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A CIVIL WAR IN THE
MARVEL UNIVERSE

MILESTONES
ILLUMINATI REVEALED: Key members of the Marvel Universe have been meeting in secret for years, usually after a major crisis. Among them is Tony Stark (Iron Man) who slowly develops the notion that some form of organization/regulation of super-powered individuals is not only required but inevitable.
IRON SPIDER: After joining the Avengers Peter Parker is convinced to quit the Bugle and go to work as Tony Stark's assistant. Tony quickly ingratiates himself to Peter and his family, going so far as to "assist" Peter by giving him an armored costume. 
THE STAMFORD INCIDENT: New Warriors battle escaped super-villains in Stamford. In the battle Nitro detonates killing over 600 civilians (including a bus full of children) and all of the New Warriors except Speedball. 
SIDES ARE CHOSEN: Public opinion turns against the costumed community (all of whom are now considered walking WMD's) and the Superhuman Registration Act is passed. Immediately factions form among superheroes with Captain America leading the Anti-Registration side & Iron Man the Pro-Registration
PETER PARKER UNMASKS: Registration and unmasking are two of the requirements of the new law. As an important symbolic act Peter Parker (with Tony Stark's prodding) agrees to be the first hero to unmask in public.
THOR RETURNS: During a battle between the two sides there is a flash of lightning and Thor returns to the Marvel Universe, but whose side will he be on?
THE THING LEAVES: Straddling the fence, Ben Grimm is forced to choose a side when a member of the "Yancy Street Gang" is killed during a protest rally. He decides to side with himself, quit the F4 and move to Europe where there is no Registration Act.
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON: Should super-humans be registered as living WMD's subject to governmental control and regulation? Should they be left alone as they always have been with "heroes" keeping "villains" in check and all defending the planet as freelancers when a crisis arises? What do you think? Whose side are you on?

THE STORY SO FAR...
The teen super group New Warriors corners a group of escaped super-villains in residential Stamford, Connecticut. In the ensuing battle the villain Nitro detonates himself in front of a school bus full of children. When the smoke clears most of the town is in ruins and there are over 600 fatalities. The "Stamford Incident" becomes the last straw and public opinion turns decidedly against super-humans and their ongoing "battles" and "wars", This gives momentum to the Superhuman Registration Act, a congressional movement to register all super-powered beings as members of the government.

Current S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill attempts to recruit Captain America for the new "Superhuman Task Force" a strike force created to track down and convince super-humans in violation of the act to register. When Cap refuses, agents attack him (notably before the act goes into effect), but he escapes. Iron Man becomes the leader of the Task Force and mobilizes many of the registered super-humans, including Mister Fantastic and Spider-Man in an effort to track down and "convince" the anti-registration heroes to register and potentially join him.

Now a fugitive, Captain America forms an underground resistance team which the press dubs  "Secret Avengers", Among the team's members are Cable, Falcon, Iron Fist (posing as Daredevil) and others and they rescue other heroes from S.H.I.E.L.D. such as Luke Cage and the Young Avengers. Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, who remains a fugitive also aids the operations of the Secret Avengers.

In Civil War #3, Cap's team responds to an emergency, but realizes too late that it is a trap. A large-scale battle between the two factions ensues and Iron Man viciously beats Captain America. Hercules attempts to save the Captain but is stopped when a massive bolt of lightning strikes him. An instant later Thor appears, sides with Iron Man and kills Goliath (Bill Foster). The Invisible Woman throws a force field around the Secret Avengers allowing them to escape. After the battle it is revealed "Thor" is actually the prototype for an army of superhero clones being grown in test tubes by Reed Richards and Hank Pym for SHIELD and financed by Stark. The clones are intended to take the place of the heroes who have sided with Cap. Civil War #4 ends with Stark's team agreeing to join forces with some of the worst villains in the Marvel Universe (the NEW New Thunderbolts) to bring down Cap and the Secret Avengers.

CIVIL WAR-2006
 COMIC CHECKLIST

ITEMS IN RED HAVE SHIPPED ALREADY
FEBRUARY 2006
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #529 (Road to Civil War)

MARCH 2006
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #530 (Road to Civil War)
FANTASTIC FOUR #536 (Road to Civil War)
NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI SPECIAL (Road to Civil War)

APRIL 2006
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #531 (Road to Civil War)
CIVIL WAR OPENING SHOT SKETCHBOOK (Road to Civil War)
FANTASTIC FOUR #537 (Road to Civil War)

MAY 2006
CIVIL WAR #1
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #532
FANTASTIC FOUR #536 (2nd Print)
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: MILLAR/MCNIVEN
SHE-HULK #8
WOLVERINE #42

JUNE 2006
CIVIL WAR #2
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #1
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #2
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #533
FANTASTIC FOUR #537 (2nd Print)
FANTASTIC FOUR #538
NEW AVENGERS #21
THUNDERBOLTS #103
WOLVERINE #43
X-FACTOR #8

JULY 2006
CIVIL WAR #3
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #3
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #4
CIVIL WAR: X-MEN #1
CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS & RUNAWAYS#1
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #534
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #532 (2nd Print)
BLACK PANTHER #18
CABLE & DEADPOOL #30
FANTASTIC FOUR #539
NEW AVENGERS #22
NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI SPECIAL (2nd Print)
SHE-HULK #8 (2nd Print)
THUNDERBOLTS #104
THUNDERBOLTS #103 (2nd Print)
WOLVERINE #44
WOLVERINE #42 (2nd Print)
X-FACTOR #9
 
AUGUST 2006
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #5
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #1 (2nd Print)
CIVIL WAR: X-MEN #2
CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS & RUNAWAYS #2
CABLE & DEADPOOL #31
HEROES FOR HIRE #1
MS. MARVEL #6
NEW AVENGERS #23
THUNDERBOLTS #105
WOLVERINE #45
WOLVERINE #43 (2nd Print)
X-FACTOR #8 (2nd Print)
SEPTEMBER 2006
CIVIL WAR #1 (Captain America Unleashed Variant)
CIVIL WAR #2 (3rd Print, McNiven Sketch Variant)
CIVIL WAR #4
CIVIL WAR AMAZING SPIDER-MAN DECISIONS (collecting Amazing Spiderman #529-532)
CIVIL WAR FILES
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #6
CIVIL WAR: X-MEN #3
CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS & RUNAWAYS #3
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #535
CABLE & DEADPOOL #32
CAPTAIN AMERICA #22
FANTASTIC FOUR #540
HEROES FOR HIRE #2
MS. MARVEL #7
NEW AVENGERS #24
WOLVERINE #46

OCTOBER 2006
CAPTAIN AMERICA #23
CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #7
CIVIL WAR: X-MEN #4
CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS &
HEROES FOR HIRE #3
IRON MAN #13
MS. MARVEL #8
NEW AVENGERS #25
RUNAWAYS #4
WOLVERINE #47

NOVEMBER 2006
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536
BLACK PANTHER #22
BLACK PANTHER #21(2nd variant reprint)  
CAPTAIN AMERICA #24
CIVIL WAR #5
CIVIL WAR #3-THOR RETURNS (3rd variant reprint) 
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #8
CIVIL WAR THUNDERBOLTS: SWIMMING WITH SHARKS (reprints Thunderbolts #103-105)
FANTASTIC FOUR #541
IRON MAN #14
MOON KNIGHT #7 (Casualties of War)
PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #1
WOLVERINE #48

DECEMBER 2006
BLACK PANTHER #23
CIVIL WAR #6
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #9
CIVIL WAR: WAR CRIMES (One Shot)
IRON MAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA SPECIAL (Casualties of War)
MOON KNIGHT #8 (Casualties of War)
PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #2
WINTER SOLDIER: WINTER KILLS (Casualties of War)

JANUARY 2007
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #537
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #538
BLACK PANTHER #24
BLADE #5 (Casualties of War)
CIVIL WAR #7
CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES (2nd variant reprint)  
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #10
FANTASTIC FOUR #542
FANTASTIC FOUR #543
MOON KNIGHT #10 (Casualties of War)
PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #1 (2nd variant reprint)
PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #3

FEBRUARY 2007
BLACK PANTHER #25
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #11
CIVIL WAR: BATTLE DAMAGE REPORT
CHARACTER SCORECARD
WHO'S ON WHICH SIDE?
PROPONENTS OF THE REGISTRATION ACT:
SUPER HUMAN TASK FORCE:
Black Widow, Doc Samson, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, She-Hulk, Tigra, Clone of Thor, Wasp, Yellowjacket

HEROES WHO HAVE REGISTERED WITH THE GOVERNMENT:
Deadpool, Hellcat, Sentry, Thor Girl, Two-Gun Kid, U.S. Agent, Vienna and the “Great Lakes Champions”: Big Bertha, Doorman, Flatman, Mr. Immortal, Squirrel Girl, Tippy-Toe

GOVERNMENT TRAINERS:
Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man

HEROES CURRENTLY “IN TRAINING”:
Araña

GOVERNMENT ENFORCERS:
Paladin and these groups...
-"198 Taskforce: Bishop, Micromax, Sabra, Sentinel Squad O*N*E
-“Heroes for Hire”: Black Cat, Colleen Wing, Humbug, Misty Knight, Orka, Otis, Shang Chi, Tarantula,

S.H.I.E.L.D. MEMBERS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE CONFLICT:
Agent 13, Mitch Carson, Dum-Dum Dugan, Maria Hill, Gabriel Jones, Agent Jamie Madrox (a duplicate of Multiple Man), Eric Marshall, Agent Owen, "Superhuman Restraint Unit (a.k.a. CAPE KILLERS)

THUNDERBOLTS:
Atlas, Baron Zemo, Blizzard, Fixer, Joystick, Mach-IV, Radioactive Man, Smuggler, Songbird, Swordsman

THUNDERBOLTS DETAINEES/RECRUITS:
Ajaxis, Aqueduct, Blacklash, Bloodstrike, Batroc, Beetle, Boomerang, Bullseye, Bushmaster, Death Adder, Dr.Octopus, Eel, Green Goblin, Iron Maiden, Jack O'Lantern, Jester, Killer Shrike, Lady Deathstrike, King Cobra, Machete, Mongoose, Overmind, Ox, Porcupine, Primus, Quicksand, Rattler, Red Ronin, Scarecrow, Silk Fever, Slyde, Smiling Tiger, Snake Marston, Taskmaster, Tatterdemalion, Texas Twister, Unicorn, Venom, Vermin, Whiplash, Whirlwind, Zarnan and these groups...
-“Psionex”: Asylum, Coronary, Mathemanic, Pretty Persuasions
-“U-Foes”: Ironclad, Vapor, Vector, X-Ray
-“Wrecking Crew”: Bulldozer, Piledriver, Thunderball, The Wrecker.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS OF THE REGISTRATION ACT:
President of the United States and the...
-"Commission on Superhuman Activities": Val Cooper, Dallas Riordan, Henry Peter Gyrich

CIVILIAN SUPPORTERS OF THE REGISTRATION ACT:
Happy Hogan, J. Jonah Jameson, Miriam Sharpe, Sprite
OPPONENTS OF THE REGISTRATION ACT:
THE SECRET AVENGERS:
Luke Cage, Captain America, Cloak and Dagger, Debrii, Falcon, Firebird, Jane Foster, Nick Fury, Hercules, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Fist (posing as Daredevil), Justice, Living Lightning, Night Nurse, Monica Rambeau, Silhouette, Spider-Woman, Aaron Stack, Triathlon, Ultra Girl and the “Young Avengers”: Hulkling, Hawkeye, Patriot, Speed, Vision, Wiccan

UN-REGISTERED HEROES:
Aegis, Ant-Man, Cable, Hulk, Jessica Jones, Mastermind Excello, Moon Knight, Nighthawk, Noh-Varr, Punisher, Quicksilver, Rage, Slapstick, Stature, Stingray, Thunderclap, Timeslip, Wildstreak, Winter Soldier and the group...
-“Runaways”: Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Victor Mancha, Nico Minoru, Old Lace, Chase Stein, Xavin

REGISTERED OPPONENTS OF THE ACT:
The 198, John Jameson (aka: Man Wolf), Spider-Man and from these groups:
-“X-Factor Investigations”: Jamie Madrox (Multiple Man), Layla Miller, M, Rictor, Siryn, Strong Guy, Wolfsbane
-“X-Force”: Domino, Shatterstar

MAJOR CIVILIAN OPPONENTS:
May Parker, Mary Jane Parker, Neil Crawford, Sally Floyd, Yancy Street Gang

FOREIGN OPPONENTS OF THE ACT:
Black Bolt, Black Panther, Namor, Storm,

EXPATRIATES DUE TO THE ACT:
Doctor Strange, Jessica Jones, The Thing,

RETIRED DUE TO THE ACT:
Firestar

APPREHENDED OPPONENTS OF THE ACT:
Arachne, Battlestar, Captain Rectitude, Coldblood, Gladiatrix, Lectronn, Lightbright, Living Mummy, Neil Crawford, Network, Phone Ranger, Prodigy, Prowler, Sally Floyd, Shroud, Silverclaw, Solo, Speedball, Typeface

APPREHENDED VILLAINS IN VIOLATION OF THE ACT:
Bloodshed, Equinox, Flag-Smasher, Ghost Maker, Goldbug, Grim Reaper, Grindhouse, Kogar, Lizard, Ruby Thursday, Shadow Slasher, Shocker, Shockwave, Trapster, The Vulture and the...
-"Mandarin's Avatars”: Ancestor, Foundry, Lich, Q'Wake, Sickle, Warfist
NEUTRALS:
Doctor Strange (given a "Post-Superhuman Exemption" by the government), Thing, Ben Urich, Wong and the “X-Men”: Archangel, Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Iceman, Shadowcat, Wolverine
DEATHS & CASUALTIES:
CASUALTIES AT THE STAMFORD INCIDENT:
Cobalt Man, Coldheart, John Fernandez (the New Warriors' camera operator), Microbe, Namorita, Night Thrasher, Speedfreek, and of course the approximately 600+ residents of Stamford, Connecticut including about 60 children.

SUBSEQUENT CASUALTIES SINCE THE “INCIDENT”:
Abrams (A Superhuman Restraint Unit commander), killed during an attack on Nitro, Bantam (Robert Velasquez), accidentally killed by Thunderclap, Cee (A Yancy Street Gang member), Digitek (Dr. Jonathan Bryant) committed suicide in his cell at the Negative Zone Prison, Goliath (William Barrett Foster) killed by the Thor clone, General Demetrius Lazer (former director of O*N*E) neck snapped by the mutant Johnny Dee, Politus an Atlantean interrogator who was killed by Nitro while attempting to interrogate him, Walter Declun (former CEO of Damage Control) impaled through the head by Wolverine and…

Assorted S.H.I.E.L.D. pilots, aircraft technicians, and agents aboard the current Helicarrier One killed by HYDRA assault, at least seventeen S.H.I.E.L.D. Superhuman Restraint Unit members, at least one HYDRA agent, shot in the head by Maria Hill, at least twenty Atlantean sleeper agents, killed by the Green Goblin's pumpkin bombs and
Five Sing Sing prison guards, killed by Flame

CIVIL WAR NEWSBYTES
FROM 010607 NEWSBYTES:
 BENDIS ON CIVIL WAR: THE INITIATIVE & NEW AVENGERS…Brian Michael Bendis is writing the end piece to Civil War called Civil War: The Initiative and from there he is doing Mighty Avengers and New Avengers. Here is what he has planned for the titles: one team of Avengers is the sanctioned above ground team that consists of the winners of CW while the other consists of the losers…we will see why Omega Flight was formed…we will get hints of what is coming in the planned Spider-Woman series and the ongoing Ms. Marvel one…the one shot will answer left over questions from CW but not what the post CW era means for the villains of the Marvel U. We will see that later…Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch will play roles in upcoming issues of the Avengers books…New Avengers #27 will tell us where Ronin has been and why she is pretending to be a man as well as introduce a new team and show us what Elektra has been doing since Mark Millar's Wolverine…future New Avengers storylines have someone in the Ronin costume that isn't Echo and the debut of a new Kingpin. We will also deal with some plot threads that began way back in the book's first story arc…some members of New Avengers and Mighty will switch teams.
FROM 120806 NEWSBYTES:
CIVIL WAR #6 GETS A CASE OF STREP…Civil War #6 will ship on 1/3/2007 instead of 12/20 and Civil War #7 now will ship on 1/31. The only delayed tie-in is Punisher War Journal #2 which now ships the same day as CW #6. Amazing Spider-Man #538 and Fantastic Four #543 will not be delayed and arrive on 1/31. The two issues are delayed to cover Marvel since artist Steve McNiven came down with a very severe case of strep throat. Even with that he has been keeping up his schedule (a page a day) but Marvel wanted to make sure he wouldn’t kill himself trying to keep up his schedule. There were also business reasons to delay the issue since some retailers explained to Marvel that the last week in December generally sucks as far as sales go and January was a better time for them.
FROM 120606 NEWSBYTES:
CIVIL WAR #5 NOTES…There has been about a week separation between #4 and #5…we will learn in Fantastic Four #542 why Reed is doing what he’s doing, and what kind of price he’s willing to pay as a result…the Thor-clone is a mixture of cloning and cybernetics…everyone in the prison can get a full pardon as long as they reveal their identities…Amazing Spider-Man #536 picks up right after Spidey is blown out of the wall in the opening seven pages then runs parallel to the rest of Civil War #5 and beyond…#6 will have fights within both camps, the raid on the Baxter Building, a major betrayal and a side switch at the end of the issue.
FROM 120406 NEWSBYTES:
 CIVIL WAR CRIMES AND MORE…One of the new tie-ins created when Civil War was delayed was Civil War: War Crimes from the team who gave us the limited series Underworld: Frank Tieri and Staz Johnson. The one shot will show what the Marvel villains have been doing since CW started. The actual idea is a take off of a story from WW 2 that had mob boss Lucky Luciano offer to work with the US government during that time supposedly due to German U-boats secretly docked off Long Island (that isn’t true) during the War getting supplies from the local Mob. The actual truth is that while Luciano was in jail at the time he offered to help the government in an attempt to cut time off of his sentence. The main villain is the Kingpin but the lead in Underworld, Jackie Dio also plays a part. We will see the Kingpin in jail asking for a visit by someone he has had some history with (which we haven’t seen but it makes sense that the two have been to the came places) Tony Stark. The Kingpin offers to find the actual location of where Captain America’s group is hiding and we will see if Stark takes him up on the offer or not. We will also see that in Wilson Fisk’s absence that Hammerhead has made a move to control what territory he can get by organizing the mob forces then taking them out to become the new Kingpin. Tieri will also include Turk from Daredevil and show us what has happened to the old Spider-Man villains the Enforcers. In other CW news, this February the team of Brian Bendis, Warren Ellis and Marc Silvestri will do a one shot called Civil War: The Initiative that will show us what the Marvel Universe looks like after Civil War is over. This isn’t the rumored project from Bendis and Silvestri but since Bendis set up CW he was asked to finish it and Silvestri wanted to do the art. The one shot will give us prologue chapters to Omega Flight, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers and Thunderbolts that all tie together into a larger story.
FROM 111506 NEWSBYTES:
 TALKING CIVIL WAR: THE RETURN WITH PAUL JENKINS…In January we will see the one-shot special Civil War: The Return from writer Paul Jenkins. The single story involves his creation, the Sentry and a mystery character who might be the original Captain Marvel. In New Avengers #24 we saw how the events of Civil War created a problem for The Sentry (and that he had a relationship with the Inhumans’ Crystal). Jenkins says that Bob Reynolds will consider his place in the registered world since if he chooses not to register as a superhero it’s not as if anyone could make him. The book will contain two stories: one where the Sentry takes on a big villain and another that has a familiar face make their “return” to the Marvel Universe. The character will reappear in the Marvel Universe inside 42, the Negative Zone prison and that allows us to learn a little more about the structure of the prison. The two characters will not meet during the one shot. Jenkins will also be writing more Sentry adventures in the near future and maybe do tales involving the returning character as well.
FROM 102906 NEWSBYTES:
 JOE SPEAKS ON THIS…Civil War: The Return should mark the return of Captain Marvel…
FROM 102506 NEWSBYTES:
CAPTAIN AMERICA & CIVIL WAR…Ed Brubaker’s Captain America run has been one of the greatest in a long time for the character and his current arc shows his side of what is going on during Civil War and we will also get a one shot showing how CW affects his old partner, the Winter Solider called Winter Solider: Winter Kills. Brubaker will have each issue of the current arc (Drums of War) focus on a different member of Cap's supporting cast with the first dealing with Sharon Carter. The second will deal with the Winter Soldier and how he feels about CW and the third issue focuses on Cap. And in the background of each will be the set up of the following arc which will deal with the plans of the Red Skull. Cap #23 will show that the Winter Soldier hasn’t exactly picked a side but shows that he understands where Cap is coming from. Winter Soldier: Winter Kills will have him interact with some of the Marvel universe's younger heroes while having his first Christmas in America since 1944. We will see his last Christmas as himself in flashbacks that show him and Toro (the sidekick of the Human Torch) as well as the rest of the Invaders. Brubaker promises that everything he is doing leads up to the extra sized Captain America #25 that takes place about an hour after the last Cap scene in Civil War #7. The arc is called 'Death of the Dream' and he says that he has the next twelve issues or so mapped out with the last having a huge shock that will set up another major arc.

COMIC BYTES…Civil War: Choosing Sides (on sale today)  will contain: a Venom story from Mark Guggenheim and Leinil Franics Yu, an Iron Fist tale from Matt Fraction and David Aja that explains why he has been wearing a Daredevil costume, a tale from Robert Kirkman and Phil Hester showing the first appearance of the new Ant-Man, a U.S. Agent story by Michael Avon Oeming and Scott Kolins that will set up him being in Omega Flight and a Howard the Duck tale from Ty Templeton. The 48-page special was conceived in the week right before it was announced that Civil War #4 was going to be late and was completed in 32 days
FROM 102406 NEWSBYTES:
JOE UPDATE…the Negative Zone prison seen in Civil War and Frontline isn’t finished so it will look different in both titles…there will be a slight connection with Civil War and Annihilation that will be seen after both titles conclude…Omega Flight does not appear within Civil War proper but the idea for the formation of the team starts in CW: Choosing Sides in the US Agent story...there are two new team books launching out of Civil War that have yet to be announced as well as a new one shot.
FROM 102106 NEWSBYTES:
ELLIS & DEODATO ON THUNDERBOLTS…The new team on Thunderbolts will be Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato starting with #110. Ellis did not come to Marvel with the idea of taking over the book but when he heard what he could do with it he jumped on board and Deodato was picked when the first script came in. Norman Osborn will run the team that we saw at the end of Civil War #4. The current writer Fabian Nicieza will do a limited series at the same time the book changes called Zemo: Born Better that will follow up on his run on the title. #110-#115 will have interlocking variant covers by the six Young Guns Reloaded artists: Leinil Yu, Clayton Crain, Billy Tan, Simone Bianchi, Ariel Olivetti and Pasqual Ferry. The line up for the team in #110 is: Venom, Moonstone, Bullseye, Songbird, the Radioactive Man, Swordsman, Penance and Norman Osborn but that will change and some more of the current team will be involved. Because of this Deodato is not drawing Squadron Supreme, as was the plan.
FROM 100406 NEWSBYTES:
CIVIL WAR DRUMS…Thor (well, the cloned version) was always going to be Tony Stark’s secret weapon…we will learn more about Tony, Reed and Hank's larger plan, the Fifty State Initiative in #5…no one will be arrested for killing Goliath since at the time of his death he happened to have been a fugitive…the details of the ear-probe and the blood while Thor is being examined were artist Steve McNiven’s idea…we have not seen the last of this cloned Thor and he will be a big part of the post-Civil War Marvel Universe…we will learn the identity of the character on the fire escape before the series is over and he sets up something we will see at the end of #7…since Goliath died in his enhanced state he couldn’t be reduced in size for the funeral…the 50 State Initiative and the “Frankenstein’s” that they're growing may involve more than just one hero...the new Thunderbolts have been upgraded to be Avengers class and there are more changes in store for them before the regular book changes…. Fantastic Four #538 took place after Civil War #4…Sales on Civil War have gone up since the delays were announced.
FROM 100106 NEWSBYTES:
CASUALTIES OF WAR REPORT…One of the new one shots announced after Civil War was delayed is December’s Casualties of War: Iron Man/Captain America from Union Jack’s Cristos Gage and the Leading Man’s Jeremy Haun. The special will further explain why two characters that were great friends are on different sides. Inspired by the diner scene in the Michael Mann film Heat the book will show us Cap and Iron Man's secret meeting in the midst of Civil War, in the ruins of Avengers Mansion, under a flag of truce to see if they can work things out man to man. This will be the first time the characters have met one on one since the War started.
FROM 092806 NEWSBYTES:
SPIDER-MAN'S BACK IN BLACK…In February 2007 Spider-Man will once again wear a black costume starting with Amazing Spider-Man #539. The reasons why will be revealed with the end of Civil War. The event will take place February through June and lead into the next Spider-Man event in July.
FROM 091306 NEWSBYTES:
CIVIL WAR ISSUES GO BACK TO PRESS…The first two issues of Civil War will have gotten second and third printings (on sale now) with #1 getting a Captain America Unleashed Variant #1 and #2 having a McNiven Sketch Variant. #2 and #3 of Civil War: Front Line will get reprinted with new covers from Ramon Bachs. New Avengers #21 and Thunderbolts #104 will also get reprints with new covers. Marvel will also release Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man – Decisions which contains Amazing Spider-Man #529-532 with an all-new sketch cover by Gabriele Dell’Otto
FROM 082306 NEWSBYTES:
NEWSBYTES...the new Thor series will be set up in the delayed Civil War #4…someone came up with a new take on an old idea involving young superheroes that will come to pass after Civil War is over…the costume Iceman is wearing in Civil War: X-Men is not his new outfit…

 HEROES FOR HIRE SO CALL THEM…The first issue of the new title Heroes for Hire just shipped and we should expect the following: the first three issues deal with Civil War as they are hired to track down fugitives by Tony Stark, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, and Reed Richards appear as do fifteen villains in the first issue…Otis, the indestructible male secretary who appeared in Daughters of the Dragon is part of the supporting cast…the cast will be interchangeable.
FROM 081906 NEWSBYTES:
CIVIL WAR UPDATE…More information has been released on the delays to Civil War #4-5 from a number of sources. Writer Mark Millar found out about the delay at the same time as everyone else did and said the following: "This is a very cool thing for Marvel do to because it would have been so much easier to just go for a cheap fill-in artist instead of pushing back the books. Steve had virtually no lead-time on Civil War and a title with a million characters has proven much tougher than he expected. He and I both assumed a fill-in would be on the cards at some point, but Marvel credit Steve with a huge amount of our book's success and, as a creator, I'm genuinely stunned they spread the project out by another seven weeks to make it work for him. Marvel really took a bullet here." Artist Steve McNiven’s response was: "First up apologies to the fans and retailers of Civil War. The responsibility for the art delays lies with me, period. It was a big surprise to me as anyone else that Marvel changed its publishing schedule to allow Mark and I to finish the series together. Please realize that the art delays were never meant in a malicious way nor am I being a prima donna with my work. I let Marvel know exactly where I am on a daily basis, from day one, so that they can make the decisions like the one they have made. I'll continue to work hard to put out the rest of this series with the best work I can do in the time I have been given and I hope that you, the fans and retailers will stick with us, 'cause Mark has written a real gem here.”

TOM BREVOORT ON WAR DELAYS…Civil War editor Tom Brevoort on the Civil War rescheduling and related items: The first page of issue #1 was sent to Marvel by McNiven on January 3rd…no, the ending isn’t being changed as in DC’s Armageddon 2001 where Captain Atom was Monarch then he wasn’t (and somehow he is now)…the decision not to seek a fill-in artist to try and get the series back-on track was due to the fact that fill-in artists suck and hurt more than they help…it takes Steve McNiven six weeks to draw an issue…none of the new series launching out of Civil War will be solicited until CW is done…there will be no issues of New Avengers in November and December and New Avengers #27 will see print in February after Civil War #7 ships…Mighty Avengers, Thor and writer Dan Slott’s Civil War spin-off will ship in March…the Fantastic Four’s 45th Anniversary will be celebrated a little bit late…Civil War: War Crimes is a one-shot focusing on the underworld of the Marvel Universe during Civil War with the Kingpin as the main character…the Captain America: Winter Soldier Special (written by Ed Brubaker) will follow Bucky Barnes through the landscape of Civil War and set up the next major story arc in Captain America-Death of the Dream…the Iron Man/Captain America Special will chronicle the last face-to-face meeting between Iron Man and Captain America before the end of Civil War…the Moon Knight tie-in issues will show what happens when he is asked to register and the Blade tie-in issues will show what he is doing while the Civil War is raging through the streets.

IN OTHER CIVIL WAR NEWS...Grant Morrison’s Marvel Boy character shows up in Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways #2…someone dies in Civil War #4…Nova will return to Earth and react to the death of most of the New Warriors after Annihilation…the Thunderbolts will have a big role in the outcome of Civil War and six months from now the title and team will be in a “much different place”…the Fantastic Four will get a new member to the replace the Thing…the Inhumans will appear in New Avengers #24, which is the “Disassembled” issue focusing on the Sentry and their situation will be addressed in Front Line as well…Paul Jenkins has a huge list of obscure characters that he can do anything he wanted with in Front Line and will be killing his own character, Typeface
FROM 081606 NEWSBYTES:
A BREAK IN THE WAR…Marvel has announced that issue #4 and 5 of Civil War series are being delayed, since the whole storyline is driven by the events in the main series, this is causing a chain reaction down the line of books that have Civil War crossovers. The new dates for the issues and their tie ins are as follows: CW #4 and Fantastic Four #540 ship on 9/20, Front Line #6 and Amazing Spider-Man #535 ship on 9/27, Front Line #7 ships on 10/11, CW #5 ships on 11/15, Front Line #8, Punisher War Journal #1, Fantastic Four #541 and Amazing Spider-Man #536 ship on 11/22, CW #6 and Front Line #9 ship on 12/20, Punisher War Journal #2 ships on 12/28, Front Line #10, Fantastic Four #542 and Amazing Spider-Man #542 ship on 1/4/07, CW #7 ships on 1/17, Amazing Spider-Man #538 has no ship date but expect it with Fantastic Four #543 on 1/24. Because the Civil War series has been so hugely popular (and in spite of the fact the whle series timetable has been currently scrapped) Marvel also announced the books that have been added to the event: Black Panther #23-25, a Civil War: War Crimes one shot, Front Line #11 (an extra issue added to that maxi-series), Moon Knight #7-9, Captain America: Winter Soldier Special, Iron Man/Captain America Special and Blade #5. At press time Marvel, writers Paul Jenkins & Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven were all issuing statements concerning this news and clarifying positions on the delays. Since Millar has previously stated all his scripts for the main series were done and turned in it is assumed artist McNiven is the cause behind the delays in the series.
FROM 080206 NEWSBYTES:
CIVIL WAR #3 AFTERSHOCKS...Now that Civil War #3 has shipped secrets and hints can be revealed on what has happened and what is in store for #4: Reed's meeting with T'Challa (the Black Panther) was included so that we can see how the world is reacting to the Registration Act and to see if he would get involved. Since Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme he has his own things to worry about and doesn't really believe that the Registration Act applies to him, or impacts him since he isn't a superhero. The follow up to Bishop and Tony Stark's conversation will be dealt with more in Civil War: X-Men but he and other X-characters are involved in the main Civil War book as well. The Superhuman Restraint Unit of SHIELD have adopted the nickname "cape-killers" for their unit. The identity of the other Daredevil will be revealed in Civil War as well as the just shipped Daredevil. Three weeks have passed since the Stamford Disaster.#4 includes a death, a funeral, a betrayal and the rebirth of a team.

CIVIL WAR COMMENTARY
FROM 082306 HEADS UP...
BEFORE WE START…
By now everyone knows that Civil War #4 and 5 have been delayed (read the lead story for comments from editor Tom Brevroot on why the decision was made) so let me give my take on the controversy-BACK OFF! Steve McNiven is not a machine and your lives aren’t irrevocably changed by waiting one month for #4 and 2 months for #5. Fans of today don’t remember things like Frank Miller’s Ronin or DC’s Camelot 3000 that had delays like you wouldn’t have believed. In the case of Camelot there was a three month gap between issues then one shipped a week after the late issue shipped. There was a four month gap between some issues of Frank Miller’s initial Dark Knight limited series. Way back when Marvel and DC did this deal where you would be in the middle or end of a great arc and when the next issue of Fantastic Four showed up we got a fill in issue from people who weren’t even working on the title at the time. Marvel even has a name for it-the Dreaded Deadline Doom. Infinite Crisis had a number of artists work on it to get the book on schedule and it still missed its deadlines. With comics and other media I have always subscribed to the old newspaper adage-“Do you want it now or do you want it good?” If Marvel had said ‘Okay, Steve is running behind so let’s have Jose Delbo draw #5 so the book can come out on time’ fans would have bitched that the art wasn’t as good. So they decided to delay the book and allow McNiven time to get ahead of himself thus taking a financial hit and in doing so showed that they were willing to support their artist. DC is doing the same with the All Star line so just deal with it. And for those who want to throw out the fact that 52 hasn’t been late yet remember that 52 is written by four people, laid out by one and finished by five so there is no comparison. If you were at a con and planned on buying some art would you buy a 52 page (and I am not talking about the back up origin tales but the main story) or a Civil War page? I would lay money that the CW page would sell a lot faster.
FROM THE 060306 BEEF...
GENERAL STARK AND THE ARMIES OF THE POTOMAC
The second major event happening right now is Marvel’s Civil War and if you haven’t picked up the first issue you do yourself a disservice because it is amazing. We have been teased about the Superhero Registration Act (which would have heroes become more or less government employees with pensions and vacation plans) but in this first issue the act becomes more likely due to the idiotic team the New Warriors. In an attempt to draw ratings for their reality show they raid a villain hang out in Stamford, Connecticut (yep, where the WWE is based) and that results in the Captain Marvel villain Nitro starting an explosion that kills hundreds of school kids (kids and baby chicks getting killed always make you look bad). This pushes the government to get the law passed and during a wonderful sequence Captain America (who is a SHIELD employee) shows that he is against the idea by busting out of the Helicarrier and hitching a ride on a fighter jet (then taking the pilot out for a burger and coke). The first issue ends with a meeting at the White House and Tony Stark telling all present that he will take care of Cap. The split between the Marvel icons has been teased for a while but here we get the sense that the end results to all this will make things very different in the Marvel Universe. Characters will have to decide whether to sign up and let the government know who they are or live as outlaws helping regular people but are considered by our government as criminals. And what we also have to wonder (but is not dealt with in #1) is that if the heroes are in battle with the government then what are the villains doing? There are tie-ins going on in regular books (the first Wolverine drawn by Humberto Ramos deals with the hunt for Nitro) but the main story takes place in the regular book from Mark Millar and the sublime Steve McNiven. In a related note when I was watching the store one Saturday a customer came in and picked up #1 and two issues of the lead-ins to War and he asked me if he needed to pick them up to enjoy the story. I told him no, you don’t have to and that is the truth. No one is obligated to buy the related books but remember, there are things that are going to be dealt with there that will be touched on but not focused on in War. Wolverine will deal with Nitro, She-Hulk is dealing with the New Warriors, New Avengers will deal with the choices made by each team member, Civil War: Front Line will show us the effects of the War on Marvel in general and so on and so forth. If you just want to follow the War then stick to the limited series but don’t complain later about unanswered questions.
FROM THE 032906 HEADS UP...
NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI SPECIAL
 Comic Review by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis,  Artist: Alex Maleev
The book that truly launches Civil War ships this week and it’s a stunner of epic proportions. We begin with the first meeting of what has been dubbed the Illuminati. The members at the start are: Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, Black Bolt, Namor and at the beginning Black Panther. Their first gathering is in Wakanda right after the end of the Kree/Skrull War. It was Iron Man who proposed that the men here combine resources and try to avoid such attacks in the future and right away there are problems. Bendis uses Namor to say what needs to be said and if you ever thought he was a pain before here he turns it way up to fifteen. We also see why the Panther isn’t part because he alone is the one to see the future. The first thing the group discuses is the island that made necessary the forming of the new X-Men team before we move to last month when the Hulk was going wild in Vegas. We hear what the carnage total was in his rampage and are posed with a question that adds another layer to the upcoming battle. The events leading up to the Hulk being shot off into space make things even tenser if that is possible (and serves as the action portion of the issue) before the final domino is loaded up prior to the stack collapsing in a spectacular fashion. Tony has with him a copy of the Super Hero Registration Act and in a sequence that chills and fascinates he explains why the heroes should accept it while explaining why he can do the things he does. It is that speech that leads us to uncharted territory and has us waiting for the events of Civil War #1. This book makes you think and some will complain that there isn’t enough action but since this is a primer and not the battle itself read it and understand where it is going. There are sequences here that are drawn by Maleev that occasionally take your breath away (Namor’s reactions, reflections in the Iron Man helmet, the simple words of Doctor Strange when he announces his viewpoint) and add greatly to the story. Expect a sellout so get here early.

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