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In a moment Marvel Comics has been building up to for the last year, writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven did the improbable and had Spider-Man reveal his identity to the world.
In "Civil War," this summer's tentpole event, a group of young superheroes accidentally cause the death of a schoolyard full of children. The government reacts by pushing the Super-Human Registration Act into law - effectively making all non-government sponsored superheroes criminals.
Siding with pro-registration, Spider-Man felt the need to show his commitment to the new law. After talking it over with his family, he stepped in front of a room full of reporters and removed his mask, revealing that his name is Peter Parker.
Now, superheroes have gone public before. Marvel's Iron Man and Captain America each revealed their identity in past years. Writer Brian Michael Bendis also wrote a year-long tale concerning a New York tabloid outing Daredevil's secret identity as a blind lawyer. As comic books move toward a more realistic approach, superheroes have been shedding both their secret identities and colorful costumes in favor of the grim and gritty.
Spider-Man, though, has remained Marvel's mascot since the 1960s, a relatively unwavering symbol of superhero fantasy at its best. While he has undergone numerous costume changes and supposed life-altering events, Spider-Man has never experienced something so earth shattering as the entire world knowing his secret identity. The cat's out of the bag and it's going to be hard work getting him back in. Everything from Spider-Man's personal life to his dealings with other heroes has changed. But is it for the better?
Comic book fans are split in half. Quite a few are excited about the new change, hoping for a new wealth of stories spinning out of this event. Others, though, have reacted to Marvel's choice by denouncing the company - vowing never to buy another issue.
In the long run, though, stagnation is never good for anybody - especially for a 45-year-old hero. Change produces growth, which attracts new readers. The fact that Marvel's editors are willing to make such a drastic gamble and shake things up for their most famous hero speaks mountains of their willingness to tell a good story.
With the first two issues, it's obvious Millar is capable of crafting an engaging tale. It's good news, then, that Marvel's willing to take chances and, perhaps, create the most engaging story to hit Marvel since Stan Lee first created everybody's favorite wallcrawler.
Exciting things are in store for the remainder of "Civil War." With Spider-Man's unmasking, a tone has been set for the rest of the miniseries promising more changes and more reasons to read. As Marvel's heroes begin to pick sides in superhero registration, the only question that remains is: Whose side are you on?
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