I didn't know what to expect from this Civil War tie-in series, but given that it features a couple of journalist characters and Paul Jenkins's writing, I figured it was a safe bet for a decent read. That proved to be the case, though like the main crossover series debut, I wasn't exactly blown away. Still, Jenkins explores some peripheral ideas that arise naturally from the core civil-liberties premise, but again, it seems as though different writers are straying from the core script. This is the third or fourth writer to handle Spider-Man's reactions to this storyline, and every time, it comes across a bit different. What I didn't expect from this book was to find more than one story being told. The middle piece is an unexpected Speedball story, and the closing segment is a powerful comment on Japanese-American internment camps during the Second World War -- though I don't really see why it's being included in this volume.
As super-heroes and senators hold news conferences in the wake of the tragic Stamford incident involving the New Warriors and Nitro, journalists all over the world kick into high gear for the fallout. The Daily Bugle's Ben Urich is forced to write in line with his publisher's right-wing views, while The Alternative's Sally Floyd is allowed and encouraged to approach the story with her leftist leanings. But stuck in the middle of the story is a super-hero, who approaches one of them for an exclusive interview. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps a lid on the discovery of a survivor of the Stamford incident.
Bachs's work on the first story -- "Embedded, Part One" -- is quite strong, even better than his work on Generation X. He handles the new Spidey costume quite well, but there's always a grounded tone to the art. I like that the non-super characters aren't depicted as supermodel types; they're just regular folks. Lieber's work on the first chapter of the "The Accused" is strong as well, and it boasts much more detail than usual. I like that he downplays the super-hero elements. We get a sense of Speedball's costume, for example, but it's passing. Kobayashi's art on the final piece is the most engaging and eye-catching of the book. It brings a haunting, dreamy quality to real-like subject matter. The gravitas of the material is treated with sensitivity and realism while the hazier look also reinforces the sense of history.
I understand that the story reflecting back on the Japanese-American camps more than six decades ago is in keeping with the theme of the infringement of civil liberties, but it's not really on point. It's powerful stuff, don't get me wrong, but it seems like a poor fit here.
There were so many elements here that I enjoyed, from Spidey's speech to Sally to her non-professional interest in him. I also appreciated Urich's assessment of J. Jonah Jameson's take on the story and Robbie's practical approach to the business of running a newspaper. But I also found it odd that Spidey struggles with the prospect of revealing his identity to the public while he also acknowledges the proposed legislation doesn't actually call on him to do that. Furthermore, knowledge of the previous Sally Floyd story (Generation X) is somewhat necessary to appreciate all of the narration and dialogue in her scenes. There are some intriguing ideas and engaging personalities in these stories, but there are also some minor flaws that interfere with the reader's appreciation thereof. 6/10
