Comic review: Civil War #2- Anarchy Versus Democratic Collectivism

Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Inker: Gerry Alanguilan
Colours: Sunny Gho
Publisher: Marvel
Released: 5th August 2015



I’m not too sure if anybody is reading this book, as the buzz on it has been non-existent, but I’m reading it, and I’m enjoying it as well.

I’m enjoying it for two reasons. Firstly, it’s taking the unsatisfactory ending to the original Mark Millar Civil War arc, continuing it, and making it better.

Secondly, it’s throwing in a lot of real world issues, issues that you don’t usually see being discussed within the overly corporate and neo-liberal ‘progressive’ world of Marvel comics.

In Civil War #2 there are two sides. One side (Iron Man’s Red) is about safety, control, totalitarianism really, but wrapped up in the need for order, for safety, to put the people in a giant spy drone, surveillance state prison for their own good. On the other side (Captain America’s Blue) there are two rules: 1- Hurt no one. 2- Help when you can.

Here’s the scary thing about it. The Red side looks a lot like collectivist, centralised government, neo-liberal western democracy as it stands today, and the Blue looks a lot like anarchy, or a society structured around individualism, morality and mutual self respect.

That makes Captain America an anarchist, and Iron Man a contemporary political leader, pick a party it doesn’t matter, they are all pretty much the same in the west today.

Is that not a fascinating concept to explore in a contemporary comic book coming out of a declining western civilisation that is falling into governmental tyranny and lawlessness, with perpetual wars for resources and control, whilst encroaching on the civil liberties of it’s own people?

Civil War is a comic book that is actually saying something about the state of the world as it is today. Do you know how rare that is in a mainstream comic book? It’s like finding a nugget of gold in an ocean of s***.

Added to that is a plot twist that suggests that the two warring sides are being manipulated by an outside force, and you have the ‘conspiracy’ aspect that people talk about today when they discuss groups like the illuminati.

These ideas are coming from the (obviously far more switched on than I’d previously thought) mind of writer Charles Soule, and are brought to life by the gritty, grainy pencils of Leinil Francis Yu.

The art also features washed out colouring, and deep, heavy black inking, adding drab, dusty realism to the narrative, and a sense of dry, dirty realism that forces the reader to take the narrative seriously, and not just treat it as another bit of comic book puns and powers fluff.

It’s only two issues in, but this book really has me hooked now. It has Spiderman in it, and he’s talking like an adult. There are no quips, puns and self-aware ‘cool’ moments either. I’m not going to go over the top on it as of yet, as mainstream comic books have burned me so many times in the past, hinting at a bit of truth telling then going back into their corporate, careerist shell, but this book really does stand out as something a bit better than the usual mainstream superhero fare.

I don’t know why people aren’t talking about it, but Civil War is a very intriguing book, there’s a lot going on, it’s touching real world concerns and it’s the only mainstream superhero comic book that is really exciting me at the moment. If you haven’t read it, give it a go. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I was, and I’m already looking forward to next month’s instalment. Me looking forward to a mainstream comic book coming out??? Do you know how rare that is these days? Thank you Charles Soule, top work here mate, top work.



Rating: 9/10 (Far better than I ever thought that it could be.)