I'm sure the four of you reading this wonder what my thoughts about the recent releases are and I assure you, I DO have thoughts to share! Unfortunately, I left my stack of recent comics in the car and I am in my Guitar Hero pajama pants, riding out Snowpocalypse III (THIS time, it's personal!). I may not be as dedicated to updating this new blog as I'd like, but I am FIERCELY dedicated to the practice of staying out of the snow once I've put on my lounge wear. On the bright side, I do have this week's most anticipated release sitting in front of me--Marvel's SIEGE #1.
I hope it goes without saying, but all of my reviews should be read with an expectation of SPOILERS! I will avoid revealing ALL of an issue's key plot points, but some spoilage is inevitable in any kind of comic analysis... We good? Okay... ONWARD! Read. Absorb. Discuss.
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SIEGE #1
WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
PENCILLER: OLIVIER COIPEL
INKER: MARK MORALES
COLORIST: LAURA MARTIN
COVER BY COIPEL, MORALES, and MARTIN
MARVEL COMICS $3.99
Loki, God of Mischief, has partnered with Norman Osborn, Director of H.A.M.M.E.R., on a plan to overthrow Asgard, home of the Norse Gods. Asgard has been hovering over a small town in Oklahoma for the better part of a year, a situation which Norman finds unacceptable and Loki finds ripe with opportunity. Unbeknownst to Norman, Loki is playing him like Brillo-headed fiddle, and is trying to pit Osborn (with the full might of the Initiative) and the Asgardians against each other. Meanwhile, Norman has been slowly losing his already fragile grip on sanity and Steve Rogers has returned ready to put an end to Norman's dark reign once and for all.
SIEGE #1WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
PENCILLER: OLIVIER COIPEL
INKER: MARK MORALES
COLORIST: LAURA MARTIN
COVER BY COIPEL, MORALES, and MARTIN
MARVEL COMICS $3.99
Loki, God of Mischief, has partnered with Norman Osborn, Director of H.A.M.M.E.R., on a plan to overthrow Asgard, home of the Norse Gods. Asgard has been hovering over a small town in Oklahoma for the better part of a year, a situation which Norman finds unacceptable and Loki finds ripe with opportunity. Unbeknownst to Norman, Loki is playing him like Brillo-headed fiddle, and is trying to pit Osborn (with the full might of the Initiative) and the Asgardians against each other. Meanwhile, Norman has been slowly losing his already fragile grip on sanity and Steve Rogers has returned ready to put an end to Norman's dark reign once and for all.
I've been looking forward to Siege ever since it was announced several months back. I've enjoyed the Dark Reign theme that's been a part of Marvel's story lines this past year, but the ending to that story has been foreshadowed since the moment it began, and I've been eager to see Osborn crash and burn. Does Siege #1 deliver on a year's worth of hype? So far, I think it does!
The spark that ignites the conflict is shown in the issue's opening pages and ties thematically to the opening of Civil War, one of Marvel's past events. The scene helps to illustrate the connection between the two events--if the superhero Civil War hadn't happened, there wouldn't have been a Dark Reign--without seeming repetitive. Bendis delivers an excellent script here, and does a great job building anticipation for the titular siege, setting the stage for what's to come. The writer juggles a huge cast here, and all of the characters are spot on. Bendis has a reputation for decompressed storytelling, and has, in my opinion, had a bad habit of stretching story lines out for too long in the past. Sometimes his excellent knack for dialogue and character development makes up for it, sometimes it doesn't. In Siege #1, Bendis's trademark dialogue is delivered, and is done so without wasting a single page...The pacing is perfect.
Bendis's words are brought to life beautifully by the art team of Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, and Laura Martin. I've had a soft spot for Coipel's art since I first encountered it on DC's Legion of Super-Heroes a few years back and he's gotten better with every project. The amount of detail packed into every panel is astounding. Morales and Martin make those details pop off the page. It was a treat to see all of the obscure villains under Norman's command (though my Nerd Alarm went off when I saw Diamondback--a character shown to be working undercover AGAINST Norman in Avengers: The Initiative--in the group of villains that took down Thor). I took special note of all of the old New Warriors villains that appeared throughout the book. I wonder if Coipel shares my passion for that hidden gem from the 90s. Whether they're illustrating intense action or talking heads, the art team brings their best to these pages.
My complaints with the issue are few. I feel that the final scene with Thor should have played out "live" on the page and in greater detail, rather than as news footage being watched from the sidelines. It took some of the punch away from the last couple of pages for me. Joe Quesada's "how cool are we" summary of Marvel's last several events was a necessary evil, I suppose, but it would have served better as part of the dramatic recap page at the beginning of the issue, rather than as a tongue-in-cheek prose piece at the end. I had mixed feeling about the "transcript" at the end of the issue. It stretched out a scene already depicted in the actual story and seemed superfluous. Plus, it was misprinted, repeating one page of text and omitting another, so part of the transcript is missing from the book entirely (though Marvel has already posted the corrected transcript for free on their website). I would have liked the main story to have a few more pages. For an event book, 21 story pages (22 counting the recap page) feels a bit light. That said, if you flip through the book, you'll notice that there is only ONE ad in the entire book (disregarding the back and inside covers)--not too shabby. The book wraps up with a Hulk preview, but it looks like that's featured in all of Marvel's books this week, so it has nothing to do with this issue in particular.
So, Siege is being hyped as the culmination of SEVEN years of storytelling dating all the way back to Avengers Disassembled. Looking back, though there were some rough patches along the way, I can see how Marvel has tied each event together, leading us to where we are now. I have to give them credit for that. It's a stretch to say that Siege #1 offers any hint to how everything is going to tie up, but it sets up the larger story very nicely. I'm very excited to see where the Marvel Universe is headed, and I'm especially eager to see the "heroes as outlaws/villains in charge" atmosphere make way for a return to a more heroic age in the Marvel Universe. Siege #1 is an excellent first step on the road to what's ahead. It's not a perfect book, but it's well worth your time and your $3.99.
The best part about this review is that after reading it I can sound like I know what I'm talking about to my customers without actually reading the book. That's pretty impressive! More please!
ReplyDeleteLoungewear engaged! Well done! Cheers, Ben
ReplyDeleteI liked it myself. I appreciated the fact that the book kept moving forward at all times. If that means that the "transcript" was a deleted scene from the original script, then I'm very happy they made the decision to cut it from the story proper. The way they sped through the opening scene set a (wisely-chosen) fast pace for the story. I'm intrigued to see if they can keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThough I do roll my eyes every time I read "An event SEVEN years in the making!" Why don't they just go ahead and advertise it as having a "cast of thousands" as well? LOL.