cyclonus_the_warrior's Captain America: Civil War #1 - TPB review

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    Mainly valuable to fans of the character.

    Sharon Carter aka Agent 13 is being pressured by SHIELD commander Maria Hill to assist in the capture of her lover Captain America. Carter finds herself conflicted on the issue, and to make the situation more complicated for her, she actually disagrees with Cap's stance as he opposes the Superhero Registration Act. In the mean time, other outfits are putting together their plans. -summary

    Love it or hate it, yet one thing is for certain though. The main Civil War event is terribly lacking when it comes down to background concerning character's motives. It relies way too much on the crossover formula for the storytelling to really deliver. Some of the most notable crossovers that adds some necessary info are Civil War: Spider-Man and Civil War: Iron Man.

    Civil War: Captain America was intended to do the same thing; one thing is for sure is that it does provide a little more to the main event, but likely not enough to truly qualify as an essential crossover book. In a way it delivers next to nothing. Normally this is something I would hate because the book would give off this feel as a cheap cash-in. Then how come I like this TPB so much despite it straying so much from the main story? Well, it's because as a follower of Captain America's main book, Ed Brubaker continues further developing his world building up towards something important. This book contains Captain America issues 22 - 24, and The Winter Soldier: Winter Kills One Shots.

    Once again, here's another crossover that focuses on what the main event should have, and that's expanding on the reasoning of the main players. In this case, it's only Captain America as Agent 13 debates with him on what she believes to be a path towards self-destruction. Brubaker had been doing a wonderful job on Cap during this run, and he continued to handle the characters very well by taking years of characterization under consideration. Carter knows Cap all too well, and she's very worried that he's willing to fight this battle to the death, and anyone who has been following Cap for years would know that too. Brubaker proves why he's also one of the best writers in the business with dialog that brings his character's to life. Other story elements he focuses on concerning additional players such as Nick Fury and Winter Soldier will entertain fans whom had been following events up to this point.

    One part of the story concerning Civil War that was not only neglected in the main event, but also in other crossover books is; what are the villains doing while the heroes are beating on each other? The reader will learn that the Red Skull is loving life at the moment while he allies himself with sometimes nemesis Dr. Doom, along with Dr. Faustus and Arnim Zola as he plots Captain America's downfall which builds into the next storyline Death of Captain America. Many people will quickly point out that Cap feels like a guest in his own book, and this may be true, yet it doesn't feel bad since Brubaker makes the other characters interesting; but if it means anything at all though, Cap does get some action time to take on Hydra forces as he admits that the Civil War has taken up too much of his attention.

    The book has an intricate plot with many things going on, along with many of the interactions being fun to read. Plus Brubaker's story on the Winter Soldier continues the strong momentum. This story further develops his character, as the main point here is to cherish the things around you even during the time of war. This story also guest stars members of the Young Avengers, and it had enough fun moments to keep me interested. Some people consider this the best part of the book.

    Mike Perkins brooding artwork maintains the atmosphere set by Steve Epting. Had it not been for the credits I wouldn't have noticed the artist change. The designs, backgrounds, they use an overly dark tone to express the seriousness. The character designs are done very well for the most part despite a small decline as the story unfolds. The action panels are OK at best. One thing I do kind of find myself tired of is seeing Cap taking out hordes of goons in a rushed manner. If Brubaker was going to focus more on Cap's world in favor of Civil War, at least in the case of those who aren't regular followers, he could have written some better action showcasing Cap's nearly unmatched skill set. In any case, this is dark and gritty artwork done right.

    Civil War: Captain America will prove most value to fans of the character for plenty of reasons. Unfortunately, it will be near worthless for those searching for more sharp detail on Civil War. If you found yourself interested in this book hoping to see another or even a better confrontation between Cap and Iron Man, well you're not going to get that here, and anyone who says different are straight lying to you and didn't read the book.

    Pros: Some every entertaining elements for Cap fans, little insight on Civil War

    Cons: Not really necessary if you only want details on Civil War

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      I read the crossover story Civil War, and planned on reading, and reviewing the tie-in novels that I had, and although I read them I never got round to reviewing them. I am however hoping to do that now, and am continuing with the this Captain America tie-in volume, with this being my third review on Captain America.PlotAs the superhero Civil War rages on, Sharon Carter is tasked with bringing in Captain America, Bucky Barnes continues his work for Nick Fury infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D., and Captai...

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