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Friday, 2:27
2007-07-23 10:05:51

I saw somebody posting online somewhere about how Steve McNiven "admitted" in an interview that the tie-in books were a necessary part of the CIVIL WAR story. I was kind of surprised at the tone of the post, which was something along the lines of, "McNiven finally confessed to something that no one else at Marvel would!" Which I thought was kind of strange, because I thought we'd been very clear about the fact that we're trying to make the tie-in books more than just empty calories. So maybe it'd be a good idea for me to walk through it all one more time, so that we're all on the same page.

If you are reading CIVIL WAR, and only CIVIL WAR, we will give you all of the information you need to understand and enjoy the story. It'll all be there. But if you want more depth, greater insight into what characters are thinking or feeling, or more information on the subtleties and specifics of the Registration Act, that's when you turn to the tie-in books. Let me give you two quick examples:

In CIVIL WAR #2, Spider-Man get up in front of a podium, says that he's talked it over with his loved ones, and that because of the Registration Act, he's decided to unmask, which he proceeds to do. From the point of view of CIVIL WAR, that's everything you need to know--what he did and why he did it. But if you want more information on precisely why Spidey did what he did, the perspectives of his supporting cast both before and after the reveal, and the consequences of this action, then you'd turn to AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #532 and #533.

In CIVIL WAR #2, Cable is among those characters gathered at Captain America's secret underground base. I've heard a few people question what he's doing there, since he's the head of his floating island nation of Providence. To get that further, fuller insight, you should check out CABLE & DEADPOOL #30-32. But from the point of view of CIVIL WAR, all you need to know is that he's there.

A crossover of this sort needs to serve many masters. Especially with all of the media coverage, there are going to be people reading CIVIL WAR who haven't read a Marvel comic in years, if ever. So you want to give them all the information they'll need to understand and enjoy the story, but not drown them in a mudslide of character minutia that they simply aren't going to care about. Simultaneously, we have to be aware of the fact that titles like AMAZING SPIDER-MAN have a strong subscriber base, which is an audience that likely doesn't have a comic shop in its immediate area, and may not even be aware of CIVIL WAR as a larger event. So the CIVIL WAR tie-in issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN have to work completely on their own as well. It's a difficult thing to do.

Atop that, you've also got to realize that, in the main CIVIL WAR book proper, we've only got 22 pages to tell the story every month, and there's a limit to just how in-depth you can ever possibly get towards every character. The characters most at the center of the storyline are going to receive the most coverage, but those characters who are less central simply aren't going to be able to get as much screen time as you might liek them to have. And that's the whole reason for having tie-in books in the first place.

We've been working really hard to make sure that all of the CIVIL WAR tie-ins contribute materially to the storyline. I can understand the frustration of readers who feel like important information is being given in the tie-ins but not in the regular book--but I'd argue that the information in question is only of import to the people who are that interested in specific characters, or specific elements of the series. So if you want to know more about where the X-Men stand in all of this, you should check out CIVIL WAR: X-MEN, and if you want a deeper understanding as to what the Young Avengers are dealing with, it makes sense to go in search of CIVIL WAR: YOUNG AVENGERS & RUNAWAYS. And if you choose simply to follow the main CIVIL WAR book, we'll give you all of the information you'll need to enjoy it.

More later.

Tom B

Given how good the ASM and Thunderbolts issues were, I don't have any problems with this. We haven't seen any "red skies" issues as crossovers for Civil War- every crossover issue I've read has been a lot of fun. This is turning out to be one of the best crossovers I've read in 20 years. You guys should get a pat on the back for that!

Posted by wishlish on 2006-06-30 15:54:34

imformative
nice piont

Posted by tarhaun on 2006-06-30 20:05:24

So much...
See I kinda saw this in issue one where alot of characters got to be in it at least on a page. I buy tie-ins of characters I feel are important. So for me the tie-ins are New Avengers and Amazing Spidey as far as I know it. And Front Line is very interesting.

I see how hard your job is, man, but dont sweat it.

Posted by Bearpod91 on 2006-06-30 22:00:27

I have heard people complaining about the crossover, but all the complaints I've heard have been, "Where are all the tie-in issues? #1 came out two weeks ago, and there are still no tie-ins??" I can never remember hearing that one before. Good sign.

Posted by Jimski on 2006-07-01 00:39:53

YAY
I agree with and love the tie-ins to other titles. As this is a cross-over that affects the whole MU, it should be in all the titles. This kinda goes back to the continuity post as well. I'm picking up titles that I never did prior to Civil War. And while some are better than others, I'm happy to be having a reason to read alot of Marvel titles again.

I think this whole crossover is awesome and very exciting right now. Over the past few years I have felt Marvel dropped the ball. It was the same old stuff. You would get big crossovers that were anti-climatic and then their payout would start getting retconned immediately. As long as the ramifications from this storyline lasts, this will be one of the best events in Marvel's history. I don't wanna see Spider-man revealing his ID retconned or some excuse made for why it's not him. Don't wanna see Tony all of a sudden become a nice guy. I wanna see the ramifications from this last for years. And as long as it does, I will continue to buy the tie-in stories, etc to get the full story.

Keep it going strong Tom!!!

Posted by thatsmystapler on 2006-07-01 21:20:50

tie ins
I will read some tie-ins but not all. I just prefer the ones that seem to be the most important, like Amazing Spider-Man or the New Avengers because those are two the of the titles that will be affected the most by the goings on of Civil War.

Posted by jsjr70 on 2006-07-02 20:49:10

Civil War
I think we all knew that the tie-ins would enrich the whole Civil War experience. I guess the journo was looking for "an angle" it's often the case that a newspaper or magazine will use a misleading headline or stand first to draw the reader in and I assume it must be the case in point here.
I am really enjoying the tie-ins. In a moment of madness I signed up for the whole shebang and am now reading some titles I normally wouldn't and as Tom said they're not just empty vessels - each has a strong narrative and has something to say. In these early stages this is looking like the best Mini with crossovers that Marvel has ever done.
As a Spider-Man fan I'm still not so sure I like the unmasking but I'm fascinated to see where this is going to go and I trust Joe Q Tom B, JMS etc to get Spidey through this one.
Talk soon
Eamon McGrane
Dublin, Ireland

Posted by eamonmcgrane on 2006-07-03 05:14:41

Civil War: Front Line
It must be very difficult to coordinate al the tie-ins to fit together, and I'm surprised that the first chronological screw-up only happened in the first story of FRONT LINE #2 (which follows from the end of CW #2 and ASM #533 with JJJ's reaction, but has *then* the Prodigy/Iron Man scene which is obviously supposed to happen at the same time as the Patriot scene at the *beginning* of CW #2).
What's the official line on this one ? Flashback ?

Posted by Jhiday on 2006-07-04 10:04:33

Thank you, Jhiday!
I was beginning to think I was the only one who had a problem with the chronology on Front Line. Can someone please provide a suggested reading order list (of all the Civil War stuff) so that those of us who are getting older can keep everything straight?

Thanks in advance,
Louise Pare-Lobinske
Crawfordville, Florida

Posted by LLobinske on 2006-07-05 19:54:32

Chrolonogizing Civil War
Well, there's the attempts of the Chronology Project :
http://www.chronologyproject.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=2416&start=15

Posted by Jhiday on 2006-07-06 01:30:59

For What It's Worth...
I wanted to add my voice to those expressing shock and appreciation for the great storytelling right now across the Marvel line with the Civil War tie-ins. I can't remember the last time I've been this intrigued by a major crossover like this, and I think it's because so many of the stories really delve into CHARACTER in such a strong way, as opposed to external events (multiverses returning, supervillains escaping, alternate realities being created) being imposed upon our heroes. All of the tie-ins reflect that--no shortage of the superhero action, but the Spidey tie-ins are about his struggle, the Wolverine tie in reflects his character and reaction so strongly, etc. Fantastic work all around.

Posted by AlertNerd on 2006-07-06 14:31:40

quick question
in CW2, the officers reffered to Patriot as "indestructable". was that a mis-print, or foreshadowing of his new powers?

Posted by illtestimony on 2006-07-08 01:13:32

Response to Quick Question
I think they were just reffering to his suit being bulletproof. Though that comment was misleading.

Posted by Knot Cool on 2006-07-09 23:24:33

Ya Had Me Fooled!
Spider-Man is Peter Parker? The sky is BLUE now? In retrospect, reading Civil War #2 while performing openheart surgery wasn't such a great idea. I flipped while reading Spidey's expose(ex-po-say) and dropped my scalpel into some guy from Michigan. Poor dude. But there are really only three comics I buy on a regular basis. Amazing Spider-Man (it's a tie-in!), Civil War, and X-Men. Just regular X-Men. I got the first CW Frontline, but it wasn't doin' it for me. The whole thing at the end with Spider-Man and that poem. Come on, guys! But no, I usually just read incredibly detailed summaries on the 'net. Psyched for CW #3. Thor's totally gonna show up and make EVERYONE all crazy. It'll be good times, good times. Keep up the good work, Marvelers!

Posted by EnvoyOfDarkness on 2006-07-10 17:53:21

Another Point
I wasn't very optimistic about CW in the beggining but when I read the first 2 issues, I started to have hope... Still, I don't think unmasking Spider-man was a good move because it destroys a major thing about Spidey's personality.

Berk Uralcan
Turkey

Posted by nathanchris on 2006-08-17 13:26:31

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