'Civil War' best comic book series of the year

Marvel's nail-biting story takes on civil liberties, profiling

Terry Morrow, Scripps Howard News Service

Monday, December 25, 2006

Recalling its socially conscious roots of the 1960s, Marvel Comics delivered the best comic book series of 2006.

Civil War pitted superheroes against each other. After the government starts requiring all superheroes to reveal their secret identities and become federal agents, Marvel's tights-and-capes community was at odds.

Captain America thought it was an intrusion on his civil rights.

Iron Man declared it was the responsible thing to do. After all, policemen don't hide their identities, Iron Man reasoned.

The fallout is a sensational series that is a thinly veiled story about personal rights, civil liberties and, in many ways, unjust profiling.

Just as it did in the 1960s, Marvel Comics dared to tackle tough issues and offered no easy solutions.

DC Comics, on the other hand, had some brilliant ideas, but they were poorly executed. It was as if DC had a party for itself but didn't invite the most important people - the readers.

Here are the 10 best comic book series of the year:

1. Civil War (Marvel Comics): The best comics always hold a mirror to society. In this stark and tightly written miniseries, superheroes had to determine among themselves why they do what they do. Is it right to be a vigilante even if the cause is just? Eventually Spider-Man took sides, too, and in the process finally told the world he is photographer Peter Parker.

Civil War is a thought-provoking nail-biter.

2. Ultimate Fantastic Four (Marvel): In an alternate universe, a younger and fledging Fantastic Four learn how to handle their powers and great responsibility. Too bad their zombie counterparts (from yet another parallel universe) made life too harrowing. Like the best of Fantastic Four stories, it was a grand soap opera, complete with stunning art and engrossing writing.

3. Marvel Zombies (Marvel): Perhaps the darkest comedy in mainstream comics to come out in ages, this limited series focused on Marvel's best-known characters after a worldwide disaster turns them into zombies. It doesn't bode well for the rest of us. But what we get is a hilarious parody of zombie movies and the superhero genre.

4. Fantastic Four (Marvel): As a result of Civil War, the Fantastic Four was a family in crisis. The Human Torch was injured in a fight with pedestrians. Reed Richards took a defiant stand along the pro-government lines.

Meanwhile, his wife and best friend, the Invisible Girl and the Thing, joined the opposing camp, making them outlaws. The heightened drama among the four main characters was riveting reading.

5. Walking Dead (Image Comics): The best ongoing zombie comic anywhere, Walking Dead maintains a clear design. Though it's set in a world taken over by zombies, the heart of the book is about survival.

6. The Exiles (Marvel): Marvel Comics allows its great library of characters to get worked over here again and again. This has been a consistently engaging read for years.

7. Revolution on the Planet of the Apes (Mr. Comics): A comic book sequel to the original Planet of the Apes movie franchise, this story bridges the fourth and fifth films. The social message remains strong as it did in the film - a brilliantly constructed story of human rights.

8. Ghost Rider (Marvel): A minor character of the 1970s, Ghost Rider was revitalized in 2006. The story takes the hero into the mystical realm, making it an intriguing series about redemption and identity.

9. Justice League of America (DC Comics): Best-selling writer Brad Meltzer, a fan of the Justice League's 1970s run, takes over the series for the first time with interesting results. He favors personality over action.

10. Moon Knight (Marvel): Like Ghost Rider, Moon Knight has been a franchise sorely needing a lift. In this bleak relaunch, Moon Knight is a man seeking deliverance from his demons. His journey to that delivery makes for one insightful character study.

Contact Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee at www.knoxnews.com.