CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS AND RUNAWAYS

Minor Heroes

By Kurt Amacker     September 01, 2006

Since the passing of the Superhero Registration Act and the outbreak of the war between the heroes, the Los Angeles-based Runaways have remained blissfully uninvolved. Seeing the entire conflict as an adult problem, the young heroes maintain their neutrality until S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to capture them in an outdoor market last issue. The Young Avengers witnessed the skirmish on the news and decided to recruit the team for the anti-registration underground. This issue uses a classic setup two heroes (or groups of heroes) meet and see each other as enemies. They fight until they see the error of their ways and unite to stop a common enemy. Thus, the Young Avengers and the Runaways spend the issue fighting, cracking wise, and resolving their differences. S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill unleashes the common threat, courtesy of a super-villain redevelopment program. It's big, it's vicious, and it hunts Skrulls. And, unfortunately, Karolina's gender bending galactic freak of a fiancé happens to be one.

Given the ridiculous amount of controversy surrounding CIVIL WAR for both its content and its delays, I enjoyed this familiar, yet well-executed melee that reminded me of some of the 1970s and '80s Marvel books I read when I was a kid. It feels like seeing a really great commercial in the middle of a letdown of a Superbowl. Zeb Wells shows a great understanding of Brian K. Vaughan's characters. He even endangers one of them enough to make me care. I don't doubt everything will turn out fine, but I really want to know how. I can't vouch for his portrayal of the Young Avengers having never read the title but he manages to give each character a unique voice in a book that has 14 protagonists. Hell, the first page of the book is a character guide. Granted, he mostly jumps from one hero to the next with identifying details, but Wells certain shows a talent for strong cliffhanger, potboiler storytelling.

I don't care much for Stefan Caselli's very manga-like art, but it didn't detract from a fun story that moves at lightning speed. Check this one out.



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