Check for the issue to return to the comic shops with an all new cover. Everybody who’s reading Comics right now is talking about the issue. A battle between glory seeking reality TV super heroes and some high powered super villains results in the death of hundreds including an entire elementary school. This creates a movement to have Superheroes (or Meta Humans, as Reed Richards calls them) to register with the government. The book is full of twists and turns, from the surprise ending (I ain’t telling, but you should know by now) to some unexpected alliances.

Civil War #2 starts just before the Superhero registration act goes in to effect. The public need for safety is what is used to pass the act in to law basically making any non compliant heroes, criminals. Meanwhile Tony Stark’s (aka Iron Man) mind is not on the thirty eight heroes having signed up to become paid employees of S.H.I.E.L.D., instead his thoughts are on the other heroes like Captain America who oppose the. Within twenty four hours, S.H.I.E.L.D. is aggressively pursuing any unregistered hero who dares to defy the registration act.

Captain America and Daredevil seem like likely choices to defy the registration act, but they have a very powerful and unexpected supporter. On the registration side are Reed Richards and Tony Stark, the latter of which seems to have some conflicts about his decision. There are some really interesting character turns in this series.

This book has me hooked, the characterizations are great, the subject matter is timely (something Marvel may have invented) and the art is spectacular. What I like is how these familiar characters are put in to a situation that makes them reflect on their actions and place in society. It is interesting to see Captain America on the run from the same government that created him.

I am very interested in how this series is going to play out. Despite it’s over hyped ending, Civil War 2 brought up a lot of real issues that have surrounded the idea of Superheroes for years. A similar theme was tackled in the DC’s series Legends as well as in Frank Miller’s series, The Dark Knight Returns. Legends dealt with what happens when public sentiment turns against the superhero community, while the Dark Knight series dealt with the ramifications of having heroes working as government agents. Civil War has managed to take some of the best elements of both series and create a compelling series that shows the reader new and unexpected sides to some of their favorite characters. If you don’t already have it, go get Civil War #2.