The war is finally over.
There are clear comparisons to be drawn between the execution of Secret Wars and that of Civil War II. Both were major event crossovers that fell significantly behind schedule. Both fell further behind schedule thanks to the decision to expand the story with an extra chapter. And in both cases, Marvel elected to delay the series and allow the original creative team to finish telling their story, even after the rest of the Marvel Universe had already moved on. The difference is in the payoff. Secret Wars #9 served as a beautiful finale to Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's sweeping superhero saga. The fact that it arrived months after the start of the All-New, All-Different Marvel relaunch scarcely mattered. Civil War II #8 doesn't have anywhere near that impact. This issue merely serves as a dull, unremarkable finale to an event that's struggled to justify its very existence.
After reading this issue, it's not even clear why Brian Bendis and David Marquez wanted to expand their story in the first place. Issues #7 and #8 could easily have been compressed into one book. What's more, that probably would have benefited the story. Issue #8 feels empty and hollow. It depicts the final battle between Captain Marvel and Iron Man, the immediate aftermath and little else. The limited cast helps steer the book away from the bland, uniform "team speak" that's marred certain previous chapters, but none of the characterization stands out here. Neither Carol nor Tony have any particularly memorable moments as they clash one final time. To draw comparisons to the original Civil War, there's nothing comparable to Cap's great epiphany from Civil War #7 or Tony's tearful farewell in Civil War: The Confession. The script fails to connect on an emotional level. This issue merely reads like a necessary step in terms of scooting the Marvel U. from one point to the next.
"Anticlimactic" really is the best word to describe this issue. It reveals little about the conflict that hasn't already been spoiled by a number of other post-Civil War II comics. It does nothing interesting with issue #7's twist - that Ulysses seems capable of physically travelling to and interacting with the futures he sees. It fails to provide closure for the rest of the book's main cast, whether it's Miles Morales' dilemma or She-Hulk's response to losing her cousin. As for Ulysses, this issue only reinforces the idea that he was always more plot device than real character.
It should be noted that Civil War II ends its run looking as good as it started. In a time where both Marvel and DC seem to be gravitating toward the "switch artists every single issue" approach to crossovers, the appeal of having one writer and one main artist can't be understated. Despite the fact that the conflict in this issue involves a measly two fighters, Marquez is able to bring an impressive sense of scope to his pages. And his flair for emotionally charged facial work is as apparent as ever. Marquez does his best to wring every bit of emotion out of this bland story, but at the end of the day there's only so much that can be done.
This issue also features several guest artists rendering splash pages depicting various glimpses into the future of the Marvel U. These visual shake-ups work naturally in that context, and it's fun seeing the likes of Esad Ribic and Adam Kubert offer teases of what's to come. But these visual detours also serve to take the focus away from the here and now just as Civil War II should be reaching its most critical point. Like so many Marvel events, there's more focus on what's coming next rather than properly wrapping up the current story.
The Verdict
Civil War II ends with what is easily one of the weakest chapters of the entire crossover. This issue is anticlimactic and fails to wring much emotion from the final battle between Captain Marvel and Iron Man. Nor does it justify the decision to expand the series. David Marquez's art helps make the book a little more palatable, but there's only so much great art can do to salvage a poorly conceived comic.
Editors' Choice
→
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire