Civil War by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven and others

(hb; 2006, 2007, 2012: graphic novel, collecting issues #1 - 7 of the Civil War miniseries)

From the back cover:

"The Marvel Universe is changing. In the wake of a tragedy, Capitol Hill pushes the Super Hero Registration Act, requiring all costumed heroes to avail themselves before the government. Divided, the nation's greatest superheroes must each decide how to react -- a decision that will alter the course of their lives. . ."


Review:

Civil War is a good, full-of-splash-page action storyline, with some surprising choices made by key characters (whose ranks include the Young Avengers) and impressive, real-world issues pushing their way to the forefront of comic bookdom. Thoughtful, if relatively brief (considering the complexity of the superheroes' situations) work, worth owning.

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This graphic novel is the basis for the in-progress/forthcoming Captain America: Civil War film, which is scheduled for stateside release on May 6, 2016. Its directors are Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Its screenwriters are Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Chris Evans is playing "Steve Rogers/Captain America". Robert Downey Jr. is playing "Tony Stark/Iron Man". Scarlett Johansson is playing "Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow". Jeremy Renner is playing Clint Barton/Hawkeye. Don Cheadle is playing "James Rhodes/War Machine".

Elizabeth Olsen is playing "Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch". Paul Bettany is playing The Vision. Chadwick Boseman is playing "T'Challa/Black Panther". Paul Rudd is playing "Scott Lang/Ant-Man".

Sebastian Stan is playing "Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier". Anthony Mackie is playing "Sam Wilson/Falcon". Emily VanCamp is playing "Sharon Carter/Agent 13". William Hurt is playing General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.

Frank Grillo is playing "Brock Rumlow/Crossbones". Daniel Brühl is playing Baron Zemo.

Under the Skin, by Michel Faber

(pb; 2004)


From the back cover:

" Isserley, a female driver, picks up hitchhikers with big muscles. She, herself, is tiny-like a kid peering up over the steering wheel.

"Scarred and awkward, yet strangely erotic and threatening, she listens to her hitchhikers as they open up to her, revealing clues about who might miss them if they should disappear. . ."


Review:

This melancholic, analytical, darkly funny and sometimes disturbing novel is underlined with class warfare, sexual tension and discontent, shifting social mores and other elements that made his outwardly dispassionate protagonist relatable, despite her alien, bizarre-to-humanity attributes.  Faber propels the action with an appropriate, mounting sense of impending disaster, while maintaining Isserley's aforementioned melancholy and anger.

Skin is a good, distinctive read.  Check it out.

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The resulting film was released stateside on August 29, 2013.

Scarlett Johansson played Laura (cinematic stand-in for Isserley).  Paul Brannigan played Andrew.  Jessica Mance played [an] "Alien".  Krystof Hadek played "The Swimmer".  Michael Moreland played "The Quiet Man".  An uncredited Michael J. Goodwin played "Tearoom Customer".

Jonathan Glazer, who co-scripted the film with Walter Campbell, directed the film.