Civil War #6: Review

Cap’s side: Captain America, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Punisher, Spider-Man, Falcon, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman, Stingray, Patriot, Hulkling, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Vision, Hercules, Living Lightning, Firebird, Diamondback, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Black Panther, Storm, Cloak, Dagger, Daredevil, Prodigy, Gladiatrix, Lightbright, Black Crow, Coldblood, Solo, Living Mummy, Network, Typeface, Lectronn, Shroud. Iron Man’s side: Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Thor Clone, Tigra, Black Widow, Stature, Arana, Sentry, Nighthawk, Ms. Marvel, Bishop, Mach IV, Doc Samson, She-Hulk, Wasp, Wonder Man, Sabra, Bullseye, Radioactive Man, Venom (Mac Gargan), Taskmaster, Lady Deathstrike, Blizzard, Songbird, Hank Pym. Others: Dr. Strange, The Watcher, the Sub-Mariner, Goldbug, Plunderer.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #538 (1-2) Peter phones to say he won't be home for dinner (because of the invasion of project 42). In CW#6 the invasion of the Negative Zone prison begins. BLACK PANTHER v4 #25 (4) BP and Storm take part in the invasion.

After Tony Stark and Reed Richards meet with Miriam Sharpe, and the Watcher goes to see Dr Strange:- CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #10/1 (1-8) Ms Marvel tells Sally Floyd about Norman Osborn's nanites being tampered with, and that Tony Stark says he knows who the traitor is but won't tell his allies the identity for security reasons. Sally comes to the conclusion that the traitor may be Stark himself. She tells Ben Urich, who combines that with the evidence of financial manipulation by Stark he found last issue. Ben resigns from the Daily Bugle to have the independence .to tell this story. Meanwhile US/Atlantis tension is growing after the Green Goblin incident.

Sue Richards meets with Namor, and the Secret Avengers have a meeting. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL v2 #2 (19-22) This shows Punisher shooting Goldbug and Plunderer, and Cap attacking him. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL v2 #3 (1-11) This covers the Cap/Castle fight, and Punisher being expelled from the Resistance. (The rest of this issue isn't relevant to Civil War.)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536 (15-23) Spidey makes a speech on TV opposing the SRA. Iron Man sends SHIELD after him. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #537 In Ryker's Kingpin learns where Parker's staying and orders his death. Cap persuades Spidey to come to Resistance HQ. Kingpin's hitman stakes out the motel where Aunt May and MJ are. BLACK PANTHER v4 #24 (21-23) Reed Richards finishes fixing the Thor clone. Storm comes to see him. BLACK PANTHER v4 #25 (1-3) Ororo challenges Reed's justifications for supporting the SRA. T'Challa gives the Resistance a device to get them into the Number 42 prison. (Either the key Zemo gave Cap in Thunderbolts has been forgotten about, or it would only get them *out*, not in.)

PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL v2 #2 (16-20) Stuart Clarke gives Punisher equipment to infiltrate the Baxter Building with. G W Bridge warns Clarke that Punisher will kill him when he's done with him. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL v2 #3 (12-15) Bridge leaves and sends men to kill Clarke, but Clarke uses his tech to escape. Then in CW#6 Iron Man and Mr Fantastic chat while Punisher infiltrates Baxter Building.

After the Arizona training ground scene:- BLACK PANTHER v4 #24 (1-20) Iron Man tries to arrest the Dora Milaje for beating up Black Widow, and the US make moves against Wakanda. Panther visits the Resistance and tells Captain America that he can tell Tigra is a spy.

The MCP Calendar splits this issue into several pieces, and many of the tie-ins it includes here are intimately connected with the proceedings:-

The Negative Zone prison has only 2 portals so far, to Ryker's Island and the Baxter Building, but more are planned to each of the Initiative bases. The Resistance enter the Negative Zone from Ryker's Island. We see a good selection of those at the meeting (Cap, Falcon, Hawkeye, Hercules, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Luke Cage, Patriot, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Tigra and Vision, but not Diamondback, Firebird, Living Lightning, Machine Man, Monica Rambeau and Stingray), joined by Black Panther and Storm. They are faced with Iron Man's team consisting of mainstays Black Widow, Doc Samson, Mr Fantastic, Ms Marvel, Sentry, She-Hulk, Wasp, Wonder Man and Yellowjacket (who is of course now Hulkling in disguise), and defectors Nighthawk and Stature, and other late additions Arana (recruited by Ms Marvel), Bishop (via O*N*E) and Sabra (1 of Bishop's team), plus Thunderbolts (before they split up) Blizzard, Fixer, Mach-IV, Radioactive Man and Songbird, and added villains Bullseye, Lady Deathstrike, Taskmaster and Venom (the gang from #4 after Jack O'Lantern and Jester were eliminated by Punisher). Who's freed from the prison? We see Battlestar, Black Crow, Cloak, Coldblood-7, Dagger, Daredevil (Danny Rand), Gladiatrix, Lectronn, Lightbright, Living Mummy, Network, Prodigy, Prowler, Shroud, Solo, Typeface and Wiccan.

Who's at the Resistance meeting? Along with stalwarts Captain America, Falcon, Hercules and Luke Cage and Young Avengers Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Patriot and Vision and recent additions in these pages Diamondback, Firebird, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Living Lightning, Machine Man, Monica Rambeau, Punisher, Spider-Man and Stingray we see Spider-Woman (from New Avengers #23) and Tigra (briefly glimpsed last issue and of course revealed this issue to be a spy for her old affiliates the SRA mob). Punisher says he nicked the stuff which enables him to evade RR's security from a Stark warehouse, but in Punisher War Journal Stuart Clarke designed at least some of it. He downloads lots of info about the Number 42 prison, but concludes they'll need a lot of help to get in. Falcon reports that Namor has declined to help, Wolverine's staying neutral with the X-Men (now that he's dealt with Nitro and his backers), Dr Strange is still incommunicado, but Black Panther and Storm are on their side now. Sub-Mariner says he's not interested in the Civil War now that Namorita's killer Nitro has been dealt with (in the pages of Wolverine). Spider-Man has ditched Stark's high-tech costume in favour of his old 1 (which according to the Official Index he has already done in his own 3 series). Punisher is now off the team but not quite out of the story.

The Marvel Continuity Project calendar suggests the SHIELD agent who talks to Henry Pym about Poseidon is actually Hulkling waiting for his chance to replace him. Later dialogue claims that the actual replacement doesn't happen until the morning before the raid on the Negative Zone prison. Iron Man mentions Reed Richard's probability map, which was described in Fantastic Four #542. It convinced Reed that the Superhero Registration Act, the Project 42 prison and the 50 State Initiative were necessary to avoid catastrophic future problems. The President has promised 12 immunities for selected Resisters, including Human Torch and Invisible Woman.

The Arizona training ground for Initiative members was also seen in Iron Man #14. The Initiative team we see training is the Champions destined for California, where they will be renamed the Order in the series of that name. It will be established there that they have been *given* powers by means of genetic biology, and are designed around the Greek gods. The team has high standards and many members will be dropped and sometimes replaced over time. We see Hercules the strong man who will vanish after next issue, and we hear about Aphrodite who will never be seen. There's Hermes the speedster who won't be in next issue but will make it to The Order. We also see a female archer based on Artemis, who will have the codename Pierce in The Order. And there's a hammer wielder like Hephaestus who'll get the name Maul. There is also mention of Poseidon who will appear next issue without being named as Heavy. Henry Pym and Maria Hill mention Mormon heroes in Utah (who will be named the Called in Avengers: Initiative #17, but never actually seen), Spaceknights in Chicago (also never seen), Force Works in Iowa (also never seen, but when Cybermancer, from the original FW, turns up in Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #33 it is suggested that she is part of the new incarnation - and here it is implied that other people from the old FW may be involved, but only Century would make any sense).