Raided: Civil War– The Confession

Posted by Jeb on March 20, 2007

I saw someone call this the “classic” Brian Bendis comic, since it consists principally of talking heads. That“s not quite accurate: “classic” Bendis involves snappy conversation between characters. The Confession, on the other hand consists principally of an extended monologue from Iron Man on the outcome of the Civil War, with a brief  confrontation between Iron Man and the imprisoned Captain America. Bendis pulls out some interesting bits of Marvel history here, finding foundations for the Civil War in some unexpected places (and with some very unexpected guest stars).  Anyone who enjoyed debating the ideas at the center of Civil War (as opposed to just watching Steve McNiven lay the smackdown on the Marvel U) will find it interesting; in fact, some readers might find that it lays out the basis of the story better than Mark Millar ever did (but, then, having an entire 22 pages devoted to that does make it a bit easier). I realize that this isn“t making a compelling case for this as an action-packed comic, and probably only committed Civil War readers will want to bother with it. But don“t dismiss it lightly: the artwork by Alex Maleev is just stunning. From facial close-ups to flashbacks, this is brilliant comic storytelling, pulling the reader along, and the (numerous) speech balloons are so well-placed that there is an almost organic relationship between the two. For what it is, this is a great script from Bendis, and Maleev matches him—but what it is, is still Iron Man talking a lot; that either sounds good to you or it doesn“t. You know, I have to admit that I have pretty much zero interest in licensed property tie-in comics, but the news that Bendis and Maleev will be doing the first arc of Marvel“s new Halo series is enough to get me to try it: this is one of the great pairings of writer and artist in superhero comics today.

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