Civil War is one of those big comic "events" that promises each year to change the way you look at comics forever. In this case, however, the product lives up to the hype.

The story starts small. A small group of C-list heroes seeking fortune and glory tracks down and subdues villains for a reality television show. But hamming for the cameras this time gets them in over their heads, and the explosion that follows incinerates most of the heroes, villains and cameramen -- as well as the students and faculty at a nearby school. The public outcry is, of course, extreme, and soon Tony "Iron Man" Stark is leading the charge for registration of superheroes, including mandatory training and accountability for their mistakes.

But not all costumed heroes are willing to give up their secret identities. Foremost among the resistance is Captain America -- whose identity is actually widely known already. But Cap believes the new law is a violation of heroes' civil rights, forcing them to put themselves and their families at risk by revealing their names to the public at large.

Soon, battle lines are drawn, often splitting teams and even families as the war among heroes spills out into the streets. Some surprising people decide to unmask, and there are some unexpected consequences as the fighting spreads.

Art by Steve McNiven is astounding. The story by Mark Millar is powerful, sometimes surprising and often cataclysmic, although some heroes do seem to act at times out of character. The pace is also uneven and there are some gaps in the progression of events; Civil War is only the basic skeleton of this far-reaching Marvel event. For the full story, you'll need to buy this book and several others that fill in the details.

Fortunately, this time it's worth it.