Tuum Libertates Intermissa Usque Ultra Arguit*

 
*"Your Liberties Are Suspended Until Further Notice"

If I recall correctly, The Siege from 2010 was the last crossover event that I collected before pulling the plug on retail purchases of new Marvel comics. I remember having trudged through 2008's Secret Invasion and, before that, the 2006 Civil War series, and realizing I'd pretty much had my fill of infighting between Marvel characters who took sides against each other due to the Super-Human Registration Act but then found themselves helpless to halt the massive capital initiative launched by their creators designed to keep that lucrative ball rolling for several years. Initially, however, the SHRA in itself was intriguing and was clearly given a good deal of thought in terms of plotting. And its underlying argument made sense to explore--after all, how long could the government stand for super-powered people causing large-scale destruction and casualties before putting its collective foot down and not only hold them accountable but regulate their operations?

As it happened, Marvel turned out a well-produced and coordinated effort with Civil War, a series that turned the "Marvel universe" upside down and played a major part in breaking with how their readers perceived these characters. I didn't collect all of the various tie-ins that were connected to the main series, but I was intrigued enough to invest time and $$$ in a few of them. (Comics at the time were $3.00 a pop--nothing like the stratosphere prices of today, but enough to play a part in my selection process.) The main "blam-blam" title, certainly--one or two offshoots which piqued my curiosity, such as The Return--and a few that were based on characters I wanted to check in with in particular, such as the Winter Soldier and the Sub-Mariner. But if you were looking for something that didn't simply continue under another masthead the arguments and the conflict of one side vs. the other, you might have preferred the behind-the-scenes approach of Front Line, an 11-issue series-within-a-series written by Paul Jenkins and illustrated by Ramon Bachs which digs a little further into how from Day One the SHRA has affected and impacted the lives of not just the principal characters but others who had to find ways to cope with the new law of the land.

 
Reporters Ben Urich and Sally Floyd, who contribute to scenes throughout this series, are only two examples of characters through whose observations and opinions Jenkins wishes his story to play out for the reader--a street-level perspective that lets us tag along and be exposed to the many points of view which a story of this type can offer for debate. Fittingly, the two are present for the very first scene where the SHRA is being enforced, as Iron Man confronts a drunken Ritchie Gilmore, better known as Prodigy (one of several characters who have used that handle), and receives his first taste of the resistance to come.

The struggle is fierce, with Prodigy putting up a good fight under the circumstances, though it proves the need for the SHRA--a standoff that results in an all-about battle which puts at risk the lives of innocent bystanders. Yet it's reasonable to assume how many of those watching are thinking that this conflict is the sort of thing that the SHRA was meant to prevent.

Unlike Ben, Sally is furious, yelling at the SHRA's enforcers and calling them fascists while stressing that all Prodigy ever did was his job. But the end result is never in question--and Ben's thoughts, while unvoiced, echo in the aftermath.

As a reporter for the Daily Bugle, Urich has the inside track when it comes to interviewing Peter Parker, who has revealed himself at last to be Spider-Man. Yet that sword cuts both ways, since Urich is accessible to a gaggle of other reporters who see him as their inside track to a story--assuming that the Bugle's publisher, J. Jonah Jameson, wants to run the story at all, since he's finding it difficult to get past his own feelings on the subject of Peter Parker.

Jameson's sour mood notwithstanding, Peter proceeds to give a formal press announcement on the subject of his double identity--a segment which enrages another man who has known him a long time, while serving time in the slammer for past transgressions.

As for Sally, her assignment to write about the erosion of American civil liberties brings her to a cluster of vigilantes who are livid that their individual rights would be compromised by the registration process.

It's something of a "you can't have your cake and eat it, too" moment for these vigilantes, who insist on their rights under the law while continuing to operate outside the law.  There's also the consideration that the "bad guys" whom Battlestar alludes to could technically make the same claims of privacy invasion when a rap sheet is established for them--an argument no doubt mollified by Stark's camp when pointing out that those individuals who committed their crimes using aliases are nevertheless documented on record under their real names.

And then there's perhaps the most public face of the passage of the SHRA--not Tony Stark/Iron Man, but Robbie Baldwin, aka Speedball of the New Warriors, whose actions in Stamford, CT led to the deaths of sixty children (as well as his teammates who were present that day). When a U.S. Government agent meets with him without the presence of a lawyer, he lays out the government's case in accordance with the SHRA and gives Robbie a one-time offer which seems reasonable (as opposed to immediate incarceration): registration with the Feds and subsequent transfer to S.H.I.E.L.D. to assist in tracking and subduing unregistered individuals.  In return, Robbie will face no punishment for the charges against him.

(I have no idea why Agent Marshall's offer is typed in nonsensical Latin. Perhaps Marshall wishes to make it clear (as he does without question in the final panel) that the Feds are totally bypassing due process here, and there's nothing that Robbie can do about it--a general theme in this story which prompted this post's title.)

Clearly Marshall feels empowered by the terms of the SHRA to flex the government's muscle with Robbie and expect full cooperation--but Robbie is adamant about arguing that he "didn't do anything wrong" and that "what happened in Stamford could have happened anywhere." And so incarceration it is--and the outlook for Robbie isn't hopeful, given the mistreatment he's already suffered while in custody.

The man advising Robbie turns out to be at least partially incorrect, in that someone does step up to be Robbie's advocate, in the person of Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk. Though perhaps "advocate" is too strong a word, in that she attempts to point out the difficulties of winning this case in court and instead advises him to strike a plea deal. Again, however, Robbie takes the position of his innocence of the crime committed.

While Robbie makes his points in terms of the letter of the law--i.e., that it was Nitro who killed those children, and not himself--Jennifer is correct in pointing out that if he pleads not guilty and goes to trial, it will be up to a jury to determine his guilt or innocence, and those people will be guided by the facts: that Robbie and his team were not only in Stamford pursuing television ratings for their stint in a reality show, but they were acting with no official sanction to apprehend a group of criminals, nor did they have standing as law enforcement officers. Above, the wording "led to the deaths" is an important distinction, since it does not entirely absolve Robbie of guilt and stresses that the actions of himself and the New Warriors played a part in Nitro reacting the way he did, including where and when he detonated.

Nevertheless, Jennifer does her job--and at their next meeting, she has significantly reduced the government's demands. But there is yet a part of the new agreement that remains a sticking point for Robbie:

Well, that's two attorneys that have tried to convince Robbie that their deal is "the best offer [he's] going to get." It wouldn't surprise me if that was its own topic for discussion in law school classes--"Ways to Convince Your Client to Accept a Plea Deal When They Insist They're Innocent."

While Robbie considers Jennifer's words... just for the sake of argument, try considering what you would do in his place. Having run out of options--while keeping in mind that your life in prison has become a living hell since the rest of the cons have made it clear they know exactly why you're there--do you take the advice of your counsel and, if only grudgingly, accept your part in what happened in Stamford and agree to register under the SHRA? Or do you continue to adhere to your rationale and maintain that you did nothing wrong? Take a moment to mull it over and reach your decision--we'll learn what decision Robbie comes to shortly.

Another pivot by Jenkins takes us to Fantastic Four headquarters, where Urich is interviewing Reed Richards who agrees with the passage of the SHRA. Reed, like his three partners and like the Avengers, has spent his career as Mr. Fantastic fighting evil and super-criminals, so it stands to reason that he would look with favor on a federal process that regulates the activities of super-humans; but as was also the case with the Avengers (who eventually reached a point of chafing at government interference with their own activities), not all of the rest of the FF are on board with his decision to back the registration act. And the way he reached that decision sheds some light on why that may be, as well as how Urich can offer an opinion to the contrary that confronts Reed's hypothetical analysis (mathematics notwithstanding) with results that have always baffled statistical experts.

While I realize that the last panel is meant to have the scene stand on its own without rebuttal from Reed, I'm still curious as to what Jenkins Reed might have had to say in response. I imagine, however, that he might have simply said, "Hmm... a fair point, Ben." and left it at that. Reed is intelligent enough to know that he can't predict how the SHRA is going to work out, despite his calculations and projections; after all, he's used words to that effect to lecture the Thinker often enough, under different circumstances.

By now, you should have a good idea of what kind of story Jenkins has plotted here.  As we've seen, one of the draws of Front Line is to add third-party perspective to the developments taking place in the main Civil War title where the back-and-forth is mostly limited to the actions and thoughts of the principal characters. It's well worth the read, and you'll find the entire series available in trade paperback form at various online outlets, should you be looking for an addition to your comics bookshelf. (Be sure to shop around, as the price tends to vary sharply depending on the vendor.)

In closing, however, and as promised...

We circle back to Robbie's quandary, and your decision on his behalf. As a reader, I was torn by wanting Robbie to maintain his innocence, vs. wanting him to admit to some culpability in what happened in Stamford. Are the terms of Jennifer's renegotiated deal enough to finally sway him into compromising? She's made it clear that refusing to register is not an option--but the upside is that, under the new agreement, performing his "community service" to assist in tracking down unregistered combatants would exonerate him as far as any designation of guilt. The question remains: Will Robbie's decision on the matter correspond with your own, had you been in his place?

I can't recall many instances where the She-Hulk was able to tamp down her volatility and maintain her composure when dealing with something unpleasant, but this might just put that to the test.