If you’re a fan of Marvel Comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you have no doubt heard of the classic crossover event Civil War. The iconic cataclysm between Marvel’s beloved heroes centered on a philosophical struggle, pitting Captain America and Iron Man against each other over the government’s desire to record and track superpowered beings. This event, which had a major impact on the future of the Marvel Universe, has now been collected in Civil War: Marvel Premier Collection, a more accessible and new-reader-friendly publishing format.
Civil War is Marvel’s best-selling graphic novel in history, and while it did not get the best critical reviews upon release, in the years since its debut in 2006, it has become known as a classic comic of importance. The main Civil War series (not counting the many tie-in issues that debuted across Marvel’s line of comics) was written by Mark Millar with art by Steve McNiven, and regardless of people’s feelings about the story itself, it is undoubtedly a compelling and engaging series.
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While Millar has stated that, opposed to Millar’s The Ultimates, he did not intend for Civil War to be explicitly political, but it naturally became that way because of its central struggle. Civil War gave an interesting lens to the class equity issues of both the Marvel Universe and the real world, where street-level heroes sided with Captain America for “freedom” while billionaire geniuses sided with Iron Man for “regulation.” Civil War also has a major impact on the Marvel Universe for years to come, including huge changes like Spider-Man’s identity being revealed, Ragnarok killing Goliath, and Tony Stark leading S.H.I.E.L.D. while starting the 50-State Initiative.
It is really no surprise that Marvel decided to turn Civil War into one of its Marvel Premier Collection releases. Not only is it their best-selling graphic novel of all time, but it is also an easy entry point for new readers who have seen the Civil War MCU film and are now interested in getting into comics. The collection itself is beautiful, with an epic cover and gorgeous design throughout by book designer Jay Bowen. It is easy to hold, looks beautiful on a bookshelf, and is printed on high-quality paper that doesn’t sacrifice any color or clarity.
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The Civil War: Marvel Premier Collection includes a whole host of delectable goodies for fans of behind-the-scenes extras. The collection begins with a foreword by Nate Moore, Executive Producer on MCU films like Captain America: Civil War, which offers an interesting insight into how iconic events like Civil War are adapted for the big screen. Then there is an introduction from artist Steve McNiven, reflecting on the 20 years since the comic first debuted! Finally, the collection ends with a “Director’s Cut” of the event, including a lot of process artwork, scripts, and pretty much every single variant cover that was released for the series. A lot of fun stuff to look at to enhance the experience of the comic!
If you’re a huge fan of Civil War, are a new Marvel reader, or want a smaller, more accessible Marvel graphic novel that doesn’t sacrifice quality, I would highly suggest Civil War: Marvel Premier Collection. The event is Marvel’s best-selling for a reason, introducing bold new ideas and lore-shifting changes to Marvel Comics that would impact the Marvel Universe for many years to come. Even though Civil War is not my favorite Marvel story of the past 20 years by any means, it is still incredibly enjoyable, and Marvel’s new Premier Collection makes it easy to read. A great addition to my comic shelf, in my opinion!
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