CIVIL WAR: FRONTLINE

Not So Civil War

By KURT AMACKER     August 11, 2006

The intrigue deepens in CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE, as reporters Ben Urich and Sally Floyd both find themselves knee-deep in the ramifications of the civil war between the Marvel heroes. After meeting a very unhappy Green Goblin in an alley and hearing a litany of threats against himself, The Daily Bugle, and editor J. Jonah Jameson, Urich finds no love at his office when his obstinacy puts his job in peril. Sally Floyd doesn't fare much better. After encountering a member of the hero resistance that warns her to stay away, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't take kindly to her refusal to discuss her sources. Speedball finds himself up sh-t creek, when the government ships the Hero Registration Act violators to a prison in the Negative Zone. And Wonder Man learns about the downside of registration you have to follow orders.

FRONT LINE presents multi-part stories in an anthology format, running twice a month throughout CIVIL WAR. And surprisingly, it holds together. Ordinarily, books formatted this way suffer when they expect the reader to read two alternating stories. However, Paul Jenkins's writing remains both compelling and simple enough to follow the stories. Obviously, FRONT LINE presents the background of the war and, thus, you may not see it discussed in THE NEW YORK POST. Marvel has to save the Spider-Man-unmasking-type events for the main series. However, for a spin-off series, it both complements the main series and presents several stories compelling in their own right.

While CIVIL WAR presents a fairly balanced view of the opposing political ideologies fueling the conflict, Jenkins's disdain for the whole idea of registration and its attendant baggage shows clearly. He doesn't bludgeon the reader with his politics, but he's not afraid to say whose side he's on. Whether that's laudable or obnoxious likely depends on your own view of the conflict. Regardless, CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE has emerged as a worthy companion to the main series and a good read in its own right.

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