Siege [Hardcover]

Not only does Siege have the best artwork out of any event, thanks to Coipel, but Siege dishes out the best story. For me, the story hit really hard because I'm a Thor reader. If you haven't read recent Thor, the story might not be as dramatic for you. The Asgard ambush idea immediately stirred turmoil in me that previous events failed to do. Somehow the threat of Norman Osborn destroying the beautiful realm over Oklahoma was more threatening to me than Secret Invasion. It is because of that intensity, that I claim that Siege is more dramatic and entertaining than Civil War and Secret Invasion. It's plot alone gives us the shakes.

This may be the part of the review where you read something disappointing about this product. I'll let you know, I found nothing wrong with Siege, and I'm suprised. I had problems here and there with all the events, but Siege is flawless in my opinion.

*Elegantly Epic Artwork
*Terrifying Villains
*Ex-Avengers Coming Together
*Every Character's Dialogue Specially Treated (Thanks Bendis!)
*An Amazing Thor Story Within An Event
*A Bombardment Of Twists
*Bendis Wasn't Afraid To Do Devastating Things(You May Shed A Tear By The End)

I rest my case. What more could you really ask for? Siege takes the good things from Civil War and Secret Invasion, and creates a better story without the problems we saw before. It feels right to say that this is the event we've all been waiting for.

What goes up must come down. Norman Osborn has had a good run ramrodding the Marvel Universe, but his Dark Reign is just about over. Cracks are beginning to show beneath Osborn's in-control facade, and we've been conjecturing about the tipping point. We've witnessed the crumbling of his cabal as Emma Frost and Namor have already amscrayed, and now we learn that Dr. Doom isn't at all content to play second banana, to which everyone's reaction should be a resounding "Well, duh." In the one-shot SIEGE: THE CABAL we view the inevitable falling out.

Maybe it was only a matter of time before Normie turned his gaze on Asgard, floating prettily above Oklahoma. Maybe it took Loki's whispering sweet sedition into his ear. Asgard is an anomaly, and it isn't too long before Osborn perceives the ninth realm as a serious threat to Earth and, even more significantly, to Normie's own power base. In true wag the dog form, Osborn, requiring an excuse to invade Asgard, fabricates an incident - the destruction of Chicago's Soldier Field and deaths of untold thousands - with the substantial Asgardian warrior Volstagg caught in the middle, holding the bag. Osborn immediately gathers his hordes of minions (Dark Avengers, Thunderbolts, the Initiative, H.A.M.M.E.R.) and makes a beeline for Oklahoma. He invites full media coverage.

Speaking as a puny mortal, there's something gratifying about Balder's dismissive remark about humans getting promptly force fed back to him. Balder states: "I cannot imagine a mortal force that could possibly be any threat to the immortals of --" And then the Sentry punches thru the Asgardian walls. This may be the only time I've ever rooted for the insufferable Sentry. The siege commences, and it looks as if the gods of the Norse pantheon are right away on their heels. I say "looks as if" because for most of the series, we barely see the Norse pantheon, excepting Thor. Since this is their homeland being invaded, you'd think we'd see more of these Asgardians fighting the good fight. This is one of the nits I have to pick with this series.

SIEGE collects SIEGE: THE CABAL, SIEGE #1-4, and the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2009 (NEW AVENGERS) story ""The Way Things Are..." And I dunno. Maybe I have to re-read the thing, but SIEGE pretty much underwhelmed me. As much as I've heaped praises on Bendis in the past, I've been down on him for SECRET INVASION and, with SIEGE, I'm also harboring several issues. It may just be that the guy can't pull off the epic company crossover event. Even his knack for catchy dialogue is absent here, for the most part.

Not that there aren't some awesome moments. I can think of two iconic images off the top of my head: what the Sentry does to Ares and then Cap's oncoming shield reflected in Iron Patriot's gleaming face armor. People of consequence buy the farm in this series, and that adds weight to a story that is basically a series of slugfests. I do like that finally there's a resolution to the plot point dilemma that is the Sentry, a character so powerful that maybe only Squirrel Girl can take him down (Now if they'd only do something about the Hood). But for Spidey fans hoping the wallcrawler would have a decisive impact on bringing down the Green Goblin, well, Bendis throws us a bone, but it's pretty unsatisfying and anticlimactic.

Brian Michael Bendis works SIEGE with a broad brush, and so the fine details are lost. People rail against the man's decompressed storytelling in his other titles (UNLIMITED SPIDER-MAN, NEW AVENGERS), but I prefer those as Bendis is best when his characters are interacting and engaging in nifty dialogue. SIEGE's epic canvas and the allotted four issues don't allow for too many personal moments, except that it's those personal moments which anchor the story and invest the reader. Bendis conveys the grandeur but not the heart.

Providing behind-the-scenes grist, Bendis inserts various transcripts along the way. We read Norman's staff conference leading up to the siege. We also peek at a Secret Warriors debriefing and text communique between an embedded Maria Hill and the White House.

If you were wondering what the heck was going on with Tony Stark recovering in Broxton, Oklahoma, you should check out IRON MAN's "Stark: Disassembled" arc. I assume everyone knows by now that Steve Rogers is back.

My opinion, Olivier Coipel, whose stuff I loved in THOR, handles the visuals, and his art vacillates from mostly good to sometimes shaky, and I think he was feeling the pressures of Big Event-itis.

I'm bothered that the tragedy of Soldier Field is glossed over. I'm bothered that for a saga focusing on Asgard, few Asgardians appear on screen. It's hard for me to buy that Thor can be taken down so easily. It doesn't ring true that Loki would miscalculate so. I thought the final battle ends up unrewarding and feebly executed, and I roll my eyes at the cheap contrivance that is the Stones of Norn. The coda gives us an idea of the direction the Avengers will be taking. Bendis also gives a nod as to who'll be replacing Norman Osborn (and it's easy enough to figure out who gets tapped). All the loop-de-loops Bendis has put us thru over the years, all the changes he's effected, from Civil War to the Skrullapalooza to Dark Reign to Siege, and what do we end up with? We have a lot of things pretty much come full circle: The Avengers' big three are back in rotation. I know, I'm probably oversimplifying things. But that's the immediate impression I'm left with after finishing this series. Bendis ushers in the Heroic Age, and I'm not much impressed. Except that since I've long liked the dynamism of the New Avengers, I'll still be tuning in.

Here's a drinking game: take a swig each time you note a "Kra-ka-koom!" sound effect.

Let me start off by saying that it's been a while since I've been in tune with current Marvel continuity. Last Marvel event I was all ears for was Secret Invasion and everything that led up to it and surrounded it. Since then, with the whole Dark Reign stuff and Dark Avengers and such, I really haven't been all that interested, and what I did check out, I wasn't too fond of. At the earlier part of the decade, I was praising Brian Michael Bendis and the work he was doing, from his prolific Daredevil run to the underrated Alias and even to New Avengers; but his "event" work (i.e. House of M, Secret Invasion, and now Siege) has always felt as if something is lacking. Whatever the case, Siege attempts to wrap up a whole bunch of past Marvel continuity and stories, as Norman Osborne's plan to take down Asgard comes to fruition. Caught in the crossfire is Thor, and eventually the other Avengers heroes, current, past, and fugitive alike. While Siege isn't bad one bit, it is quite short, abrupt, and dare I say anti-climactic. Granted by the time the dust clears there are some grand amounts of destruction and even a bit of a body count, but it just feels like there's something missing and what's here was just rushed along. Plus, by the time you reach the conclusion, you'll find yourself saying "is that all there is?". Still, Bendis' House of M art partner Olivier Coipel does great work, and Siege is written well enough that you don't need to know every little detail of past continuity to have an idea of what is going on. Plus, two characters I can't stand bite the big one here, which in itself makes Siege worth checking out.

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