Civil War #5

Cap’s side: Captain America, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Hulkling, Punisher, Falcon, Ultra-Girl, Luke Cage, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Stingray, Tigra, Daredevil, Hercules. Iron Man’s side: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic, She-Hulk, Nighthawk, Stature, Bullseye, Venom (Mac Gargan), Lady Deathstrike, Taskmaster, Jester, Jack 'O Lantern, Songbird. Last appearance of Spider-Man’s Stark-designed red and yellow costume?

Then CW#3 has 4 of the Resistance bitching about their new secret ID's (plus the scene with Human Torch on crutches) and being called to the big fight which takes up the rest of the issue. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #6/4 During the battle Captain America details Nighthawk to deal with SHIELD helicopters. He does well but is then downed by 1 of the false Thor's lightning bolts. The story compares it to a WWII aerial dogfight. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #6/1 (6-8) Ben Urich watches the battle. (More of 6/1 with CW#4.)

CABLE & DEADPOOL #30 Deadpool, off his own bat, tries to get the Great Lakes Champions (ex-GLAvengers) to Register, but they already have. Then the CSA hire him to do the bounty hunter job officially. He mentions it to Cable, not knowing that Nathan is on Captain America's side. Cable goes to warn Cap and offer the Resistance asylum on his Pacific island Providence. It appears that Cable is only occasionally actively working with the Resistance, and hasn't been told about the new ID's that some of them have. But he shows Cap that he has been able to uncover these ID's, and SHIELD probably will do the same soon. Cap still declines the offer. But Deadpool overhears their chat and now knows the new secret ID's. He goes after Daredevil, but is led into an ambush with Cap, Goliath, Hercules and the Young Avengers. During the fight DP recognises the new DD's fighting style (but doesn't get to say it's Iron Fist, because that revelation is reserved for DD#87 which came out the same month). CABLE & DEADPOOL #31 (1-11) Cable arrives and defeats Deadpool. They leave him tied up to go on a mission. (This is probably supposed to be the big fight in CW#3, but it doesn't jibe with the events leading up to it there.) (The rest of this issue will be covered under CW#4.)

CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #5/2 She-Hulk gives Speedball 1 last chance to register. Then he's taken through a portal with some other prisoners (including Typeface) to Prison Alpha in the Negative Zone (Mr Fantastic's Project 42). CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #5/1 Ben tells J Jonah Jameson about Green Goblin, but Jonah says Norman Osborn is still in jail. His description suggests that Goblin was either being controlled or hearing voices. They argue and Jonah fires Ben. A mystery man meets Sally and tells her to stop looking for Captain America's Resistance - they don't exist. He suggests that she ought to concentrate her reporting on the Registration Act itself - it's authors meant well but it's legally suspect. Later SHIELD want to know about that person, and about the resistors who escaped in 4/1. They arrest her when she refuses to cooperate. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #6/1 (1-5) Robbie Robertson persuades Ben to stay with the Daily Bugle. Sally is interrogated by the NSA. Reed Richards suggests making a deal with her. (More of 6/1 later.) WOLVERINE v3 #47 Wolvie raids Declun's new corporate HQ. But Sentry arrives with Capekillers to arrest him. Sentry KO's Logan and he's taken to the SHIELD helicarrier with a power nullifier. He refuses Maria Hill's order to join the Government's side, and jumps off the helicarrier. Then he finds Walter Declun, who takes MGH to give himself a superpower. They fight and Logan kills him in revenge for causing the Stamford disaster.

CIVIL WAR: X-MEN #1 The remaining mutants after Decimation (the 198) aren't being asked to Register, but they're still confined by O*N*E and their Sentinels to the Westchester mansion. X-Force break half of them out. Iron Man and Val Cooper of O*N*E hire Bishop to lead a team of mutants and Sentinels to find the missing mutants. But Archangel, Beast, Cyclops and Iceman set out to find them 1st. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #3/1 Sally Floyd interviews a bunch of refuseniks (including Typeface) who are hoping to find and join Captain America's Resistance. Then she sees anti-registration Thunderclap accidentally kill pro-registration Bantam. Ben Urich interviews Reed Richards who tries to convince him that Registration is good using projections of the increase in superhuman activity. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #4/1 Sally thinks Bantam's death was a set-up to further inflame public opinion. Ben thinks she's getting paranoid. But later he gets a note saying she's right. Sally rejoins the resistors but they are attacked by Capekillers led by Iron Man, Ms Marvel and Wonder Man. Some (including Typeface) get captured. Others escape with Sally. She thinks the authorities may be tracking her, and contacts Ben to warn him. Ben is attacked by Green Goblin. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #4/4 We see the events of 4/1 through the eyes of a Capekiller, as he remembers action in Vietnam.

CAPTAIN AMERICA v5 #22 Earlier Sharon Carter met Cap under orders from Maria Hill to bring him in, but she sent SHIELD agents to the wrong place. Now she's seeing a SHIELD psychiatrist about it, and admits to being torn between duty to SHIELD and her love for Steve Rogers. But he's really Dr Faustus working for Red Skull, who's made her fall in love with Steve again. (1 flashback shows something that could be part of the battle in CW#3-4, but in #24 Sharon will say that the result of that battle resolved her conflict in favour of Cap.) BLACK PANTHER v4 #20 (Not really about Civil War.) T'Challa and Ororo visit the Inhumans on the Moon to discuss the upcoming Secret War. (They offend Gorgon and Karnak, and another fight ensues.) BLACK PANTHER v4 #21 Panther and Storm visit Sub-Mariner in Atlantis. Namor is worried about American policies if Iron Man's side wins the Civil War. He wants an alliance with Wakanda. T'Challa and Ororo are also worried about the army the SRA supporters are building (ie the 1 Zemo is assembling). The duo decide to visit the US President. NEW AVENGERS #23 (last page) Spider-Woman joins the resistance. But she won't be seen active with them until CW#6.

THUNDERBOLTS #104-105 The Thunderbolts continue to build their army by catching unregistered villains, and Swordsman trains them. Zemo supplies some technology to Mr Fantastic and Yellowjacket (aided now by Thunderbolt Radioactive Man) to create a portal into their new prison. Zemo meets with Captain America and gives him a key for when Cap and the resistance are put in the new prison. In return he wants the resistance to help in the crisis he foresees. The CSA offer Songbird leadership of the Colorado 50 State Initiative team - she tells Zemo that the CSA will also be on their side in the crisis. Zemo and Grandmaster are vying for control of the Wellspring of Power, and each claims that it would be dangerous to let the other 1 have it. Zemo lets Songbird know that he knows she's secretly against him, but it will all work out. She will betray him, he will die saving the world, but he will also live forever. (We also learn that Nighthawk has joined the Resistance as a spy for Grandmaster to see if Zemo is gaining anything from the War - surely he'd do better joining the SRA side?) BLACK PANTHER v4 #19 T'Challa and Storm finish their honeymoon and go see Dr Doom in Latveria where they discuss the Civil War, the Inhumans' looming Silent War, the absent Hulk and Namor's current hostility. Doom offers an alliance which Panther turns down. (A fight ensues.) WOLVERINE v3 #46 Logan has been running a campaign of harassment against Declun's Damage Control. He planted a computer scanning device in their head office to find out everything about them, and has raided premises and disrupted operations. Now Cyclops and Emma Frost tell him off about getting involved in the Civil War. But he keeps on doing it.

CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #4/2 Speedball gets into more trouble in prison. His mother asks Robbie to show public remorse for the Stamford disaster. He refuses and she washes her hands of him. SHE-HULK v4 #10-11 Although not official tie-ins these still involve Civil War in parts. She-Hulk is working with Two-Gun Kid. They stop unregistered Hellcat from taking on Ruby Thursday. Jennifer persuades Patsy to register while Two-Gun deals with Ruby. After they have to take down Jen's husband John Jameson/Man-Wolf and take him to hospital, Jane Foster tells them they'll have to report him as unregistered. (Which is a bit strange as Jane is supposedly helping the resistance.) SHE-HULK v4 #14 She-Hulk gets drafted to SHIELD. But as a lawyer she'll still finish off some cases such Speedball's. We won't see her (in #15) in her SHIELD job, to fight Hulk foes now that Hulk has gone (to Planet Hulk), until the Civil War is basically over.

HEROES FOR HIRE v2 #1 The team arrest various villains who are trying to get fake IDs from villainess Vienna. It turns out it was a sting and Vienna was in on it. FANTASTIC FOUR #538 (1-17) Johnny Storm is still in a coma. Ben and Sue aren't really keen to help Reed round up anti-Registration heroes. Thing goes to Yancy Street where Ms Marvel is trying to arrest Silverclaw (South American ex-Avenger). He declines to help and hears that the Yancy St Gang keep harassing police who try to arrest anyone. He tries to talk them out of it, but is unsure which side he's really on. (Despite their misgivings Thing and Invisible Woman will still accompany Mr Fantastic to the big battle later in CW#3.) (The last part of this issue will be reported with CW#5.) NEW X-MEN v2 #28 (This is not officially a Civil War tie-in.) Iron Man and Ms Marvel come to see the aftermath of the latest New X-Men battle. Carol Danvers takes time out to discuss mutant Registration with Cyclops. Emma Frost reminds her that she's already said "No" to Tony Stark. BLACK PANTHER v4 #18 There's a cease-fire in the Civil War while heroes from both sides attend the wedding of T'Challa and Ororo. Panther tries to arrange peace between Captain America and Iron Man, but Cap leaves and Tony Stark tells T'Challa to keep out of it, and stay in neutral Wakanda. Panther throws Stark out.

MS. MARVEL v2 #6 (2nd half) (This is a flashback and occurs a long time before the 1st half (within CW#5).) Julia Carpenter (ex-Spider-Woman) warns her lover Shroud that SHIELD is after him. They escape a SHIELD attack. Ms Marvel and Wonder Man fail to find them, but do uncover Arana. MOON KNIGHT v5 #7-8 While Moon Knight is going about his business Spider-Man meets him but doesn't arrest him, and Captain America warns him to stay out of the Civil War. (He presumably doesn't want Moonie on his side because he considers him insane.) (These issues are bannered as 'Casualties of War'. This fits the late date they were published, at the end of CW and after, but not the contents.) CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #3/2 She-Hulk sees Speedball with 2 different ideas. She suggests he pleads criminal negligence. She brings him an offer of 3 years community service if he'll register. He turns both down and continues to get beaten by prisoners and guards. MOON KNIGHT v5 #9-10 Strangely #9 has the 'Casualties of War' banner but has no Civil War content, but #10 has no banner and has Spector and Punisher comparing notes about not being invited to the festivities.

HEROES FOR HIRE v2 #1 (flashback) Iron Man, Mr Fantastic and Spider-Man hire Misty Knight and Colleen Wing as bounty hunters to arrest Registration avoiders. They'll put together a team. X-FACTOR v3 #9 (the rest) Madrox declares X-Factor's opposition to the SRA (despite the fact that 2 of them have registered). He asks the X-Men for support, but they tell him they're staying neutral. RUNAWAYS v2 #22-24 This isn't an official tie-in but at the end of this story Iron Man and some Capekillers come to arrest the Runaways. The next issue leaps to the team being in New York, and the later Runaways Saga explains that they just ran away. FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #11-13 Peter Parker resigns as school teacher. But the 3 different Mysterio's attack the school. (And in the next issue Peter is persuaded to stay on to protect the kids.) (This is another story bannered as 'Spider-Man Unmasked' rather than 'Civil War'.)

Then in the main title Mr Fantastic meets Black Panther in Wakanda, Wasp & Yellowjacket are stalled by Wong, and Tony Stark doesn't get anywhere with Emma Frost. After that there's a long gap before the big battle, which the Official Index and the Marvel Continuity Project and its Calendar fill with lots of stuff:- DAREDEVIL v2 #87 (1-17) Daredevil (Matt Murdock) confronts the imposter DD and discovers it is Iron Fist/Danny Rand. (And this is when we readers learn his identity too.) The actual circumstances that led to Danny taking the role are complicated, but he *thought* he was doing what Matt wanted. Fugitive Matt gives Danny his blessing and leaves the country. CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS & RUNAWAYS #1-4 The Runaways help some SHIELD guards against a villain, but SHIELD Capekillers come after them. The Young Avengers disobey Captain America's order and go to California to recruit them. As usually happens in these situations the teams fight through misunderstanding. Interesting stuff arises from Vision and Victor Mancha both being 'sons' of Ultron, and Hulkling and Xavin both being Skrulls (and Hulkling declining his hereditary position of Emperor). But they are all attacked by Kree Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr). He's been held in the secret SHIELD prison the Cube since Marvel Boy #6, and brainwashed by the prison warden. Maria Hill has ordered the attack, but the warden intends to keep the alien members of the teams for his own experiments. It ends with Marvel Boy free of his brainwashing and taking over the Cube. The teen teams escape, but the Runaways decline to join the resistance, intending to keep out of the Civil War.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN v2 #28 Teenage Jordan has just learned that his science teacher is Spider-Man. He sees the hero battling Dr Octopus, and distracts the villain at a crucial point enabling Spidey to win. (This and later issues are bannered 'Spider-Man Unmasked' rather than 'Civil War'.) NEW AVENGERS #23 (most) Spider-Woman (really Skrull Queen Veranke) is in hiding but is captured by SHIELD and Iron Man, who know about her triple-agent game - pretending to work for both SHIELD and Hydra while secretly really reporting to disgraced Nick Fury. Hydra rescue her and offer her the job as Madame Hydra to replace the psychotic Viper. Jessica blows the Hydra base up and escapes. SHE-HULK v4 #9 #8 was the only official Civil War issue. But #9 has the news of Peter Parker revealing his identity, and adds that his promised amnesty means that the Daily Bugle's civil lawsuit won't stick. But Jennifer tells J Jonah Jameson he can sue Parker for photos of *other* people that he'd claimed were Spider-Man, and Peter could pay by handing over the hi-tech suit Tony Stark gave him. (She just wants to get on her new father-in-law's good side, so she intends to keep the case tied up in legal red tape forever.) (And anyway 'Brand New Day' will wipe all this out.) CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #2/3 In prison Norman Osborn gets angry about Peter Parker admitting to being Spider-Man - *he's* the only one allowed to reveal *that*. Government agents recruit him.

This issue starts with a splash page of Spider-Man revealing his identity at the end of last issue. So there are some tie-ins following that before the rest of this issue:- CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #2/1 In the other half of this issue J Jonah Jameson fires Peter Parker, except Peter quits. Also Sally Field meets Firestar who says she's quitting the superheroine business rather than register. (No-one ever seems to come after her, although I don't think this stance is allowed for some others.) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #533 Shows reactions to Peter Parker's unmasking, including the Daily Bugle suing him for selling them photos of Spider-Man while pretending not to be him, and an anti-Registration protester trying to shoot him. Iron Man inducts Spidey into the group of heroes (including some Thunderbolts) who will hunt down those who refuse to register. THUNDERBOLTS #103 Iron Man, Mr Fantastic and Yellowjacket hire Zemo's Thunderbolts to arrest supervillains and persuade them to register and work for the government. (It is *specifically* agreed that they won't hunt *heroes*, but then they help to do just that in CW#3 and ASM#533.) But Zemo intends to use the villains as his own army, which he has been building for a while. RUNAWAYS v2 #19-21 (Not an official tie-in.) The existence of the Civil War is noted in this story, but the Runaways hope to ignore it.

Tie-ins:- Again I base the order of events on Paul Bourcier's Calendar in the Marvel Chronology Project, which should also relate to the Official Index.

When they go to the petrochemical plant, Captain America, Daredevil (Danny Rand), Goliath and Hercules are joined by the rest of the resistance heroes from last issue:- Cable, Cloak, Dagger, Falcon, Luke Cage and Young Avengers:- Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hulkling, Patriot, Stature, Vision and Wiccan. (Speed's missed out, just like last issue. But he's in the mix in the Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways mini-series.) Iron Man's squad includes the usual suspects Doc Samson, Mr Fantastic, Ms Marvel, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Thing, Tigra, Wasp and Yellowjacket plus Black Widow, Invisible Woman, Wonder Man and Thunderbolts:- Atlas, Joystick, Mach-IV and Radioactive Man. The Thunderbolts are involved after a deal between Iron Man and Zemo in TB#103. The 1st action of the SRA team is to send Cloak and Wiccan to sleep so the resistance can't teleport away. While Iron Man is rebooting, Spider-Man uses the artificial spider-arms in his hi-tech Spidey-suit to take Cap's shield. Maria Hill and SHIELD are monitoring the situation from on high, and it is they who send in the Thor clone later called Ragnarok.

This issue contains the 1st mentions of the 50 State Initiative. It is Wasp and Yellowjacket who go seeking Dr Strange's support, but they only get to see Wong. The mutant 'reservation' is the area surrounding Prof X's Westchester mansion where (most of) the mutants who remain (after Scarlet Witch decimated them at the end of House of M) have gathered, with government-run Sentinels guarding the perimeter 'for their safety'. Happy Hogan's here again as Tony Stark's chauffeur. All this exposure is a build up to his death later in the Civil War. Johnny Storm is seen awake and walking on crutches in the hospital. A newspaper refers to Cap's team as "Secret Avengers", maybe for the 1st time. It appears that not only are the resistance using 1 of Nick Fury's old secret bases, but Fury is helping them directly. He's been undercover since he was kicked out of SHIELD after his Secret War with Latveria.

**** Please ignore the rest of my comments (but not Peter Silvestro's). I accidentally added #3's comments to this issue. *****

The MCP Calendar has a few issues listed before #6 starts:- ANNIHILATION #4 This is not an official tie-in but mentions the Civil War. The Annihilation event has been happening at the same time as CW, but over in the Skrull and Kree galaxies (Andromeda Galaxy and Large Magellanic Cloud respectively). Nova and companions are taking a breather near Earth. They reckon that the Annihilation Wave will get here within 3 months. Nova is worried that the divided superheroes won't be in a state to defend the planet. He sends a warning message to the Fantastic Four. NEW AVENGERS #25 A guy called Kenny who invented some stuff for Tony Stark including the Capekiller armour is appalled at what Tony has used it for. He invades Avengers Tower, switches off Iron Man's armour and activates an anti-matter bomb to kill them both and destroy the Tower, hoping this will bring the superhero community to its senses. Maria Hill, equipped with several James Bond-type gadgets, gets into the Tower, shoots Kenny and stops the bomb. Later she tells Stark that she thinks was only made SHIELD Director to keep the seat warm until *he* accepted the job. BLACK PANTHER v4 #23 (14-23) T'Challa meets with Steve Rogers. The Dora Milaje stop Black Widow from following him. Panther offers to supply the Resistance with tech. Cap asks if he can help get into the Project 42 prison in the Negative Zone. BW reports to Iron Man about BP meeting the Resistance, and they fear Storm might bring the mutants in. IM decides to up the ante, including redeploying the Thor clone.

CIVIL WAR: WAR CRIMES #1 (19-35) Kingpin, still in jail, has passed on info facilitating the arrest of several minor resisters, including Cloak and Dagger. He culminates by revealing what is supposed to be the Resistance HQ. But it's actually Hammerhead's base, and his gang is arrested. CIVIL WAR: THE RETURN #1 - FB (5:3-8) The original Captain Marvel (actually a Skrull imposter) is supposedly brought forward through time. Iron Man, Mr Fantastic and Sentry verify who he is (a tribute to current Skrull mimicry). After telling him he's dead in this time, they give him the Project 42 prison to run. CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES #1/3 Danny Rand is expecting important developments in his business (Immortal Iron Fist series). But he vows to continue fighting the Civil War as the replacement Daredevil. In the main title 'Daredevil' is then captured and taken to the Negative Zone prison.

THUNDERBOLTS #109 (This isn't a CW tie-in, but it segues from CW to the Initiative era.) Many of the Thunderbolts leave the team. Moonstone is woken from her coma. She and Radioactive Man, Songbird and Swordsman prepare to become part of the Colorado Initiative team based in Thunderbolts Mountain. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL v2 #2 (11-15) Captain America and Punisher get the codes for the Project 42 portal. (I thought Zemo had already given Cap a key to get out.) They have several run-ins with Capekillers. BLADE v8 #5 (This is a 'Casualties of War' issue.) Blade is captured by Capekillers and registered Morbius. Maria Hill says can go back to hunting vampires (with SHIELD's help) if he will 1st bring in Wolverine. Blade finds Wolvie. They fight. But when Logan's mask comes off, Blade recognises him as someone who saved his life a long timne ago. So he reneges on the contract.

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #14-16 (More issues under the 'Spider-Man Unmasked' banner.) 1 of Peter Parker's old girlfriends Deb Whitman has written a tell-all book about him. Peter uses an image inducer to change his features and becomes a phys-ed teacher as Ben Reilly at the school where he taught science. Vulture is released from prison to hunt Spider-man down. Both attend Deb's book-signing, as do Betty Brant and Flash Thompson. Adrian Toomes and Spidey fight, but Vulture has a seizure which paralyses him. MS. MARVEL v2 #6-8 SHIELD discover from captured Prowler that Julia Carpenter, now known as Arachne, tipped him off that the Capekillers were after him. Iron Man sends Arachne after Shroud, and Ms Marvel and Wonder Man after Arana. Arachne goes to warn her lover Shroud, but Capekillers follow her. They escape, but Julia is now a fugitive too. MM and WM stumble across Arana, who agrees to register. Arachne and Shroud intend to flee to Canada, but go to Colorado 1st to pick up Julia's daughter Rachel. On the way MM and WM attack them and capture Shroud. Arachne gets away. (Arana is tagging along.) They find Julia at her mother's and arrest her. Arana questions the separation of Julia and her daughter. Ms Marvel begins to have doubts too.

THUNDERBOLTS #106-108 (These issues aren't billed as Civil War tie-ins. But they show both sides fulfilling their agreement with Zemo, and temporarily uniting against a bigger problem.) 3 of the Squadron Sinister seal the penultimate conduit of the Wellspring of Power. Injured Speed Demon finds its location in Dr Strange's scrolls but also tells the Thunderbolts. Their plan is to let Zemo beat Grandmaster, but then Songbird will destroy Zemo's Moonstones so he can't use the Power. The teams meet and fight over the last conduit. Zemo obliterates GM. But Joystick is really working for GM and uses her staff to disperse the Power worldwide, giving loads of people superpowers. We learn that Zemo has also recruited telepathic Overmind, who sends Zemo's supervillain army out in squads to try to control the situation. As they promised both the Resistance and the SRA supporters also help. Joystick's staff has some of the Power, and she holds Zemo and the Thunderbolts except for Swordsman. He and captive Songbird mentally contact Overmind and they hatch a plan. They wake Zemo who uses the Moonstones to restore GM and tries to convince him to reign in the Power. But GM won't play ball, and they fight again until Zemo shoots(!) GM in the head. Joystick tries to hit Zemo with her cosmic staff, but Speed Demon (healed by the Power) stops her. Zemo now controls the Power with his Moonstones, but Songbird shatters them with her voice (as she planned to do all along). Zemo is sucked unto the Wellspring, and Atlas plugs the last conduit with his giant body.

ETERNALS v3 # 1-7 (This series doesn't proclaim itself part of Civil War, but it is firmly embedded it.) Quick plot summary:- Sprite got fed up with being eternally 11 years old and used the Dreaming Celestial to change reality so that he was a normal boy (but 1 with a TV series), and the other Eternals were stripped of their memories and given human lives to lead. Now Ikaris begins to remember and joins up with Ajak, Druig, Makkari, Sersi, Thena and Zuras. The Deviants also get involved. The Celestial wakes up. The end result is:- Druig gains control of a little country. Sersi doesn't get her memories back and keeps on with her human life. Thena's human husband was killed during the series, and she is left with a young son. The Celestial stands as a giant statue in Golden Gate Park, (very) slowly judging humanity. Makkari is his prophet, worshipped by Deviants. An alien Horde is approaching (in time for the next series). Ikaris and Makkari go seeking the other lost Eternals. There are 2 main connections with Civil War:- Teen contestants from 'America's Newest Super Hero' TV show make Public Service Broadcasts for the Registration Act, and aren't allowed to use their powers without authorisation. (These teens never appear again.) Iron Man recognises Sersi and says as an ex-Avenger it would help if she Registered. She truthfully has no idea what he's talking about

CIVIL WAR: WAR CRIMES #1 (3-18) Tony Stark makes a deal with Kingpin (in Ryker's Island jail) to help catch Captain America. Wilson Fisk's rival Hammerhead gets released and starts to build a supervillain gang. INCREDIBLE HULK v3 #100/2 Gabe Jones leads Capekillers after Amadeus Cho, but he crashes their helicopter. Working from an old Hulk hideout Cho hacks into Mr Fantastic's computer. He discovers that the Illuminati sent Hulk into space, but works out that the rocket didn't go where they intended. He informs Reed of this, who tells Tony Stark. (Reed is working on making the Thor clone safer.) CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #10/2 Robbie Baldwin has his would-be assassin released as part of his Registration deal. Mr Fantastic tries to persuade Robbie to let the government keep him safe, but he leaves prison to face a country that hates him. He burns his Speedball costume and dons another that he has had made. It hides his face, but also has spikes projecting inwards so that he will continually be in pain to remind him of those who died at Stamford. He takes the codename Penance. (This is the end of the 'Accused' strand.)

IRON MAN v4 #14 Tony Stark takes care of various bits of SRA business, then visits Pepper Hogan at Happy's hospital bedside. She says Happy wouldn't want to live as a vegetable, and asks Tony to cause his life support to fail. Stark arranges a meeting with Captain America in Yankee Stadium, and asks him if the Resistance had anything to do with the attack on Happy Hogan. Then other Resistance members appear without Cap's knowledge. Silhouette whisks Steve away while Luke Cage, Spider-Man and Ultra Girl attack Iron Man. Stark defeats them but doesn't arrest them - he sticks to the parley agreement, even if the other side didn't. Later Invisible Woman reveals herself - she's been following him all day waiting for a chance to talk to him alone. She wants him to stop the Civil War (so she can get her old Reed Richards back). But she also thinks he should terminate Happy's life support. At the end of the issue Happy's machine reports him flatlining, but we don't know whether Tony is responsible. GHOST RIDER v5 #8-11 (This is bannered as 'Casualties of War'.) The body of Jack O'Lantern (killed by Punisher) was taken to his home town and buried. But Lucifer raises him from the dead in his supervillain guise. Jack raises more bodies as zombies. Ghost Rider kills Jack and stops the zombie invasion.

IRON MAN v4 #13 (11.5-21) Tony Stark talks with Sal Kennedy and Maya Hansen about his doubts over the course he has taken. Happy Hogan leaves for an anniversary date with wife Pepper, but is attacked by Spymaster. They both fall from a height. (But Spymaster must get up and escape.) CAPTAIN AMERICA v5 #24 Sharon Carter is still pretending to be loyal to SHIELD. She meets with the Nick Fury LMD that was taken over by the real NF in #23, and Fury tells her Steve's in trouble. Cap has taken time off from the Civil War to try to investigate what Red Skull's doing. NF sent him to a Hydra base which he only just escapes from, to find Capekillers waiting for him. But Sharon rescues him by disabling the Capekillers with a special EMP pulse that was designed based on 1 of their helmets Winter Soldier got hold of in #23. They wonder if Iron Man has allied with Hydra now. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #9/2 Speedball is taken to the Raft. Some prisoners try to escape. Robbie's power erupts again killing some of them. This convinces him he needs to Register for everyone else's safety.

PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL v2 #2 (1-10) The Resistance hold Punisher prisoner while they decide whether to accept him. G W Bridge tracks down Stuart Clarke. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536 (7-14) MJ and Aunt may are hiding out in the gym at Peter's school. Recovered Peter turns up and tells then he's joined the Resistance. They refuse to run away. CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES #1/4 US Agent tries to take in Purple Man, who compels him to fall from a height injuring himself. Much later when he's recovered John Walker learns that Killgrave went to Canada, so he accepts a job Iron Man offered him to work with Alpha Flight. SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN v2 #32-34 (again bannered as 'Spider-Man Unmasked') MJ and Aunt May are in a safehouse. MJ meets with Sue Richards. Spider-Man has reverted to his normal costume and fights Rhino and gets beaten up. He makes it home to be looked after by MJ and AM. Rhino was still carrying out part of Chameleon's plot from the previous issues, and gets angry when he realises it's all over and he never got paid. Black Cat and her boyfriend Puma track him down, but she talks him down rather than fighting him.

Then there's a long gap between the Resistance meeting and the capture of 'Daredevil', into which lots of stuff is stuffed:- FANTASTIC FOUR #542 Johnny Storm and Reed Richards have a secret coffee shop meeting. Reed claims to not know *for sure* that Torch is working with the Resistance (he's probably in denial). He says that his equations predict that the Registration Act is the only way to avoid a disastrous range of futures. But a 2nd opinion wouldn't hurt, so he goes to Mad Thinker for help. In Paris Thing helps Anais of Les Heroes de Paris against Hydra. Then Torch arrives in 2 sections of the Fantasti-Car and tries to persuade Ben to come home. He leaves 1 of the Car sections behind for when Ben wants it. Reed shows Thinker his private room with the walls full of equations. he claims to have invented the equivalent of Isaac Asimov's psychohistory, which led him to his distasteful conclusions which justify the SRA, the Negative Zone prison and the 50-State Initiative. Thinker can't find any flaws in the maths. But he points out that Tony Stark has taken this road *knowing* that many will hate him for it, but Reed took this path naively expecting there to be no consequences for himself. It turns out that Sue is there invisible, and finally understands why he did it - but she still doesn't agree with his choice, and she's going back to the Resistance.

The above leads directly to the Iron Man/Spider-Man fight in Avengers Tower (and the preceding 2 bits). AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #535 (21) Iron Man and Spider-Man crash out through a wall of Avengers Tower. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536 (1-6) IM and SM fight some more. IM overrides Spidey's armour with a codeword. But Peter has already discovered this feature and installed an override override. He escapes through the sewers. Then we have the part of this issue where Maria Hill sends Thunderbolt villains after SM. Jack O'Lantern and Jester catch him and severely beat him up (with gas and bombs and stuff). Someone shoots them and saves him. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL v2 #1 (24:4-32) Punisher is aware of all this activity (Jack and Jesty may have Stark-enhanced tech for Stuart Clarke's equipment to detect them, but maybe Frank just detected Spidey's Stark-armour). He shoots the villains and brings wounded SM to the Resistance. Which brings us of course to the Resistance planning meeting in CW#5.

The next entries lead up to the opening of this issue:- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #535 (1-16) Peter Parker makes a comment about Tony Stark's successful business deals, and asks to see the new prison. Iron Man takes him to the Baxter Building and Reed Richards sends them to the Negative Zone (Peter didn't know that's where the prison is). Peter sees Negative Zone Prison Alpha, and is told that the inmates are here for life. They return to Earth and Peter asks Reed why he supports all this. Reed tells the story of his beloved Uncle Ted who defied McCarthy's HUAC and lost everything that made his life worth living. Peter sees him as a hero, but Reed says he was just wrong - the law must be obeyed because it's what keeps us civilised. FANTASTIC FOUR #540 (18-22) Reed Richards' POV of the above. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #535 (17-20) Iron Man asks for Peter's help with a new program - the Fifty-State Initiative. But Peter returns home to Avengers Tower and tells MJ and Aunt May to leave because he chose the wrong side and he's going to put it right. But Iron Man has been eavesdropping and Peter hears him coming. He dons his Spidey armour to lead IM away.

CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #9/1 (4-12) Ben Urich gets Peter Parker to hack into Stark Industries accounts and they find that Stark has been making money from foreknowledge of Civil War events (that's insider trading). At Avengers Tower Reed Richards discovers that someone's reprogrammed Osborn's nanites and tries to find out who had access. Tensions with Atlantis are increasing, and Reed intends to go explain about Osborn to Sub-Mariner. Iron Man tells Reed, Ms Marvel, Radioactive Man and Yellowjacket he knows who the traitor is. (In a flashback in #10/1 he refuses to say who it is. Yellowjacket is angry but Mr Fantastic supports Stark.)

CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #8/3 The Super Heroes of Europe group have arranged for an embassy from Atlantis to speak to the US government. Ambassador Govan claims that the Atlanteans killed in the warehouse were a peaceful group studying human civilisation. But Norman Osborn shows up and shoots him. The Atlanteans return to the sea, and Osborn collapses claiming he didn't do it. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #9/3 Detectives interview Osborn about the shooting. He claims that someone has put something inside him. Tony Stark interrupts the interrogation and has Osborn taken away. (This is the end of the 'Sleeper Cell' storyline.)

CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #8/1 Ben Urich investigates the incident where Atlanteans were killed and Wonder Man injured. He is told about Green Goblin's alleged involvement. He learns about the villains controlled by nanites, among them Norman Osborn - but someone has subverted Norman's nanites. He also learns about Stark making money from the nanites (so it's not the control system Fixer of the Thunderbolts invented?). Sally Floyd is free and meets someone who offers to take her to the Resistance. It turns out to be Captain America in disguise. (There is also the suggestion that the man who met her in #5/1 was Nick Fury.) CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #9/1 (1-3) Sally interviews Cap as Luke Cage and Falcon keep watch. She now disagrees with his stance.

FANTASTIC FOUR #540 (1-17) Sue Richards returns to the Baxter Building and invisibly helps Wildstreak escape from being sent to the Negative Zone prison. She and Reed argue about Registration again, and she finally leaves with a modicum of property damage. Thing comes home to say he's off to Paris. FANTASTIC FOUR #541 Thing is hassled by the IRS, Immigration and an undisclosed agency about his intention to leave the country in protest against the Registration Act. They make him leave most of his fortune behind. In Paris he is recruited by Les Heroes de Paris to help against the Emperor of the Underground World and his rock creatures. The Emperor gives up his dreams of conquest when the woman who spurned him turns out to love him.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #534 The same event from Spider-Man's POV. The main addition is that he and Cap meet during the battle. Cap unsuccessfully tries to recruit him. They fight and armoured Spidey takes Cap's shield. But then he puts it somewhere safe, and Cap retrieves it after the battle. CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES #1/2 The new Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady) watches the battle. He saves a woman from danger. Iron Man learns of this afterwards, and Yellowjacket alerts SHIELD that the fugitive they seek was here. (O'Grady stole the Stark-improved Ant-Man suit during the Irredeemable Ant-Man series.) CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #8/4 During the battle Falcon and Ms Marvel fight in the air. This time the comparison is with the battle of Edgehill in the English Civil War. (This is the last stand-alone story I will report on.) (#9/4 has an old Nick Fury looking back from the future. But it also contains major retcons to his history.)

These are some more tie-ins between #4 and #5:- FANTASTIC FOUR #538 (18-19) Mad Thinker and Puppet Master trick the Yancy Street Gang into attacking (next issue) security vans transporting Resistance prisoners. They intend to use the chaos to kill heroes on both sides. FANTASTIC FOUR #539 The YSG pass on info about the convoy time and route to Cap's Resistance who plan to attack it, while the YSG organise a protest. The approaching Resistance and the protesters cause the convoy to divert down Yancy St, as per Thinker's plan. Puppet Master has that street modelled, with radioactive clay puppets of all the heroes (and SHIELD forces) in place. A special helmet built by Thinker allows PM to control more than the usual number of players, and he orchestrates a fight. Thing is there to try to stop the YSG getting hurt. But 1 YSGer is killed, and Ben stops the whole battle before any heroes die. All the prisoners escape (we only see Rage). Ben refuses to be on either side and declares his intention to leave the country. (He's already registered so he wouldn't be stopped for that reason.)

Tie-ins:- Once more I'm indebted to Paul Bourcier's Calendar in the Marvel Chronology Project.

Punisher wants to join the Resistance because Iron Man's side are now recruiting his prey - vicious killers. He also says that he's been watching/guarding them for weeks disguised with a ski mask (eg the guy at then end of last issue). Dr Jane Foster is fully identified here, and her nurse is named as Linda (Carter). Although Tigra is in the shadows here she's identified as part of the Resistance next issue, and later revealed as a spy. In all her previous CW-related apps she's been working with Iron Man so she must have pretended to switch sides like Invisible Woman. The Daredevil here is still really Iron Fist.

Brother and sister Johnny Storm and Sue Richards arrive at the Secret Avengers meeting under new IDs as Mr and Mrs Landau (an arrangement both find disturbing). Others at the meeting are:- long-term members Captain America, 'Daredevil', Falcon, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hercules, Hulkling, Luke Cage, Patriot and Vision; #4 inductees Debrii, Firebird, Justice, Living Lightning, Pulsar (Monica Rambeau), Silhouette and Triathlon; plus new faces Black Mamba, Diamondback, Machine Man, Stingray and Ultra-Girl Cloak and Dagger have been arrested, which means they've no teleporters left (since Wiccan was captured and Cable left last issue). Cap wanted a teleporter to infiltrate the Baxter Building to get the plans of the Negative Zone prison (so they can bust the prisoners out). Hulkling offers to shapeshift his way in, but Cap says he's got a task in Arizona (to impersonate Henry Pym). And Invisible Woman has another important job too. (This is probably to ask Sub-Mariner for help in #6, but that's some way away with all the other events that get inserted before then. Including Sue sneaking into the Baxter Building yet again in Fantastic Four #542, and shadowing Tony Stark in Iron Man #14.)

Happy Hogan greets Nighthawk and Stature in his boss's absence. This is his last appearance before getting severely wounded by Spymaster in the 2nd half of Iron Man #13 and dying in IM#14. The fight between Iron Man and Spider-Man takes place before the final full-page panel of Amazing SM #535. (That panel has *both* combatants crashing out of the building.) The fight then actually continues on the ground in the opening pages of ASM#536. The Thunderbolts sent by SHIELD to find Spidey are:- regular members Atlas, Joystick, Radioactive Man and Songbird; the villains we saw at the end of last issue Bullseye, Jack O'Lantern, Jester, Lady Deathstrike, Taskmaster and Venom; plus Ironclad, Vector and X-Ray of the U-Foes (no Vapor). (There's also another male there I can't identify)