Comic Book Review: Siege

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the Marvel event, Siege.

This event takes place after Secret Invasion and Captain America - Reborn, but prior to the events of Original Sin. As many of my reviews have mentioned recently, there will be some MILD SPOILERS BELOW.

So first, some background on the story, which you are expected to know before going in. Thanks to his efforts during the Skrull Invasion, Norman Osborn is now the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he has his own group of Avengers, most of which are former criminals that look like heroes (Venom looks like Spider-man, Bullseye looks like Hawkeye, etc). Also, Asgard currently resides on Earth, in the mid-west, which is there because of Thor's split responsibilities to both Asgard and Earth.

With all of these ingredients together, it's a setting for a perfect storm. Osborn wants to be remembered as a great, so he makes it look like Asgard has attacked the Earth, and he sets his Avengers out to take it down. The result is a battles between Osborn's Avengers and Asgard (with the help of some heroes like Captain America, Luke Cage, Spider-man, etc). A big part of the story is also dedicated to The Sentry, who you may want to brush up on before reading.

This is an enjoyable set up and story. Osborn's greed, which has always been his downfall, is really exploited here in one of the few Asgard-centric stories I really like. Thor has a big part in this, but the fight is too much for him to handle alone, which can be difficult to pull off with a heavy hitter like Thor. This comic also felt like it delivered in an area I generally don't take note of, the entrance. It was like a movie with how some of the heroes enter the fight, especially Captain America and Iron Man.

It was also nice that not everyone was on board with attacking Asgard when the siege began. Several important officials, including the President, denied Osborn from attacking Asgard until diplomatic options were pursued. I realize that it would have likely been a different tune if it was the regular Avengers, but it was a nice change of pace from the normal "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude the public usually has in Marvel comics. The artwork is generally fantastic as well, though a couple of issues in the event stray a little bit, but never enough to distract from the story. The primary artist, Oliver Coipel, really delivers here, much like he did during his artistic run of House of M. 

On the downside, this comic didn't feel like it devoted enough time to the subjects. I know there are several side stories that can be bought, and I may end up buying a few, but the main story still felt rushed. Other events like House of M feel like they have just as much going on as this one, but they don't feel nearly as rushed. It also feels like there is some serious missed potential in this comic, things that are brought up and never pursued to their fullest. For example, Osborn requests that Dr. Doom assist him in his siege of Asgard near the start of the story. Doom states that he will help if Osborn lays off of Namor. Rather than consider this offer and obtaining the overwhelming support that Doom could provide, Osborn refuses Doom's request outright. This felt like somewhat of a disservice, as it denies the reader of a great villain team up. Some of the characters are relative unknowns as well, in part due to the Avengers Initiative, which was a result of the Civil War. It's not hard to pick up on their powers, but they are still low-level.

Despite my issues with it though, this is a good event and one I recommend picking up. I put it off for too long, I don't recommend doing the same.

I give Marvel's Siege a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast