Charles Soule’s Civil War #1 takes the “War” half of that title to the extreme. It’s a story that features interesting characters, emotional situations, and grand stakes. But it also suffers from unclear and, at times, illogical storytelling. And, it’s a story that seems to ultimately miss the point of the original series.

Soule’s version of Civil War sees the United States of America literally split in half over the issue of superhuman registration. Captain America and his supporters live in the West, now called “The Blue”. The East is now “The Iron”.

The division in the country stems from a moment pulled straight out of the beginning of Civil War #7. Captain America and Iron Man’s forces are fighting each other at the prison, but this time, the prison self-destructs in a way that somehow kills 15 million people. This event is left frustratingly unclear. There is supposed to some mystery as to whether the self-destruct was caused by Captain America or Iron Man, but right now, it just feels like any answer to that question (including the most logical third option: it was someone else) is going to be as unsatisfying as the question itself. And even if the “why” of the mass devastation is meant to be a mystery for that moment, it doesn’t forgive how unclear and poorly told the “why” is.

It’s just one of a number of illogical choices that don’t make much sense on their own and completely go against Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s story. The original ends (spoilers, obviously) with Captain America surrendering as he sees the destruction his fight has caused to buildings around them. The destruction in this book is apparently several million times more devastating, and instead of giving up, Steve doubles down on his stance. The split in the country takes the “war” mentality to its next extreme. Even if it doesn’t feel like a logical escalation of Civil War, it does make for an interesting superhero war story and setting. The Blue and The Iron represent neighboring countries – The Blue an impoverished world struggling to survive, The Iron a thriving world power with plenty of allies and resources.

After six years Steve and Tony are willing to sit down for attempts at a peace treaty. This is Soule’s greatest strength and the best thing about this book. The characters here are so fascinating and they trade barbs with as much intensity as Leinil Yu’s action scenes.

Speaking of Yu’s action, his art is as great as ever here, but if you’re not already a Yu fan this won’t convert you. His mad dash style of storytelling is entertaining but also results in its usual inconsistencies, like some unfinished looking panels or loss of detail in long shots. His strengths greatly outweigh his weaknesses and result in beautiful looking book.

Conversely, Civil War’s overall strengths (which are outstanding in their own rights) can’t outweigh the weaknesses such as inconsistencies, lack of clarity, and sometimes preposterous leaps in logic.

The Verdict

Charles Soule and Leinil Yu tell an emotional and intriguing war story but only if you can suspend so much belief. Inconsistencies and vast jumps in logic hurt the story whether or not you care that it undermines the original comic series.

Not a hoax! Not a dream! Levi writes for IGN. Hope you survive the experience. Follow him on Twitter and IGN.

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