Book Review: "Civil War" by Mark Miller & Steve McNiven

I love comic books. As a child, my favorite shows and movies were always about superheroes. As I got a little older, I branched out from movies and television and began reading more and more comic books. I bought and read pretty much every comic I could get my hands on and would even read magazines talking about everything going on in comics. But then, over time, it just got to be too expensive. I couldn’t afford to keep up my habit. So, I stopped. And I happened to stop right in the midst of “Civil War”. Once I came to college, I started to get back into comics and “Civil War” was something I had been wanting to read, so, I was very excited when it was on our list. But, because of my sixish year absence from comics, I only really knew the broad strokes of the storyline. So, it was a treat to experience.

First off, the fact that the New Warriors are the star of their own reality show was a lot of fun for me. As much as I love superheroes, I realllly love to see characters who selfishly use their powers as a means of self-gain. I also absolutely despise reality television, so I liked that reality tv was included as part of the inciting incident here. Because if they weren’t striving to impress the viewers, it’s possible the New Warriors would’ve tried to get more capable help. But, they didn’t and what we’re left with… is “Civil War.”

What makes “Civil War” so fascinating is that you can understand both sides’ mindsets. On one hand, you can look at the New Warriors incident as a clear example of the dangers of superpowered people running around, unchecked. On the other hand, becoming a government employee means that the government chooses who is being targeted as a villain. That’s just as scary of a concept, if not more. But something has to change. 

After the New Warriors incident, the public has largely turned away from superheroes and need some sort of reassurance that something like that won’t happen again. It’s because of this that Iron Man appears the most level-headed at the start of the book, because he’s practical. He understands that things can’t go on as is and he wants to work to find some sort of compromise that allows heroes to continue operating. It’s as the book progresses that “Team Iron Man” make more and more questionable (read: dangerous) decisions that result in people getting hurt. Among them, Spider-man is pressured to reveal his identity, endangering his loved ones, Goliath is killed by an unstable Thor clone, and dangerous, murderous supervillains are rebranded as the Thunderbolts and treated as heroes. 

That’s not to say that every decision Captain America makes is a good one. When Iron Man gives him the opportunity to discuss the situation, Captain America just attacks him instead. While they probably couldn’t have come to a working compromise, the fact that Captain America didn’t even try shows how adverse he is to change. You begin to wonder if being against the Superhuman Registration Act is because he values the freedom heroes have come to expect, or because he’s too stuck in his ways to adapt his crime-fighting lifestyle. 

The themes presented in “Civil War” feel incredibly relevant, even a decade removed. This concept of security versus liberty reminded me a lot of the current debates on gun-control. Although I don’t think that was much of an issue when “Civil War” came out, I think that’s the most clear parallel for today. Thinking back to 2007, this book would’ve felt more in line with the government’s increased surveillance on Americans. And I think the way in which you can look at “Civil War” and compare it to different issues depending on the year, just emphasizes how it’s such a universal battle of ideals. Security (represented by Iron Man) and liberty (represented by Captain America) will always exist in a state of pushing against one another. But there needs to be a balance between the two. Captain America’s surrender may be the end of the “Civil War” title, but it isn’t truly the end of the story. Because there is no end when the superhero landscape is constantly changing and evolving throughout time. Security’s victory can only last so long before liberty begins pushing back.