Customer Reviews

Civil War: Front Line, Book 2 (Bk. 2)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Frontline started off so well. I was with it, recommending it to fellow comic readers...then this half. Paul Jenkins is now an author I avoid.

Whatever one thinks of the entire event, this half of Front Line is awful. It's horribly written. Or maybe it's wonderfully written and just has a terrible, awful, brainless, spineless, indecisive, judgmental and irritating main character who is portrayed perfectly with these characteristics.

Sally Floyd is one of the most irritating characters I've ever had the misfortune to read. Taking a simple (and frankly, obvious) trick like the one the government agent uses on her and changing her entire mindset over it was the first time my jaw dropped. I could not believe anyone was that stupid or lacking in any sort of fervency in their beliefs.

I read on, and by the final issue, I had no faith in the character or in the writer behind her. While perhaps Sally is intended to portray a shallow mindset that Jenkins feels is representative of some part of the world (or perhaps of America?)--it comes off feeling as if the book agrees with her arguments against one side of the war, and for another. Perhaps the latter was sarcastic and both were intended as judgmental. It certainly didn't read as such.

Regardless, I regretted recommending this to anyone once it reached its conclusion and do not recommend it to anyone now. In fact, I was chastised for my recommendation once it reached its end. As such: avoid this book.

There are legitimate arguments for why the Pro-Registration side was right, but they are not to be found in the feeble mind of Sally Floyd--only useless, uninteresting, insulting fluff resides there. As in the ending of this series.

So I'm going back and checking out the other books about Marvel's Civil War that I missed when the event was going on.

If you're looking for non-stop action and huge battles with earth shattering explosions and heroic battles that pit hero against hero, then this isn't the book for you.

This book shows the nuts and bolts of Civil War, what happened behind the scenes while Captain America and Iron Man were going at it. This book had the two reporters from the different newspapers investigating what happened and how Tony Stark manipulated the entire country to further his own agenda, line his pockets and get the country on his side. And also to get ready for an imminent Atlantean invasion, which I'm not sure if it ever happened.

There are scenes where there are battles going on in the background and the two reporters are running for their lives but that's about it for action. Also we see how the character of "Speedball" decides to never be "Speedball" and instead to be a new hero called "Penance." Which is weird cuz that's the name of a character from the old Generation X team in the 90's and early 2000's.

So if you wanna know what happened behind the scenes in Marvel's Civil War, check this one out!

The frontline series not only adds an amazing amount of depth to the civil war story but also helps to explain the origins of one of the best new characters to come out of the civil war. Penance.
There's a lot of guts in these stories and this is a horrible one to pass up.

This just continues what we read in Vol 1 of Front Line. And the conclusion of Speeball's story... Wow.

THE SPEEDBALL EVOLUTION MAKES THIS BOOK SEEM IMPORTANT.SEEING HIM CHANGE FROM WHO HE WAS TO WHO HE BECOMES IS ONE OF THE CIVIL WARS BEST STORIES.THE REST OF THIS BOOK LET ME DOWN,SOME GOOD CAMEOS BUT ANGRY REPORTER LADY TAKES UP A FEW TOO MANY PAGES FOR ME.ALL THE SLOW PARTS ASIDE THIS SERIES(FRONT LINE 1&2) IS ESSENTIAL.FOR MY MONEY 350 ODD PAGES IS MORE THAN THIS REALLY NEEDED,BUT NO REAL REGRETS.

Art was great and the story well written. It's been awhile since I've read or collected comic books. But it wasn't one of those couldn't put it down stories. Not sure why. Maybe because my favorite times in comic books was collecting them in the 80's and I loved those stories. Or maybe because I haven't seen how the characters had changed.

Marvel Civil War collection is an instant classic for all ages to enjoy. My suggestion is that if you get Civil War Frontline Vol 2 you should get Vol 1 at the same time because the story is SO good that you will have wished you ordered both if you didn't. While I'm at it, get the whole Marvel Civil War series. It's classic stuff and it's great for all ages.
JC

The plot twists and overall pace of the book made this a great read. I highly recommend it.

The second collected volume of Paul Jenkins' Civil War tie-in, Front Line, is another great chapter that almost tops the main Civil War storyline in terms of how good it is. As this volume picks up, Daily Bugle reporters Ben Urich and Sally Floyd report on the warring super hero sides as the registration act is in full effect with the warring factions of Captain America and Iron Man at each other's throats. While each reporter has their own reason for believing who's right in this situation, we see that the conflict isn't only happening on the battlefields between the superhumans, but is happening for everyone else on the sidelines as well. In the meantime, disgraced and powerless New Warrior Speedball finds himself a target in prison, with an outcome that no one leaves unscathed. Like the first volume of Front Line, Jenkins shows us the story happening outside the main events of Mark Millar's series, and it's just as, if not more, compelling and entertaining. Featuring great art throughout as well by Ramon Bachs and Steve Lieber, Civil War: Front Line Vol. 2 is another great chapter from Jenkins and co. that is definitely worth picking up for collectors of Marvel's mega Civil War event.

Sounds like an interesting story plot. Sounds like an interesting direction. Too bad though that Marvel had to make this such an expansive cross over. Personally, I would have liked one book, one story line, one long running series of this as a possible "Future Event", like X-Men # 141-142 "Days of Future Past".
OK. So I'm old school. I DON'T like MAJOR MULTI-ISSUE cross overs. But not something that tears apart every team or charactor that we care about, and leaves a MESS in the end.
So by this, no more Fantastic Four. No more "True" AVENGERS. Spider-Man is screwed up. A Marvel ICON is left dead. And in my opinion, it was done to SELL BOOKS.
EVEN MORE SO IT DOESN'T MATTER! Because in a few years, they'll start the charactors with new beginnings or origins ALL OVER AGAIN.
THESE ARE COMICS. HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED ALREADY???
Only problem with this whole thing, is that there are too many books, too may cross overs, and for those who collect comics, six months of having to buy EVERY Marvel comic put out to get the real story. And I'd imagine it was pretty expensive, just like if I decided to buy/collect EVERY CW TPB tie-in book. There are just too many.
I may end up buying the COMPLETE story line in 5-10 years IF this storyline and ramifications from all this still have an impact. It is an interesting idea. MIXED REVIEWS from everyone THOUGH.
Mine is, don't bother.
Until Marvel decides this is the way it's going to be and STICK TO IT FROM HERE ON OUT!
It's just a shame that it had to be done in such a manner that you have to buy 20 some different books and titls (to increase the sales of the ones doing poorly) to understand it all, everyone's side, and what the heck is going on. Marvel should have kept it in ONE(!!1!!) book, even if they'd have to do it in an expanded COMIC version, using various titles writers/artists to do their story lines, and left out the cross over books. Maybe have had published a new story/comic every week since everyone would have been collaborating. Makes more sense numbering Civil Wars # 1 - 150 (OR WHATEVER) if needed, but left out the cross overs.
As you can tell, corss overs are my BIGGEST complaint. I HATE them. They seem like they try to raise sales by being cross overed in comics who's sales are lagging.
I dunno'. This is alot to grasp. I'm old school. I think I'd rather buy Marvel Masterworks reprints, then this new stuff. Not as complicated.
And besides that, we all know, that somewhere, some time down the road, they'll RE-START the series and charactors again (for the umpteenth dozenth MILLIONTH time) and things will go back to normal. I mean, Aunt May died in the Amazing Spider-Man # 250 or 350 ( One or the other, I'm not going to pull it to be exact. ), yet, she's been back for quite a while. As happened a long time ago in Ultimate Spiderman.
So this is a big PUT-OFF to me.
Reason: No matter how bad Marvel screws this up, and does this or does that, they can, and usually DO, start all over again ( just like DC has TOO MANY TIMES WITH THEIR CHARACTORS ) from scratch, from the beginning, with everyone ALL with a clean slate.
So what is the point of getting excited or involved with this knowing that in a few years, there will be a new origin or something, for all the heroes and teams, or that it happened in an Alternate Universe, and this most likely will be forgotten by the heroes, kept in a Parallel Universe, or something along those lines???
~Yawn~
Which has happened too many times in comics period. Kind of ruins them and their credibility.
So 5-10 years down the line, if this story line is still the direction Marvel is going, and hasn't turned back, and ramifications are still being dealt with, then maybe it would be worth it. Maybe it will be a classice worthy of buying EVERY cross over for my Personal Collection.
But I don't see it happening.
Old schoolers like me think of the Avengers as Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America.
And the FANTASTIC FOUR SPLITTING UP??? C'mon. Give me a break.
So much for a FF 3 movie.
Seems like too many books, too much money, and (probably) not enough conviction by Marvel to keep this storyline alive forever, and make it the way things are, were, should be (because they wrote this story line), and will be a mainsty for the future of the Marvel Universe.
But it ain't gonna happen.
Just a story, yes. But does it make any sense if it's passed over and not a factor years down the road?
Not to me.
At least they didn't butcher the X-Men. They left them out of it pretty much. Smart move. Don't trash your best selling book.
But it's only a matter of time, before Peter Parker goes back to being Spider-Man w/o J Jonah Jamison knowing his identity, Aunt May not having a clue, and SOMEONE changing the Marvel Universe to where the Civil War NEVER happened and everyone's minds are wiped clean of the events, and life goes on as we knew it.
Interesting story line, true. Just should not have been so drastic with too many cross overs, and so many books done for (PROBABLY) NOTHING.

All in the name of making MONEY for MARVEL....

I'd rather stick to the "CLASSICS" Marvel books, like Marvel Masterworks. And if this turns out to be a classic and impact story line on the future of Marvel comics in 5 - 10 years, then I'll have to buy it. But not now.

CLASSICS ARE ONLY GOOD IF THEY STAND THE TEST OF TIME AND REMAIN A PART OF MARVEL LORE FOREVER.

Dang. Imagine if Stan Lee and Joe Kirby took back some of their work 5 years after doing it. Thank goodness, they had the common sense not to do or try something like this.
No wonder Stan left Marvel for Disney....
Smart move Stan!!!
Too bad most of the charactors you created are hurt by this. It is a shame...