Ms. Marvel Volume 2: Civil War Premiere HC: Civil War v. 2 [Hardcover]

As the Civil War between the heroes for and against the superhero registration act rages on, sides are chosen. For Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers, her side is with Tony "Iron Man" Stark. As Iron Man takes on Captain America and his rebels, Carol teams up with Hank Pym, Wasp, Wonder Man, Arachne, and others standing with Iron Man that are for the registration, in training a new generation of S.H.I.E.L.D. approved super humans. Unlike the Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four Civil War tie-in TPB's, the Ms. Marvel chapter doesn't really give the reader anything they won't see or learn in the main Civil War storyline. Not to mention that there are some apparent plot holes and inconsistencies to be found here as well to boot. That being said, there is some solid art to be found in this pretty short TPB, mainly by Mike Wieringo, but like many of Marvel's recent TPB collections to be released, this is not necessary or worthy of a hardcover edition. All in all, Ms. Marvel's chapter in the Civil War may be worth a look for completists, but leaving it on the shelf won't hurt you either.

I wasn't expecting much here. After the first collection, I was still trying to decide if this character and her story were compelling enough to justify her own solo book. I was quite pleasantly surprised to find myself engaged throughout this whole collection. Once Mr. Wieringo picked up the pencils, I was hooked. There were a few holes in the plot, as the appearance of the House-of-M Ms.Marvel (Warbird) seemed rather improbable, but despite a shaky set up, the story held together because of the believable characterizations of the heroines.

Altogether this was better than the first collection, and recommended. I did miss the covers by Frank Cho....

(3.5 Stars)

Ms. Marvel's first tie-in sets up things to come, and spins a good yarn in regards to her role in the Civil War. After siding with Iron Man on the belief that the Rule of Law should be upheld, no matter what, Carol joins Wonder Man in hunting down unregistered heroes. Some character defining moments happen here, and Brian Reed does a good job in setting the scene for Carol's future development. Reed handles the Civil War well. Instead of shoe-horning Carol into the event, he weaves the event into what he was already doing. After a quick explanation, readers know all they need to know about the Civil War, allowing Reed to introduce a few heroes into Carol's supporting cast, such as Araña and Wonder Man, both of whom appear frequently in later volumes. Her actions during this volume also have long-lasting effects on Carol. The 2nd phase of this story isn't as well executed, dealing with an alternate universe Ms. Marvel coming in to attack X-Men Rogue. This storyline accomplishes little, serving only to reveal that Carol's animosity towards Rogue has not vanished, and that she has not forgiven Rogue for nearly killing her years ago. It's still a good fight, and shows Carol getting very brutal, a pattern expanded on in later stories.

Two artists handle the main issues in this volume. Roberto De La Torre returns from v.1 to pencil the Civil-War arc, and he does a beautiful job as usual, his darker style is well suited for Ms. Marvel. Mike Wieringo handles the `alt-Carol' story, and though there is certainly nothing wrong with his art, it has a lighthearted, colorful feel that clashes a bit with the dark subject matter of the story (and Rogue apparently changed costumes between issues). Also contained is `Ms. Marvel Storyteller Special', a little side story (continued in v.6) with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli. It's an interesting little bonus, and later ties in with Carol's ongoing conflicts with A.I.M.

This volume sets up many things for future arcs, and is still entertaining on its own merits. Though the 2nd story lags a bit, fans of Ms. Marvel, of Civil war, or both will be happy with this.