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SPIDER-MAN
IRON MAN
CAPTAIN AMERICA
THE FANTASTIC FOUR
THE EPIC STORY THAT BLOWS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE APART!
Iron Man and Captain America: two core members of the Avengers, the world's greatest super hero team. When a tragic battle blows a hole in the city of Stamford, killing hundreds of people, the U.S. government demands that all superheroes unmask and register their powers. To Tony Stark - Iron Man - it's a regrettable but necessary step. To Captain America, it's an unbearable assault on civil liberties.
SO BEGINS THE CIVIL WAR
Based on the smash hit graphic novel - over HALF A MILLION COPIES have sold in print and digital formats!
IRON MAN
CAPTAIN AMERICA
THE FANTASTIC FOUR
THE EPIC STORY THAT BLOWS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE APART!
Iron Man and Captain America: two core members of the Avengers, the world's greatest super hero team. When a tragic battle blows a hole in the city of Stamford, killing hundreds of people, the U.S. government demands that all superheroes unmask and register their powers. To Tony Stark - Iron Man - it's a regrettable but necessary step. To Captain America, it's an unbearable assault on civil liberties.
SO BEGINS THE CIVIL WAR
Based on the smash hit graphic novel - over HALF A MILLION COPIES have sold in print and digital formats!
344 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2012
About the author
Stuart Moore
372 books67 followersSTUART MOORE is a writer, a book editor, and an award-winning comics editor.
Among his current writing projects are THE ZODIAC LEGACY, created and cowritten by Stan Lee and published by Disney, featuring an all-new team of teenaged super heroes in a series of illustrated prose novels and graphic novels; DOMINION: LAST SACRIFICE, a comic book series for Amazon/Jet City; and THANOS: DEATH SENTENCE, an original Marvel prose novel. Recent work includes EGOs, an original comic book series from Image Comics, and GARTER'S BIG SCORE, an original ebook novella for Kindle. He also contributed two series, TEACH and OUT WITH A BANG, to the launch of the online comics app Stela. Other comics work includes WOLVERINE NOIR and NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT (Marvel); FIRESTORM (DC Comics); assorted Star Trek and Transformers projects; and the science-fiction graphic novels EARTHLIGHT, PARA, SHADRACH STONE, and MANDALA. Prose writing includes the novel version of Marvel’s CIVIL WAR, and Disney Worldwide's JOHN CARTER: THE MOVIE NOVELIZATION.
Among his current writing projects are THE ZODIAC LEGACY, created and cowritten by Stan Lee and published by Disney, featuring an all-new team of teenaged super heroes in a series of illustrated prose novels and graphic novels; DOMINION: LAST SACRIFICE, a comic book series for Amazon/Jet City; and THANOS: DEATH SENTENCE, an original Marvel prose novel. Recent work includes EGOs, an original comic book series from Image Comics, and GARTER'S BIG SCORE, an original ebook novella for Kindle. He also contributed two series, TEACH and OUT WITH A BANG, to the launch of the online comics app Stela. Other comics work includes WOLVERINE NOIR and NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT (Marvel); FIRESTORM (DC Comics); assorted Star Trek and Transformers projects; and the science-fiction graphic novels EARTHLIGHT, PARA, SHADRACH STONE, and MANDALA. Prose writing includes the novel version of Marvel’s CIVIL WAR, and Disney Worldwide's JOHN CARTER: THE MOVIE NOVELIZATION.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
June 21, 2024
Civil War was a Marvel event series of comics that occurred in 2006 - 2007. The event was supposed to try to convey a storyline that would flow through all of the Marvel Comic books line in the hopes of increasing the readership of lesser read titles. To that end, some of those lesser-known superheroes contributed significantly to the story.
After successfully accomplishing some of Marvel's goals, the Civil War series was packaged into some really gorgeous trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and graphic novels. This prose novel is based on that event and touches upon some of the themes made prevalent by Mike Millar and other writers and artists which helped to provide a high-quality product to actualize that content.
After a significant occurrence that results in the deaths of a group of young superheroes and children, Tony Stark suggests that superhero registration might be a resolution to the current problem. The superhero community divides with some finding registration an acceptable compromise and others considering it an unbearable breach of privacy to be made to forego the protection of a secret identity.
Worst, Captain America and Ironman, two of the longest standing Avengers become the opposing faces of the disparate factions that will sow the seeds of division throughout the entire Marvel Universe. Even the Fantastic Four, the first family of comics, will be affected.
I liked the story. I found the disparate arguments compelling. I'm not sure I agree with the resolution, and I found myself pausing to research some of the characters of which I was unfamiliar. The rating is a solid 4 stars.
After successfully accomplishing some of Marvel's goals, the Civil War series was packaged into some really gorgeous trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and graphic novels. This prose novel is based on that event and touches upon some of the themes made prevalent by Mike Millar and other writers and artists which helped to provide a high-quality product to actualize that content.
After a significant occurrence that results in the deaths of a group of young superheroes and children, Tony Stark suggests that superhero registration might be a resolution to the current problem. The superhero community divides with some finding registration an acceptable compromise and others considering it an unbearable breach of privacy to be made to forego the protection of a secret identity.
Worst, Captain America and Ironman, two of the longest standing Avengers become the opposing faces of the disparate factions that will sow the seeds of division throughout the entire Marvel Universe. Even the Fantastic Four, the first family of comics, will be affected.
I liked the story. I found the disparate arguments compelling. I'm not sure I agree with the resolution, and I found myself pausing to research some of the characters of which I was unfamiliar. The rating is a solid 4 stars.
June 19, 2016
This book wasn't bad. I will give a full review on a later date.
Be Blessed.
Diamond
Be Blessed.
Diamond
February 4, 2021
This was very fast paced and exciting. Having watched many of the marvel movies I could visualize so much of this. It truly was a movie in my mind. I think I have sufficiently exorcised the lingering demon of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an incredibly long and somewhat tedious novel. Not that I hated it. But it put me behind in my reading schedule!! But with the help of a few shorter books including Civil War I’m back on track. If you like action and want something for pure entertainment, listen to the audio version of Marvel’s Civil War.
May 28, 2012
I don't read comics or graphic novels so I'm not overly familiar with the happenings in the original formats and cannot judge this novel in relation to them. However, as a stand alone novel this was a very well thought out and executed story.
The story revolves around the introduction of a government act that requires all those with super powers to register with the government and to reveal their real identities. Iron Man is all for this and Captain America is completely against it. Various superheros pick their allegiance, with some changing sides as the story progresses, with the main crux of the story revolving around Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four...although The Thing is really only a peripheral figure.
I have to say that I couldn't put this novel down once I had picked it up...that's the last time I use crazy glue before reading a book! In all seriousness this is a page turner and once I got into the storyline I was engrossed enough to finish the whole novel in one day.
I'm hoping there's a sequel in the works as there are a few loose ends that could easily make another novel such as the X-Men's role in this whole deal (they are only mentioned a couple of times in passing and play no part in the novel other than brief appearances by Wolverine at the beginning and Storm at the end) and what becomes of the characters whose stories hinted at further things to come.
All in all this is a great read for anyone who is a fan of Marvel prose novels.
The story revolves around the introduction of a government act that requires all those with super powers to register with the government and to reveal their real identities. Iron Man is all for this and Captain America is completely against it. Various superheros pick their allegiance, with some changing sides as the story progresses, with the main crux of the story revolving around Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four...although The Thing is really only a peripheral figure.
I have to say that I couldn't put this novel down once I had picked it up...that's the last time I use crazy glue before reading a book! In all seriousness this is a page turner and once I got into the storyline I was engrossed enough to finish the whole novel in one day.
I'm hoping there's a sequel in the works as there are a few loose ends that could easily make another novel such as the X-Men's role in this whole deal (they are only mentioned a couple of times in passing and play no part in the novel other than brief appearances by Wolverine at the beginning and Storm at the end) and what becomes of the characters whose stories hinted at further things to come.
All in all this is a great read for anyone who is a fan of Marvel prose novels.
June 15, 2018
Not to start on a defensive note, but I like to think of my reading tastes as broad, varied or, I dunno, eclectic. Which is to say that, under the broad umbrella of sci-fi and fantasy, which I consume in moderation (yuck, yuck), I'm also willing, from time to time ... OK, more than willing, to purchase and read
prose novels based on comic books
(or, as we like to say since the late 1980's, graphic novels). Indeed, whenever I see prose novels featuring mainstream comic book characters, I'm willing to give 'em a try, which means, I've read a fair number (OK, a lot) of them over the years.
Maybe it's a nostalgia thing? C'mon, if you're over 50, I bet you remember reading Big Little Books as a kid, and they frequently featured comic book characters (Aquaman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, even Space Ghost). Anyway, it is what it is: I'm a sucker for prose books about (or novelizations of) comic book characters.... It seemed they were plentiful in the 1990's (particularly, Batman, Superman, and Spiderman), and then the market dried up again...
Now that we got that out of the way, ... I found (and promptly) acquired a stack of modern-era hardbacks published by Marvel, ... I read a few at the end of last year, and now I've finally read the last one. True to form, it was entertaining enough, it was fun and easy to read, the pages turned quickly, but I expect that, by next week, I won't remember much about it. But I'm still glad I read it.
As for the story, it's not exactly the story from the graphic novel(s), nor does it track the movie, so ... in that respect ... it's original material. If you're not a Marvel reader (or, in the modern era, movie goer), I have no idea how this would resonate. I'm fully steeped in the genre, and it worked for me.
Frankly, my sense is the book was written to be accessible (which might also mean that bookstores shelve it in the young adult or even young reader sections) - but it wasn't sanitized to the point of making it insipid or lifeless. The story moved along at a nice clip, the major characters were given a nice injection of life and color, and, overall, the work held together nicely. I'm not surprised that the book didn't garner a Hugo Award or Booker Prize nomination, but I'm also confident that wasn't the point, nor would it matter to the publisher's desired readership/demographic.
In terms of comic book novelizations, I've read much worse. In terms of fun, light entertainment, I'm glad I read it.
Maybe it's a nostalgia thing? C'mon, if you're over 50, I bet you remember reading Big Little Books as a kid, and they frequently featured comic book characters (Aquaman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, even Space Ghost). Anyway, it is what it is: I'm a sucker for prose books about (or novelizations of) comic book characters.... It seemed they were plentiful in the 1990's (particularly, Batman, Superman, and Spiderman), and then the market dried up again...
Now that we got that out of the way, ... I found (and promptly) acquired a stack of modern-era hardbacks published by Marvel, ... I read a few at the end of last year, and now I've finally read the last one. True to form, it was entertaining enough, it was fun and easy to read, the pages turned quickly, but I expect that, by next week, I won't remember much about it. But I'm still glad I read it.
As for the story, it's not exactly the story from the graphic novel(s), nor does it track the movie, so ... in that respect ... it's original material. If you're not a Marvel reader (or, in the modern era, movie goer), I have no idea how this would resonate. I'm fully steeped in the genre, and it worked for me.
Frankly, my sense is the book was written to be accessible (which might also mean that bookstores shelve it in the young adult or even young reader sections) - but it wasn't sanitized to the point of making it insipid or lifeless. The story moved along at a nice clip, the major characters were given a nice injection of life and color, and, overall, the work held together nicely. I'm not surprised that the book didn't garner a Hugo Award or Booker Prize nomination, but I'm also confident that wasn't the point, nor would it matter to the publisher's desired readership/demographic.
In terms of comic book novelizations, I've read much worse. In terms of fun, light entertainment, I'm glad I read it.
August 27, 2012
I didn't dislike the book. I enjoyed it--getting through it in just a few days. I'm a sucker for Civil War story arc, and enjoy the exploration of civil liberties with exceptional people.
That said, when reading the original (graphic novel) I felt that the story just sort of ended--like a Star Trek: Next Generation episode--bringing everything together at the very last minute. The ending just stops.
And that "stopping" seems even more abrupt in the novel. I would have liked to get into more of the implications of the decisions, and the aftermath (though I think some of that is still playing out in the comics).
Overall, as a "Civil War" fan, I liked it. As a reader...I would have like another 300 pages...
tim
That said, when reading the original (graphic novel) I felt that the story just sort of ended--like a Star Trek: Next Generation episode--bringing everything together at the very last minute. The ending just stops.
And that "stopping" seems even more abrupt in the novel. I would have liked to get into more of the implications of the decisions, and the aftermath (though I think some of that is still playing out in the comics).
Overall, as a "Civil War" fan, I liked it. As a reader...I would have like another 300 pages...
tim
April 1, 2013
In 2006, Marcel Comics had a massive crossover storyline called "Civil War". When semi-trained young superheroes in a reality TV show failed to stop a supervillain from blowing up young children in Stamford, Connecticut, the government was about to outlaw the use of superpowers entirely. In an attempt to circumvent that, Tony Stark - Iron Man of the Avengers - negotiated a compromise: superheroes were to be registered with the government, and co-opted to work on behalf of the government and S.H.IE.L.D. All identities would be revealed. One of the most striking moments in the series occurred when Spider-Man removed his mask in front of the television cameras with the words, "My name is Peter Parker and I've been Spider-Man since I was fifteen years old."
Captain America saw this as a violation of human rights and an attack on personal liberty. With a band of dissenting superheroes, he determined to defy the law. He previously had been Tony Stark's closest friend.
Spider-Man was caught in the middle.
Stuart Moore has taken this huge, intense, complex storyline and distilled it into a prose novel. Sometimes he changes the story to match ongoing continuity, or to simplify a situation. But he has captured the intensity of the action and the compelling personalities. He takes the viewpoints of some of the central characters: Cap, Susan Storm, Spider-Man, and Tony Stark, and shows how they reason through their dilemma, and how their choices affect events.
This book is a treat for the Marvel fan.
Captain America saw this as a violation of human rights and an attack on personal liberty. With a band of dissenting superheroes, he determined to defy the law. He previously had been Tony Stark's closest friend.
Spider-Man was caught in the middle.
Stuart Moore has taken this huge, intense, complex storyline and distilled it into a prose novel. Sometimes he changes the story to match ongoing continuity, or to simplify a situation. But he has captured the intensity of the action and the compelling personalities. He takes the viewpoints of some of the central characters: Cap, Susan Storm, Spider-Man, and Tony Stark, and shows how they reason through their dilemma, and how their choices affect events.
This book is a treat for the Marvel fan.
January 9, 2016
Overall Rating: 4/5
"I want to do what's right."
As a fan of the Civil War comics myself, I think this book was a pretty good adaptation of the events. The differences between the graphic novel & this novel were not very major. Some details were tweaked here & there, but the package remains the same. With that said, although the book was really faithful to the seven-issues Civil War event (even all the dialogue!), I was quite disappointed that it didn't consider any of the tie-in issues at all.
I know some of the tie-in issues were really quite irrelevant, but I found several issues to be rather excellent as they furthered the plot substantially. Take for example, the Iron Man tie-in issues. Those showed us the deep-rooted friendship of Tony Stark & Steve Rogers gradually withering away due to the fact that they stand on opposite sides of the war. Ugh, feels.
Ultimately, I will still highly recommend this novel to anyone who will listen to my mad Civil War ravings. Especially since it is quite difficult to follow the comics story arc when the story is so disjointed (considering the tie-in issues).
"I want to do what's right."
As a fan of the Civil War comics myself, I think this book was a pretty good adaptation of the events. The differences between the graphic novel & this novel were not very major. Some details were tweaked here & there, but the package remains the same. With that said, although the book was really faithful to the seven-issues Civil War event (even all the dialogue!), I was quite disappointed that it didn't consider any of the tie-in issues at all.
I know some of the tie-in issues were really quite irrelevant, but I found several issues to be rather excellent as they furthered the plot substantially. Take for example, the Iron Man tie-in issues. Those showed us the deep-rooted friendship of Tony Stark & Steve Rogers gradually withering away due to the fact that they stand on opposite sides of the war. Ugh, feels.
Ultimately, I will still highly recommend this novel to anyone who will listen to my mad Civil War ravings. Especially since it is quite difficult to follow the comics story arc when the story is so disjointed (considering the tie-in issues).
August 6, 2015
Excelente! Ao término da leitura fico preocupado com a adaptação cinematográfica. Certamente, muito do que é apresentado no livro e nas HQs não estrá presente no filme. Por exemplo, uma das melhores cenas é a da prisão do Demolidor na Zona Negativa/Projeto 42. No entanto, o Demolidor só será introduzido no Universo cinematográfico da Marvel no Vingadores 3. Outro ponto a ser destacado é a participação do Homem-Aranha na Guerra Civil. Ao que se sabe, o aracnídeo terá uma participação dimunuta no filme, sendo que no livro e nas HQs ele é um dos principais personagens, tendo lutado de ambos os lados. Enfim, é esperar pra ver.
August 31, 2020
an adventure an experience. a moment.
loved it.
though a vastly different story from the Avengers: Civil War movie, I liked that the book is better written and the plot is more complex than the personality clash the characterizes that movie. I loved seeing FF & other characters from the comics, too.
loved it.
though a vastly different story from the Avengers: Civil War movie, I liked that the book is better written and the plot is more complex than the personality clash the characterizes that movie. I loved seeing FF & other characters from the comics, too.
October 15, 2019
Much better than the Movie version
December 25, 2014
The Civil War event is not without problems and I won’t go into too much detail here. Even though the pro-registration side was supposed to be in the right, they came across as overzealous dictators. Iron Man in particular felt like an outright villain by the end, and many readers still haven’t forgiven him for his actions. Even worse, the event leads directly to Spider-Man: One More Day. The less said about that butchery, the better.
That said, the first half of the event was kind of brilliant. It started off with a nightmarish situation that propelled the registration act into law, and Spider-Man unmasking himself on live TV was a shocking move. It could have made for some great storytelling in Spider-Man’s own series … if not for One More Day. Anyway, Civil War was the first Avengers event I read back when I got into comics in 2011 and I enjoyed it after my first reading. Every time I’ve read it since though, I’ve enjoyed it less and less. So how does the novel fare? Does it fix any of Civil War’s problems, or does it stick with the status quo?
Moore’s adaptation sticks close to how the event played out. There are a few minor changes, including which characters are alive and who is involved with what sides. For example, Hawkeye is in the novel while at the time, he was dead in the comics. There are tons of references to cellphone videos, overly intrusive surveillance and even Obama as president. Spider-Man is not married in the novel, so that at least removes any possible mention of One More Day. Otherwise, the story plays out almost exactly like the original event.
For the most part, Moore’s writing is good enough. It’s in third person perspective, switching point of view between Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man and Invisible Woman. Because of that, elements from both Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four tie-ins are incorporated. For 400 pages, that’s a lot of stuff to go through. That’s where the book starts to fall apart. It feels like a sequence of events happening. It’s a bit overstuffed with action scenes, providing little room for actual character development. It also fails to explain what the Negative Zone is to anyone who doesn’t read the comics.
The big battles come across as taking individual panels from the comic and translating them to prose. In several instances, it explains that Falcon and Ms. Marvel are dueling in the sky but there’s absolutely no detailing how the fighting is going or who is winning. This lack of showing instead of telling isn’t exclusive to the action either. Tigra turns out to be a mole in the anti-registration side, yet there’s absolutely no foreshadowing to the twist. One resistance member says a throwaway line about how there may be a mole, and in the final fight, Tigra simply declares herself the mole, to which Captain America says “I already knew.” You can’t do that and not anger someone.
The only notable changes happen right at the end. One, Spider-Man manages to destroy the Thor cyborg in the final fight. Two, instead of Invisible Woman returning home in tears at the end, Mr. Fantastic goes to her. Three, there’s no mention of Aunt May being shot. These minor changes do improve the story a little, and in Mr. Fantastic’s case, he shows genuine remorse over some of his actions. But at the same time, Captain America’s reason for surrendering is worsened. In the original, he realizes that their fighting is causing damage and panic, and will not help the heroes regain public confidence. He surrenders, being the honorable man. In the novelization, he simply “realizes” that the pro-registration heroes are right. It feels incredibly wrong and one-sided.
Moore did a decent job at adapting Civil War to prose, but it either needed to be simplified or lengthened to leave more room for character development and explanations. The whole story felt rushed. It also did little to fix any of the event’s major problems. If you still enjoy the event and are curious about the novelization it may be worth checking it out, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else.
That said, the first half of the event was kind of brilliant. It started off with a nightmarish situation that propelled the registration act into law, and Spider-Man unmasking himself on live TV was a shocking move. It could have made for some great storytelling in Spider-Man’s own series … if not for One More Day. Anyway, Civil War was the first Avengers event I read back when I got into comics in 2011 and I enjoyed it after my first reading. Every time I’ve read it since though, I’ve enjoyed it less and less. So how does the novel fare? Does it fix any of Civil War’s problems, or does it stick with the status quo?
Moore’s adaptation sticks close to how the event played out. There are a few minor changes, including which characters are alive and who is involved with what sides. For example, Hawkeye is in the novel while at the time, he was dead in the comics. There are tons of references to cellphone videos, overly intrusive surveillance and even Obama as president. Spider-Man is not married in the novel, so that at least removes any possible mention of One More Day. Otherwise, the story plays out almost exactly like the original event.
For the most part, Moore’s writing is good enough. It’s in third person perspective, switching point of view between Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man and Invisible Woman. Because of that, elements from both Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four tie-ins are incorporated. For 400 pages, that’s a lot of stuff to go through. That’s where the book starts to fall apart. It feels like a sequence of events happening. It’s a bit overstuffed with action scenes, providing little room for actual character development. It also fails to explain what the Negative Zone is to anyone who doesn’t read the comics.
The big battles come across as taking individual panels from the comic and translating them to prose. In several instances, it explains that Falcon and Ms. Marvel are dueling in the sky but there’s absolutely no detailing how the fighting is going or who is winning. This lack of showing instead of telling isn’t exclusive to the action either. Tigra turns out to be a mole in the anti-registration side, yet there’s absolutely no foreshadowing to the twist. One resistance member says a throwaway line about how there may be a mole, and in the final fight, Tigra simply declares herself the mole, to which Captain America says “I already knew.” You can’t do that and not anger someone.
The only notable changes happen right at the end. One, Spider-Man manages to destroy the Thor cyborg in the final fight. Two, instead of Invisible Woman returning home in tears at the end, Mr. Fantastic goes to her. Three, there’s no mention of Aunt May being shot. These minor changes do improve the story a little, and in Mr. Fantastic’s case, he shows genuine remorse over some of his actions. But at the same time, Captain America’s reason for surrendering is worsened. In the original, he realizes that their fighting is causing damage and panic, and will not help the heroes regain public confidence. He surrenders, being the honorable man. In the novelization, he simply “realizes” that the pro-registration heroes are right. It feels incredibly wrong and one-sided.
Moore did a decent job at adapting Civil War to prose, but it either needed to be simplified or lengthened to leave more room for character development and explanations. The whole story felt rushed. It also did little to fix any of the event’s major problems. If you still enjoy the event and are curious about the novelization it may be worth checking it out, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else.
May 10, 2013
This is a very good adaptation of most of the events from Marvel's Civil War sequence. Now, having said that, I'll admit that I am as one with Axl Rose in the opinion that we didn't need no civil war. For one thing, they were just re-hashing ground that they had already covered-to-excess with the mutant registration act stories in previous years. They even more or less acknowledged this by having the X half of their universe sit this one out. I didn't buy into the idea that any of the four main characters-- Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers-- would behave so badly and irrationally, or allow events to escalate into such a dreadful series of disasters. After fifty years of behaving in a certain way, the Civil War stories dumbed them down in a contrived attempt to re-boot in an ill-advised fashion. I'd hoped that this prose version would help me come to terms with the Civil War a bit more, but my dislike of the source material was too deep... which is perhaps not entirely fair to Moore's book, which really is a good novelization of the original.
March 31, 2020
Well, I picked this book to lighten my mood with everything going on lately. It didn’t do that. This book, a novelization of the graphic novels, is actually much darker than the Marvel movie. It was good though, and really gave more insight into both sides of the argument so I honestly don’t know which side, Captain America or Iron Man, I think is fundamentally right. For something that is “just a comic”, this goes into some pretty heavy issues. The lives of the many vs. the lives of the few is just one way of looking at it that seems particularly relevant today.
The ending was a bit abrupt, but it’s because the repercussions continue to play out in all the different storylines. To include everything here would’ve made this an enormously weighty tome and much more expensive.
The ending was a bit abrupt, but it’s because the repercussions continue to play out in all the different storylines. To include everything here would’ve made this an enormously weighty tome and much more expensive.
December 1, 2019
More fleshed out than the comic
April 23, 2021
I can't belive Captain was being the best character just to end this book like THAT
November 12, 2023
Some thoughts while reading:
It is interesting how the book is starting out similar to the Civil War comic series, yet also has some significant differences. So far, it has expanded on the 'introduction' in terms of what Tony Stark was doing prior to the Stamford Incident. It also changes some 'smaller, yet important' subplots in the beginning stages of the book .
-------------------------------------
Wow! This was a pretty fast read for me. It moved at a decent pace, considering the source material. There are some [i.e. quite a few] differences between the book and the comics, that is for sure. In regard to the book, it did bounce around a lot. It would have been better if there had been captions that read Two weeks later.... [or something like that] to give the reader an idea of how time has elapsed. The author does that a little bit in the book during the narrative, but I think it would have helped the narrative had he done so more often. The ending may seem 'abrupt', but that is the way it was in the mini-series. The various character's actual series continued the expanding on the events of this storyline.
I think the most important thing to remember is that the author was encouraged to take the comic book story and turn it into his own personal novelized interpretation of Mark Millar's story. The author freely admits that as much, that through his discussing different aspects of the story with the original creators, he wrote 'his own version' of the story. I do think the author recognizes his own limitations in trying to novelize this Comic Book Event that 'changed' Marvel's direction for a time. I was impressed with the credit he gave the artists for being able to create an image in the comics that no amount of words could ever adequately describe; you have to see the picture [read the comic] to fully appreciate what the author attempted to do with this book.
Had I not read the comics before reading the book, I think I would have some of the same issues I have having read the comics. Overall, though, I think the book works, in most respects. It gives enough background information to allow the non-comic reader to follow what was going on in the story, how public opinion had been changing to oppose non-monitored vigilantism. The time of the 'lone wolf' would no longer be tolerated.
What issues did I have?
I realize that because the author was focusing on the seven issues of the limited series, there was a host of other 'story lines' and tie-ins he had to ignore in order to tell the story. Otherwise, instead of one novel, there could have easily been seven for each comic and all of the tie-in issues. I think he did a good job trying to stay focused on the primary thread of the seven issues. In doing so, some characters were given more prominence than they had in the comics.
I do think most of the changes he made in terms of characters and plot line do work, for the most part. Some, though, did leave me shaking my head.
I did like some aspects of the expansions the author included in the story.
Some other 'major changes':
I did appreciate how the author tried to present both points-of-view in terms of Cap and Tony. I am grateful he did not make Cap out to be some kind of saint, because Cap was not any kind of saint. Early on, Cap is shown to have no concern for civilians and 'normal people' in both the book and the comics; in the comics he actually puts police officers in the hospital [and, possibly, the grave, even though the comics do not discuss the aftereffects of the automobile accidents and injuries caused by Cap in his flights from LEOs]. I also appreciated how the author kept it clear that Cap broke the 'truce' and threw the first punch against Tony. By the end of the book, Cap has become the very type of person he has claimed to oppose in the past [a bully and a lawbreaker] and it takes a shock to his system for him to see it.
It is funny, because I always felt that Tony should have been on the side of the 'anti-Registration' crowd and Cap should have been on the side of the Registration crowd. Prior to this point, Cap had always been about training and taking responsibility for one's actions; he has always been represented as trying to mirror the best ideals of America. Yet his character was turned upside-down [in my opinion] for this storyline.
The reason why I feel like Tony should have been on the 'anti-Registration' side is that he has always been protective of his armor, of his technology. There were actually two storylines entitled 'Armor Wars I' and 'Armor Wars II' where he 'goes to war' with various groups for stealing/using/acquiring his technology for their own uses. Some of these groups are US government bodies/organizations. Yet he attacks them [and becomes a criminal] trying to reacquire his tech because he refuses to go through legal means [one of the perks of being a 'super-hero', I guess, is the ability to take the law into your own hands]. Yet Tony was turned into a 'futurist' and pro-government crowd/supporter.
It is so funny to me how Tony Stark transformed into being a much-beloved character into a hated character because of this and subsequent storylines. The poor guy can't get any respect!
The stories also had Steve saying things about Tony that had never been true before. They imply that Steve has always perceived Tony as being nothing more than a spoiled-brat, somebody born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never having had to work an honest day in his life; it is like he has forgotten all of the good and honorable things Tony has done over his career. In addition, it is like everybody has forgotten that Tony has lost all of his wealth several times as well as his company and each time he has rebuilt his life from the ground floor up. At least give the man some credit for what he accomplished! The authors of both the comics and the book try to make Steve sound like he is on some sort of moral high ground in some of the statements he makes, but they come across as pompous and overbearing.
Overall, I did enjoy reading the story. And I apologize for the length of the review [if you made it this far]. Had I not read the comic series, it probably would have been much shorter. 'Nuff said.
It is interesting how the book is starting out similar to the Civil War comic series, yet also has some significant differences. So far, it has expanded on the 'introduction' in terms of what Tony Stark was doing prior to the Stamford Incident. It also changes some 'smaller, yet important' subplots in the beginning stages of the book .
-------------------------------------
Wow! This was a pretty fast read for me. It moved at a decent pace, considering the source material. There are some [i.e. quite a few] differences between the book and the comics, that is for sure. In regard to the book, it did bounce around a lot. It would have been better if there had been captions that read Two weeks later.... [or something like that] to give the reader an idea of how time has elapsed. The author does that a little bit in the book during the narrative, but I think it would have helped the narrative had he done so more often. The ending may seem 'abrupt', but that is the way it was in the mini-series. The various character's actual series continued the expanding on the events of this storyline.
I think the most important thing to remember is that the author was encouraged to take the comic book story and turn it into his own personal novelized interpretation of Mark Millar's story. The author freely admits that as much, that through his discussing different aspects of the story with the original creators, he wrote 'his own version' of the story. I do think the author recognizes his own limitations in trying to novelize this Comic Book Event that 'changed' Marvel's direction for a time. I was impressed with the credit he gave the artists for being able to create an image in the comics that no amount of words could ever adequately describe; you have to see the picture [read the comic] to fully appreciate what the author attempted to do with this book.
Had I not read the comics before reading the book, I think I would have some of the same issues I have having read the comics. Overall, though, I think the book works, in most respects. It gives enough background information to allow the non-comic reader to follow what was going on in the story, how public opinion had been changing to oppose non-monitored vigilantism. The time of the 'lone wolf' would no longer be tolerated.
What issues did I have?
I realize that because the author was focusing on the seven issues of the limited series, there was a host of other 'story lines' and tie-ins he had to ignore in order to tell the story. Otherwise, instead of one novel, there could have easily been seven for each comic and all of the tie-in issues. I think he did a good job trying to stay focused on the primary thread of the seven issues. In doing so, some characters were given more prominence than they had in the comics.
I do think most of the changes he made in terms of characters and plot line do work, for the most part. Some, though, did leave me shaking my head.
I did like some aspects of the expansions the author included in the story.
Some other 'major changes':
I did appreciate how the author tried to present both points-of-view in terms of Cap and Tony. I am grateful he did not make Cap out to be some kind of saint, because Cap was not any kind of saint. Early on, Cap is shown to have no concern for civilians and 'normal people' in both the book and the comics; in the comics he actually puts police officers in the hospital [and, possibly, the grave, even though the comics do not discuss the aftereffects of the automobile accidents and injuries caused by Cap in his flights from LEOs]. I also appreciated how the author kept it clear that Cap broke the 'truce' and threw the first punch against Tony. By the end of the book, Cap has become the very type of person he has claimed to oppose in the past [a bully and a lawbreaker] and it takes a shock to his system for him to see it.
It is funny, because I always felt that Tony should have been on the side of the 'anti-Registration' crowd and Cap should have been on the side of the Registration crowd. Prior to this point, Cap had always been about training and taking responsibility for one's actions; he has always been represented as trying to mirror the best ideals of America. Yet his character was turned upside-down [in my opinion] for this storyline.
The reason why I feel like Tony should have been on the 'anti-Registration' side is that he has always been protective of his armor, of his technology. There were actually two storylines entitled 'Armor Wars I' and 'Armor Wars II' where he 'goes to war' with various groups for stealing/using/acquiring his technology for their own uses. Some of these groups are US government bodies/organizations. Yet he attacks them [and becomes a criminal] trying to reacquire his tech because he refuses to go through legal means [one of the perks of being a 'super-hero', I guess, is the ability to take the law into your own hands]. Yet Tony was turned into a 'futurist' and pro-government crowd/supporter.
It is so funny to me how Tony Stark transformed into being a much-beloved character into a hated character because of this and subsequent storylines. The poor guy can't get any respect!
The stories also had Steve saying things about Tony that had never been true before. They imply that Steve has always perceived Tony as being nothing more than a spoiled-brat, somebody born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never having had to work an honest day in his life; it is like he has forgotten all of the good and honorable things Tony has done over his career. In addition, it is like everybody has forgotten that Tony has lost all of his wealth several times as well as his company and each time he has rebuilt his life from the ground floor up. At least give the man some credit for what he accomplished! The authors of both the comics and the book try to make Steve sound like he is on some sort of moral high ground in some of the statements he makes, but they come across as pompous and overbearing.
Overall, I did enjoy reading the story. And I apologize for the length of the review [if you made it this far]. Had I not read the comic series, it probably would have been much shorter. 'Nuff said.
June 27, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this although the way Moore concluded it came as an abrupt shock to me. Fake Thor was a plan I had never heard about through the movies and the fantastic four, the Atlanteans and many other superheroes I thought wouldn't be included in this tome were mentioned here. There is a lot going on simultaneously in this book. In my opinion however, Tony was right all along, all superhuman entities should have registered immediately and settled for a training programme and many similar missions to what they were bound to do with the resistance anyway. Captain America was extremely babyish and futile in this second volume and I feel as though spider man shouldn't have acted so coldly and arrogantly towards Tony in the first place. As you can see, I empathise with the genius billionaire a lot and am in awe of his diving logic and reasoning capabilities. As usual, S.H.I.E.L.D. took things too far and even put a lot of civilians at risk as Tony's army and Captain America's were battling each other. I wanted to read in more depth about this fight. I felt as though, at some parts of the story, I was bored and couldn't flip through the pages as quickly and those were specifically when the resistance was introduced. The negative zone is a very interesting concept and the Fantastic Four are way too underrated for what they're capable of. It made me sad to hear that Nick Fury is dead and Maria took over, Thor is dead too, although this is incomprehensible to me since he's a god and Bill Foster was killed by clone Thor. Tony had been trying to protect the civilians from the start however cities were still destroyed relentlessly costing him billions in damages. Spider man was overpowered in this novel as compared to how he is portrayed in the movies by Tom Holland. Iron man read as though he was weaker in terms of suiting up. I know that this is the second volume and intend to immediately pick up the first. However, I plan to finish reading the Queen's Gambit first. I am glad I read this one as it gave me a lot of insight to the marvel universe I thought I already had but clearly didn't. A fluent read as well as enjoyable and relatable to a huge marvel fan like myself. Very well written and one of my favourites this year. I can't say that I'm not disappointed that the x men decided to stay out of this useless battle however it's not at all surprising.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2018
Dynamic storytelling at a breakneck pace, done with grace and style. Civil War is a tough story to adapt. Hell, I'm sure it was a tough story to write in the first place. But this novelization of what is quite possibly Marvel's best known event triumphantly succeeds at telling the story (And, let me tell you, it tells it really well).
Moore obviously did his homework, pulling in references to nearly every thread of story woven through the hundred-plus issues that make up this enormous event while somehow managing to pare the focus down to 5 or so key players.
If you're a fan of Marvel Comics and you're unafraid to look up the occasional lesser-known hero, read this awesomely original take on a well-known and well-loved story.
Moore obviously did his homework, pulling in references to nearly every thread of story woven through the hundred-plus issues that make up this enormous event while somehow managing to pare the focus down to 5 or so key players.
If you're a fan of Marvel Comics and you're unafraid to look up the occasional lesser-known hero, read this awesomely original take on a well-known and well-loved story.
July 28, 2019
Nunca tive interesse em ler HQs ou livros de heróis, só dava chance pros universos Marvel e DC no cinema. Odiei o filme guerra civil, e por causa disso meu primo insistiu pra que eu lesse o livro. Aceitei, mas tinha um certo preconceito haha, e, felizmente, quebrei a cara. A história é muuuuito boa !!! Adorei !
July 2, 2022
uwielbiam tę książkę
super plot twisty, wykreowanie postaci>>>
tony stark - i love you man zawsze i wszędzie, wszystkie sceny z nim byly powerful
wątek reeda i sue świetny, wgl cała fantastyczna czwórka skradła moje serce
spider-man mnie wyjątkowo wkurzał🥲ale za to mj mega cute
ogólnie polecam i muszę sięgnąć po komiks
super plot twisty, wykreowanie postaci>>>
tony stark - i love you man zawsze i wszędzie, wszystkie sceny z nim byly powerful
wątek reeda i sue świetny, wgl cała fantastyczna czwórka skradła moje serce
spider-man mnie wyjątkowo wkurzał🥲ale za to mj mega cute
ogólnie polecam i muszę sięgnąć po komiks
November 20, 2022
I totally forgot that I already have read this one. Snapchat just reminded me. Oops. Well, apparently I’ve read it. I have the Dutch version sadly enough. I do have little memory of it but I know I was kind of enjoying it but it was hard to understand it, even when it was in my own language. So, for now 3 stars but maybe I will pick it up again and reread it!
- Lars
- Lars
January 20, 2023
Enjoyable. I liked the imaginative retelling of the graphic novel...but there were a few characters that showed up that had me wondering what they were really doing in the story.
August 26, 2015
I don't read a lot of comic book hero based novels, but knew that the "Civil War" storyline was one of Marvel's biggest and most important ever so I was intrigued. I also knew about some of the major events concerning which heroes and villains died during this time, but not necessarily how nor under what circumstances. I also liked the theme of the importance of privacy, especially when one considers how much harder that is to obtain in our own electronic, social media world. But that is where my interest ended.
One of the novel's biggest issues in my opinion was how quickly it moved through the action. At 400+ pages, I expected more detail around the moments that defined the Civil War graphic novel, but instead there was frequent jumping from one character to another. For example, shortly after the Stamford Incident, which sparks the war, Iron Man arrives on the scene. In the space of one page, he argues with Captain America, scolds Spider-Man, and pisses off the Wolverine. It was almost like the author wanted to drop as many Marvel's universe superheroes names as possible, but never writing enough to give you a sense of what was truly important. In addition to that, the battle scenes, and there were a few of those, seemed scattered and repetitive. For instance, Daredevil and Black Widow spend each battle stalking "each other up and down lampposts and benches, their moves deadly and precise." (385). What? What does that mean? Seemed too sterile for me. And then the thing that disappointed me most of all.
Just about everyone, fans of Marvel or not, knew that Captain America dies at the the end of the Civil War, which is what helps bring about its true, final end. The Captain ends the novelization in prison. WTF? One of the most polarizing moments in Marvel history, and it doesn't warrant putting it in the novel. Boo, I say. Boo, Boo, Boo!
One of the novel's biggest issues in my opinion was how quickly it moved through the action. At 400+ pages, I expected more detail around the moments that defined the Civil War graphic novel, but instead there was frequent jumping from one character to another. For example, shortly after the Stamford Incident, which sparks the war, Iron Man arrives on the scene. In the space of one page, he argues with Captain America, scolds Spider-Man, and pisses off the Wolverine. It was almost like the author wanted to drop as many Marvel's universe superheroes names as possible, but never writing enough to give you a sense of what was truly important. In addition to that, the battle scenes, and there were a few of those, seemed scattered and repetitive. For instance, Daredevil and Black Widow spend each battle stalking "each other up and down lampposts and benches, their moves deadly and precise." (385). What? What does that mean? Seemed too sterile for me. And then the thing that disappointed me most of all.
Just about everyone, fans of Marvel or not, knew that Captain America dies at the the end of the Civil War, which is what helps bring about its true, final end. The Captain ends the novelization in prison. WTF? One of the most polarizing moments in Marvel history, and it doesn't warrant putting it in the novel. Boo, I say. Boo, Boo, Boo!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2014
Although I do not enjoy comic books or graphic novels, I do have a fondness for the super hero worlds. I am more DC than Marvel, but I know the heroes well enough that I thought I would enjoy Civil War.
I was right and wrong.
The introductory chapter (on which the rest of the story is built) is terrible. I'm not entirely sure what it means to be a hack job, but I think this would fit the bill. It was sloppy enough that I almost quit reading the book. Thankfully it ended and a better story began.
The story kept me engaged, though at times I thought that Iron Man and Capt. America were a bit out of character. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book...until I hit the 75% mark. At that point I began to ponder the ending and began to realize that I either would either be a hasty outcome, wrapping up in 3 chapters or less, or end with "To Be Continued.."
It was worse than I thought. the hasty outcome took only one chapter and it was not an enjoyable ending (for me). But, I suppose, that might be why I don't enjoy comics and why I prefer DC.
I was right and wrong.
The introductory chapter (on which the rest of the story is built) is terrible. I'm not entirely sure what it means to be a hack job, but I think this would fit the bill. It was sloppy enough that I almost quit reading the book. Thankfully it ended and a better story began.
The story kept me engaged, though at times I thought that Iron Man and Capt. America were a bit out of character. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book...until I hit the 75% mark. At that point I began to ponder the ending and began to realize that I either would either be a hasty outcome, wrapping up in 3 chapters or less, or end with "To Be Continued.."
It was worse than I thought. the hasty outcome took only one chapter and it was not an enjoyable ending (for me). But, I suppose, that might be why I don't enjoy comics and why I prefer DC.
August 25, 2016
Did not really care for this. I read a good chunk of Civil War when it was the currency of the Marvel Universe, when it was the big thing, the big crossover event - but that was a long time ago. I don't remember it like this. Some of the events have been re-shuffled to make this work as a prose novel, and that's irritating, not just because it's inconsistent with memory, but because it often doesn't work quite as well or makes less sense. Additionally, the illustrations seem to be simply stripped out of the original work, and sometimes either do not match the action, or give points away before they happen. Finally, everyone seems to be a more hyper-intensified version of themselves; a confident person is now arrogant, while an arrogant one is intolerable. Strident, shrill, shrewish, maudlin, irritating, indecisive, bullying - everyone seems to have been ramped up into the most annoying version of themselves. And these, it's important to remember, are comic book characters - technicolor characters to begin with. Not so good.
September 25, 2018
Buku ini merupakan novelisation kepada siri komik atau novel grafik (graphic novel) yang popular dihasilkan oleh Marvel Comics dari tahun 2006 sehingga 2007 yang juga berkongsi tajuk yang sama. Saya tidak pernah membaca versi novel grafiknya,jadi saya tidak dapat memastikan dengan tepat sekiranya wujud sebarang perbezaan antara versi novel dengan versi novel grafik.
Saya berpandangan adalah lebih baik sekiranya pembaca membaca terlebih dahulu versi novel grafiknya sebelum membaca versi novel. Ini adalah untuk memastikan kefahaman yang lebih baik terhadap latar belakang cerita dan memampukan seseorang pembaca itu untuk membayangkan adegan-adegan atau babak-babak di dalam 'wayang minda' masing-masing.
Saya berpandangan adalah lebih baik sekiranya pembaca membaca terlebih dahulu versi novel grafiknya sebelum membaca versi novel. Ini adalah untuk memastikan kefahaman yang lebih baik terhadap latar belakang cerita dan memampukan seseorang pembaca itu untuk membayangkan adegan-adegan atau babak-babak di dalam 'wayang minda' masing-masing.
September 3, 2012
I haven't read the comic books upon which this prose novel is based, so perhaps the author was simply putting down in prose form what was in the comic books. But I was very disappointed with this book. The premise of the book was excellent and had the potential to be very engaging. Unfortunately, a story that should have been treated with nuance was instead presented in stark black and white terms. None of the characters were very complex. The dialogue was horrible and full of cliches, and every confrontation instantly devolved into battles between the characters. This book could have been so much better in the hands of the right author.
September 3, 2019
I've been a Marvel fan for a while now, and though the comics and the movies are awesome, nothing beats the joy of reading about your favourite characters in your favourite medium i.e. as a novel.
Civil War was everything I expected it to be and more. It was exciting, fun and full of adventure. I hated that the Avengers had all turned against each other, obviously, but I loved reading the book.
The only thing that disappointed me a little bit was that the narration got a bit too monotonous at time.
Overall, Civil War was an adventure, and I loved getting to know more about my favourite Marvel characters.
Civil War was everything I expected it to be and more. It was exciting, fun and full of adventure. I hated that the Avengers had all turned against each other, obviously, but I loved reading the book.
The only thing that disappointed me a little bit was that the narration got a bit too monotonous at time.
Overall, Civil War was an adventure, and I loved getting to know more about my favourite Marvel characters.
December 29, 2019
FYI: Jeśli ktoś szuka prozatorskiego oddania historii z MCU to nie tutaj, tutaj wątek komiksowy.
Raczej jest to pozycja dla osób, które chociaż mniej więcej są zaznajomione z tym, jak przebiega historia 'Civil War' w komiksach - obawiam się, że niektóre przeskoki czy zagmatwanie postaciami mogłoby trochę pomieszać czytelnikom.
Niemniej, sama powieść dosyć dobrze oddaje historię w formie prozatorskiej, wiadomo, że nie dało się streścić wszystkiego w jednym tomie w proporcjach 1:1.
Postacie są oddane dosyć wiernie, czasem nawet aż za bardzo, dzięki czemu nadal, a nawet jeszcze bardziej, jak zawsze, tylko team Tony ♥.
Raczej jest to pozycja dla osób, które chociaż mniej więcej są zaznajomione z tym, jak przebiega historia 'Civil War' w komiksach - obawiam się, że niektóre przeskoki czy zagmatwanie postaciami mogłoby trochę pomieszać czytelnikom.
Niemniej, sama powieść dosyć dobrze oddaje historię w formie prozatorskiej, wiadomo, że nie dało się streścić wszystkiego w jednym tomie w proporcjach 1:1.
Postacie są oddane dosyć wiernie, czasem nawet aż za bardzo, dzięki czemu nadal, a nawet jeszcze bardziej, jak zawsze, tylko team Tony ♥.
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