Archive for April 13th, 2007

Civil War was Marvel’s massive-multi-comic crossover, which they tend to do about once a decade.

60’s was, quite simply, the birth of the Marvel Silver Age In the 70’s, it was the Kree-Skrull War. The 80’s was Secret Wars. 90’s was Infinity Gauntlet (a cosmic, intergalactic war of universe-shaping proportions) and now for the ‘aughts, it’s Civil War.

See, the nature of superhero comics is fighting and violence. It’s bright, and flashy, and all scars fade, bones mend and bruises heal, and costumes are stitched up and seamless by the end of the story arc. We all know that War doesn’t really happen like that.

Which is why Civil War was such a brilliant reality-check that brought the fantasy of the Marvel Universe back into the world we live in. Civil War wasn’t a fight against an all powerful-cosmic being, or a universe-shaping weapon, it was over a law. It was over Civil Rights.

Brief synopsis: A team of untrained, glamour seeking super-heros take on some super-villains that they couldn’t handle. Massive explosion and over 600 residents of Stamford, Connecticut are killed. The public, and congress say: Enough. All super-powered or masked beings in the United States must register their powers and identities with the government and become an employee of the United States Defense Forces. Half the heroes get behind it, the other half claim its a Civil Rights violation and go rogue. And the Civil War begins.

If I start talking about Civil War’s effect on Marvel, I’ll never stop. All I want to say is that the 7-issue central Civil War story is now collected in one glossy TPB, available at any of your local comic shops. It’s the comic story of the year. Speaking of which:

KNOW YOUR COMIC SHOPS
Each will be given a 1-5 rating

1. Midtown Comics- 40th st & 7th ave The Big Boys. They got it all. shelves and shelves of TPBs, a discount rack, the biggest back-issue collection I’ve seen, toys, a massive DVD section and more. For your every and any, Midtown is your stop. 5 of 5

2. Cosmic Comics- 23rd st between Broadway and Madison Not as massive as Midtown, but also an excellent selection and because they’re nowhere near as crowded, the staff is more laid back, and very friendly. I try to patronize as often as I can. 4 of 5

NOTE: Both Cosmic and Midtown have member-bonus systems. Give them your birthday as a rebate number and for every $100 you spend, you get a $20 credit!!

3. St. Mark’s Comics- St. Marks pl between 2nd & 3rd aves Small, but good for your Wednesday-fix. Id probably go more often if the boss-guy wasn’t such a prick.

4. Forbidden Planet- 13th st & Broadway The Union Squre powerhouse!! Almost as wide a selection as Midtown, but less space. Which tends to make it crowded and hard to maneuver. Especially on a Wednesday. There’s a video-game section that i think could go, but that’s just because I’m not a gamer. Friendly staff though, very helpful 3 of 5

There you go! Now get reading!!