Civil War Comic Review – “Civil War: The Initiative”

I’m still working to get the Civil War reviews caught up. Expect one a day until that’s been done.

General Information

Title: Civil War: The Initiative

Author: Brian Bendis and Warren Ellis

Illustrator(s): Marc Silvestri on pencils, Joe Weems with Marco Galli and Rick Basaldua on inks, and Frank D’Armata on colours.

Original Publication Date: This issue cover dated April, 2007

Cover Price: $4.99 US, $6.00 Can

Past comic reviews can be found here.

Premise

This issue reveals some of the fallout from the Civil War, with spotlights on some of the groups that will be a part of the fifty states initiative.

High Point

Penance.

Low Point

This feels more like an ad for the new titles than a proper introduction. There’s no plot. It’s just a showcase revealing who is on each team and how the teams work together.

The Scores

This is lacking a lot of originality, primarily because it shows very little we haven’t already seen. Apart from revealing the complete Omega Flight roster, we’ve seen it all before, and the roster reveal is not a bit part of the plot. I give it 2 out of 6.

The artwork is excellent, with the kind of quality I’ve come to expect from Supreme Power and the like. The action is well depicted, as are the individual characters. I give it 6 out of 6.

The story is severely lacking. In the first twelve pages, Bendis lets us know who was selected to lead Omega Flight and why, before the splash page with the full roster. In pages 13-21, Warren Ellis shows us what the Thunderbolts can do and how they operate, though we’ve already seen this in their own title. Finally, pages 22-34 give hints to the formation of the Mighty Avengers. Readers of Omega Flight might find this useful, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone else. I give it 2 out of 6.

The characterization is minimal. We learn a little bit about Omega Flight’s leader, but not very much. Jarvis also makes a comment about Tigra that seems very out of character for him. I give it 3 out of 6.

The emotional response is pretty weak, as you’ve probably guessed by now. This is a showcase that includes a scene that belongs in the new Omega Flight series, and a few splash pages that would have been best saved for press releases and posters. I give it 2 out of 6.

The flow works well enough. When there’s so little plot, there’s no trouble moving from scene to scene. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this feels more like an ad for other comics than a comic itself. It’s not recommended. I give it 3 out of 6.

In total, Civil War: The Initiative receives 23 out of 42.

Civil War Review Checklist