Civil War: The Confession #1 - Marvel Comics

CIVIL WAR: THE CONFESSION No. 1, May 2007

Considering that this twenty-two page periodical essentially just consists of some conversations between Iron Man and Captain America, it is arguably somewhat impressive that Issue One of “Civil War: The Confession” was the eighth best-selling comic book in March 2007 – at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”. Indeed, in principle Brian Bendis’ notion of two characters simply talking to one another about their motivations and beliefs for the entirety of a “Rated T+” one-shot debatably sounds rather uninspiringly dull, and certainly not the sort of publication which would sell a staggering 112,416 copies.

Happily however, such is the penmanship of this title that it succeeds in providing both a genuinely intriguing insight into what made Tony Stark battle against his long-time comrade-in-arms, and that the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. seemingly now regrets so zealous a stance following the Sentinel of Liberty’s subsequent assassination. These nagging doubts really are convincingly delivered, as Shell-head initially appears to be trying to once again justify himself to his ‘old friend’, before finally succumbing to the dread realisation that his support of the Superhuman Registration Act and all the horrendous sacrifices he made wasn’t in any way “worth it.”

With such a high bar set, the American author then deep-dives into the psyche of Steve Rogers, and presents a morally-right super-hero, who appears to pity his opponent when he realises Iron Man arrogantly believes he’s won simply because the First Avenger surrendered to the authorities. This contrast in perceptions is particularly well demonstrated when Captain America is first brought to his prison cell and a soldier instinctively still salutes him – as opposed to the reception Stan Lee’s victorious co-creation receives upon arriving on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier; “Can you feel it out there? They don’t like me here and they don’t want me here.”

Adding a gritty realism to all these sedentary, yet still pretty intense proceedings, is Alex Maleev, who quite wonderfully shows the weight of Tony’s new world bearing down upon his ultimately unworthy shoulders. The leader of the United Nations Peacekeeping Task Force really looks like the one who has been defeated, whilst ‘Cap’ is pencilled with an evident and energetic chip still upon his broad shoulders. In fact, the World War Two veteran is shown to be the far more dynamic and physical of the two men, with Stark appearing soberingly crestfallen in his treacherous triumph.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis, Artist: Alex Maleev, and Color Artist: Jose Villarrubia