For those of you old enough to remember, in 2006, there was one question every comic fan asked themselves: "Whose side are you on?"
Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War, along with a lot of tie-in stories, tore our favourite superheroes apart, redefined event storytelling and unleashed shockwaves across the Marvel Universe that are still felt today.
Now, twenty years later—yes, it's been two decades, already—Marvel is revealing secret showdowns and all-new adventures from the epic conflict in Civil War: Unmasked, a five-issue limited series launching in May from writer Christos Gage (Battleworld), artist Edgar Salazar (The Last Wolverine), and returning original Civil War colorist Morry Hollowell.
Set before, during and after the events of Civil War, each issue spotlights unseen stories of some of the era's key players: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Goliath (a.k.a. Black Goliath), Tigra, and Captain America.
The original Civil War went on to become one of Marvel’s best-selling collections and the inspiration behind sequels, films, video games, and more. Civil War: Unmasked celebrates its legacy by recapturing the exciting spirit of the era and shedding light on its most historic developments from Iron Man and Captain America’s morally complex feud to Spider-Man’s shocking unmasking.
An anniversary series two decades in the making, the sagas will be packed with twists and surprises, including ones that will impact present-day storytelling. It begins with an urgent mission from Bishop that takes Tony Stark into the Days of Future Past timeline, where the revelation of the apocalyptic future changes everything Tony thought he knew about the consequences of the Superhuman Registration Act.
Discussing his personal connection to Civil War, Gage explained, "In 2006, I was a rookie comic book writer when a short delay in the production of the epic Civil War event limited series led to me being offered the one-shot Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War. It was my first really high-profile project at Marvel, a big hit, and 20 years later, they still haven't managed to get rid of me."
"So it's a thrill and an honor to revisit that troubled time with Civil War: Unmasked, in which I have the privilege of joining with brilliant artist Edgar Salazar and trend-setting original Civil War colorist Morry Hollowell to reveal never-before-told stories from that milestone event," he added.
Check out the main Civil War: Unmasked #1 cover by Geoff Shaw below, along with a variant cover by original Civil War artist Steve McNiven.
CIVIL WAR: UNMASKED #1 (OF 5)
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE
Art by EDGAR SALAZAR
Colors by MORRY HOLLOWELL
Cover by GEOFF SHAW
Variant Cover by STEVE McNIVEN
On Sale 5/6