Civil war
2020 has been a crazy year, filled with periods of quarantine where I am stuck at home with lots of mundane tasks to do. To that end, audiobooks have become a way for me to pass the time. I decided to investigate the world of Superhero books once again by reading the Civil War book based on the graphic novel, but as the audiobook produced by GraphicAudio.
This is the Civil War storyline that was more well known in the comics than what was produced in major release film. The two storylines are extremely different from each other, as the whole Marvel universe is here on display. The comic has the advantage of seeing everyone together in one universe, from staples that appear in the film like Captain America and Iron Man to more obscure heroes like She-Hulk and Daredevil. The Fantastic Four also feature prominently here, as in the film world, they are a 20th Century Fox property, and have yet to appear in the MCU.
As for which story is better, I think I would have to say the comic book version. In the film, the major kick off to signing the Accords are the major events of the last films that were not totally the Avengers fault, yet they are still blamed for them. Also, the Accords only seemed to affect the Avengers themselves, but this is almost swept aside for the Winter Solider storyline. Before we know it, the Avengers are fighting each other, but they also seem to crack more jokes than ever before. Couple this with Iron Man asking Spider-Man to join the Avengers, something the Accords asked him not to do, and the whole film just seems like an excuse for the heroes to fight one another without any real consequence.
The comic has a darker catalyst to the Accords. A superhero reality show, desperate for ratings, bites off more than it can chew, and tries to go after some high-level villains hiding out in a small-town neighborhood. One of these villains goes super-nova, destroying not only himself, but the equivalent of two city blocks, including half an elementary school filled with kids. Immediately, this seems like a far more serious situation then what happened in the films, especially as I can understand how it can be interpreted as a problem with superheroes in general, and not just the Avengers. The effects of the Accords are also far more reaching. All heroes are asked to register with the government, including their real name, powers, weaknesses, and addresses. There are training camps where new heroes are taught how to use their powers, and the older heroes are certified to use them in public. If they do not register, then they cannot use their powers. If they fail to comply, then they are sent to a prison in the negative zone until they agree to either register or never use their powers again. The villains also get the same treatment, except that they will be granted amnesty if they decide to join the heroes or simply return to civilian life. This can seem like a far more restrictive development of civil liberties than in the film. This makes Captain America's decision to go against Tony and the other Avengers have more weight.
Yet, this book does have weaknesses. For all the viewpoints in this text, we only see a few characters thoughts on it. The moral dilemmas are here, and discussed, but only in a few bare lines of dialogue. This means that I am constantly feeling like I am missing something with how these characters think and feel, forcing me to use their film counterparts to fill in the gaps. Often, this left me wanting more, but I suppose that is the cost of coming into a comic series in the middle of things. So, read at your own risk.
Overall, I believe this to be an excellent story, and an even better GraphicAudio production. It has multiple voice actors, and excellent sound effects and music. If you ever have the chance, I recommend picking this up on audio, as it will not disappoint. Now it is time for me to pick up the actual comic Civil War series and see how it compares. I give this audiobook a four out of five.