We start with Civil War #1. From there, head into Frontline #1 as Iron Man deals with the Stamford Tragedy and it's legal ramifications; and then Wolverine 42 as Logan decides to go after the villian who caused it. Follow these with Amazing Spiderman 532, where Peter struggles with a difficult decision. Next is New Avengers 21 as Cap begins to form the resistance.

AmSpi 533 picks up immediately from where CW #2 leaves off & shows us the hint of a wedge being driven in the relationship between Peter and Stark. Frontline #2 gives us the Bugle's & Norman Osborn's reaction to Peter's big decision in CW2. It also contains a major continuity mixup as it has Peter's big reveal prior to the Reg Act being passed.

TPB not in Amazon. With Wolvie shifting gears per Namor's advice at the end of #45, we return to the T-Bolts with issues 104 & 105 that find them playing both sides of the street. Some members are rounding up villians for the Initiative, some are working on Project 42, and Zemo himself gives Cap a valuable gift (that unfortunately isn't followed up on by Millar when the time comes).

Next is the first big battle of the Civil War in CW 3 & 4 (read back to back) featuring a bait & switch return and a big casualty (pff). The aftermath of this battle leads to defections on both sides. The day after the first major battle comes the second; the Yancy Street battle, which is recounted from two different perspectives in AmSpi 534 & FF 539

Cable/DP 30-32 starts right after CW2 and then overlaps CW 3 & 4. I guess one can assume the events prior to the battle in CW 3 & 4 are flashback, so I'd read these after #4, as they explain how Cable came to choose his side in the conflict. Although, he later defects (!?!) which invalidates the whole thing. I'd just skip this collection entirely.

In Frontline 7 we see an assassination attempt. In Wolvie 46-47, Logan gets even with those truely responsible for Stanford. Head right back to Frontline for 8, 9 & 10 where a traitor is uncovered in the Stark Camp, and our reporters seem to have uncovered the true reason behind this beef with Atlantis (though they don't share it with us quite yet).

In FF 541, the Thing heads to France. Next is BP 21, as the honeymoon tour continues with a sit down in Atlantis with Namor. In New Avs 25, Tony is re-offered the SecDef proposal, but from a surprising source (who do you trust?). In BP 22, the honeymoon tour conludes in the US with a vist to Stark. It doesn't go well. In FF 542 Mr. F finally explains his support for the Reg Act.

Now for the difficult portion of our program, BP 25 and AmSpi 536-539. These stories are directly related to the third act and are thus included. However both titles are recaps of CW 5-7 and it's aftermath. And in AmSpi's case, they're full of continuity gaffs, so badly in some cases that it yanks you right out of the story.

FL #11 is the epilogue to the whole shebang where apparently anyone who isn't a 14 year old girl isn't a true American. Despite that nonsense, it does protray a tragic Tony Stark trapped by his own machiavellian machinations. The end, roll credits. Now then...

AmSpi 537 is written as being prior to CW6 but, the issue consistantly and irreconcilably clashes with it: an unhurt and awake Spidey & the fam lamb it in 537 but Peter's unconcious in CW5-6; the interaction between Peter and Cap is so off I can't even describe it; and, 537 ends as the official lead into (ugh) the middle (?!) of CW6. Next is BP 25, which is CW 7 from Storm's perspective.