Marvel Comics: Siege

[Mr Light]

I just read #3 of 4 of SIEGE, the finale of the past five years or so of Marvel Comics. Spoilers!

Now I'm not reading any of the tie-ins, I'm waiting for the trade. Is anything important happening in them or is it just snapshots of the big final battle in Asgard?

#2 definitely had a hell of a shocker. The Sentry ripped Ares apart!!! The God of War!!! Damn.

#3 was pretty good, but Norman fell from grace just about instantly. Way too fast. I wish this series was longer, is 4 issues really enough to tell the climax of this long form story? Obama finds out Osborn invaded Asgard and that's it game over? Of course it was a little ridiculous that Obama would allow Osborn to stay on anyway. But that's a larger issue.

Why are so few of the "good" characters appearing in the battle? Where are the New Warriors? I only see Gauntlet there. Where are the rest of New Avengers? There's not a single Mighty Avenger there either, where is Hank's team? Why aren't the Fantastic Four or the X-Men called in? And on the side of evil where are the Thunderbolts?

I also think its a little disappointing that Spidey was just a background player in the downfall of Norman. All he gets to do is deck him at the end. But you could say that for everyone with a bone to pick. Iron Man shows up and doesn't really do anything. Captain America shows up as a general but doesn't really do anything aside from that.

I do think it's cool that the ending of the story is about The Sentry going all Void-y and totally batshit insane. A nice consequence. I like the fact that Norman was the one keeping him under control and from harming innocents (though of course he created that problem at the same time).

 

[CaptainCanada]

Where are the New Warriors?

Camp HAMMER, in their tie-ins; they're liberating it.

Where are the rest of New Avengers?

Everybody's there that I saw, apart from Wolverine, who's on Utopia.

There's not a single Mighty Avenger there either, where is Hank's team?

And on the side of evil where are the Thunderbolts?

Cassie and Vision are there in the main book; USAgent and Amadeus Cho travel there by a different route, and team up with Cassie and Vision to fight the Thunderbolts in the pages of that title (the Thunderbolts are on a special mission to steal Gungnir). Hank and Jocasta are stuck in the Infinite Mansion, battling Ultron. Quicksilver's running around moping.

Why aren't the Fantastic Four or the X-Men called in?

If you read the back-pages, Hill advises calling them in #3 to the Secretary of Defense. The meta-reason is this is an Avengers event; in-story, at least for the X-Men, they've been avoiding confronting the government since they went to Utopia, so they wouldn't intervene against HAMMER unless asked, one imagines. Don't know about the Four.

I also think its a little disappointing that Spidey was just a background player in the downfall of Norman. All he gets to do is deck him at the end.

This ultimately isn't a Spider-Man story, so I wasn't expecting him to be the main cause; in the end it was a group effort (Iron Man shuts down his weapons, Steve apprehends him, Spider-Man knocks him out).

 

[Admiral_Young]

Originally last year Marvel announced that Siege would be a much smaller event than it even is now it was expanded to four issues only in the last three or four months along with the other tie in issues. Ultimately (no pun intended) as Captain Canada pointed out this is to set up and build up the Avengers reassembling and the start of the "Heroic Age" in the summer time. This is why you've not seen any of the other players in the Marvel U in the book.

 

[CaptainCanada]

It was never planned to be smaller than four issues, so far as I know; they always end up adding a few tie-ins here and there, but basically all the books tying in are Avengers books already, so it makes sense for them to have some story about the status quo changing.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I remember reading an interview from last year from Bendis where he was saying Siege would be a small mini-event and not a company wide crossover like "Civil War". There were some complaints from fans when it was revealed Siege would be a four issue mini-series. Oh well. I'll still just be getting Siege in hardcover when it comes out in a couple of months.

 

[Trent Roman]

I just read #3 of 4 of SIEGE, the finale of the past five years or so of Marvel Comics. Spoilers!

Not reading past the spoilers, but I'm amused as to how often these events are bandied about as conclusions. Civil War was said to cap the 'trilogy' of Disassembled/House of M/Civil War... but of course, there was more to follow. Secret Invasion was supposed to be the culmination of all those storylines, but naturally it too transitioned into other arcs. And now this small-scale 'event' is the finale to all that? I'd rather except that, unless Marvel is changing their storytelling mode entirely, the elements of the next event(s) are being seeded into, and will stem from, current storylines.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

#3 was pretty good, but Norman fell from grace just about instantly.

Not really. The lead ins to this show Norman's fall pretty well, especially in Spider-Man.

 

[Mr Light]

You mean the info Spidey released to the media in "The List: Spider-Man"? I don't read the monthlies. ... Well no comic book can ever truly END but this is the climax of the entire Avengers Dissembled meta-saga. Now the story will continue with "The Heroic Age", but that just means a return to the status quo of pre-2004 give or take. These things are cyclical.

 

[Mr Light]

So I wonder who the next super-duper guest star is going to be? Y'know the one character who appears in every single Marvel comic book for a year or two? First in Civil War and The Initiative it was Iron Man. Then in World War Hulk it was the Hulk. Then in Dark Reign it was Norman Osborn. I heard a rumor that Steve Rogers will become the new SHIELD Director and Bucky remains Cap so maybe Steve will be the new super guest-star?

 

[Forbin]

Not having a Marvel Universe program to follow, I read last month's Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, and Seige #3 in completely the wrong order. It was... annoying.

 

[Icemizer]

I put this mini right up there with Secret Wars II. In other words absolute garbage. From the title which makes no sense(No Siege taking place anywhere)to the poor characterization going on in the story. The artwork is nothing great to look at and the continuity between the tieins and the rest of the Marvel Universe is beyond bad.

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

I put this mini right up there with Secret Wars II. In other words absolute garbage. From the title which makes no sense(No Siege taking place anywhere)to the poor characterization going on in the story. The artwork is nothing great to look at and the continuity between the tieins and the rest of the Marvel Universe is beyond bad.

I agree and disagree

I think the art work has been very good in a number of issues, Dark Wolverine Siege pretty good, Might Avengers Siege good art and the Siege itself some nice artwork by Coipel who did a great run with JMS on Thor.
The story is a mess, its a long on going mess going back the past few years. Avengers, Spider-Man, Green Goblin, Sentry etc is all one big wreck. Marvel story telling has completely gone down the toilet but either fans have some weird kind of undying loyalty where they buy any old sh#t no matter what or they love the current editors and writers so much the hardcore Avengers fan refuses to admit the Emperor has no clothes. In my opinion the mess has been going on a long time.

Some wirters at Marvel had their ups and downs. One of them JMS has wrote great for Marvel, he wrote a good Surfer and he wrote a great run on Thor but he also had a poor Spider-Man run which got him into a situation where Marvel's Editor in Chief and JMS were butting heads. Somebody either JoeQ or JMS or Marvel management decided Spiderman should be shaken up. So things did shake up! Norman Osborn (Gobbie) hired Mysterio, this mysterious dude fakes the Death of Harry Osborn so he can go do Europe and peacefully recover in hospital. BANG! heroes suddenly start infighting and bang goes the Civil War, Spider-Man is an Avenger, lives with Tony Stark, revealed himself as Peter Parker on national TV, and switched sides in the CivilWar. Then Tony Stark puts on this uber Ironman suit and beats Spider-Man around and Tony hires a Civil War goon squad to almost kill Spider-Man, then Spidey gets rescued by mass murdering lunatic called the Punisher. Peter is on the FBI's most Most Wanted list. Then he and MJ and Aunt May go to a sleazy hotel and Kingpin's hitman blasts Aunt May in the guts. Aunt May is dying in hospital running up an astronomical medical bill. Peter and Mary Jane decide to fix this hospital bill by meeting up with Mephisto, the Devil of the Marvel. The uber demon, the devil himself of Marvelverse blanks everyone's memories of Spider-Man's secret ID and he also cancels everyone's memory of the Parker-Watson marriage.

What else happens? Oh yeah the Sentry a shit Superman rip off with a bucket load of emotional problems. He wants to be Superman but this Sentry spends most of the day pissing his own pants which explains why his costume is yellow, when he does get his brain together he's Silver Age Superman...flying faster than light, catching bullets with his teeth, beating anyone...but overall the character sucks and this Superman clone is the complete and utter definition of FAIL that is the Marvel universe. What else? Skrulls, they invade, blast, clone, beat up every hero and human on Earth. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn the Green friggin Goblin comes in with this bigass Rambo gun, shoots the Skrulls back to whatshername the fuck planet they came from and all of a sudden Obsorb is Ironman, the Goblin is America's Idol. That sumed up is the entire mess hanging around in the background on Brand New Day/ One More Day?
Spider-Man messed up, got the Devil (Mephistopheles) to solve his problems and now the Devil owns Marvel.
and the Sentry and Green Goblin own the Avengers.

Sounds lame?

Damn right its lame

I hate what they are doing with Asgard right now, it looks as if the Marvel editorial are trying to tear down everything straczynski did with Thor for the sake of shock value and its just coming off as a lame stunt to sell more issues. I think this stunt is failing because rumors are the Siege is not selling very well

Hopefully after Siege ends, guys like Bendis and Joe Q will take a step back and tv writers like joss whedon, busiek, miller and straczynski can come back in and write the characters they know best.

 

[CaptainCanada]

From the title which makes no sense(No Siege taking place anywhere)

Siege is often used to mean an assault on a fortified city.

and the continuity between the tieins and the rest of the Marvel Universe is beyond bad.

It's been pretty well put-together from what I've seen.

I do agree there's not a lot of characterization, but it's not really intended as a character-piece; it's an action storyline.

and tv writers like joss whedon, busiek, miller and straczynski can come back in and write the characters they know best.

Miller as in "Crazy Frank" Miller, who hasn't produced anything good in about two decades?

Busiek isn't a TV writer, either.

 

[Forbin]

I'm just wondering what god-awful universe-wide tie-in crapfest will come next.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Norman fell from grace

I thought he was from Three's Company?

Miller as in "Crazy Frank" Miller, who hasn't produced anything good in about two decades?

I blame him personally for the God Damned Batman of the past 25 years, in every incarnation.

 

[Mr Light]

So for those reading the many many tie-ins, which ones are the best and most relevant? Which ones are the worst?

 

[DarthPipes]

Siege is an awful storyline. Just one big nonsencial battle with little character interaction in it. Giving a nut like Norman Osbourne the keys to the country's national security was stupid. He designed Green Goblin glidders for his troops and this didn't raise any alarms with the higher ups? The entire storyline is just garbage.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

the continuity between the tieins and the rest of the Marvel Universe is beyond bad.

you know what gave me an effin headache? 52...and all the tie ins.

Final Crisis has to be one of the worst, if not the worst comic event in the past decade. Siege doesn't even come close.

I tried Final Crisis and couldn't tell what the hell was going on much less what they were trying to drive. And now that's all undone.

And then there is Batman: RIP which seems bad. Is it me or is Morrisson trying to confuse people?

 

[Icemizer]

Final Crisis was horrid as well. A bloated bit of nonsense without purpose.

 

[Mr Light]

I've been enjoying all the recent DC and Marvel crossovers... except for Final Crisis. That one was bad. I've only read the main series of Siege but it's good just really, really rushed.