In comics, it's politics unusual

The Christian Science Monitor looks at what happens when superheroes turn their attention to headier concerns, like politics:

Civil War, for instance, explores the issue of civil liberties in the wake of a deadly explosion in a Connecticut neighborhood during the filming of a superhero reality show. Soon, superheroes are at war over mandatory registration, with dissenters facing terms in a prison that will remind readers of Guantánamo Bay.

"There's a lot of real-world echoes," says Joe Quesada, editor in chief of Marvel. "We're posing this argument: Would you sacrifice your privacy for your public safety or your civil liberties for your public safety? This is happening, literally, while we're still in the turmoil of asking ourselves these very same questions."

The newspaper also speaks to DC spokesman (and Great Curve founder) Alex Segura, John Jackson Miller of Comic Buyer's Guide, and Don Markstein of the invaluable Toonopedia.

Related: The Greensboro, N.C., News & Record talks to fans and retailers about Civil War