentence is the "I want to see more" part. I'm hooked. I give it 6 out of 6.
The flow keeps up at a rapid pace. When it's all said and done, this 7 issue series will be a very smooth read. I give it 6 out of 6.
Overall, it's another great entry in a summer event I'm honestly excited about. I give it 6 out of 6.
If you read anything from Marvel, pick this up.
In total, Civil War #4 receives 37 out of 42.
Civil War Review Checklist
- New Avengers:
Illuminati Special
- Amazing Spider-Man
#529-531
- Fantastic Four
#536-537
- Civil War 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, complete
- Amazing Spider-Man #532-537
- Black Panther #18
- Black Panther #23-25
- Blade #5
- Cable/Deadpool #30-32
- Captain America #22-24
- Civil War: Battle Damage Report
- Civil War: Choosing Sides
- Civil War: Frontline #1-11
- Civil War: War Crimes
- Civil War: X-Men #1-4
- Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways #1-4
- Daily Bugle: Civil War Edition
- Fantastic Four #538-543
- Heroes for Hire #1-3
- Iron Man #13-14
- Iron Man / Captain America Special: Casualties of War
- Moon Knight #7-9
- Ms. Marvel #6-8
- New Avengers #21-25
- Punisher: War Journal #1-3
- She-Hulk #8
- Thunderbolts #103-105
- Winter Soldier: Winter Kills
- Wolverine #42-47
- X-Factor #8-9
