|
Post by Shiryu on Feb 12, 2010 11:36:52 GMT -5
I know hardly anyone really is reading this, but since I'm stuck at work with 6 hours to wait for my next patient, I'll make a quick summary/review/comment anyway. And yep, I know it should go under "other events", but at least here someone could accidentally enter the topic and read it So, quick prologue "where-are-they-now" style. Just before Siege Asgard is in Oklahoma and ruled by Balder, who has been reveiled to be a son of Odin too in JMS' run. Thor has been exiled for killing his grandfather in battle. Don Blake is looking after a recovering Tony Stark, who had erased his own brain in order to prevent Norman from accessing his information. Norman is growing increasingly insane, succumbing to his Green Goblin persona and manipulated by Loki. Siege #1 In short, Loki convinces Osborn to attack Asgard, and Norman produces a casus belli by having the U-Foes attack Volstagg and throw him in a baseball stadium. The resulting explosion kills everyone there except for Volstagg himself, who, through manipulated television footage, is framed for having caused "another Stanford". Osborn rallies a huge huge army including his Dark Avengers, the Initiative and several officially reformed criminals to launch a full-scale attack, despite president Obama's vocal opposition. Ares (who, as we have discussed, has become close with the Asgardians) is against the idea, but Norman tricks him by saying that Asgard is under Loki's control. In and outside the Golden City armies clash, with Thor quickly joining the frey, only to be taken down by the combined powers of Norman, Moonstone, U-Foes, Sentry and a few more. The battle is broadcasted live on TV, and Steve Rogers is not happy to see what's happening. Siege #2 Maria Hill rescues a weakened Thor (with a rocket launcher ^^) and brings him to safety. Heimdall convinces Ares that he has been tricked and the god of war runs to Osborn for revenge. He is quickly battled by Sentry, who by now seems to have become a complete puppet in Norman's hands, with glowing eyes and not speaking a word. Ares stabs Sentry with his axe but is quickly outmatched and ripped apart. Captain America in the meantime has reunited New Avengers, Young Avengers and Secret Warriors, the group now led by Nick Fury (and which includes Ares' stepson, Phobos). He basically says it's time to get the world back and the all head to Asgard (minus Phobos, who is just 9). Outside Asgard, Daken (Dark Wolverine, Logan's son) finds Thor, only to be fried by a lightning. Osborn, Moonstone and Sentry are about to attack when Captain America's shield goes flying towards Norman's head. So, the bad - Price is way too high. Issues are about 30/34 pages long, but only 22 are on the actual story. The rest is some pointless "log" thing and a few maps. The meh - Keeping in mind it's only been 2 issues, we have hardly seen the famous Asgardians except for a few shots in the background. Other than Balder and Ares crossing swords for a second, there hasn't been any clash between, say, Fandral, Hogun, Tyr, Sif, Heimdall etc against Venom, Bullseye or any other high-level enemy. Everyone seems to be going for footsoldiers at the moment. - Ordinary Asgardians are not being depicted as anything "godly" in terms of strenght, even not particularly strong villains like Taskmaster or Bullseye seem able to kill them by the dozen while hardly receiving a few scratches. In fairness however this has often happened in Thor's book (and I do wonder how can Asgard still have *any* warrior given how many die at each Ragnarok, battle etc). - Steve Rogers came across a bit... off during his speech. Not completely wrong, but too much stiff general-like, rather than inspirational. The good - Art is pretty awesome. I'm not a fan of Coipel normally, but here he has done a great work. I particularly appreciate how characters' pupils appear contracted in moments of great fear, shock or surprise, just like it happens in real life (and in manga/anime). Backgrounds are busy with figures and characters but still clear to understand, and Asgard itself, although seldom seen due to smoke and fires going on is very medieval looking. - Characterization so far has been decent. Except for Ares, whom we have already discussed, and the aforementioned bit with Cap, everyone was more or less in character. Thor and Loki at times appear slightly forced but they keep the speech patterns introduced by JMS (ie not Shakesperean but still well-spoken, fantasy style). - The story seems to be flowing at a decent pace. Unlike Civil War or especially Secret Invasion, where things just seemed to be happening without much rhyme or reason, here the focus is pretty good and we are not constantly moving from one place to the other. In #2 there are also some amusing moments, like Maria Hill saving Thor with a rocket launcher or Norman's "incoming" sensor. So, all in all it's not too bad. If it doesn't take a turn for the worse, it could be the best Marvel event in the last few years as far as I'm concerned.
|
|
|
Post by starfoxxx on Feb 12, 2010 17:11:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the review! That's why i like being part of this community. I Don't really have the funds/patience for another "big event", so posts like these are invaluable.
I have been picking up Cap:Reborn, though, and I felt the big "return" in the finale was somewhat----- anticlimactic. Still waiting for a series that can produce a great "stand alone" issue, and still I can only rely on Guardians of the Galaxy for that.
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on Feb 13, 2010 13:40:07 GMT -5
Glad you liked it I agree, it seemed to happen too early in the issue, Steve just kicked the Skull away and was again in control. It would have worked better at the end of #5 perhaps, or of 6 itself.
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on Apr 22, 2010 15:56:42 GMT -5
A few weeks late, here I am with #3. Here is what happens, in a nutshell
USA President (again, clearly Obama, but always kept in shadows) keeps watching what's happening at Asgard. He vehemently disagrees with Norman's actions and states that the man is out of control and has to be taken down. Entrusting this mission to Captain America and Nick Fury, the President rejects the option of bombing everyone and orders the army jets to take down the main HAMMER helicarrier, which they immediately do. In the meantime, Avengers, Young Avengers and allies battle Norman's Dark Avengers and the Initiative. Loki teleports a group of supervillains on the battlefield, all led by the Hood and powered with the Norn Stones. As the battle erupts (mostly showed in a number of "one-scene" shots), Thor starts fighting against Sentry, now totally under control of the Void, and Speed from the YA runs to town to deliver a briefcase to a recovering Tony Stark. Captain America (Steve Rogers) is having a hard time against Norman/Iron Patriot, when suddenly the latter's armour stops working. Iron Man, in his original red and gold armour from the Silver Age, shows up explaining that he has overridden the system and taken control of Norman's armour. Norman orders Sentry (now looking like a monster, with shining red eyes and tentacles coming out of his mouth) to destroy Asgard. Sentry obeys and flies at super-speed into the town, destroying the foundations and toppling the entire city, much to Thor's dismay and desperation. The Iron Patriot's armour drops off Norman's body, revealing a Green Goblin-looking Osborn, with green skin and yellow teeth. Spider-Man drops him with a punch, but it's not over: Sentry has turned in a complete monster threatening to kill everyone.
So, overall a so-so issue, my least favourite so far. There are too many characters, and as a result the battles hardly last more than a single picture, a bit like in the last issue of Civil War. Considering the characters involved, it's hard to believe that Bullseye, for example, can be defeated by Hawkeye with just a kick. Also, for half the issue there is an annoying voice-over comment by Obama and assistants, mostly repeating what is already been shown. I usually don't mind this, but those comments are a total waste of space in this instance ("what?! Nick Fury is there? What is he doing there? What?! Maria Hill is there?" and so on). Moreover, Asgardians other than Thor are still missing in action, despite the battle taking place in their very town.
For the "meh", we see the FF and X-Men watching it all on TV. I can see the X-Men not leaving their Utopia nation, but it's hard to believe that the Fantastic Four would watch their friends fight and risk their lives without even attempting to do something.
On the good side, art is once again top notch, with some spectacular shots, and it's nice to see Tony back as Iron Man. Characterization is mostly well-done, but once again no one really shines.
In between this and next issue take place the 5 Siege one-shots, starring Captain America (so so), Young Avengers (some nice moments as they take on the Wreaking Crew), Spider-Man (fighting Venom side by side with Carol Denvers, who seems to have a crush of him as a consequence of events that took place in her own book) and Loki (the best so far, portraying Loki as the mastermind he is and explaining a number of past events).
Siege #4 comes out in mid-May
|
|
kidcage
Reservist Avenger
Posts: 167
|
Post by kidcage on Apr 25, 2010 14:00:15 GMT -5
After re-reading the entire three issues in one sitting, I can say I do enjoy this, but some of the criticisms are valid. While this is happening on Asgard, for the most part most of the top Asgardians aren't there? I know Volstagg is making his way back, but where are the other two of the Warriors Three? Also, the Asgardians seem to be going down real easy to guys like Bullseye. I think what also has hurt the series is the fact that #3 came out in mid-March or so, and now we have to wait a month and a half for the finale when all the preview art and such for Heroic Age basically lets us know that everything is okay.
It just kind of killed any sort of suspense when in the solicit for the next NA issue is "What is the fate of Mockingbird?!" and then the next week the headline is: "Hawkeye and Mockingbird ongoing starts in June!" Call me old-fashioned, but a bit of suspense isn't a bad thing in reading a crossover event like this.
In terms of the one-shots: Captain America was the weakest, I enjoyed YA and Spider-Man (especially after being such a fan of the Ms. Marvel series), but Loki has been the best. I'm interested to see where the Secret Warriors one goes.
Sentry though in that last picture looked like something out of an HP Lovecraft story.
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on May 14, 2010 11:27:46 GMT -5
So, issue 4 concludes the story. Let's see what happens
The Void is attacking the assembled heroes, and seems to be easily gaining the upper hand. Loki is in tears for what has happened to Asgard, and for his role in it. He begs Odin for forgiveness, then deprives the Hood and co of the Norne Stones and lends their power to the heroes, who start fighting back. After having received a few blows, the Void understands that it's all Loki's doing and seems to kill him (Loki's final words are "I'm sorry, brother"). An enraged Thor strikes with the full power of the lightning, while Iron Man takes control of the huge HAMMER helicarrier, orders everyone to evacuate and uses it as a giant bullet against the Void, creating a gigantic impact crater. Norman Osborn tries to get away, but is caught first by Cap and then by Volstagg. In the middle of the crater, Sentry has reversed back to Bob Reynolds. In tears, he asks the heroes to kill him. They refuse, and the Void gains control again. Thor strikes with a massive lightning, killing Void/Sentry/Bob for good. The Sentry tower disappears from the top of Avengers' tower. Thor flies to space with Bob's corpse, and tearfully throws it into the sun. A few days later, Steve Rogers is at the President's office. The President puts him in charge, and Steve is quick to point out that things will be done in his way. The Superhero Registration Act is cancelled, Norman and the Dark Avengers are (mostly) arrested and Hammes is disbanded. The heroes meet for a party on top of Avengers' tower, where Thor appears with a few fellow gods and materializes what remains of an Asgardian building as a symbol of the union between Asgard and Midgard. Steve is happy to hear that because "I'm going to need all of you for what comes next".
So, an interesting and pretty good issue. In many ways, I found it the opposite of the previous three, in that the writing is pretty good (I daresay that Bendis has written Thor surprisingly well in this mini), while the art at times doesn't fully convey the magnitude of the events. This is especially true for the big battle, the drawings are nice, even outstanding at times, but most characters except for Thor and Iron Man seem to be just hanging around watching. Void itself isn't the most physical of villains, he doesn't throw punches or anything, just produces this... tendrils of darkness.
Another criticism is that once again Asgardians are virtually useless, with the only exceptions of Thor, Volstagg and Loki. But, talking of Loki, I think he is the highlight of the book. If his prayers for atonement are a trick, then it doesn't show because his plead is pretty realistic, and even his thought balloons seem to imply that he is truly sorry for what's happened. However, keep in mind that in the recent "Siege: Loki", he has become truly immortal, so it might all be a ruse. Either way, I think it was a nice touch.
I saw the death of the Sentry coming all the way from #1 and, having never been a fan of the guy, I don't really care. I think his role was to temporary fill in for Thor as strong guy while our thunder god was gone. Thos is back, so let's get rid of the Sentry ^^
The final pages were nice, you can feel the new atmosphere. There hadn't been such a public gathering of heroes for a long time, so it was more than welcome.
A few final points
- The F.F., X-Men and Daredevil join the final party, despite not having been involved directly in Siege. Daredevil may be an artist's addition given his current role as head of the Hand and crime leader.
- In a Supermen-esque gesture, Thor flies all the way to the sun. Is it me or he has never been shown to be able to move so easily in space? I remember him flying from one space ship to the next, holding his breath, but never quite being so confortable outside Earth.
- Dark Avengers expands on the destiny of Norman's group, showing that Daken/Dark Wolverine manages to get away. Victoria Hand is captured, but, after a long talk with her, Cap decides to pardon her and has her join Shield (or whatever the new agency is called).
|
|
|
Post by woodside on May 14, 2010 19:05:53 GMT -5
The only thing that really disappointed me about this series is that really undid the events of just about everything from "Civil War" on up. The SHRA is thrown out in the span of what, two panels? Just like that? Why?
I would rather have had a few panels about the SHRA being changed and re-worked. I was also hoping for a confrontation between Spidey and Osborne. It would have been really cool if it was Spider-Man who ended up bringing Norman in.
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on May 15, 2010 15:48:22 GMT -5
I suppose it's down to interpretation, but to me the fact that the Heroic Age begins with the SHRA being undone implies that, despite saying during Civil War that both sides were right to some extent, Marvel saw the Act as one of the first steps that eventually led to the Dark Reign. I was more surprised with all the pro-registration heroes accepting it without saying a word, but with all they've been through they probably accepted it as the best solution.
|
|
|
Post by Ignore Me! on May 16, 2010 10:46:46 GMT -5
So do you think this was Marvel's plan all along, or do you think their new owner, Disney, pushed them towards the heroic age?
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on May 16, 2010 10:53:34 GMT -5
Neither. I don't really believe the "7 years in the making" story, as several interviews from CW and SI say that plans were changed at the last minute (for example, Sentry was to die at the end of Secret Invasion), but I also don't think that Disney has any saying in these type of decisions. I read it more as part of the old "change everything but don't change anything" editorial line, and possibly as a response to the fact that most readers were against the SHRA at the time of CW.
|
|
|
Post by goldenfist on May 16, 2010 11:09:13 GMT -5
Great my favorite character the sentry is gone now I will never hear the end of it.
|
|
Doctor Bong
Young Avenger
Master of belly dancing! (No, really...)
Posts: 73
|
Post by Doctor Bong on May 17, 2010 2:11:48 GMT -5
I suppose it's down to interpretation, but to me the fact that the Heroic Age begins with the SHRA being undone implies that, despite saying during Civil War that both sides were right to some extent, Marvel saw the Act as one of the first steps that eventually led to the Dark Reign. I was more surprised with all the pro-registration heroes accepting it without saying a word, but with all they've been through they probably accepted it as the best solution. Well, so much for the weak plot device that had Reed join the pro side on the grounds that he was 100 % sure if the Registration didn't come to pass then the end of the world as we know it was gonna take place... .
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on May 17, 2010 12:45:50 GMT -5
Hmm, and yet it's also true that the SHRA, by eventually causing the Dark Reign, has also brought forward the Heroic Age. Perhaps it was a case of "it has to get worse before it gets better?"
Ok, I'm catching at straws ;D
|
|
|
Post by freedomfighter on May 18, 2010 11:56:15 GMT -5
So I'm confused. Why do people like super heroes again? Enough that the SHRA is overturned? Seriously. What happened in Siege to possibly make people like super heroes again? If anything, the events of this latest dust up in the MU would leave people even more threatened. Was it ever explained that Volstagg was set up? I honestly may have missed it as I only read it in my LCS. If not then people just saw another super hero kill hundreds of people. Then they got to see a battle in Asgard by two groups out of control, trying to destroy each other. What average joe could tell the difference between the Dark Avengers and the Avengers for example? All anybody watching this would know is it looks a lot like Civil War all over again. And the Void came out? I can't imagine that no one got footage of that. So on the news you got to see the Sentry go completely bonkers and evil. Awesome. That's good PR... If anything a huge honking event like this would convince me that super heroes need MORE regulation, not less. How does this launch the Heroic Age, exactly?
|
|
kidcage
Reservist Avenger
Posts: 167
|
Post by kidcage on May 18, 2010 13:43:13 GMT -5
How does this launch the Heroic Age, exactly? Because BENDIS says so, lol.
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on May 18, 2010 14:34:21 GMT -5
I think superheroes became popular again when they defeated the Skrull Invasion in SI. From that moment on, the crowd seemed to be behind them again. Even the Dark Avengers had some fans asking them for autographs.
|
|
|
Post by freedomfighter on May 18, 2010 15:45:11 GMT -5
I think superheroes became popular again when they defeated the Skrull Invasion in SI. From that moment on, the crowd seemed to be behind them again. Even the Dark Avengers had some fans asking them for autographs. OK. But didn't it look like some of the superheroes were the bad guys in that event too? Or were all the skrulls who were impostors revealed to the public in a forum so everyone could see it? Again, I didn't buy the event, only read it in the LCS and don't recall the finale completely. And if that was the case, why wasn't the SHRA overturned then? And why would the events of Siege not push people back towards registration? To me, this would be a step backwards...
|
|
|
Post by Shiryu on May 18, 2010 18:40:02 GMT -5
Well, imagine this is the same population that hailed Norman Osborn as hero and virtually put him in charge before the President did, so not the most consistent lot.
But yes, Skrull-heroes were publically revealed to be Skrulls, mostly in the Embedded book that run alongside the event, although I suppose the general public still doesn't quite know who was exactly who.
As to why the SHRA wasn't overturned then, I suppose it's because it wasn't in Osborn's interest to do so. Even now, the SHRA has not been overturned as a direct consequence of Siege itself. It was overturned as a consequence of Steve Rogers' raise to power, which was a consequence of Siege. It was one of the conditions set by Steve to accept the new role offered him by the government, but had it all happened in exactly the same way except for this detail, the SHRA would still be there. The government kind of had to bow its head and say yes.
As a side note, in Iron-Man's own book, Tony has erared his own memory, and then resetted it to a "backup" done "months" ago, certainly before Civil War. He read of his role in Civil War and of Cap's death in the newspapers and commented "oh my God"
|
|
|
Post by freedomfighter on May 18, 2010 21:23:16 GMT -5
Well, imagine this is the same population that hailed Norman Osborn as hero and virtually put him in charge before the President did, so not the most consistent lot. But yes, Skrull-heroes were publically revealed to be Skrulls, mostly in the Embedded book that run alongside the event, although I suppose the general public still doesn't quite know who was exactly who. As to why the SHRA wasn't overturned then, I suppose it's because it wasn't in Osborn's interest to do so. Even now, the SHRA has not been overturned as a direct consequence of Siege itself. It was overturned as a consequence of Steve Rogers' raise to power, which was a consequence of Siege. It was one of the conditions set by Steve to accept the new role offered him by the government, but had it all happened in exactly the same way except for this detail, the SHRA would still be there. The government kind of had to bow its head and say yes. As a side note, in Iron-Man's own book, Tony has erared his own memory, and then resetted it to a "backup" done "months" ago, certainly before Civil War. He read of his role in Civil War and of Cap's death in the newspapers and commented "oh my God" OK Shiryu I appreciate your explanation. I personally don't see a lot of this stuff unfolding the way Marvel decided it would, but that's pretty much a given these days...
|
|
|
Post by goldenfist on May 21, 2010 13:14:03 GMT -5
Ya have to wonder about J Jonah Jameson he hates alot of the heroes who always wear a mask over there face and he still hates Spider-Man.
Jameson is the mayor of New York and it makes me think he will do anything to make the people still belive that the heroes are still a menace to the world.
|
|