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monitaroymohan's reviews
1095 reviews
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
4.0
Enormously fun and quirky, this has you in splits. It's an adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Civil War by Mark Millar
4.0
I went through the entire gamut of Civil War stories - from 'The Road to Civil War', the 7-part 'Civil War'series, its many supplements as well as 'Civil War Frontline'. I have to say, I utterly loved most of this series.
A Superhero Registration Act is tabled at Congress, facilitated by an accidental massacre of 600 people, including several children by a group of young wannabe superheroes, the New Warriors.
This Act causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man, the former vehemently opposes the act, while the latter condones and executes it. Iron Man's efforts to coax all heroes into following the law brings him deeper and deeper into collusion with unsavoury characters. The line between good and evil become blurred as action and reaction by all parties concerned become more and more violent and cause innumerable deaths.
The entire series is more involved with Iron Man, bringing him and his actions to the forefront. Captain America spends most of his time underground and off the page.
The main 7-part series is immensely enjoyable and poignant, but the many tentacles... not so much. The extended Marvel universe has a lot of characters, story arcs, etc. that are a reminder why a lot of people don't like comics. Some of the stories are tenuously linked with the main story which made tedious reads. Actually, I think some of those prints just are tedious, irrespective of the Civil War series.
The wider impact the series had is somewhat negated by future events, but that's expected - this is a comic book series, Peter Parker will not stay outed as Spider-Man for long, and particular hallmark heroes will not stay dead. It's the nature of the industry.
The impending film is both an exciting concept and a worrying one. Adaptations are hard and expectations for a beloved storyline will be high. There's a lot to look forward to. We just have to hope that the Russo brothers direct a worthy film.
A Superhero Registration Act is tabled at Congress, facilitated by an accidental massacre of 600 people, including several children by a group of young wannabe superheroes, the New Warriors.
This Act causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man, the former vehemently opposes the act, while the latter condones and executes it. Iron Man's efforts to coax all heroes into following the law brings him deeper and deeper into collusion with unsavoury characters. The line between good and evil become blurred as action and reaction by all parties concerned become more and more violent and cause innumerable deaths.
The entire series is more involved with Iron Man, bringing him and his actions to the forefront. Captain America spends most of his time underground and off the page.
The main 7-part series is immensely enjoyable and poignant, but the many tentacles... not so much. The extended Marvel universe has a lot of characters, story arcs, etc. that are a reminder why a lot of people don't like comics. Some of the stories are tenuously linked with the main story which made tedious reads. Actually, I think some of those prints just are tedious, irrespective of the Civil War series.
The wider impact the series had is somewhat negated by future events, but that's expected - this is a comic book series, Peter Parker will not stay outed as Spider-Man for long, and particular hallmark heroes will not stay dead. It's the nature of the industry.
The impending film is both an exciting concept and a worrying one. Adaptations are hard and expectations for a beloved storyline will be high. There's a lot to look forward to. We just have to hope that the Russo brothers direct a worthy film.
The Road to Civil War by
3.0
'The Road to Civil War' lays the groundwork for the 7-part 'Civil War'series, its many supplements as well as 'Civil War Frontline'.
A Superhero Registration Act is tabled at Congress, facilitated by an accidental massacre of 600 people, including several children by a group of young wannabe superheroes, the New Warriors.
This Act causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man, the former vehemently opposes the act, while the latter condones and executes it. Iron Man's efforts to coax all heroes into following the law brings him deeper and deeper into collusion with unsavoury characters. The line between good and evil become blurred as action and reaction by all parties concerned become more and more violent and cause innumerable deaths.
Clunky in parts, this series comes alive during Spider-Man comics, Iron Man comics and other big names. The extended Marvel universe has a lot of characters, story arcs, but some of the stories are tenuously linked with the main story which made tedious reads and uninteresting characters. Actually, I think some of those prints just are tedious, irrespective of the Civil War series.
I didn't like the sanctimonious Black Panther series, mostly because Storm becomes an ineffectual first lady with no power. The Heroes for Hire was terrible - silly and ridiculous, and typical of what I dislike about comic books.
The power politics displayed in the series seems relevant even today and it is the essence of why this series is so beloved.
A Superhero Registration Act is tabled at Congress, facilitated by an accidental massacre of 600 people, including several children by a group of young wannabe superheroes, the New Warriors.
This Act causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man, the former vehemently opposes the act, while the latter condones and executes it. Iron Man's efforts to coax all heroes into following the law brings him deeper and deeper into collusion with unsavoury characters. The line between good and evil become blurred as action and reaction by all parties concerned become more and more violent and cause innumerable deaths.
Clunky in parts, this series comes alive during Spider-Man comics, Iron Man comics and other big names. The extended Marvel universe has a lot of characters, story arcs, but some of the stories are tenuously linked with the main story which made tedious reads and uninteresting characters. Actually, I think some of those prints just are tedious, irrespective of the Civil War series.
I didn't like the sanctimonious Black Panther series, mostly because Storm becomes an ineffectual first lady with no power. The Heroes for Hire was terrible - silly and ridiculous, and typical of what I dislike about comic books.
The power politics displayed in the series seems relevant even today and it is the essence of why this series is so beloved.
Civil War: Front Line by Paul Jenkins
4.0
I really loved the Frontline comics from the 'Civil War' series. Acting as a mouthpiece for the writers as well as for many readers, the series filled in missing gaps and essential nuggets of information left out in the rest of the Civil War imprints.
The series follows two reporters attempting to navigate and report on the insane new world they've got caught up in. Add to this mysterious deaths and police investigations, the sheer impact of the Civil War on the citizens of the Marvel Universe come to light.
Drawing parallels throughout with real-world circumstances and reactions, Frontline feels ridiculously relevant, which is surprising, considering it's a Marvel comic. Yes, the art has some issues (read: female characters are the bane of my comic book-reading existence), but overall the story is intriguing and sometimes even a little thrilling.
Each Frontline comic ends with a brief re-telling of an actual war, juxtaposed with recreations of those events alongside 'Civil War' events. I actually loved this part, mostly because it introduced me to some writers I was not familiar with. What struck me most was the story at the end of the first Frontline issue. It's a poem written by a Japanese boy who grew up in an internment camp. It was a powerful beginning immediately focusing the story on atrocities committed from the inside. Far too often we point fingers at others for committing the worst crimes - we don't look internally at all.
Frontline is rife with plot twists and turns and some jolting surprises. All, as I've mentioned, written with a realistic bent of mind. Most of it came across as quite refreshing. What I especially loved was Sally's rant at Captain America at the end of the series. Honestly it was directed at the wrong person (in my opinion), but that's not to say the essence of it didn't feel important or true. It would have made sense out of context as well, be it directed at a superhero or a superpower.
What got me was the 'Accused' segment. As the sole survivor of the massacre, New Warriors member Robbie becomes the scapegoat for the government, the media and the public. His refusal to back down and own up to any wrongdoing just worsens his situation. It's been a while (read: never) since a comic book character's transformation emotionally affected me, but Robbie's did. The writers never jump the shark with his circumstances - it's just one relentless slog for the man and for the reader. What a story!
A Marvel comic with a political and ideological framework driving it seems rare (to me at least). There's a lot right with this series, mostly because the writers decided to give the story a go, instead of just making it a flashy comic. Other comic series could take some inspiration from this series' and finally do their readers some justice.
The series follows two reporters attempting to navigate and report on the insane new world they've got caught up in. Add to this mysterious deaths and police investigations, the sheer impact of the Civil War on the citizens of the Marvel Universe come to light.
Drawing parallels throughout with real-world circumstances and reactions, Frontline feels ridiculously relevant, which is surprising, considering it's a Marvel comic. Yes, the art has some issues (read: female characters are the bane of my comic book-reading existence), but overall the story is intriguing and sometimes even a little thrilling.
Each Frontline comic ends with a brief re-telling of an actual war, juxtaposed with recreations of those events alongside 'Civil War' events. I actually loved this part, mostly because it introduced me to some writers I was not familiar with. What struck me most was the story at the end of the first Frontline issue. It's a poem written by a Japanese boy who grew up in an internment camp. It was a powerful beginning immediately focusing the story on atrocities committed from the inside. Far too often we point fingers at others for committing the worst crimes - we don't look internally at all.
Frontline is rife with plot twists and turns and some jolting surprises. All, as I've mentioned, written with a realistic bent of mind. Most of it came across as quite refreshing. What I especially loved was Sally's rant at Captain America at the end of the series. Honestly it was directed at the wrong person (in my opinion), but that's not to say the essence of it didn't feel important or true. It would have made sense out of context as well, be it directed at a superhero or a superpower.
What got me was the 'Accused' segment. As the sole survivor of the massacre, New Warriors member Robbie becomes the scapegoat for the government, the media and the public. His refusal to back down and own up to any wrongdoing just worsens his situation. It's been a while (read: never) since a comic book character's transformation emotionally affected me, but Robbie's did. The writers never jump the shark with his circumstances - it's just one relentless slog for the man and for the reader. What a story!
A Marvel comic with a political and ideological framework driving it seems rare (to me at least). There's a lot right with this series, mostly because the writers decided to give the story a go, instead of just making it a flashy comic. Other comic series could take some inspiration from this series' and finally do their readers some justice.