Why I Shouldn't Try To ReRead Civil War.

You know, I hadn't read much of Civil War at the time it came out, but since I've been warming to Marvel lately, I've been checking out issues here and there now. Most recently I actually sat down and read Casualties of War. And I actually liked it.

I liked seeing Cap and Iron Man talk it out a little, with the reminiscence and nice little footnote/reference guide thingy at the end. (More comics ought to have those. They're a godsend for comics neophytes like me!) That whole (paraphrased): "You don't make mistakes." "What about that one time I got frustrated and took a swing at you?" "That was ONCE. ONE TIME. PERIOD." made me giggle.

The "oh right your dad was an alcoholic" part was clumsily done though. I'd actually like to track down the Iron Man issue they mentioned, to see if it was handled a bit less clunkily, because it would make sense and add an interesting element to their interaction. But in general, it was pretty neat. And the fisticuffs at the end kept it from being too boring. I actually liked it a lot. And I've come to a startling realization...

I like Civil War. Except for Civil War.

I mean, I've enjoyed pretty much most of the specials I've read: The Confession, Casualties of War, Fallen Son, some of the series tie-ins that actually looked interesting. I actually think they're pretty neat. I've been enjoying the aftermath in most of the Marvel series I actually read (which consist largely of...Captain America and off and on various Avengers books...Hey, I've warmed toward Marvel. I'm still a DC girl at heart.)

It's almost like they're telling a different story though. Fantastic Four's tie-ins made Reed actually sympathetic. Tony spends most of Casualties of War and Confession looking like a guy who made mistakes and is doing some horrible things for what he thinks is the greater good, with sincere regret and turmoil. I mean I still think he's a giant asshole, but at the very least, he's human.

But then I try to reread Civil War proper, I just...stall. I mean...eek. There are some exciting moments and fight scenes, (I have a soft spot for the Falcon carrying unconscious-Cap during that fight where evil-Clone-Thor kills Goliath...I like seeing guys being carried. It's a quirk.) but otherwise...

I'm retroactively irked they killed Goliath, because finally reading early Avengers...Bill was awesome, even before powers ever became part of the deal.

Registration is inconsistant as an idea. The characters become caricatures. Reed and Tony are monsters. And while I can see making a Negative Zone prison for criminals prone to jail break, shoving your once-allies in there seems a bit much!

Yeah, yeah, this isn't news. I just...I still don't get it. The side stories are interesting, the ramifications now are pretty neat. Though I still want Cap back sooner rather than later, thank-you-very-much.

How can I really enjoy everything about a crossover event EXCEPT the crossover event itself?