Civil War II Choosing Sides #3 Review and *SPOILERS* - Marvel Mondays

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Kate Bishop
Written By: Ming Doyle
Art By: Stephen Bryne

J. Jonah Jameson
Written By: Derek Landy
Art By: Filipe Andrade, Miroslav Mrva

Nick Fury: Post Prologue Part 3
Written By: Declan Shalvey
Art By: Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

*Being a part of the Civil War II crossover, this issue will contain SPOILERS for Civil War II #3*

Honestly, this miniseries has been one of the most disappointing of the entire Civil War II crossover. Don’t get me wrong, there has been one story is particular that I really loved but the rest have been a huge letdown. However, with each issue we get brand new teams and brand new stories. That means that there is always the chance that this issue will give us something amazing. Think of it like a high risk, high reward comic. The big question comes to mind of course. Was it worth it? Well, let’s find out. Much like the last issue, I will grade each section separately and give the issue a .1 automatically to make each section worth an equal amount.

Part 1 – Kate Bishop

After the events that occurred in Civil War II #3, in which Clint Barton killed Bruce Banner (which still doesn’t make any fucking sense), Kate Bishop (the other Hawkeye) is dealing with the aftermath and with Barton’s trial being so widely talked about. Being another who goes by the Hawkeye moniker, Kate is obviously getting a lot of attention as well. A couple people recognize her on the street but she does her best to ignore them. She spends a lot of time on her own and even climbed up into a tree to have some alone time. Of course, when she sees a couple bullies picking on a kid, she has to intervene. Still, the whole situation is weighing rather heavily on her but it’s at that point that her friends show up to comfort her and make sure she knows that they are there for her.

First things first, this part of the issue is incredibly pretty. The art is just gorgeous. However, when you look past the art, the issue seems to be a bit by the numbers. I mean, if we weren’t dealing with murder and crime, this could be a Saturday morning kids show. However, despite everything, I still found myself enjoying this part of the issue. One of the things that these short stories have really been missing has been heart. Despite the fact that this issue seems a bit tame and predictable, this story has heart and I really like to read that.

2.7/3.3

Part 2 – J. Jonah Jameson

This issue focuses on Jameson as he looks at the news cycle surrounding Hawkeye and the incident with Bruce Banner. His assistant wants him to do a piece they call Vox Pops. This is where they get the opinions of the people off the street in order to get a sense of what the public is thinking. Jameson shoots him down. The two talk about the philosophy of the channel that they run. There’s a lot of back and forth so I won’t completely dive into it because it would take the majority of this issue. However, then Jameson gets alone but is then joined by Cindy Moon (Silk for those unaware) and they talk about how this is not going to simply end with a trial of Clint Barton and that something much worse is coming their way. They discuss more philosophy but this time surrounding the idea of superheroes themselves. Jameson finally calls his assistant in and tells him to have cameras ready at all times because things are going to explode. He also caves on the Vox Pops segment.

This issue really reminds me of the Front Line miniseries in the original Civil War. That was easily one of my favorite parts of that crossover so this really brings things to a happy place for me. When Jameson is talking with his assistant or with Cindy, we get a sense of debate, urgency, and even philosophy. This is what Civil War is about and until this point it was something that has been missing from the current crossover. The only downside is that this is simply a short part of one issue and I doubt we are going to get anything else like this. Instead I’m afraid we will simply go back to the stuff we have already been getting and that’s a damn shame.

3.3/3.3

Part 3 – Nick Fury: Post Production Part 3

In this section we pick up with Nick Fury as he arrives at the base that he was told about at the end of the latest issue. There, he finds who he is looking for and places a gun on the back of their heads. He attempts to capture the man but after a few moves, the man has escaped his grasp. The man attempts to escape by running away from the base into the frozen wasteland. Fury takes a spot on the top of the base, pulls out a gun, aims his gun, and pulls the trigger. The bullet makes contact with the man and he falls down into the snow. However, when Fury goes to find the body, he simply finds an empty coat.

It really is a goddamn shame that this is the story is the one staying around in this miniseries. Remember earlier when I talked about heart? This section has none. Is it cool to see Nick Fury be a badass? Sure. But there is very little substance to this section of the issue and frankly, I don’t want to see any more of it. I’m fucking bored to death of this Nick Fury story and this has been the worst one so far.

0.9/3.3

Bits and Pieces

There have been a few really special parts of this miniseries so far. Unfortunately, these parts are few and far between. One good story out of three is not worth the price of this comic. I haven’t been a huge fan of this crossover in general but, for all the competition that it has, this book is easily the worst part of Civil War II so far. This issue may be the best one so far but it’s still a chore to read through. No offense to the creative teams. Some of you have done something really special. It’s just a shame that it’s a one off short story.

7.0/10