Civil War Comic Review – “Civil War #6”

Most markets received this today. Snowstorms and limited transportation severely reduced the number of issues that got processed through the Los Angeles distribution node, so some locations won’t get it until next week. As such, please spoiler guard any spoilers that appear in comments you post.

General Information

Title: Civil War

Author: Mark Millar

Illustrator(s): Steve McNiven (pencils), Dexter Vines (inks), Morry Hollowell (colours)

Original Publication Date: This issue cover dated December, 2006, though it didn’t reach most markets until January 3, 2007.

Cover Price: $2.99 US, $3.75 Can

Past comic reviews can be found here.

Premise

Both sides are moving into position for a final confrontation. Moles are revealed, and more players appear on the board.

High Point

It’s a toss up between the final panel and the following line of dialogue (spoken by Captain America to the Punisher): “I need [certain information; details deleted to prevent spoilers]. Think you can handle that without shooting someone in the head?”

Low Point

I can’t really pick one out. This is a consistently strong setup for what’s coming. The buildup has been great. The payoff will have high expectations to meet.

The Scores

This particular issue isn’t all that original. Essentially, forces are amassed and collected, ready for action. We’ve seen that in the second last issue of most of these major crossover events. I give it 3 out of 6.

The artwork on this series has been wonderful from the start. I’ve very happy they decided to keep the same art team rather than change people to stay on schedule. I give it 6 out of 6.

The story moves along nicely. As mentioned above, this is the obligatory predictable issue that leads up to the final chapter, but it does that job nicely. We know exactly who was approached for support, who said yes, who said no, and who has weighed in on each side. That was the job of this issue, and that job was done well. I give it 5 out of 6.

The characterization here is primarily revealed for Captain America and the Punisher. The rest are not out of character, but they don’t get enough time on the page to really get any depth. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response is great despite the predictability. It’s been a great ride so far, and this set things up nicely for the final confrontation next issue. Given Millar’s writing in Ultimates, the combat we’re going to see in the final issue should be fantastic. I give it 5 out of 6.

The flow is great. Not only does this smoothly flow along, but it begs to be read quickly, imposing the pace upon the reader directly. I give it 6 out of 6.

Overall, it’s a strong issue in a strong series. If you haven’t been reading so far, order the collection due in March. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Civil War receives 35 out of 42.

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