Civil War

What should I read before Civil War?

While Civil War as an event requires no prior reading to enjoy, here are some comics that will provide background information leading up to Civil War. These are presented in chronological order.

• Avengers Disassembled - This event destroyed the status quo of the Avengers, leaving the superhero community fragmented.

• Invincible Iron Man #1-6 (2005) - The Extremis storyline.

• Secret War #1-5 (2004) - Nick Fury runs a black-ops operation that fails, destroying the public's trust in S.H.I.E.L.D. and damaging their perception of superheroes.

• New Avengers #1-10 (2005) - Following the Avengers disbanding in Avengers Disassembled, a new unauthorized team is formed.

• New Warriors Vol. 3 #1-6 (2005) - Shows the Reality TV era of the New Warriors, who will be responsible for the inciting incident of Civil War.

• New Avengers #11-20

In addition there are a few comics that explain the absence of some notable heroes during Civil War:

• Planet Hulk - Just before Civil War the Illuminati send Hulk into space, making him unavailable for Civil War.

• Annihilation - Is happening in space at the same time Civil War is happening on Earth.

What issues of the event should I read?

• The only necessary issues are the main Civil War #1-7 limited series.

• The best tie-ins are Civil War: Front Line #1-11, Amazing Spider-Man #529-538, New Avengers #21-25, Captain America Vol. 5 #22-25, and Wolverine Vol. 3 #42-48.

• None of the tie-ins are terrible.

• There is an Essential tab with only the essential tie-ins included, this cuts over 100 issues off the reading order.

• If you are following the Marvel Master Reading Order I suggest reading the tie-ins of any series you were reading coming into the event.

What should I read after Civil War?

Civil War has far ranging effects on the Marvel Universe, maybe more than any Marvel event before or since. These follow-ups are in chronological order.

• Amazing Spider-Man #539-543 - Back in Black. Spider-Man deals with the aftermath of Civil War.

• The Initiative - Tony Stark is the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and forms the Fifty-State Initiative, giving each state its own superhero team.

• World War Hulk - The consequences of the Illuminati sending Hulk into space come back to haunt them.

• One More Day - Spider-Man wraps up his Civil War arc in this fan favorite storyline.

• Secret Invasion - The large scale disruption and broken friendships from Civil War leave the Earth vulnerable to a larger threat.