In this spinoff to our Marvel: Civil War season of Special Topics in Media, host Garret Castleberry is joined again by comics correspondent Allison Bratcher to discuss the tie-in graphic novel to the event series from Marvel Comics, Civil War (Millar & McNiven, 2006-07). This week Garret leads an abbreviated investigation into Marvel's "First Family", as featured in the graphic novel Civil War: Fantastic Four . Significant to the consumer discussion, writer J. Michael Stracynski's tie-in issues from the main FF series are first featured in the Civil War: Prologue hardcover, before continuing in the self-titled FF book. Our special agents cross-examine this superteam's creator origins before transitioning into a discussion about the narrative links (or points of disconnection) between these character-driven chapters versus if-and-how they benefit the narrative momentum at the center of Marvel's Civil War. Ultimately, two key questions drive these dossier specials. First, we aim to consider what values (if any) that tie-in comics produce toward  the main story. This aim secondarily correlates with consumer time, labor, and economic constraints involved in maintaining vast comic book subscriptions. Second, our hosts conclude each special with an evaluation of whether  Marvel Civil War: Fantastic Four is "Essential or Expendable".

Hosts: Garret Castleberry, Allison Bratcher

Producers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer), Alli Garner (Cover Art), Austin Foster (Music)

Recommended readings paired with Season Six "Marvel's Civil War":
Mark Millar & Steve McNiven. Civil War. Marvel Comics, 2006.

Marvel Civil War: Fantastic Four (Hardcover). J. Michael Stracynski (& Dwayne McDuffie). Fantastic Four:  Marvel Comics, 2016.

Chris Gavaler. Superhero Comics. Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2017.

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