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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Marvel’s Civil War mega-crossover keeps raging along. Spider-Man switches sides, the Punisher arrives, and the Fantastic Four are in there somewhere.

Recap: The controversy over superhero registration has divided all the Marvel characters into Iron Man’s pro-reg side vs. Captain America’s anti-reg side. Spider-Man revealed his secret identity to the entire world, Goliath, a.k.a. Bill Foster, died horribly in a fight between two sides, and the Reed and Sue of the Fantastic Four have separated. As I noted in previous posts, it’s difficult tracking the continuity of Civil War, as events occur simultaneously throughout all the comics. You can’t really dive into Civil War #5 without reading the Spider-Man comics that led up to it, so I guess we’re doing that now.

The Civil War issues of Spectacular Spider-Man are about Peter, Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Black Cat dealing with the aftermath of Peter revealing his secret identity to the world. The real story, though, was in Amazing Spider-Man. Issues 532 and 533 are an extended take on Peter revealing his identity (the press conference took place at the White House, I detail I’d missed before). This was followed by Iron Man announcing to the world that Spider-Man is joining a pro-reg strike team to pursue and arrest the anti-reg heroes – something Iron Man hadn’t discussed with Spidey ahead of time.

In issue #534, Spider-Man participates in the convoy battle on Yancy Street, also depicted in Fantastic Four a few issues back. Spidey fights Captain America hand-to-hand and he may or may not have let Cap escape. In issue #535, Peter shows more regret over what he’s done. He and Iron Man travel to the new Baxter Building to enter the Negative Zone and see this oft-discussed Negative Zone prison in person. (Civil War #5 treats the prison as a big reveal, but we see it first in ASM.) Peter and Reed have the same heart-to-heart talk they had in FF #540, except this time we see how much their conversation affected Peter. Peter sneaks Mary Jane and Aunt May out of Stark Tower, only to be caught in the act by Iron Man. Now stick a bookmark in ASM, because here’s where we switch over to the main Civil War comic.

Civil War #5 begins not with Spidey and Iron Man, but with our old friends the Fantastic Four. Specifically, it’s Sue and Johnny, on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s so-called “cape killers.” Sue turns them both invisible to escape. The cape killers continue the search, while bragging about how flooding the streets with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents has lowered the crime rate. At Stark Tower, Nighthawk (formerly of the Defenders) and Stature (formerly of the Young Avengers) meet with Happy Hogan, saying they want to leave Captain America’s side and register. Nighthawk says it’s because the world has changed, and Stature says that if she’s going to continue crimefighting, she should have proper training and oversight.

Turn the page and we’re back in the Spider-Man/Iron Man fight from ASM #535. Except the fight plays out differently across the two comics. In Civil War, Iron Man says some people in S.H.I.E.L.D. want all superhumans locked up, and registration is the compromise. Peter says things like Bill Foster’s death and the Negative Zone prison are going too far. Spider-Man punches Iron Man through a wall, and then jumps all over the place to avoid Tony’s repulsor rays. Spidey tries to smash through a window, but it’s reinforced. Then cape killers burst into the room and open fire. This destroys the window, and Spider-Man escapes into the night. Iron Man doesn’t pursue, but just stands there and says, “Dammit.”

In Amazing Spider-Man, here’s how the same scene plays out. There’s no conversation at the start, except Iron Man saying, “I thought you knew who’s side you were on.” He smashes them both through a wall and onto the sidewalk outside, in daylight this time. They duke it out, causing some collateral damage to the street around them. Iron Man enacts a safeguard that switches off Spidey’s high-tech Iron Spider armor. But Peter is also a tech whiz, and he secretly disabled the safeguard ahead of time. Spider-Man webs up Iron Man’s helmet, giving him enough time to escape into the sewer. This issue would have you believe that Peter runs straight back to Mary Jane at this point, but a lot of story happens in other comics between these two pages.

Now we set aside the ASM issue and go back to the middle of Civil War #5. Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. contacts the new Thunderbolts, made up of supervillains, and sends them out in teams to track down and apprehend Spider-Man. In the sewer, Spider-Man comes across a toy, which is actually a bomb. It explodes, injuring him and dousing him with gas (his spider-sense is conveniently not mentioned). The bomb was set by the Jester and Jack O’ Lantern, now members of the Thunderbolts. They beat the absolute crap out of Spidey, with S.H.I.E.L.D. in their earpieces insisting that Spidey be brought in alive. Then they’re both brutally shot in the head (!). Peter, in a daze, looks at the shooter and says, “I know you from way back, don’t I?”

We then cut to short vignette with Sue and Johnny. They’ve dyed their hair black, and they have new fake IDs, forcing them to pretend to be a married couple. They sneak into Captain America’s secret headquarters just in time for a meeting. We learn that Cloak and Dagger have been arrested. This frustrates Cap, as he wanted to use Cloak’s teleportation powers to break into the Baxter Building and free everyone from the Negative Zone prison. Hulkling offers to use his shape-changing powers to sneak into the Baxter Building, but Cap says Hulkling has a secret mission in Arizona instead.

Then a voice says, “Get a medic! Now!” It’s the Punisher, with a beaten and bloody Spider-Man in his arms. Yes, he’s the one who killed the villains in sewer and saved Spidey. (What was Punisher doing in the sewer? It’s at this point where Civil War also intersects with Punisher War Zone. I’ll get to that one next week.)

Jane Foster and Night Nurse are the medics, who treat Spider-Man. The Punisher says Spider-Man is on “our side,” saying he intends to join Cap’s team now that Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. are recruiting criminals and murderers as new Thunderbolts. Punisher reveals he’s the man with the black ski mask who’s been watching everyone from a distance. Falcon asks Captain America whether they should let the Punisher join them or turn him over to the cops. Cap says, “I’m thinking.”

In Hell’s Kitchen, New York, cape killers have arrested Daredevil (who is secretly Iron Fist posing as Daredevil during all this). Reed and She-Hulk have overseen the arrest. Reed wonders if they’ve done the right thing. Reed says life would be easier if he’d never gotten involved, never created the Thor clone, and not been aligned with the Thunderbolts. She-Hulk tells him crime is down, government approval is up, and the public overwhelmingly approves of the pro-reg side (for real?). She says, “You guys gave us a future.”

Later, at Ryker’s Penitentiary, we see there’s now a Negative Zone portal there. Tony Stark walks Daredevil to the portal in person. He reiterates that it was either this or have the government arrest all superhumans. He then confirms plans are under way for the Fifty States Initiative, nationwide superheroes that are fully licensed and accountable. “Nobody wants to put you in jail,” he says. And then, after all this time, we finally, FINALLY, get the official debut of the Negative Zone prison, even though the comics have talked about for months and we just saw it in Amazing Spider-Man. Credit where it’s due, though, artist Steve McNiven draws the heck out of it:

As he’s being locked up, Daredevil hands Tony Stark a silver dollar. He says, “Guess that’s thirty-one pieces of silver you’ve got now, huh? Sleep well, Judas.”

To be continued!  

Unstable molecule/Fade out: Reed and Sue both call Peter Parker the day after he revealed his secret identity to the public. Reed praises Peter’s courage, while Sue just wants to make sure he’s doing okay. Mary Jane and Aunt May are also on the call, and everybody ends up chatting as if Peter’s not there.

Clobberin’ time: Ben appears in two-page spread as one of several Marvel characters reacting to Spider-Man’s secret identity reveal. He’s frowning at it.

Flame on: Johnny is understandably disgusted by having to pretend he and his sister are married. But then he says Sue looks like his last girlfriend’s grandmother. I’ll grant that he’s only joking, but that’s still gross.

Fantastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk seemed iffy about registration in her solo series, but in these issues she’s all for it. Her solo series at this time has her in space for comedic encounters with Starfox, Man-Wolf, and even Thanos. No clue whether this takes place during or after Civil War.

Luke Cage continues to be Captain America’s right-hand man. He doesn’t like the idea of the Punisher joining the team.

There’s one panel of Tigra hiding around a corner with her phone, spying on Cap’s strategy meeting. Look very closely, and you can see the name “Tony” on her contacts.

Trivia time: The three kooky-looking superheroes Spider-Man sees during his visit to the Negative Zone prison are Prodigy, Gladiatrix, and N’Kantu the Living Mummy. They really are bringing back every obscure character for this event, aren’t they?

Fantastic or frightful? The big deal is that Spider-Man switches sides, one of few characters to do so during the Civil War event. This makes Iron Man look even more like the villain, even there are times when the crossover insists he’s the good guy. Also, the Punisher is here. Now that he’s in Civil War, he’ll be all over the place for a while. Even with all this happening, the Fantastic Four continue to be central figures, as both the main series and the Amazing Spider-Man issues make a point of continually checking in with the FF throughout. Beyond that, we’re in the “things get murky” period for Civil War, and it’ll be like this until we get to the big finish.

Next: Where’s Kate Beckinsale when we need her?

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Todd McFarlane is a mega-millionaire with success undreamt of. I’m just some guy. But as I’ve been buying and reading – and enjoying! – Gunslinger Spawn, I’m struck with how the dialogue and captions are something of a mess. Hence, here’s my attempt to copyedit Gunslinger Spawn.

In the previous issue, Gunslinger and Clown worked out a deal. Clown promised to return Gunslinger to the past if Gunslinger helps defeat the Al Simmons Spawn. It seemed like a done deal, but as issue #6 begins, their conversation continues.

Is the section caption needed at all? I say it can be deleted and the scene doesn’t change.

–

Clown continues, with another wordy paragraph:

This is another case of safety words, or safety phrases, which is filler than can be cut. My suggestion:

“I’m sure you are. Relax a moment while I tend to a few logistics.”

–

They’re in an otherworldly place called Omega Island. We don’t get a good look at the place, but apparently it’s been seen in previous Spawn comics. Clown’s robotic servants lock up his monstrous other selves.

Is the King Kong reference needed? I think the art does that on its own. The word “intrusion” doesn’t work here. “Violation” would be better, except that this character is the Violator. I’m thinking of something like this:

“Guards restrain the violator. The giant monster accepts this compliance.”

–

Clown gives Violator the grand tour:

Tightening up these sentences could give these sentences more impact:

“These remnants remind of the pain I’ve suffered, and where I recently killed a hellspawn.”

And:

“I’m kiddin’! Your face! You thought I was serious? Ha ha ha ha!”

–

Clown reminds us of the ongoing plot:

“As I said” and “Besides” are more examples of safety words, the type of things that should be removed in an edit. “Dine like kings” could be a cliché.

“You’re too valuable to hurt.”

And:

“We can’t send you back home if you’re not healthy.”

–

Gunslinger has these little flashbacks throughout this part:

We just established the plan is to send Gunslinger home, so do we have to repeat again in this panel? Also, “Lost in thought” could be considered a cliché or a safety phrase. Instead, consider:

“Gunslinger isn’t listening. He’s remembering.”

–

Clown reveals the dinner table, setting up this issue’s whole “My Dinner with Clown” vibe.

In the first two sentences, “dine under the stars” and “spared no expense” could be a cliché. Starting sentences with “So” is almost always unneeded. My edits:

“Tonight, we seal our partnership!”

And:

“Behold, the most magnificent evening you’ll ever have!”

–

Things get interesting as Gunslinger and Clown sit down for dinner, but we’ll get to that… next time.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Marvel’s Civil War mega-event rages on, with all kinds of violence and murder, but issue #541 shows we can still have some laughs during this time.

As the Civil War began, with all the superheroes battling and even killing each other in the streets over the Superhuman Registration Act, Ben chose to follow the path of the ex-pat by leaving the US for France. After talking about this for a while, and then incongruously fighting alongside Iron Man’s team against Captain America’s side in Civil War #3-4, in this issue, Ben finally arrives in France.

Except Ben’s still not in France. After some comedy shtick with a New York cabbie, Ben arrives at the airport in NYC, where he’s stopped by goons from the IRS. Ben tells them that he’s not giving up his US Citizenship, just leaving for a while. They ask about the huge amount of money he recently received from Fantastic Four Inc. They say he hasn’t paid any income tax on his newfound fortune, and that the IRS is freezing his accounts prior to Ben’s leaving for a non-extradition country. “Have a lovely flight,” one of the IRS guys says. Then it’s even more comedy shtick as Ben goes through airport security and must sit in coach on the plane.

Ben finally arrives in Paris, where he goes out to see the sights. People are rude to him when he asks for restaurant tips. He gets an outdoor table at a small café (because it’s France, you know) only to fall through a trap door into some underground complex. There, he meets Adamantine, a Superman-like character who calls himself “commander in absentia” for a group called The Heroes of Paris. Adamantine says the city is in danger and needs his help. Ben then meets the rest of the Heroes of Paris, who are somewhat similar to DC’s Justice League:

• Comte De Nuit, a.k.a. the Night Count, a Batman-like dark vigilante.

• Anais, queen of a lost cat civilization, a Catwoman/Wonder Woman hybrid.

• La Lumiere Blue, a Green Lantern type, whose light-based powers can reveal others’ secrets.

• Detective Fantome, a supernatural guy akin to the Specter or the Phantom Stranger.

• Le Vent, a.k.a. the Wind, a Flash-ish speedster.

• Le Docteur Q, a guy wearing high-tech armor, similar to Steel, Cyborg or, I guess, Iron Man.

• And finally, Le Cowboy, who is… just a cowboy.

Even though Paris is in danger, the French superheroes nonetheless stop for lunch. Ben assumes the crisis is a multinational conspiracy manipulating superheroes into fighting each other. Instead, it’s a supervillain called the Emperor of the Underground World, who plans to overthrow Paris with an army of subterranean monsters. Ben is moved to tears by the thought of an uncomplicated, old-fashioned good guys versus bad guys slugfest.

Cut to the fight, in caves deep beneath Paris. Ben is at the center of the action, fighting all the monsters, while the rest of the French heroes have some classic superhero banter. Ben confronts the Emperor, deducing that the villain turned to evil not for political reasons, but because a girl once turned him down for a date. Ben smashes the Emporer’s doomsday machine, destroying the caves in the process. The other supes think he didn’t make it, only for him to crawl out of the wreckage with the Emperor, saying “Now that’s what I call doing it old-school.”

Paris is saved, and the Emperor’s lady friend appears. She forgives him, he proposes, and just like that they’re off to get married. Ben responds, “It’s Paris. What’re ya gonna do?” The issue ends with the superheroes heading off for another meal. Ben does his version of the line from Casablanca (which is actually Morocco, but does reference Paris), “I got the feeling that this is the beginnin’ of a wonderful friendship.”

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s catch phrase in French is “Il est temps de battre!” The caption tells us this means, “It’s clobberin’ time!” I’ll take their word for it.

Trivia time: This is the only appearance for all but two of the Heroes of Paris. The Marvel Wiki states that the team vanished without a trace after this, leaving Paris forever vulnerable to attack (!). My conspiracy theory: DC’s lawyers called.  

Speaking of which, Ben states a couple of times that there’s a multinational conspiracy behind the Civil War. I find it unlikely he knows everything that was revealed in the Wolverine issues, and he certainly doesn’t know what will eventually be revealed at the end of Front Line. But he’s right – not all is at it appears.

The Marvel Wiki is pretty slight when it comes to Paris. It skips everything from the 1950s all the way to the Fear Itself crossover. I just know Marvel characters have been there in between, including this issue. Off the top of my head, our own FF hid out in Paris in vol. 3 #1, and the trial of Magneto from Uncanny X-Men #200 was set in Paris.

Fantastic or frightful? Writer J. Michael Straczynski seems to be picking up where he left off in Supreme Power just before this, and then The Twelve just after this, by putting his own spin on the Justice League. Still, it’s nice to have some lighthearted fun during the otherwise dark and megaviolent Civil War.

Next: Mutants in the desert.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Todd McFarlane is a mega-millionaire with success undreamt of. I’m just some guy. But as I’ve been buying and reading – and enjoying! – Gunslinger Spawn, I’m struck with how the dialogue and captions are something of a mess. Hence, here’s my attempt to copyedit Gunslinger Spawn.

Wrapping up issue #5. For a couple of issues now, Gunslinger and Clown have confronted each other in a field outside of town. Clown wants Gunslinger to work with him to kill the Al Simmons Spawn. After fighting for a bit, Clown said Gunslinger is his kind of guy, and their conversation goes on.

I question whether that first sentence is needed, as this thought continues from the previous page. Other than that, some small edits here:

“Neither of us were Hell’s first choice. They never thought we were good enough. It started with the first symbiote, the one we turned into the Hellspawn costume.”

–

From there, it’s a few pages of Clown retelling Spawn’s origin from his point of view, followed by how Clown was sent into the future where he became the new and improved Clown we see in this series. These passages are well written and easy to follow. Then Clown circles back to his offer:

Some confusing wording here regarding this key Clown wants. My suggestion:

“Simmons has grown into the most powerful Spawn. He’ll sense me coming. But he wouldn’t suspect another Spawn. Bring me the key that gets me back into Hell.”

–

Gunslinger responds with another too-long sentence.

It’s a simple matter of breaking this up for better sentence flow. Maybe end it with a question to give the dialogue a back-and-forth feeling:

“Wouldn’t have taken you for the cowardly type. You want to unlock the dead zones, then run and hide?”

–

Clown’s response:

Making this less wordy can make it more dramatic:

“The treasure I’m looking for lies in Hell – Malebolgia’s empty throne!”

–

Then, a twist. Wolves emerge from the nearby woods, apparently under Gunslinger’s control.

“Turns to see” and phrases like it are safety words, and always something to lookout for when writing and editing. This is especially true in comics, where we can see Clown turning to look.

“Clown’s not the only one who commands an army.”

–

Gunslinger says he’ll help Clown, but only Clown sends him back not to 1864, when he came from, but two years earlier in 1862. While Clown considers this, wolves emerge from the nearby woods, apparently under Gunslinger’s control.

“Participants” is awkward, and perhaps “salivate” is awkward as well. One possible suggestion:

“Tensions build. Monsters. Wolves. Minions. All hungry.”

–

The standoff continues.

For this panel, what if their lines were not just shortened, but reversed:

Clown: “Get them to obey!”

Gunslinger: “I didn’t call them here.”

–

This next caption sets up a big one on the following page which reads “All hell breaks loose!” That’s a cliché, but this is a Spawn comic. Themes of Heaven and Hell are omnipresent.

Instead, how about a more direct intro to the next page:

“Too many primal instincts are triggered…”

(Next page): “And ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!”

–

After all this talk about after Clown has reinvented himself, the wolves are too much for him and his minions. I’m sure if they had more pages, McFarlane and artist Brett Booth could have established that these wolves are just as powerful.

There’s not much I can do with this caption other than shorten it:

“The battle is wild savagery with no winners.”

But… If I were actually McFarlane’s editor, I’d suggest a complete rewrite for this panel, establishing the wolves as being supernaturally powerful, and how they’re overwhelming Clown’s forces to the point of surrender.

–

Now evenly matched, Gunslinger and Clown go over their deal. Gunslinger asks what’s his part.

Just some small edits here for clarity:

“Two things for now. One, Spawn stays alive. We’re screwed if he dies. Two, become his friend. Or at least get him to believe you are.”

–

That’s the cliffhanger that ends issue #5. But, as we’ll see in #6, Clown and Gunslinger aren’t done negotiating yet. We’ll get to that… next time.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Our favorite foursome is inseparably part of Marvel’s controversial Civil War crossover, so let’s dive into issues #3 and #4, featuring the major tuning point in the entire event.

All the Marvel heroes are fighting each other about superhero registration, where all superhumans must register their secret identities with the government. Iron Man leads the oppressive pro-reg side, while Captain America leads the fugitive anti-reg side. Issue #3 begins in Wakanda, where Reed is there to deliver a message to Black Panther from the U.S. President. Black Panther refuses, saying he doesn’t like the idea of the Fifty States Initiative, with superhumans policing other superhumans who don’t agree with them. He says, “We don’t like it when America interferes Wakandan affairs, and I can only assume the feeling is reciprocated.” Panther leaves Reed with a word of advice, “Call Susan.”

Then there’s some short vignettes catching readers up to what’s happening in the Marvel Universe at large. Captain America’s anti-registration team are still fugitives, but still crimefighting as the Secret Avengers. Iron Man tells reporters he’ll hunt them down. Dr. Strange has retreated to his “arctic lodge,” to meditate until the conflict passes. Iron Man then meets with Emma Frost at the Xavier School. She says the X-Men won’t join his fight, but don’t want to fight the government, either. She promises him they won’t join Captain America’s side.

Then we see Captain America, Daredevil, Hercules, and Goliath (a.k.a. Bill Foster) at a diner, where Cap gives them all fake IDs for their new secret identities. Foster gets a report of a fire at a petrochemical plant nearby, with several civilian lives in danger. Cap calls the Secret Avengers to save the day. We also get a quick scene at the hospital, where the FF’s own Johnny Storm finally wakes from his coma, asking to see his sister.

The Secret Avengers teleport to the chemical plant, and Cable reports that something he’s getting interference on his electric devices. He sees a sign stating that the plant is owned by Stark Industries, and he does the classic, “It’s a trap!” Cloak and Wiccan, the Secret Avengers’ two teleporters, are immediately taken out with dart guns. Iron Man and his team (are we calling these the New Avengers, still?) arrive on the scene, and Iron Man says, “Of course it’s a trap.” Reed and She-Hulk are there, on Iron Man’s side, and so is Ben, despite previously stating he was leaving the country to avoid the fighting. Maria Hill calls in, saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have the site surrounded, and will only step in if anyone on Cap’s side tries to retreat. From here on, there are tons of Marvel heroes in the background. Good luck keeping track of them all.

It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for – the big confrontation between Iron Man and Captain America. Iron Man offers Cap one last chance at amnesty if Cap surrenders. Cap says he’d rather take his chances. He also criticizes Spider-Man, who’s also there, for endangering Mary Jane’s life by revealing his secret identity to the world. Iron Man says he doesn’t want to fight. He only wants a chance for Cap to hear his side of the story. Cap says, “You’ve got five minutes” and extends his hand. Iron Man shakes it, only to find that Cap put a tiny device on his palm. Cap says it’s an “electron scrambler,” and it shorts out Iron Man’s armor.

Goliath grows to giant size, and now we’re into the big brawl! Everybody fights everybody. Goliath tries to clear a path to a nearby river to retreat, but Yellowjacket (secretly a Skrull in disguise, setting up a secret invasion) also grows to giant size to stop him. We get a lot of match-ups: Hercules vs. Wonder Man, Cable vs. Radioactive Man (not the Simpsons one), Stature vs. Atlas, and Luke Cage vs. Ms. Marvel. Ben fights Hulkling of the Young Avengers, with his only dialogue in these two issues as he says, “I don’t wanna fight you guys,” and “Why can’t you just do like you’re told?”

Spider-Man uses his Iron Spider armor’s stealth mode to sneak up on Captain America and give him a beating. Iron Man’s armor reboots, and he rejoins the fight, going straight for Cap. That’s where we get this panel, which is the entirety of Civil War condensed into a single image:

Hercules charges through the crowd, hoping to rescue Cap before Iron Man kills him. Maria Hill gives the signal for “Codename Lightning,” and Herc is blasted through the sky with a massive lightning bolt. It came from Thor, who is flying down from the sky, ready to join the fight. Remember that Thor’s series had been cancelled and he’d been killed off prior to this, so seeing him back was quite a shock. This is the issue #3 cliffhanger.

Issue #4 starts with Falcon and Dagger trying to appeal to Thor’s better nature (How are Dagger and Thor friends?), but Thor is on a rampage, sending Cap’s crew flying with a single throw of his hammer. Nearby, a bloodied Captain America refuses to quit, calling Iron Man a “pampered punk.” Iron Man unleashes a sonic weapon, which brings everyone on Cap’s team to their knees.

It seems like the fight is over, but then there’s an explosion as Hercules reaches Iron Man and shuts the sonic weapon off. More fighting, this time with Goliath front and center. Falcon takes over as leader of the anti-reg side. He picks up Captain America and flies off, ordering Cable to mind-link with Cloak so everyone can teleport out of there.

Goliath, now several stories tall, confronts Thor, towering over him. Thor responds by blasting a lightning bolt through Goliath’s chest, killing him. This is often cited as the moment for Civil War (and for Marvel in general) when everything changed. The “there’s going back from this” moment.

Falcon has everyone regroup and fall back. But now they’re all together, so Thor blasts another lightning blast at them. This one, though, is stopped by an invisible force field. Sue appears, confronting Thor while telling the anti-reg heroes, “Get out of here. Now.” They all teleport away, reluctantly leaving behind their wounded. Before they go, Falcon says “Thank you” to Sue.

Another surprise twist: Reed gives Thor a shutdown code, and Thor bows his head. This is not Thor, but some sort of machine. Yellowjacket snaps at Reed, saying this new Thor was supposed to be programmed with directives to act just like the old Thor. Reed ignores him, instead pleading with Sue for a moment of her time. She says, “Don’t even speak to me. Don’t say a damn word.” Looking over the dead Goliath, Spider-Man says, “I thought we were doing this so no one else got hurt.”

Later, Stark Tower becomes a makeshift hospital as the pro-reg heroes tend to their wounds. Yellowjacket is especially upset about the new Thor’s actions, saying he never intended Thor to kill Goliath, one of his best friends. “I can’t believe we cloned a god,” he says. (This scene takes on a whole other tone when you remember Yellowjacket is a Skrull in disguise. Could he secretly be responsible for the Thor clone’s murderousness?)

At the Secret Avengers underground HQ, a recovering Captain America addresses his troops. He says that their side picked up another twenty members overnight, and those on Iron Man’s side are starting to switch sides in large numbers. The tragedy of Goliath’s death is turning the tide in the anti-reg favor. Nighthawk (a member of the Defenders) asks about all the anti-reg heroes already locked up in Reed and Iron Man’s new prison. Cap answers, “And you’re willing to let them get away with that?”

The pro-reg heroes attend Goliath’s funeral. Ms. Sharpe, the mother of one of the children killed in the Stamford incident that kicked off the Civil War, assures Iron Man that he’s doing the right thing. She says Goliath would still be alive if he’d followed the law and registered. Also at the funeral, Yellowjacket notices Peter Parker acting suspiciously, and a man in a black ski mask watches the whole thing from a distance.

Time to get back to the Fantastic Four. Sue writes Reed a letter, saying that Johnny has fully recovered from his coma. She then tells Reed that she’s leaving him to join Cap and the Secret Avengers. She says she’s leaving Franklin and Valeria with him at the new Baxter Building, where they’ll be safe. Sue leaves the letter for Reed while he’s sleeping. She leaves with her bags packed in the middle of the night, and Johnny goes with her. Ben watches them go from a window inside.

At Stark Tower, Iron Man says more and more of his team are leaving to join Cap. The anti-reg heroes now have the advantage. To even the odds, Iron Man says he’s recruiting a new team of Thunderbolts. He says the new team is temporary, and each one is chipped with nanobots to follow their every move. Turn the page, and we see these “Thunderbolts” are all deadly villains – Venom, Bullseye, Lady Deathstrike, Taskmaster, Songbird, Jester, and Jack O’ Lantern.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: We don’t see who Reed fights during the big brawl. We also don’t see his reaction to Sue’s letter, except that he’s back at work at Stark Tower the next day.

Fade out: Does Sue break up with Reed in this issue, or in Fantastic Four #540? These events overlap so it could be read either way. No matter which issue you read first, what happens is that Sue tells Reed she’s leaving him, she still hangs out for a little while, and then she really leaves him.

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s presence during the battle also feels out of character. Based on his one line, we can surmise that he was there in hopes of stopping the violence. Behind the scenes, I believe Marvel editorial wanted everyone to pick a side, with as few neutral characters as possible. Therefore, Ben gets put in the pro-reg category.

Flame on: When Sue leaves the Baxter Building, she uses an invisible force field as an umbrella in the rain. Not to be outdone, we see Johnny make a fire umbrella over his head. He and Sue drive off in a red sports car with a “TORCH” license plate.

Fantastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk is at the battle, getting punched out by Hercules. (Didn’t they date for a while?) We don’t see how Luke Cage fares against Ms. Marvel. They seem to be standing off more than outright fighting. Cage then gets thrown around twice by Thor’s lightning blasts. Tigra is at the fight, too. She’s mostly in the background, but made it onto the back of the wraparound cover.  

Four and a half/our gal Val: The kids are seen enjoying a board game with Johnny after he gets home from the hospital. This suggests the horrors of the Civil War haven’t reached them yet.

SUE-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. I thought that Sue didn’t appear at the battle until her big save, but there’s one small panel earlier showing her on Iron Man’s side. This makes no sense, as she’s been vocally against registration from the start. Could this be because of her S.H.I.E.L.D. connections?

Trivia time: The clone of Thor, which we’ll later learn is not a clone but some kind of bio-mechanical monstrosity, was controversial among readers at the time. The fans dubbed the character “Clor,” but the Marvel Wiki just calls him “Thor clone.” He’ll stick around though, later going by the name Ragnarok.

Throughout Civil War, and especially in issue #3, we see the giant Sentinel robots lurking around in the background whenever the X-Men are around. The X-Men are currently dealing with fallout of The 198 event, when 90 percent of mutants lost their powers. In response, the U.S. government assigned the Sentinels to the Xavier School, not to attack it but to protect it. Many mutants were not happy about this, another reason for them not wanting to get involved in the Civil War. They will, though, because Bishop’s secret meeting with Iron Man in #3 sets up the Civil War: X-Men miniseries.  

Although there have been a bunch of versions of the Thunderbolts over the years, the original premise was villains pretending to be heroes, only to start acting a little more heroic. So the reveal at the end of #4 is more or less consistent with Thunderbolts history.

Fantastic or frightful? This was the peak of Civil War, when the world of comics fandom was feverish with each new development, while also grousing about the violence, the character choices, and how this turned Marvel continuity upside down. On this re-read, it’s clear that this is the mid-point, and it’s falling action from here on out. We’ve still got a long way to go before it’s over.

Next: Western civ.

* * * *

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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Just as the Civil War crossover divided the Marvel Universe down the middle, our heroes feel that divide at home in issue #540.

Because this is a re-read and not a first-time read, I’ll go ahead and spoil things. While the rest of the Marvel Universe was divided down the middle during Civil War, so to were the Fantastic Four. With everything else going on, Reed and Sue are separating due to the conflict. One problem, though. Because events are happening simultaneously across multiple comics at once, we get two versions of the breakup, one in Fantastic Four, and one in the Civil War miniseries. It could go either way, but I feel that this breakup is the one that happened first.

We begin with Reed and a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in his lab. They’ve apprehended Wildstreak, who you’ll remember from that time when Marvel introduced a new character in each of that year’s annuals. We’re told she’s in a containment field, about to be sent into the Negative Zone. One of the agents accidentally damages the field, and Wildstreak makes a run for it. She seems to disappear and then smashes through a window. Reed is quick to deduce that Sue used invisibility to help Wildstreak escape.

Reed chides Sue for violating the law. She chides him back about the superhero registration law being immoral. She further criticizes him for using the “I’m just following orders” attitude, comparing the situation to Nazi Germany (!). Reed raises a fist in frustration (or perhaps more?) but Sue doesn’t back down. “We are done,” Reed says. Sue responds, “You’ve got that right.”

Sue says she feels like she doesn’t know who Reed is anymore. He says he’s doing all this to protect her, and this infuriates her. She creates a force field in the shape of a cylinder, which reaches up through the building’s roof, and all the way down to its underground parking garage. She accused Reed of being too afraid to stand up to his own government, and that he’s so accustomed to following rules he doesn’t know to do anything else. She says it’s not about protecting her, but about protecting their rights and freedoms. “I think they’re worth dying for if necessary,” she says.

Sue says, “You’re not the man I married,” and Reed only responds with, “I think you should leave now.” She uses her force field to fly up and out of the hole in the roof she created. Reed concentrates on the numbers, immediately estimating repair costs. But his thoughts, in the captions, show that he hopes she’ll understand his point of view and come back. “Please let her come back,” he thinks.

Reed returns to his lab and starts cleaning up from Wildstreak’s escape. (The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are no longer around. They’re out looking for Wildstreak.) Ben steps in and tells Reed that he’s leaving the country, which means he’s leaving the FF too. He says he doesn’t want to fight his own government, but he can’t stay silent either. He plans to live out stories from his childhood and American expatriates fleeing to Paris, and now he’ll enact them in his own life. Ben assumes that Reed will try to talk him out of it, but Reed lets him go. Ben realizes that Sue and Reed didn’t just have a fight, but that Sue left.

Later, Iron Man and Peter Parker visit Reed’s lab. Reed says he wants to show them the new “holding facility” they’ve built. He opens the Negative Zone portal, and Iron Man and Peter enter it. Time passes, and they return. Peter asks to speak to Reed in private. Iron Man goes into the next room and uses his armor’s tech to eavesdrop. (He really is the villain of Civil War, isn’t he?) Peter asks Reed a simple “Why?” Reed tells Peter about his uncle Ted, an eccentric writer who was accused of communism in the 50s by the House Un-American Activities Committee. It ruined the man’s career, his whole life really.

Peter speaks of Ted with admiration, but Reed says Ted was wrong. Ted disobeyed the law. He says that without the law, people would become savages. “We have to support it, no matter what,” he says. Peter remains hopeful, reminding Reed that Reed loved his uncle. (Peter shows incredible restraint by not mentioning his own uncle.) They leave Reed in his lab, alone with his thoughts.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: The issue begins and ends with Reed singing to himself the song “Wernher von Braun” by Tom Lehrer, with emphasis on the lyrics, “Once the rockets go up, who cares where they come down? That’s not my department, says Wernher von Braun.”

Fade out: It’s left up to the reader to decide why Sue drove a force field through the entire Baxter Building like she did. My opinion? Driving a spike through their home is metaphor for driving a spike right through Reed’s heart.

Clobberin’ time: It was already a safe bet that Reed and Ben are no longer WWII vets in current continuity, but Ben musing on WWII-era (era) stories from his childhood confirms it.

Trivia time: This is the final appearance of Wildstreak, a former Olympic hopeful given a superhuman exoskeleton after a debilitating accident. In fact, her only other appearance between her debut and this issue was a single guest spot in Thunderstrike #11. Fingers crossed that Marvel can bring her back someday.

This issue pretty much spells out that a Negative Zone prison is what Reed’s been working on. It’s been mentioned off-hand in several other Marvel comics leading up to Civil War as well, and yet the main Civil War miniseries keeps acting like it’s some big mystery.  

Fantastic or frightful? One of the big problems with Civil War is that it’s meant to create this divisive issue between pro-reg and anti-reg, but it’s really hard to see things from the pro-reg side. Reed has a long and often unfortunate history of prioritizing his science over his wife and family. I’d thought that’d been resolved by now, but instead it comes to a head in this issue. But, Reed and Sue still aren’t technically broken up at this point, because Civil War isn’t done with them yet.

Next: We’ve got chemistry.

* * * *

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Todd McFarlane is a mega-millionaire with success undreamt of. I’m just some guy. But as I’ve been buying and reading – and enjoying! – Gunslinger Spawn, I’m struck with how the dialogue and captions are something of a mess. Hence, here’s my attempt to copyedit Gunslinger Spawn.

After a fight, the Clown offered Gunslinger a deal. If Gunslinger helps Clown defeat the Al Simmons Spawn, then Clown will send Gunslinger back to the Old West. It seemed like a done deal, but issue #5 continues the conversation.

The issue begins with Clown lording over an unconscious Gunslinger.

Breaking up these sentences into shorter ones helps with readability and flow:

“I thought he might die too, my pet. I would have crippled my plans if he had. I’ve been waiting too long for that to happen.”

–

This next passage has some awkward wording.

You can almost always remove “So” at the start of sentences. Is “like a hooked fish” a cliché? Is it meant to be a joke? I say it can be cut. And the repetition of “this one” is odd, making Clown sound like Mantis from Marvel Comics. My suggestion:

“Give him some space while his body resets. This one’s weaker than I thought. But, unfortunately, my pet, we need him alive for a while longer.”

–

Gunslinger wakes, ready for a fight. Clown laughs at him.

Again, just some small edits could make a big difference:

“I’m still waiting for an answer to my offer. Though, I’m beginning to have doubts. I need someone strong by my side.”

–

Time for more action as the two duke it out:

We’ve got more overwriting, with potential cliches like “going down without a fight.”

“Gunslinger knows he can’t win, but he’ll be damned if he’s going down like this.”

–

More fighting:

What on Earth is that comma in the first sentence? Delete it. I’m not sure about the “two titans” line. I get that Todd and co. want to make this huge and epic in readers’ minds, but is now the moment for this? Why not instead continue to emphasize how Clown is more powerful than Gunslinger?

“Clown is ready for this fight, but Gunslinger rages on!”

–

Then we see how outmatched Gunslinger is.

Is it important for the reader to know that Clown is two thousand pounds? I guess Todd is telling us that Clown’s power is not just demonic hellfire, but also Hulk-like physical strength. Is the third caption needed at all? Perhaps the visual says it all. My suggestion:

“Gunslinger holds his own against his two-thousand-pound enemy. But, after mustering everything into one last blow…”

–

Clown has a “Hulk smash” moment, hitting Gunslinger so hard it leaves a crater.

Just some small suggestions for this caption:

“Ground fissures snake out a quarter mile, attesting to Clown’s new power.”

–

We get this exchange between Clown and Violator. Remember that they’re two distinct characters now.

I wonder if we could replace the caption with more dialogue from Clown. Something like this, maybe:

“Want to join the fray, Violator? I appreciate your concern, but I’ve got this handled.”

–

Another display of strength.

For these panels, I suggest deleting the first caption, which is unneeded info, and moving Clown’s dialogue to the first panel.

–

Gunslinger’s back on his feet.

Again, the caption is unnecessary information. You could delete it to Gunslinger’s line more of a dramatic impact.

–

Clown ends the fight by being cordial. He laughs and says to Gunslinger “I’m beginning to like you!” And that’s where we’ll leave it this week.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.