AJC: Sampson on Civil War... she doesn't like it

Graffiti: WORDS AND PICTURES: close to real life | ajc.com - By Khari J. Sampson: "Potentially the biggest thing to emerge from 'Civil War' is the outing of Spider-Man's secret ID. But instead of exploring this uncharted territory for its flagship character, Marvel made it an opportunity to threaten to kill off members of his supporting cast for maximum melodramatic effect. (Like that hasn't been done before.)

And there's the great disappointment of 'Civil War.' In the name of being the Big Event Miniseries, 'Civil War' has slid down a slippery slope. For example, to enforce the new laws, Iron Man drafts convicted super-criminals (his enemies) to jail unlicensed superheroes (his friends) Gitmo-style.

That's crazy. It's like the United States turning the war on terror over to Iraqi insurgents.

Crazier still, the climactic moment of the series hinges on a central character realizing his actions have exacted a human toll. But it's the one character in the Marvel Universe who would never lose sight of that fact in the first place. Thus, in order to serve the 'Civil War' story, Marvel characters have had to act out of character."