The most difficult battle of any war, is maintaining the peace that follows. How does anyone resist the urge to fight when a war ends? The ability to let bygones be bygones and move on is a terribly difficult thing to do, and when your superheroes it can almost be impossible. Civil War II: The Oath is the start of the peace following the second superhero civil war. When hero fought hero, the world suffered the consequences. Now with sweeping new powers to the newly sworn in Director of SHIELD, Captain America himself, Steve Rogers, America and the world seem to be on the path of rebirth. A new era is dawning, and who better to lead that new era than the most trusted, honorable man on the planet. Captain America is the answer to the fighting and the world has embraced it.
My Opinion
There is so much happening in this comic. I enjoyed all the books in the actual battle portions of Civil War II, but Civil War II: The Oath is easily the best in the series. Where to begin in dissecting the multitude of stories and the di
rection Marvel is going with their characters.
This is a story that has many layers, and the different characters and their interactions with Rogers is what drives the dialogue. You see Steve Rogers is the not good patriotic hero that we believe him to be. In past issues, he was turned into an undercover Hydra agent by a cosmic cube. Captain America is the bad guy, but he looks so good throughout the whole book.
The first sign he is a real bad guy is when Rogers lands on the helicarrier Iliad to deliver a stirring monologue to the incapacitated Tony Stark. Only bad guys deliver a monologue like this.
Another sign of how bad Steve Rogers really is can be seen in the choice of language he uses. During his speech at his swearing in ceremony, he talks about rebuilding America and the world, and concludes with, “Lets prove this is a world worth saving.” Well to rebuild will require trust, and with his new position Rogers has unlimited power, from surveillance to national defense. His word will be good, and no one will be able to stop Steve Rogers.
The second Civil War happened because the heroes chose sides between Tony Stark and Captain Marvel. The InHuman, Ulysses could see the future, and Marvel tried to use the visions to avoid catastrophe. Stark disagreed with her methods and so we had a battle of the most powerful which caused a multitude of collateral damage around the world.
Superheroes died, but so did many regular people, and that is what Rogers is using in his bid to reshape the planet to a Hydra world. The world we are shown is one that will use fear, prejudice, and brutality to get what they want, with Hydra in charge.
I like this twist to Captain America. What if he were an undercover agent? The trust and respect that he has gained for being so wholesome could be used in some very destructive ways.
Writer Nick Spencer has crafted a beautiful story, so full of deceit and danger, but clouded over with the right amount of window dressing showing wholesome patriotic value, that even though you know Rogers is a bad guy, it would be easy to think the other way. The taunting of the unconscious Stark is a brilliant set up for what is to come. Rogers pleads for him to wake up and take him on, but Stark is comatose and stays that way for now.
The other brilliant aspect to this comic that gives the multiple scenes their own identity is the artwork. With a wide range of emotion and dialogue, the various applications of color change throughout the book. The many artists who worked on this comic give those scenes their own stand out role complementing and in many cases, like the swearing in ceremony, help you see the truth of what is being said. You notice the difference in the scenes and the action takes on a more important role because of the talents from artists like Rod Reis, Phil Noto, Raffaele Ienco, Szyman Kudranski, and Dono Sanchez-Almara.
The combination of the artwork and writing make Civil War II: The Oath an amazing comic to end the second superhero war. War may be over, but as we are teased at the end of the comic, Secret Empire is coming.