Nick Peron

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Civil War: Front Line #9

Nick Peron

Credits

Civil War continues from Civil War: War Crimes #1….

Embedded, Part 9

Following the passage of the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA), the superhero community has been torn in half. Reporters Ben Urich and Sally Floyd have been covering the conflict for their respective newspapers.[1]

After weeks of searching, Sally Floyd has finally managed to track down the anti-registration Secret Avengers and get a sit down interview with their leader, Captain America (Steve Rogers). She understands that this is a story is going to be vitally important because it will give the American people an explanation for why Captain America has gone against his government. However, within 12 seconds she knows how this interview is going to go.

Captain America tells her that he wasn’t opposed to the idea of the Super Human Registration Act, but thinks that it was pushed into law too quickly. He has gone against it because he wanted more time for cooler heads to prevail and put laws in place that don’t strip away civil rights. Unfortunately, nobody in the seats of power wanted to listen to him and Steve realized that America is no longer the country he vowed to defend. That everything has become so overly politicized that it has divided the country in half. Sally can’t believe how she responds to this, but points out that America is always been this way. She also reminds him that his role was always to support the rule of law even if defending it is against his personal beliefs. That the alternative means civil war.

Cap retorts this, saying that there is nothing civil about war, and that he has spent many decades defending freedom. The last thing he wants to believe is that he was defending a dictatorship. He knows what that looks like having fought in World War II. He tells her about how they didn’t really know what they were getting into back then and thought it was going to be a glorious conflict. The last thing he wants is to think that they wasted the potential of millions of young men who died. The Nazis rose to power because of one bad idea, Aryan supremacy, and asks her to think about how much damage one bad idea can do.

Surprisingly, Sally finds herself getting bored hearing this speech. She reminds him that most of the German forces were regular army guys who simply fought and died for their country. Namely they were patriots fighting for the wrong cause. Steve retorts that this is exactly his position, but she cuts him off. She reminds him that war is never about which side of a conflict was right or wrong, but who is left and that person gets to write the story. When Steve tries to tell her that she is being too simplistic, she decides the interview is over. She tells him that all he has really told her that he views himself as a true patriot and those against him are not. She then gets up and walks out. What was supposed to be a 15 minute interview was over in five. She is annoyed because while Captain America’s position may be the right one, it is supremely misguided.

Meanwhile, Ben Urich is at home looking into who could be profiting from the civil war. To do this, he has enlisted the aid of his old friend, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, to help him hack into the needed databases to find out. Peter points out that hacking into Tony Stark’s accounting firm to find out if he is profiting from this is illegal, but helps Ben do it anyway. As the data is downloading, Peter asks Ben if his wife knows what he does with her computer. Urich reminds Peter that it is hard to explain everything he does for his job to his significant other. Peter knows exactly what he is talking about. This prompts Ben to ask Peter how his Aunt May is going to react when she learns that he went rogue.[2] Parker doesn’t respond and they are interrupted by a notification on the computer that the download is complete. Sure enough, the data shows that Tony Stark’s worth spiked two days before the SHRA was passed into law. This doesn’t make any sense to Ben, because this is so unlike Tony Stark. Peter used to believe that as well, until Tony messed with his life.[3]

Later that evening, Sally Floyd is on the blind date that Ben Urich convinced her to go on. It is with Danny Granville, a detective within the NYPD’s costume’s division.[4] They have an interesting dinner and when Danny takes the bill, he insists on paying it and hopes she doesn’t call him old fashioned. She does, but admits that it is cute. As they leave, they discuss Ben Urich’s investigation into Norman Osborn and about his recent arrest after he attempted to assassinate Atlantean dignitaries. Danny mentions how bizarre Osborn has been acting, particularly he sometimes starts foaming at the mouth.[5] Sally finds this interesting and asks him to give her a copy of a report. Thinking that Sally was only dating him to pump him for information, he morosely calls a taxi. Still, when his ride arrives, Danny stumbles around the idea of going out again. Sally suddenly surprises him by kissing him on the mouth and then asking what took him so long to ask.

At Avengers Tower, Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) and the Radioactive Man (Chen Lu) are going over the nanites in Norman Osborn’s blood. They have discovered that someone had altered their programming, something that should be impossible since he and Iron Man (Tony Stark) programmed together. That’s when Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) arrives with more bad news. She tells him that their attempts to reconcile with the Atlanteans got nowhere. There has also been movement along the Atlantic coast and the Pentagon reports that one of their nuclear subs have gone missing. This frustrates Reed because one lunatic may have caused the civil war to spill across international borders. He asks Chen to thoroughly go through the records and find out who was responsible for hacking Osborn’s nanites. Iron Man then comes to Reed and tells him that they need to speak in private. This is observed by Yellowjacket who watches them with suspicion.[6]

When Reed tells Tony that there has been a traitor in their midsts, and how he may be able to talk the Sub-Mariner (Namor) down from retaliating against them. Tony interrupts him and says that he knows who the traitor is and he’s known from the beginning.[7]

Recurring Characters

Ben Urich, Sally Floyd, Secret Avengers (Captain America, Luke Cage, Falcon), Pro-Registration Heroes (Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Ms. Marvel, Radioactive Man, Sentry, Spider-Man, “Yellowjacket”) Danny Granville, Watchdog

Continuity Notes

  1. The SHRA is a new law that was passed into law in Civil War #2. It requires all superheroes to register with the government. This law will remain on the books until Siege #4.

  2. Peter initially came to support the Super Human Registration Act in Civil War #2. However, as the war has progressed he has begun to get second thoughts by the time of this story. Peter will soon decide to defect to Captain America’s side, with the full support of his family. See Amazing Spider-Man #532-538 and Civil War #5.

  3. Peter is referring to the fact that he was convinced to unmask at a press conference and reveal his true identity to the world in Civil War #2. This will make Peter and outlaw when he defects. Shortly after this, Peter will be able to put the genie back in the bottle and erase all common knowledge of his double life. People will remember Spider-Man unmasking, just not who he was under neath the mask. See Amazing Spider-Man #545 and 610 for the details on how this all worked out. TL;DR version: Magic.

  4. Ben convinced Sally to go on a date with Danny after he gave Ben access to a crime scene involving Atlantean sleeper agents and the Green Goblin. This happened last issue.

  5. Until recently, Osborn had been in jail for murder following the events of The Pulse #1-5. He was conscripted into the government as a cover operative in Civil War: Front Line #2. He was forced to try and assassinate an Atlantean dignitary last issue. Osborn was being forced to do so thanks to the nanites in his bloodstream that forces him to follow orders.

  6. This is not the real Yellowjacket but a Skrull spy named Criti Noll. Per Mighty Avengers #15, Noll took the place of the real Hank Pym prior to the events of House of M #1, as part of a planned invasion of Earth that will primarily take place in Secret Invasion #1-8.

  7. Tony doesn’t say who the traitor is, but in Civil War: Front Line #11, Ben and Sally have put together a compelling case that suggests that Tony Stark himself was responsible for the whole Osborn fiasco. However, per the Norman Osborn entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #8, these are merely allegations. As of this writing (November, 2024), they have yet to be confirmed.

Topical References

  • Captain America states that he has been defending American ideals for 60 odd years. This accounts for the length of time between World War II and the date of publication of this story (2007). It is relative to the date of publication. This should be considered topical because of the Sliding Timescale, which pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time, thus extending the period of time between the War and the present.

The Accused, Part 8

Robbie Baldwin, aka Speedball, has been made the scapegoat for the Stamford Disaster. After an attempted assassination, Robbie now finds himself incarcerated at the Raft Super-Max prison which mostly houses super-villains.[1] The other prisoners on his cell block — Eric Williams (aka the Grim Reaper), Justine Hammer (aka the Crimson Cowl), and Douglas Scott (aka Razor-Fist) — are secretly plotting a break out when the guards come in and order them to get to the back of their cells. This is just the moment they have been waiting for and Justine cuts open her lip and pulls out a small swatch of red fabric.

When the guards walk Robbie Baldwin into the block, Williams begins mocking the disgraced hero and making threats. Robbie pushes past the guards to confront Eric, telling him that the guys in his last prison are still unconscious after he was done with them.[2] This allows Scott to grab Robbie and he threatens to use the hooks on his arms to cut Robbie’s throat if the guards don’t back off. As they do so, Justine uses the piece of fabric — part of her teleportation cowl — to port out of her cell. As the guards back off, they don’t notice that they are inching close to Diamondhead (Arch Dyker)’s cell. When they are close enough, Dyker punches through their heads with his diamond hard fists, instantly killing them both.

Meanwhile, Justine Hammer materializes in the security hub of the prison and knocks out the guards and opens all of the cells. As her fellow inmates prepare to escape, Razor-Fist grabs Robbie to use as a hostage to ensure they get out. With his hands still shackled, Robbie tells Scott that he is hurting him. However, he isn’t complaining, Robbie actually likes how it feels. Suddenly, there is a bright flare of light.

Later, when guards get into the cell block they discover that all of the escapees have all been knocked out. Looking for the cause, they find Robbie Baldwin sitting patiently in his cell and crackling with energy. He tells the guards that he has been doing some thinking and he has decide that he is going to register with the government after all.

Recurring Characters

Speedball, Crimson Cowl, Diamondhead, Grim Reaper, Razor-Fist,

Continuity Notes

  1. Speedball was among the New Warriors who were involved in the Stamford Disaster in Civil War #1. Baldwin has been going from prison to prison since his arrest in Civil War: Front Line #2.

  2. Robbie is referring to when his powers flared up after his leg was broken in a prison boxing match. See Civil War: Front Line #4.

Sleeper Cell, Part 7

After Norman Osborn’s failed attempt to assassinate an Atlantean ambassador, he is brought into the NYPD for interrogation. Detectives Keith Dixon and Donna Altieri, who had been investigating an Atlantean sleeper cell operating in the city, are questioning Osborn to try and figure out everything that has gone on.[1] Osborn isn’t talking, and Dixon tells Osborn that he might want to get his story out now while the FBI, CIA, SHIELD and the mayor’s office are still fighting over jurisdiction over him. He then takes off the protective face mask Norman has been forced to wear so he can talk. With it off, Norman tells them that it wasn’t him who shot the Atlantean dignitary.

They find this hard to believe since there is countless eyewitnesses and security footage that shows that Norman Osborn was the one who pulled the trigger. What Donna wants to know is how Osborn managed to get that close without anyone stopping him. The press credentials he used to get in were laughably bad, and they also don’t understand why Norman chose to use a .38 caliber pistol given his history as the Green Goblin. The pistol was also insufficient to do any serious damage to an Atlantean. Norman tells them to look at the facts and continues to insist that this was none of his doing. When Dixon asks him to name names, Osborn says he can’t.

This annoys Altieri, who demands answers from him and puts on the bad cop routine. Suddenly, before he can answer her, Osborn begins foaming at the mouth again as if something is stopping him from spilling what he knows. When he finally stops frothing at the mouth, Keith lays into him and goes over how they can connect him to the murder of the Atlantean sleeper agents because they were able to find one of his unexploded pumpkin bombs at the scene of the crime. They have known it was him all along and press him to tells them who he is working for. Once again, Osborn, starting to foam at the mouth again, tells them he can’t say. They figure that Osborn’s plan wasn’t to kill the Atlantean dignitary, just wound him and they want to know why. He once again says he can’t tell them, because they put something inside them.

That’s when someone enters the room and tells the two detectives that their interrogation is over. This man has a signed document sealed by the President of the United States ordering them to hand Norman Osborn over to him. Osborn recognizes the man who has come to collect them and tells the two detectives that this was the man responsible and promises to testify to this. However, Osborn is carted out of the room by two federal agents who thank the detectives for their cooperation. Once they are gone, Keith Dixon can’t help but feel like they’ve gotten hosed.[2]

Recurring Characters

Keith Dixon, Donna Altieri, Norman Osborn,

Continuity Notes

  1. As we discovered in Civil War: Front Line #3-7, Dixon and Alterieri had been investigating the sleeper cell after one of their group blew up his pet store and murdered his wife in the process. Before they could find out what the Atlanteans were up to, the Green Goblin was sent to eliminate the sleepers. Osborn got away, and was later busted for the attempted assassination last issue.

  2. The man who collects Osborn met with him in Civil War: Front Line #8 and gave him a serum that allowed Norman to operate off the radar. As of this writing (November, 2024), the identity of this man has yet to be revealed. It is suggested that this may have been Tony Stark, but (as I said above) this is an unsubstantiated alligation.

For Those Who Died*

Writer Paul Jenkins tells the story of his great-grandfather Private William Eldridge of Batterseam London. He enlisted in the 13th Battalion of Royal Fusiliers a few months after his wedding day. He fought in World War I, and was wounded in battle while fighting in Arras, France in November of 1917. He was taken to a clearing station in Thiepval, France, where he died of his wounds on November 4th of that year. His body was laid to rest in Duisans British Cemetery in Etrum.

Jenkins then recounts how his grandparents kept two bronze medallions on the wall around a number of old family photos. They commemorated the losses of his great grandfather and his great uncle Charlie Hazelgrove. He remembered one day, while visiting his grandfather, he asked about the medallions, but his grandfather didn’t like to speak about the past.

Jenkins often wonders if his great grandfather had any notion what awaited him in battle, but cannot imagine anyone every really does. He thinks about what it must have been like saying goodbye to his new bride before being shipped off to die in the trenches of France. He thinks about how two of his four great grandfathers died in that war.

His grandfather, Bill Jenkins, fared a lot better when he served in the Second World War. He served in the Royal Navy and was one of the few people who was allowed to do his civilian job, a lorry driver, in the conflict. The day he entered the service was the day the HMS Ganges sunk the German battleship Bismarck.

His own father served in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, and attends many reunions even though the ranks of his fellow soldiers is thinning as time wears on. Due to his family’s long military history, Paul’s family has lived and lost and he has a strong respect for soldiers and the sacrifices they made and is thankful for them.

This bit of personal family history is juxtaposed next to a portent of the future. An aging Nick Fury, now retired and wheelchair bound is living in a veterans assisted care facility. He looks over all his old war medals and momentos from the war and pays silent tribute to the friends he fought beside and lost over the years.[1]

Recurring Characters

Nick Fury

Continuity Notes

  1. This vision of the future has yet to pass as Nick Fury still remains active as of this writing in November, 2024. It is entirely possible that this takes place in a possible future in an different reality from the Prime Marvel Universe. However, at this time, it has yet to be assigned an official designation.

* This story was not given a title, I have added one to differentiate it from the other stories in this issue

… Civil War continues in Iron Man (vol. 4) #14.

Civil War Reading Order:

Road to Civil War:

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Epilogue