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Siege #1 Director’s Cut

SPOILER WARNING: I will be discussing marvel Comics’ Siege #1 as well as associated books this week. If you have not checked out these comics yet, you may want to avoid this column up until you do. Don’t worry. It’s the internet. It will still be right here when you come back. Also, don’t fail to remember to refrigerate your comics when you are finished with them, as they spoil easily. as well as creators: always aim to make great comics to assist prevent spoilage. say thanks to you.

If you’re not reading this column right now, may I suggest that you go right here where there’s a monkey riding a Segway.

by KC Carlson

A “siege mentality” is often referred to as “an excessively fearful specify of mind which commonly includes feelings of defensiveness, helplessness, as well as victimization” – all of which I felt, in different degrees, while reading the opening salvo in Marvel’s latest event: Siege.

In the very first pages of Siege #1 (printed as a preview in different marvel comics in the last few weeks), Loki (behind-the-scenes) provokes an encounter, in Chicago, between Asgardian comic-relief Volstagg the Voluminous as well as the unremarkable U-Foes, villains so lame – albeit powerful – they aren’t even determined in the story. things get quickly outtahand, as well as Soldier field is totally destroyed, in the middle of a (Bears, presumably) football game. presuming that the game is well-attended, like most NFL games are, this means that about 60,000 people – not to mention the entire Chicago Bears football team as well as unidentified opposing team – were killed in the “incident”. This figure is a bit over 2% of the present population of Chicago, not an insignificant number.

As Loki points out, the assault on Chicago is premeditated to cause a reaction to a larger problem, similar to the inciting incident utilized to set off Marvel’s Civil war event (written by mark Millar). What’s precisely similar about the two events: B- (or C-) level heroes as well as villains battle, leading to an out-of-control circumstance that triggers much damage as well as death. The major difference: Scope. The death tolls: CW – over 600, including 60 children; Siege – potentially over 60,000. In real-world terms, just under 3,000 people died during the events of 9/11. more on this in a minute.

Siege #1 is a 40-page comic book, priced at $3.99. For your four bucks, you get
•    a 23-page story (six pages of which you’ve most likely already checked out elsewhere)
•    a recap page
•    three pages of cup o’ Joe where the EEK! tries to noise all “gosh wow this is great!” however really comes across as spewing hack-hype for more than a lots reprint collections (Yeah, Stan Lee was understood to hype sometimes as well, however Stan might offer Ben Grimm sun block as well as Norrin Radd airline tickets. Joe Q. is no Stan Lee.)
•    a six-page preview of Hulk #19, the very first huge blast of autumn of the Hulks
•    and a four-page Ares war plan Transcript text function with reprint illustrations – page three of which repeats the text from page one (as Josh explained right here a few days ago). marvel has since revealed that corrected pages will be in Siege #2, as well as the corrected pages are already online.

The date suggested for the Aries war plan Transcript, 4/5/2010, would seem to suggest that marvel has unintentionally screwed up the transcript of the event, months before the actual event takes place! This must be some type of record– for making a error before it really happens! Or may secretly suggest that somebody is behind-the-scenes manipulating time. Dr Doom messes with time, right? (nudge nudge wink wink)

Actually, particularly dating the Ares war plan is somewhat problematical in one more way. If the Dark Avengers are arguing about the invasion of Asgard on the 5th of April, that would date the assault on Soldier field on the 4th (which just occurs to be a Sunday). However, not a great deal of expert football (like, none) is played in April. So my estimates for casualties above may be method off if this is just some type of exhibition football game, where the prospective overall attendance may be method down. Which would likewise lessen the effect of the event. So far, Siege is quite lax on details of the event. They don’t mention the Bears by name, nor the NFL, nor any type of specific team at all, as well as only mention the casualty count in terms of vague “thousands”.

Of course, being vague on the actual details of the event turns it into just one more “summer movie blockbuster” event where we routinely see the damage of entire cities (and national monuments) without truly seeing any type of of the emotional material that such events should entail, as we saw in the devastatingly genuine damage of 9/11 or even in the recent natural catastrophes ofthe 2004 Indian ocean earthquake/tsunami or 2005 Kashmir, Pakistan, or 2008 Sichuan, China, earthquakes. Or even Hurricane Katrina as well as its aftermath.

“Upping the ante” is a excellent American tradition, as well as Siege was just complying with along in the tradition, seriously upping the body count from Civil war (“only” 600 dead – however 60 of them were children!, as we kept horrifyingly being told). The “thousands” dead in Siege, seemingly without consequence, makes the whole sordid affair seem “comic booky” – a unfortunate commentary on the significant backslide of gains of remarkable realism that have occurred in comics over the past a number of decades. It when meant something that a single private died – Uncle Ben, Ma as well as Pa Kent (in the original Superboy story), Gwen Stacy, Supergirl (in Crisis), even Captain marvel succumbing to cancer. Now, countless deaths happen just to initiate a battle between comic book villains (pretending to be heroes) as well as gods.

And where are our heroes? Pointedly, none of them show up in the aftermath of the assault on Soldier field – just Norman Osborn’s “Dark Avengers”. So we are to believe that on 9/11 (an event that supposedly likewise took location in the marvel Universe), the heroes dropped whatever they were doing to assist with the rescue/recovery effort. Yet, for an event we are being told is potentially much more devastating, not a single hero showed up – not even the excellent Lakes Avengers!

Later, Thor is brought down in Siege #1 by a handful of evil marvel power players (really?), as well as Tony Stark (Iron Man) lies virtually brain dead, of his own making, trying to keep his tricks away from the megalomaniacal Osborn. Captain America (the genuine one), having been eliminated from the playing field with his own fake death, is shown viewing the events unfold on TV. as well as inadvertently coming across like Abe Simpson (Homer’s father), virtually as well as ineffectually shaking his fists at the TV like the old guy he truly is. Not supposed to be a funny scene. as well as yet…

Siege: Embedded

I was hoping that Siege: Embedded would get into a bit bit of the human drama lacking in the actual Siege book, however no such luck. once again the actual details of the Soldier field assault are kept vague, with the story more intent on dealing with a unfortunately befuddled Volstagg wandering the Chicago streets in a daze. (I’m afraid that this once-great character will not recuperate from his utilize right here as unintentional harbinger of doom. I hope at least that his ultimate fate will be much better than that of Robbie “Speedball” Baldwin, now understood as the horrible self-mutilating Penance, complying with the events of Civil War). I was likewise not delighted to see a character -Todd Keller – vaguely based on Glenn Beck or expense O’Reilly, having sufficient of that type of nonsense in the genuine world. (Although this character might potentially be a great foil for the liberal Ben Urich if handled correctly.) However, I did enjoy the cameo of Thor-frog on a viewscreen on page 2 of the story. less politics, more amphibians!

I get the feeling Siege – like trick invasion – will function most of its great bits (excepting the huge climax) in the pages of the tie-in books, most most likely the Brian Bendis-written new Avengers as well as Dark Avengers. a few of the very best (and now rare) stand-alone comic books of the past few years were the fill-in-the-gaps stories that filled the pages of new Avengers as well as Mighty Avengers during trick Invasion.

We already understand one of the results of Siege, as it’s been hyped to death for months (and on the cover of Siege #1) – the “real” Avengers reformed around the core of Captain America (Steve Rogers), Thor (Dr. Don Blake), as well as Iron guy (Tony Stark). Interestingly, all three of these characters have been “dead” in one method or one more at least when since this storyline started in Avengers: Disassembled, seven years ago. We’ve likewise been guaranteed that marvel will go into into some type of new “Heroic Age,” which has likewise been hinted at in the pages of Mighty Avengers of late.

It’s about damn time.

It’s really method past time for heroes that act like heroes once again as well as for heroes that we can believe in. In other words, I’m ill as well as tired of the marvel world being ill as well as tired.

Let’s see if it sticks.

It’s not going to be all sunshine as well as rainbows, however. In April, marvel is publishing a book tentatively called Fallen, which suggests that one more hero or two will die in Siege (as if a couple more beyond 60,000 is going to make that much of a difference). It likewise seems likely that Norman Osborn will be out of power, after having his anxious breakdown (too much foreshadowing not to) as well as potentially dead at the hands of Ares (foreshadowing, again), however most likely not before taking a hero or two with him (the haplessSentry, for instance, who foolishly trusts Norman).

And then, there are a couple of wild cards. Bendis has spent as well much time on the new marvel boy to just abandon him to limbo. as well as if concerns from Avengers: Disassembled as well as home of M are truly going to be answered, that can only mean one thing – Wanda (aka the Scarlet Witch) must return.

So, in spite of the unfortunate lack of detail as well as utter lack of emotional material (gotta avoid over that to get to the huge fight!), I still believe Siege may be worthwhile in a summertime popcorn movie, doesn’t truly mean anything type of way, in spite of its disappointing start. If it can bring back the marvel world – as well as really restore heroes that matter – it will be all worth it. I might online with it being a means to a much better end result. The next few months should be interesting.

KC CARLSON SEZ: Besides, a simple explosion couldn’t kill typical Chicago Bears fans, thinking about what they on a regular basis eat: Chicago-style pizza, hot dogs, brats, BBQ ribs, Italian Beef, as well as beer – great deals of beer! Being blown up would most likely just feel like minor gastrointestinal distress to them! likewise consider: brownies as well as Twinkies were both invented in Chicago. as well as the city is a hotbed of ethnic food delights! Go Chicago! house of Da Bears! as well as more fun than a barrel full of monkeys (on Segways)!