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Civil War (2006) #1-7
Civil War
The Marvel Universe is changing. In the wake of a tragedy, Capitol Hill proposes the Super Hero Registration Act, requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government. Divided, the nation's greatest champions must each decide how to react - a decision that will alter the course of their lives forever!
Reprinting the bestselling graphic novel, featuring a new movie photo cover!
COLLECTING: Civil War 1-7, Marvel Spotlight: Civil War, Daily Bugle: Civil War Special Edition
Reprinting the bestselling graphic novel, featuring a new movie photo cover!
COLLECTING: Civil War 1-7, Marvel Spotlight: Civil War, Daily Bugle: Civil War Special Edition
512 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Mark Millar
1,512 books2,564 followersMark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 17, 2016
This is a brand-spanking new edition released in conjunction with the Captain America: Civil War movie. You can see that Robert Downey and Chris Evans are prominently featured on the cover. It’s a hard bound book with a glossy, plastic covering - convenient for wiping up drool with a towel or napkin. It’s designed as a gateway for those people, like my wife, who liked the movie and want to explore the storyline that originated in the comics.
The question for those who want to take the plunge: Is this one of those crossover events that will melt the minds of comic book newbs due to incomprehensible plotting and hard-to-follow storylines inherent in this kind of book and, subsequently, turn them off the graphic novel forever?
Mmm probably not.
This volume is fairly easy to follow – it includes the highpoints of the event and Millar’s writing here is nuanced enough where the reader doesn’t fall in with the expected kneejerk reaction and automatically root for Captain America. Millar makes a compelling and sympathetic enough case for jerk-face Tony Stark and his viewpoint that the reader can take pause to consider both sides of the Super Hero Registration Act – no small feat.
The story kicks off with the New Warriors looking for ratings for their reality TV show, going after a house of villains, things go down the crapper and when Nitro tragically blows up innocent bystanders, including a school yard of kids.
We see the pivotal moment when Captain America decides that hunting down heroes that refuse to register is just wrong, Spider-Man going public…
…a superhero battle or two…
…Thor on crack
…a pissed off Captain America…
…and J. Jonah Jameson, getting a case of the vapors...
...and Stark getting punked a couple of times.
Mrs. Jeff’s bottom line: The comic buddy reading continues! (Exclamation point added because I couldn’t be more excited. Really.) My wife found the story fairly lucid, even though the amount of heroes featured between the movie and comic version increases by the power of ten (or is it a hundred?). We’re using this as a jumping off point to read about some of the stories only alluded to in this book – the Captain America/Iron Man/Black Panther volumes.
The question for those who want to take the plunge: Is this one of those crossover events that will melt the minds of comic book newbs due to incomprehensible plotting and hard-to-follow storylines inherent in this kind of book and, subsequently, turn them off the graphic novel forever?
Mmm probably not.
This volume is fairly easy to follow – it includes the highpoints of the event and Millar’s writing here is nuanced enough where the reader doesn’t fall in with the expected kneejerk reaction and automatically root for Captain America. Millar makes a compelling and sympathetic enough case for jerk-face Tony Stark and his viewpoint that the reader can take pause to consider both sides of the Super Hero Registration Act – no small feat.
The story kicks off with the New Warriors looking for ratings for their reality TV show, going after a house of villains, things go down the crapper and when Nitro tragically blows up innocent bystanders, including a school yard of kids.
We see the pivotal moment when Captain America decides that hunting down heroes that refuse to register is just wrong, Spider-Man going public…
…a superhero battle or two…
…Thor on crack
…a pissed off Captain America…
…and J. Jonah Jameson, getting a case of the vapors...
...and Stark getting punked a couple of times.
Mrs. Jeff’s bottom line: The comic buddy reading continues! (Exclamation point added because I couldn’t be more excited. Really.) My wife found the story fairly lucid, even though the amount of heroes featured between the movie and comic version increases by the power of ten (or is it a hundred?). We’re using this as a jumping off point to read about some of the stories only alluded to in this book – the Captain America/Iron Man/Black Panther volumes.
July 7, 2021
finally took time to finish this one at midnight, don’t like it but that’s okay I guess
July 22, 2018
Excellent art, and a better story than the other Civil War comics I've read. The story includes political maneuvering, intrigue, moral questions about security and freedom, treachery, and escalating conflict. This collection is bursting with action. It features many major Marvel characters, including my favorite, Spider-Man. The ending is abrupt and underwhelming.
December 14, 2016
Civil War...As a standalone 7 issue event, you're really missing out on the whole story. It's by no means unreadable, but it's missing much of the fallout, or "effects" of the Super Hero Registration Act. The event only gives you the Major turning points, whereas the tie-in issues are where the real juice of the the story is located: How this law is changing public perception of the "Super-hero" and the heroes who are affected by that, the villains who capitalize on the ensuing chaos, the "human" perspective of the whole thing. So, the event issues themselves feels like, I don't know, the middle of this bigger story, the two towers of the LOTR trilogy, if you will.
On the good side, I find it's rather well written, no characters come off as appallingly mischaracterized. Steve McNiven's art is unreal; this team with Dexter Vines and Morry Hollowell I think create the best completed McNiven art. So every page is just a wonder, and there's some amazing group/action shots in this one.
So yes, it was good, but in order to experience Civil War correctly one should also read Civil War: Frontline by Paul Jenkins, the Wolverine Civil War tie-ins by Marc Guggenheim; and of course its almost paramount to have read all of Brubaker's Captain America run at this point because, in all honesty, some of the biggest fallout and the true "ending" of Civil War happens in the pages of that run.
All in all, good stuff. I appreciate this event for the hotbed of creativity it brought forth in the marvel universe, from Dan Slott's Avengers: The Initiative, to Warren Ellis' Thunderbolts, things are about to get epic.
On the good side, I find it's rather well written, no characters come off as appallingly mischaracterized. Steve McNiven's art is unreal; this team with Dexter Vines and Morry Hollowell I think create the best completed McNiven art. So every page is just a wonder, and there's some amazing group/action shots in this one.
So yes, it was good, but in order to experience Civil War correctly one should also read Civil War: Frontline by Paul Jenkins, the Wolverine Civil War tie-ins by Marc Guggenheim; and of course its almost paramount to have read all of Brubaker's Captain America run at this point because, in all honesty, some of the biggest fallout and the true "ending" of Civil War happens in the pages of that run.
All in all, good stuff. I appreciate this event for the hotbed of creativity it brought forth in the marvel universe, from Dan Slott's Avengers: The Initiative, to Warren Ellis' Thunderbolts, things are about to get epic.
July 19, 2017
Interesting plot, above average art ... and an extremely frustrating non-ending that I'm not even sure I can dignify as a cliff-hanger. You can't really read this as a book qua book in the sense that it simply and abruptly ends mid-story. And then apparently breaks off into 87,000 or so individual comic titles, that I have neither the time, money or interest to track down. And a list that doesn't seem to even make a great deal of sense, given that you read comics issued in 2006 before some issued in 1998. What?
Note to Marvel: And if you're looking to encourage piracy, I suspect this is a very good way to go about doing it.
Note to Marvel: And if you're looking to encourage piracy, I suspect this is a very good way to go about doing it.
January 20, 2020
This was so much fun!!
I’ve wanted to become more invested in the world of comics, specifically MARVEL and DC comics, for quite a while now and have always loved the premise of the Civil War storyline but it has been difficult to know where to start. This 7 issue event does a great job of condensing a sprawling story with hugely important plot points and character evolutions/dynamics, though it is clear it misses a lot of intricate details that would deepen the fallout of the SRA.
The art was great, although I found the way the illustrations depicted women a bit… off. As a feminist, I was put off by the over sexualised poses She-Hulk, Invisible Woman, Tigra, Dagger (but especially She-Hulk) were drawn in especially when compared to Spider-Man. As a bisexual woman, however… I wasn’t that mad. Nevertheless, was the panel at the beginning of issue 2 which consisted almost entirely of an illustration of She-Hulk’s very green, very plump booty necessary? I doubt it.
Predictably, I adored Steve’s arc in this and found it was the strongest of all of those presented. Although I continue to loathe that his costume makes him look like he’s clad in a collection of deep blue fish-scales. The ending left me eager for more and I’m excited to continue to deepen my love for these characters and this story by continuing with the expanded comics.
I’ve wanted to become more invested in the world of comics, specifically MARVEL and DC comics, for quite a while now and have always loved the premise of the Civil War storyline but it has been difficult to know where to start. This 7 issue event does a great job of condensing a sprawling story with hugely important plot points and character evolutions/dynamics, though it is clear it misses a lot of intricate details that would deepen the fallout of the SRA.
The art was great, although I found the way the illustrations depicted women a bit… off. As a feminist, I was put off by the over sexualised poses She-Hulk, Invisible Woman, Tigra, Dagger (but especially She-Hulk) were drawn in especially when compared to Spider-Man. As a bisexual woman, however… I wasn’t that mad. Nevertheless, was the panel at the beginning of issue 2 which consisted almost entirely of an illustration of She-Hulk’s very green, very plump booty necessary? I doubt it.
Predictably, I adored Steve’s arc in this and found it was the strongest of all of those presented. Although I continue to loathe that his costume makes him look like he’s clad in a collection of deep blue fish-scales. The ending left me eager for more and I’m excited to continue to deepen my love for these characters and this story by continuing with the expanded comics.
July 19, 2019
I liked the story, mostly: classic tale of taking sides and friends turning on each other but there were not much surprises. The first half was literally un-putdownable but it did fail at the end.
The art is more a mixed bag: traditional sexist superhero comic art with curvy women in unnatural poses and muscular 0% body fat men, everyone in skintight costumes. Most of the panels are awesome and could be wall posters by themselves but then there are background or side characters drawn almost as stick figures, in comparison. The modern way of colouring makes every person look like plastic, basically killing all the dynamics and spoiling the looks.
And then there's a ridiculous number of superheroes in the Marvel catalog. And everyone just had to be in this book. They were just carbon copies of each other, run-fast-guy number 13, strong dude no. 54 and laser-lady no. 81. This is just getting dumb.
Barely 3*. I'm not in the target audience for this kind of story any more... I loved The Secret Wars back when I was 12 and this is in the same category but doesn't work for me any more.
The art is more a mixed bag: traditional sexist superhero comic art with curvy women in unnatural poses and muscular 0% body fat men, everyone in skintight costumes. Most of the panels are awesome and could be wall posters by themselves but then there are background or side characters drawn almost as stick figures, in comparison. The modern way of colouring makes every person look like plastic, basically killing all the dynamics and spoiling the looks.
And then there's a ridiculous number of superheroes in the Marvel catalog. And everyone just had to be in this book. They were just carbon copies of each other, run-fast-guy number 13, strong dude no. 54 and laser-lady no. 81. This is just getting dumb.
Barely 3*. I'm not in the target audience for this kind of story any more... I loved The Secret Wars back when I was 12 and this is in the same category but doesn't work for me any more.
November 9, 2018
Wonderfully written and drawn graphic novel about the most basic human dilemma between freedom and security, authority versus independence. Only loses two stars because without getting into spoiler territory, I simply didn't like the ending. It felt rushed, the wrong side won, and the final scenes gave no sense of closure but a deep feeling of regret. I feel the resolution given in the issue of Marvel's "What If..." series "What If Civil War Ended Differently?" was much better. Though perhaps a little idealistic, it at least was a true ending. I'll probably still finish all side stories, though. I guess old saying about "a house divided against itself" stands true for a storyline as well.
August 4, 2018
This is my third Mark Millar comic after the Wolverine: Old Man Logan and Superman: Red Son. His endings keep surprising me. Having watched the movie adaptation, I knew the ending of the Civil War but the book does a better job with the storytelling, especially the divide between the SHIELD and the Captain. I think the best parts of the book was the raid at the beginning which Nitro gave a pretty good lesson on why you should stay within your own league, and the story between the Punisher and the Captain. I think including the Punisher into the story brings a breath of fresh air.
May 17, 2020
So, my journey into the comic book world began with one that I have seen so many recommendations on, and being a huge MCU fan, I wanted to see where these movies really came from. My understanding is there is more to the story, but even then, the ending seemed a bit abrupt and strange. I was expecting more, so now I have to hunt for more. The art style was great, so many framable moments. There were very interesting plot twists, some that made me gasp in shock then laugh (you know the one). Overall, it was a good read and I might try to dig in between the issues later.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2022
Tony Stark and Steve Rogers head two camps: pro-hero registration and anti-hero registration. In an epic event that includes far too many characters, they ultimately resolve their differences.
The copy of the Daily Bugle is interesting, and the somewhat dramatic events involving Spider-Man, the Invisible Woman and the Punisher are good, but overall the story reeks of a summary that undoubtedly got fleshed out in the singular issues involving the various Marvel titles.
The copy of the Daily Bugle is interesting, and the somewhat dramatic events involving Spider-Man, the Invisible Woman and the Punisher are good, but overall the story reeks of a summary that undoubtedly got fleshed out in the singular issues involving the various Marvel titles.
August 2, 2018
I know it’s a game changing work but I was just really annoyed with all of the characterizations. And so I spent most of the time wondering why these people seemed to be acting so out of character, which means I won’t be reading the rest of it. Frankly, the X-men sounded the most reasonable of all...
March 14, 2020
Akhirnya punya komik versi hardcover-nya!!!
Tak udah direview-lah, Civil War versi novel dan komik sudah pernah kubahas panjang lebar di gudrids dan blog.
Isinya tetap komik Mark Millar, meski pakai cover versi film MCU yang jalan ceritanya jauh banget (ga mungkin juga sih bisa sama, wong jumlah karakternya aja nggak ada satu persen aslinya), cuma adaptasi bebas dari Marvel Comics Event ini.
Tak udah direview-lah, Civil War versi novel dan komik sudah pernah kubahas panjang lebar di gudrids dan blog.
Isinya tetap komik Mark Millar, meski pakai cover versi film MCU yang jalan ceritanya jauh banget (ga mungkin juga sih bisa sama, wong jumlah karakternya aja nggak ada satu persen aslinya), cuma adaptasi bebas dari Marvel Comics Event ini.
June 2, 2018
this was a pleasure cruise for me. it's been a while since I've read a comic book and to be honest I've been reading so many novels and non-fiction books recently it was nice to go through something simple.
July 6, 2023
It is an iconic book that has been adapted to a movie. It is very entertaining and cool to see what kind of things made it in the movie and where the movie originally changed some things. My only thing is the ending is a little underwhelming to me, but I would highly recommend
June 12, 2017
Story line is the basis for the movie but overall is too simple and too many characters to really get interested in it. A light read.
May 25, 2018
i like millar’s writing and i absolutely loved mcniven’s artwork. overall i thought it was really interesting and a good read. the pacing kind of fell apart at the end in a really jarring way tho.
November 5, 2023
Este cómic es de un enfoque mas directo a la historia, teniendo en cuenta las demás versiones individuales de la saga es más concisa al lore de la trama.
June 17, 2025
I always love rereading this one. I first got a copy at my scholastic book fair when I was 12. It was the first graphic novel I ever read. I love the art, story and variety of characters.
December 11, 2022
4.5 stars
February 17, 2017
The movie was good, but this was GREAT! Hopefully we'll see something more along the lines of this in like, 50 years.
June 6, 2016
Grrr...that ending sucked.
January 2, 2017
I love seeing the graphic novel representation of the movie however it made me wish that the movie had represented more of the graphic novel. really gave a nice perspective of the opinions and the understandings of why you would have a civil war between these two groups. enjoyed all the artwork and storyline.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews