Civil War II #4 Review

Civil War #4

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Marquez
Colorist: Justin Pondor
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed by David Hildebrand

At this point I think that every issue from Civil War II #4 and out, I will have to warn that they will contain MAJOR SPOILERS! So! If you are waiting for all the issues to come out before reading or are even thinking about picking up the books later on, I strongly suggest that you read my reviews from here on out with caution! You have been warned!

Things started out at a deathly slow pace in the beginning but we have finally picked it up and we are moving along. Quick recap of the last issue, once again….SPOILERS!!!  The big death that has been teased since the event was announced has happened.  Bruce Banner was killed right before he turned into the Hulk. The heroes found Banner’s secret lab and was questioned about his recent experiments. Banner was not pleased with this. This enraged him and right before he turned to the Hulk, he was impaled with a special tipped arrow made specifically to kill the Hulk from the bow of Hawkeye.  Hawkeye claims that Banner asked him to do the deed if Banner turned to the Hulk. Hawkeye was chosen by Banner because he felt that Barton was the one that would eventually be able to live with the decision and the action of killing him. Issue 3 ends with Hawkeye’s trial.

So here we are at issue 4. We begin with Danvers visiting She-Hulk. She has come to from her coma and is told by Danvers that Hawkeye has killed her cousin and he has been found not guilty of killing him.  One of the more surprising images in the book is a picture of Hawkeye posing in a triumph pose, now this picture has him in full costume. It is clearly a “stock footage” type picture being shared in the media. But seeing it made me think of the violence that has been going on in our world today.  I’m going to stray a bit here, but stay with me, because I have found all this interesting. I would really love to know how far back Bendis has been working on the past two issues. The whole story with Hawkeye seeing Banner’s eye turning green, making him shoot the arrow, killing him seems pulled straight from today’s headlines. Hawkeye has killed Banner, many witnesses, yet he has been cleared of all charges. And the media is having a field day with it all. It all comes across as familiar and is a bit sad at the same time.

The issue continues with sides still being divided. Stark has broken down Ulysses’s mind and is providing the evidence that I have been questioning since the last issue: how true can these visions be?  Danver’s role in this is progressing as well. She doesn’t say as much, but Marquez’s wonderful artwork paints the picture of the struggle she is going through. A bunch of questions are popping up and details are starting to become a little clearer. Bendis has done an excellent job in telling this story so far. The issue remains as dialogue driven as the previous issues but Marquez’s imagery balances it as Stark is explaining his findings to a bystander that we do not see.  While that is going on, the pace picks up with Danvers and her team continue to fight to change the future. Ponsor’s colors aid in the mood, especially with the scenes containing Stark.  By the end of the issue, I’m still leaning more towards Stark at the moment, as Danver is beginning to be proven wrong. But she isn’t going down without a fight as we see on the last page. *insert suspenseful music here*

The Verdict
Buy It! I’m still digging this story. I have said that I don’t like the events being dealt with, but this one has kept my attention.  Also, I want to continue it since Marvel is resetting itself AGAIN. I’m not entirely happy with that, but I digress again.  Basically, if you like Iron Man or Captain Marvel, then you need to check this book out. It has picked up pace, but we aren’t at full go yet. I’m eager to see if the outcome of this story is going to determine where Stark will go since we were just introduced to Riri.  Some heroes have claimed sides, but that is how far we have gotten. But judging how this one ends, we might see more supporting characters show a more dominant role from here on out.  Four issues down! Three to go! Come on Bendis, don’t fail me now!