Welcome to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk
about all sorts of things in the realm of Geekdom!
A little while back I wrote a fairly negative review of the
8 issue comic arc: Civil War II. As I had stated in the review, Civil War II
can be described as anticlimactic and suffocated by too much exposition. Well
last week Marvel released the epilogue to Civil War II: Civil War II: The Oath. What is so incredibly interesting is that
this issue is nothing but exposition, however it packs more of a punch than the
ENTIRE Civil War II event, and quite possibly redeems the whole arc by showing
how it sets up the upcoming Secret Empire event.
 |
| Look up Civil War: The Confession and You Will Find Something Identical Except in Reverse |
So Civil War II: The
Oath is a one shot epilogue to the Civil War II event that is scribed by
Nick Spencer (current scribe for both Cap titles). Following on the heels of the crossover event,
it shows a familiar scene except reversed. In this issue we see Steve Rogers
talking to a catatonic Tony Stark and venting about the big fight between Tony
and Carol. This is of course a BRILLIANT homage to Tony Stark doing the EXACT
same thing at the end of the first Civil War by talking to the corpse of Steve
Rogers after he has been shot. Just like then, this issue can be described in
one word: confessional. In this one shot Steve Rogers puts everything on the
table, and it is nothing short of masterful.
Before I start talking about the story and scare everyone
away with spoilers, I first want to congratulate the artistic team. Holy shit is the
art in the book impeccable. Between the excellent style for the actual art to
the method of coloring (not sure if it’s ink, or pastel, or water color, but
whatever it is it is gorgeous). Honestly a book that is comprised of almost
solely of exposition is either made or broken by artwork, and boy does the art
team just absolutely conquer it. Each panel is beautiful and lends itself to
the dialogue perfectly. The use of dark tones throughout the issue perfectly
captures the dark times that the world is spiraling to in this upcoming event
and it’s just brilliant. With that said, for those who don’t want them SPOILERS
are ahead.
 |
| An Sample of Excellent Writing and Artwork |
So Nick Spencer made big news with his Steve Rogers: Captain
America title back in 2016 with the HUGE reveal of Steve Rogers being a Hydra
agent. Well as I said this issue can be summed up in one word: confessional.
That’s the exact feeling of this book. Steve Rogers tells Tony Stark
EVERYTHING. Of course Tony is in a coma so it’s not like he can understand or
do anything. Honestly the way this whole exchange is written can only be
described as masterful. I think the words gut wrenching (in the best possible
way) is the best way to describe Steve in this issue. Spencer again shows how
he is able to make Steve feel like the same old character we love, but twist it
so that he betrays everything that the Steve Rogers we know and love stands
for.
There are 3 big things that happen in this story. First thing
is first: Steve Rogers gets sworn in as director of SHIELD after new
legislation is passed that essential allows for SHIELD to operate without
boundaries in the efforts of global security because who better to trust than
Captain America with this? The second thing, which in my opinion is the BIGGEST
reveal, is that the original Cap is not gone, in his confession to Tony, Steve
says some things that show the hand that Hydra Steve and Normal Steve are two
different personalities existing in the same shell, with Hydra Steve being the
dominant one at present. The third, which is a nod to the Secret Empire, shows
the real truth behind the vision of Miles Morales killing Captain America that
spurred the final act of Civil War II. That is the Hydra uprising that Cap has
been orchestrating in his series was successful. That his vision of Hydra won
and came to fruition in conquering the US and the world. This issue gave me
goose bumps it was so good (and honestly scary due to the parallels between it
and what is going on in the country currently).
 |
| Top Right Panel is the Scene from Civil War: the Confession |
If you are looking for an AMAZING read, check out Civil War
II: The Oath. It honestly hits the highlights of Civil War II and does it in a
one shot with a much more compelling narrative that will have you holding your
breath between each panel. Mesmerizing artwork and beautiful writing really
make this book stand out as a must have. I have already bought 2 versions of it
(one for collection purposes, and one for me to read over and over again till
it falls apart).
No comments:
Post a Comment