What do you think?
Rate this book
Siege
Siege
Collects Siege (2010) #1-4 & Cabal Norman Osborn has one obstacle left between him and world domination...Asgard! Will he take control and become all-powerful? Can the Marvel heroes trust each other long enough to stop him? What will be left when the dust settles?
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2010
119 people are currently reading
1098 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,409 books2,574 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 276 reviews
June 7, 2023
Siege as in Norman Osborn's siege of Asgard. The final wheel of the Dark Reign sees Osborn's ultimate gamble in aiming to take down Thor and Asgard. A truly epic battle spread over five months (of multiple monthly comic books) sees the final fate of the Dark Reign alongside the return of a Marvel headliner(!). The Bendis written Siege is another masterclass in superhero book storytelling, but admittedly may lack potency without reading all the Dark Reign reality crossovers that preceded it. And now.. bring on the Heroic Age? 9 out of 12, solid Four Stars for this volume.
2023 and 2011 read
2023 and 2011 read
February 10, 2017
Siege was the culmination of the Dark Reign crossover event, which had the potential to be amazing and generally, in Bendis’ hands, it was. The Marvel Universe does a 180 and Dark Reign saw Norman Osborn and his evil Avengers take control, but Osborn’s command (if he ever had any) over the Cabal (the Evil Illuminati) has slowly waned, but his pal Loki’ll stick with him.
Osborn has been Loki’s patsy for some time and now it’s time to finalize his grand plan with the prize just within in reach. The plan: engineer an incident that forces a U.S. confrontation with Asgard, which is currently hanging over Broxton, Oklahoma.
Initially, even Thor is overwhelmed by the forces of H.A.M.M.E.R. (“Hammer don’t hurt ‘em.”)
The real Avengers to the rescue. Note the looming reflection in Osborn’s face plate.
Wait for it…
Boo-yah!
Bottom line: Bendis has the knack to be able to put together the core books for these events and have them not only make sense but be entertaining. Some of the tie-in books for Dark Reign and Siege are horrible, but reading this one will whet your appetite for the better volumes.
Osborn has been Loki’s patsy for some time and now it’s time to finalize his grand plan with the prize just within in reach. The plan: engineer an incident that forces a U.S. confrontation with Asgard, which is currently hanging over Broxton, Oklahoma.
Initially, even Thor is overwhelmed by the forces of H.A.M.M.E.R. (“Hammer don’t hurt ‘em.”)
The real Avengers to the rescue. Note the looming reflection in Osborn’s face plate.
Wait for it…
Boo-yah!
Bottom line: Bendis has the knack to be able to put together the core books for these events and have them not only make sense but be entertaining. Some of the tie-in books for Dark Reign and Siege are horrible, but reading this one will whet your appetite for the better volumes.
May 6, 2011
Siege is everything I love about Bendis! It feels like everything that started in Civil War has finally come full circle. Not that there is ever any real finality in comics (graphic novels, whatever), but you do get closure on some of the issues that have been hanging out in the Marvel/Avenger universe for quite some time. *sigh* The End...ish.
May 2, 2016
HAMMER Director Norman Osborn has decided to defy Presidential orders and wield his powers at their utmost to destroy Asgard.
Fortunately some still stand with Asgard and against Norman Osborn.
Siege is the ultimate outcome everyone expected when Norman Osborn was placed in charge of world security. A heinous crime against a people group that couldn't be ignored. He chose Asgard and surprisingly he had enough muscle to get the job done. This series is pure mayhem with things being destroyed left and right. Some characters die while others show their true selves to the world.
Siege is a story of rebirth through destruction, but anyone looking for intricate plot lines should look elsewhere.
Fortunately some still stand with Asgard and against Norman Osborn.
Siege is the ultimate outcome everyone expected when Norman Osborn was placed in charge of world security. A heinous crime against a people group that couldn't be ignored. He chose Asgard and surprisingly he had enough muscle to get the job done. This series is pure mayhem with things being destroyed left and right. Some characters die while others show their true selves to the world.
Siege is a story of rebirth through destruction, but anyone looking for intricate plot lines should look elsewhere.
May 20, 2012
I didn’t finish this story when it first came out due to “event fatigue.” Marvel had too many crossover events that a few years ago I just ceased to follow the monthly comics and waited for the trade. I actually started on the first two issues but dropped it when I was overwhelmed by the tie-ins. Ironically, Marvel touted this as a small scale event, and perhaps the company was aware of their overabundance of events. This was indeed smaller in scale since it only had four issues and I was able to read all of it in one sitting since those books were available digitally on the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited resource on Marvel.com.
The Siege in question here was an actual military action by Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, and his villainous cohorts on Asgard. With a lot of heroes in hiding due to Osborn’s rule as director of H.A.M.M.E.R., Asgard stood as an ostentatious symbol of defiance in these dark times. Osborn wanted it brought down and he succeeded, though that was not the only one to fall on that momentous day.
This could have easily been folded into the monthly Thor title, but I understood why this needed its own miniseries. The ramifications of the Siege brought about a sea change in story direction, which ended a lot of story threads and begat new ones. The Dark Reign was over and Asgard literally fell. The Sentry finally became unhinged and killed Ares before he himself was brought down like a rabid dog. Steve Rogers became America’s top cop, inheriting a role once worn by Nick Fury, Tony Stark and Norman Osborn; and the Avengers could operate in the open again, essentially heralding a new “Heroic Age.” Just in time really, I was beginning to tire of Osborn in charge of everything.
I enjoyed this story a lot. Admittedly, I would always be partial to story where Thor gets to swing his hammer a lot and bring down a lot of bad guys. It was a good story with a lot of warriors fighting and dying by the platoon. There was a different flavor to Brian Bendis’ dialogue that I liked and Oliver Coipel’s beautiful pencils are always a draw for me. This story rated an easy four stars from me.
The Siege in question here was an actual military action by Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, and his villainous cohorts on Asgard. With a lot of heroes in hiding due to Osborn’s rule as director of H.A.M.M.E.R., Asgard stood as an ostentatious symbol of defiance in these dark times. Osborn wanted it brought down and he succeeded, though that was not the only one to fall on that momentous day.
This could have easily been folded into the monthly Thor title, but I understood why this needed its own miniseries. The ramifications of the Siege brought about a sea change in story direction, which ended a lot of story threads and begat new ones. The Dark Reign was over and Asgard literally fell. The Sentry finally became unhinged and killed Ares before he himself was brought down like a rabid dog. Steve Rogers became America’s top cop, inheriting a role once worn by Nick Fury, Tony Stark and Norman Osborn; and the Avengers could operate in the open again, essentially heralding a new “Heroic Age.” Just in time really, I was beginning to tire of Osborn in charge of everything.
I enjoyed this story a lot. Admittedly, I would always be partial to story where Thor gets to swing his hammer a lot and bring down a lot of bad guys. It was a good story with a lot of warriors fighting and dying by the platoon. There was a different flavor to Brian Bendis’ dialogue that I liked and Oliver Coipel’s beautiful pencils are always a draw for me. This story rated an easy four stars from me.
June 29, 2025
A somewhat grand scale feeling conflict that sees power pummelling power in gory displays of violence. The premise of Osborn and his Avengers raging war against Asgard is exciting, however, it is less narrative focused the longer it goes on, and is instead a regular super power beat down with a predictable conclusion. There are a lot of familiar faces, many of whom are not given much to do, but it's nice to see the interactions, regardless of how infrequent and inconsequential most of them are. A ton of fun and a good pick for those who want an event they don't have to invest too much into.
actual rating 3.5 stars
actual rating 3.5 stars
December 16, 2015
"SIEGE" capped years of storylines, from Avengers Disassembled, through House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion and finally "Dark Reign". It is a satisfying crossover event, reminiscent of a Hollywood Summer Blockbuster.
Because he is all sorts of crazy - and with some nudging by Loki, the Norse God of Mischief - Norman Osborn finally cracks and orders, then leads, the invasion of Asgard. The heroes finally decide that Osborn has gone too far and they decide to bring him down.
Often criticized for writing long, decompressed crossovers, Bendis gives us a brisk 4-parter that hits all the right notes: big stakes, big brawls, funny one-liners, and also realistic dialogue [for a comic book]. Olivier Coipel's art is great, as usual. And let's not forget the inks by Mark Morales and the colors by Laura Martin. The result is an absolutely beautiful book that is a joy to read.
While a good read in its own right, I feel reading some of the companion volumes (such as Siege: Thor and - especially - Siege: Dark Avengers) will greatly improve the reader's enjoyment of this book. Their contents add other layers to the main story, and that helps make an already good book even better.
"SIEGE" did not revolutionise comics. It wasn't meant to. But, for my money, as an [entertaining] event comic, it doesn't get much better than this.
Because he is all sorts of crazy - and with some nudging by Loki, the Norse God of Mischief - Norman Osborn finally cracks and orders, then leads, the invasion of Asgard. The heroes finally decide that Osborn has gone too far and they decide to bring him down.
Often criticized for writing long, decompressed crossovers, Bendis gives us a brisk 4-parter that hits all the right notes: big stakes, big brawls, funny one-liners, and also realistic dialogue [for a comic book]. Olivier Coipel's art is great, as usual. And let's not forget the inks by Mark Morales and the colors by Laura Martin. The result is an absolutely beautiful book that is a joy to read.
While a good read in its own right, I feel reading some of the companion volumes (such as Siege: Thor and - especially - Siege: Dark Avengers) will greatly improve the reader's enjoyment of this book. Their contents add other layers to the main story, and that helps make an already good book even better.
"SIEGE" did not revolutionise comics. It wasn't meant to. But, for my money, as an [entertaining] event comic, it doesn't get much better than this.
January 17, 2026
I need to uo my Avengers game because I don't know what the hell is going on.
March 10, 2021
Whoa this was insane. Norman Osborne wants Asgard to leave Oklahoma, to leave the U.S. he says it shouldn’t be there. This is stemming from JMS Thor run. He calls the president to see if he can force them out. He says no. So he schemes with Loki to devise a plan. This was big and bombastic. Norman and his avengers and the initiative storming Asgard?? A big giant battle goes down in here. Do you think Osborne would be able to keep it together and not snap and lose it? Well you find the answers here. There is also another big climax here that has some devastating effects. It was great to see Steve Rogers back in action. Curious to see where Bendis takes the Avengers title from here.
September 26, 2013
For a crossover event, this is actually quite good. I may be biased on that mark, though. I hated Civil War, and the Registration Act, and I'm no fan of the Osborn storyline. I don't really understand how he worked his way into the position that he did. Then again, the characters don't seem to get it either, so at least I'm not alone there. I might have ended up liking anything that did away with either one, much less both, even if it had ended up being terrible.
Good thing it isn't. Pulling off a big even like this is really tough. There's a tendency to cram as many characters as possible onto every page, at the expense of clarity. Bendis does an admirable job of avoiding the worst of this. Yes, there are a lot of characters, but far less than there could have been. Even some major characters are entirely offstage. Better yet, there's only a handful of characters who are given significant time on panel. The end result is that Siege feels no more cluttered than many team books, and far less so than Avengers vs. X-Men had.
It also helps that Bendis can write some great dialog. I've said this before when reviewing one of Bendis's books: he makes his characters sound like people. It's surely not the best dialog he's ever written, but it's believable and sounds authentic: this is what these characters would be saying under these circumstances.
This is a really short event, though. Only four issues? It gives the impression that Marvel just wanted it to be over with. It feels a little rushed, especially in the buildup and the aftermath. A few lines in the last issue give the impression that everything in this book happened over the course of a single day, which is an almost impossibly rushed timeline.
I have read better crossover events. But I've also read far, far worse, especially recently. As far as events go, this is one of the most believable, with the least amount of handwaving.
Good thing it isn't. Pulling off a big even like this is really tough. There's a tendency to cram as many characters as possible onto every page, at the expense of clarity. Bendis does an admirable job of avoiding the worst of this. Yes, there are a lot of characters, but far less than there could have been. Even some major characters are entirely offstage. Better yet, there's only a handful of characters who are given significant time on panel. The end result is that Siege feels no more cluttered than many team books, and far less so than Avengers vs. X-Men had.
It also helps that Bendis can write some great dialog. I've said this before when reviewing one of Bendis's books: he makes his characters sound like people. It's surely not the best dialog he's ever written, but it's believable and sounds authentic: this is what these characters would be saying under these circumstances.
This is a really short event, though. Only four issues? It gives the impression that Marvel just wanted it to be over with. It feels a little rushed, especially in the buildup and the aftermath. A few lines in the last issue give the impression that everything in this book happened over the course of a single day, which is an almost impossibly rushed timeline.
I have read better crossover events. But I've also read far, far worse, especially recently. As far as events go, this is one of the most believable, with the least amount of handwaving.
October 8, 2012
Asgard is stranded in Midgard (Earth) hovering 12 feet above Oklahoma making everyone a little uneasy to have a city full of gods appear in the midst of the most powerful nation in the world. Norman Osborn, leader of HAMMER, ignores the President’s orders and launches a full scale war against Asgard, sending his Dark Avengers against Thor and his cohorts. Throw into the mix Steve Rogers and Nick Fury leading an array of old and new heroes and you have one big superhero fight.
“Siege” feels like the culmination of a larger story with lots of strands coming together in this book and more than a few large events happening to change the course of later stories. Maybe it’s because I didn’t follow the books leading up to this one but I wasn’t as blown away with this book as others were. Sure, some characters die and a couple of big changes happen, but it’s nothing most readers of superhero comics haven’t seen before (and the rule at Marvel is that nobody stays dead besides Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben).
Also the title is misleading – Asgard isn’t really besieged. Superheroes fight around it but there’s no real siege to speak of. A siege would imply the besieged play a bigger part in the story but as it is it feels like Asgard is more of a catalyst than a focal point of the story. It’s not really incorporated into the fighting so the story ends up looking and reading like any other superhero fight that could’ve taken place anywhere.
Ultimately “Siege” is one big argy-bargy of colourful characters knocking each other about with little substance such as character, dialogue or story to make it a better read.
“Siege” feels like the culmination of a larger story with lots of strands coming together in this book and more than a few large events happening to change the course of later stories. Maybe it’s because I didn’t follow the books leading up to this one but I wasn’t as blown away with this book as others were. Sure, some characters die and a couple of big changes happen, but it’s nothing most readers of superhero comics haven’t seen before (and the rule at Marvel is that nobody stays dead besides Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben).
Also the title is misleading – Asgard isn’t really besieged. Superheroes fight around it but there’s no real siege to speak of. A siege would imply the besieged play a bigger part in the story but as it is it feels like Asgard is more of a catalyst than a focal point of the story. It’s not really incorporated into the fighting so the story ends up looking and reading like any other superhero fight that could’ve taken place anywhere.
Ultimately “Siege” is one big argy-bargy of colourful characters knocking each other about with little substance such as character, dialogue or story to make it a better read.
November 30, 2017
If I were to review this based on the first two issues it be a easy 4.5. It's fun and exciting but then...
Well what is Siege you ask. Well Asgard is on earth! Well it's floating above earth anyway instead of another dimension (I think it's another dimension usually, right?) and now Norman, you know the Green fucking Goblin, wants to take it. Siege is about Norman's final move to take everything from everyone, and the first issue is really a siege on Asgard. Of course Thor is like 'Nah brah that ain't happening" but can he really do much against Sentry? The walking talking insane fucking Superman type?
Good: The opening is exciting and fun but it's really issue 2 where shit kicks into gear. Thor is in trouble, heroes are gathering, Norman is losing it, and Ares finds out the truth. The fights are exciting and the deaths hit big. It's colorful, sad, and exciting all at once. Also the new status quo did set up some interesting things in the end.
Bad: Issue 3-4 aren't bad but same old same old. BIG brawls with so much shit you can't even keep up with on screen. Then we get this Naruto looking baddie that's kind of lame. Sorry I just like villains being human like, scarier that way.
Overall this event was solid. It was short, fun, and exciting. I loved the Dark Avengers so it's very sad to see it go but this worked for a good conclusion to House of M/Civil War events leading up to Dark Reign and then ending with Siege. A 3 out of 5.
Well what is Siege you ask. Well Asgard is on earth! Well it's floating above earth anyway instead of another dimension (I think it's another dimension usually, right?) and now Norman, you know the Green fucking Goblin, wants to take it. Siege is about Norman's final move to take everything from everyone, and the first issue is really a siege on Asgard. Of course Thor is like 'Nah brah that ain't happening" but can he really do much against Sentry? The walking talking insane fucking Superman type?
Good: The opening is exciting and fun but it's really issue 2 where shit kicks into gear. Thor is in trouble, heroes are gathering, Norman is losing it, and Ares finds out the truth. The fights are exciting and the deaths hit big. It's colorful, sad, and exciting all at once. Also the new status quo did set up some interesting things in the end.
Bad: Issue 3-4 aren't bad but same old same old. BIG brawls with so much shit you can't even keep up with on screen. Then we get this Naruto looking baddie that's kind of lame. Sorry I just like villains being human like, scarier that way.
Overall this event was solid. It was short, fun, and exciting. I loved the Dark Avengers so it's very sad to see it go but this worked for a good conclusion to House of M/Civil War events leading up to Dark Reign and then ending with Siege. A 3 out of 5.
June 25, 2021
Norman Osborn wants to Invade Asgard and he has Loki stage something, Dark Avengers invade, Thor attacks, Avengers even though they are fractured have to team up and take him down but they can't because the real threat of Sentry aka the Void is here and they have to fight him and the action leads to the conclusion of the events that started from civil war with the act being removed and the heroes united, some lost, some big revelations about Osborne and things to come for the future.
This was a rushed event but then again its Bendis whose writing is atrocious most of the time but here he brings the urgency of the situation and shows heroes when they can lose and while some deaths are expected by the end he reforms the Avengers and great status quo for Steve. The art was the best part and easily makes the experience worthwhile. But skip this one.
This was a rushed event but then again its Bendis whose writing is atrocious most of the time but here he brings the urgency of the situation and shows heroes when they can lose and while some deaths are expected by the end he reforms the Avengers and great status quo for Steve. The art was the best part and easily makes the experience worthwhile. But skip this one.
April 9, 2018
Είχα αρκετά κενά οπότε χάθηκα λίγο. Γενικά μου άρεσε σαν story. Το ότι ακόμα και εν έτη 2010 που έχει γραφτεί το συγκεκριμένο έχει τόσο σεξισμό δε θα το χωνέψω ποτέ. ο Σεντρυ μου φάνηκε αρκετά ενδιαφέρον χαρακτήρας και μάλλον θα ασχοληθώ εκτενέστερα μαζί του κάποια στιγμή.
September 1, 2010
What a payoff. I'm sure there are Marvel readers who are bitching about how Bendis is overextended and concerned that he isn't putting his highest quality into each work. That may be true of a few books over the last couple of years, but there is no better example of high quality than this series.
This book is not his usual character study, where the value of a story is in the way our heroes react personally to adversity. Rather, this is the balls-out third-act action climax to a very creative and challenging story arc that Bendis and Queseda masterminded.
The final chapter was especially wide-eyed for me, and yet each of the big "moves" make total sense. That too takes a great deal of thought and forethought to make the story threads and plot machinations come together like this did. Plus I can't wait to see what new juicy moves they come up with next!
This book is not his usual character study, where the value of a story is in the way our heroes react personally to adversity. Rather, this is the balls-out third-act action climax to a very creative and challenging story arc that Bendis and Queseda masterminded.
The final chapter was especially wide-eyed for me, and yet each of the big "moves" make total sense. That too takes a great deal of thought and forethought to make the story threads and plot machinations come together like this did. Plus I can't wait to see what new juicy moves they come up with next!
April 27, 2025
The epic conclusion to a series of events stacked up by Marvel in the 00s. Back in the days when events had some semblance of meaning.
December 13, 2022
Един от стандартните за Колекцията албуми - няма да се превърне в мой любимец, но не е и най-ужасно зле, или както вече съм го казвал неведнъж - типичният Марвелски екшън-тюрлю-гювеч с десетки знайни и незнайни герои. За себе си отдавна се убедих - харесвам по-фокусираните, относително самостоятелни и завършени в рамките на броя сюжети. 3,5/5
June 14, 2020
2010's Siege event by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel is the culmination of nearly a decade in build-up across the Marvel Universe, the likes of which has not been seen since. Starting with Avengers Disassembled, Brian Michael Bendis was given the reigns of the entire Marvel Universe. Taking apart the Avengers and replacing them with the new, fresh, almost street-level New Avengers team, Bendis would make the title an essential backbone of the Marvel Universe. The 2000s were full of big line-wide crossovers for all of Marvel Comics, most of these being written by Bendis himself, and the flagship New Avengers team would constantly play off of them. From the decimation of the X-Men in House of M, to the Superhuman Registration Act and death of Captain America in Civil War, to Skrull attacks and Norman Osborn's rise to power in Secret Invasion, and all the way up to Dark Reign. Norman Osborn has taken over SHIELD and turned it into HAMMER, making our standard protagonists illegal while he replaces them with his own shadowy reflection of them in the form of the Dark Avengers. Osborn went from a supervillain, to a leading member of the Thunderbolts, to a man in charge of some of America's greatest powers. And all of this comes to a head in Siege.
None of these above things happen in Siege, of course, but they have to be explained. Why? Because the story scarcely makes sense without them. With no context, Siege is a generic crossover event where Asgard, and your favourite superheroes, try to defend themselves against Norman Osborn's evil forces. When you trace a decade's worth of story you can see the culmination of every character's story arc, but if you take this collection on its own it feels like yet another big Marvel crossover that promises lots of action but with no real character growth. It's overly reliant on your familiarity with Marvel's 2000s era continuity- but for fans of Marvel in this time period, it's an incredible treat.
What really makes this book work is Olivier Coipel's beautiful artwork. With Mark Morales on inks, every page of Siege feels like the massive epic battle it promises to be. The characters are expressive and full of life, whether they're screaming battle cries or showing shock at the depths of war on display. There are times when even these larger-than-life characters feel dwarfed by the grand scenery of Asgard floating in the sky, slowly crumbling underneath Osborn's assault. Coipel has a talent of making the superhero and supervillain costumes look like proper armour and fashion, even when they're the same old skintight spandex you usually associate them with. Alongside Laura Martin's vibrant and varied colour pallet, Siege manages to strike a great balance between cartoonish superhero action and a tense war where you (rightly so) fear for the lives of your favourite characters.
Chris Eliopoulos, the letterer for Siege, has the monumental task of trying to position Bendis' often long-winded and quippy dialogue, and he manages to position the words carefully enough that they match the flow of the story and don't interrupt Coipel's detailed artwork. There's a large cast of characters here, each with their own unique dialogues. Norman Osborn as the Iron Patriot with his computer interface, Ares with his bolded and loud mouth, the host of Asgardian characters with their own unique font, The Sentry and The Void with their inverted speech, and our superheroes themselves, all text given its own appearance to help you keep track of what's happening. The sound effects become part of the artwork as each SKRAKKADOOM and SLLLLICE flies through the page and helps direct your eye through the busy and often crowded fight scenes.
Overall, Siege is one of my favourite Marvel Comics events. It's a rewarding experience and fitting end for a decade's worth of stories. If you're willing to go back and follow the threads of each character arc you can see the influence of every title and how it changes the outcome of Siege itself. If you're not, and just want an action-packed fun comic to flip through, it still delivers all the big fights and fanfare you want to see. Either way, it's a fun story I would highly recommend.
None of these above things happen in Siege, of course, but they have to be explained. Why? Because the story scarcely makes sense without them. With no context, Siege is a generic crossover event where Asgard, and your favourite superheroes, try to defend themselves against Norman Osborn's evil forces. When you trace a decade's worth of story you can see the culmination of every character's story arc, but if you take this collection on its own it feels like yet another big Marvel crossover that promises lots of action but with no real character growth. It's overly reliant on your familiarity with Marvel's 2000s era continuity- but for fans of Marvel in this time period, it's an incredible treat.
What really makes this book work is Olivier Coipel's beautiful artwork. With Mark Morales on inks, every page of Siege feels like the massive epic battle it promises to be. The characters are expressive and full of life, whether they're screaming battle cries or showing shock at the depths of war on display. There are times when even these larger-than-life characters feel dwarfed by the grand scenery of Asgard floating in the sky, slowly crumbling underneath Osborn's assault. Coipel has a talent of making the superhero and supervillain costumes look like proper armour and fashion, even when they're the same old skintight spandex you usually associate them with. Alongside Laura Martin's vibrant and varied colour pallet, Siege manages to strike a great balance between cartoonish superhero action and a tense war where you (rightly so) fear for the lives of your favourite characters.
Chris Eliopoulos, the letterer for Siege, has the monumental task of trying to position Bendis' often long-winded and quippy dialogue, and he manages to position the words carefully enough that they match the flow of the story and don't interrupt Coipel's detailed artwork. There's a large cast of characters here, each with their own unique dialogues. Norman Osborn as the Iron Patriot with his computer interface, Ares with his bolded and loud mouth, the host of Asgardian characters with their own unique font, The Sentry and The Void with their inverted speech, and our superheroes themselves, all text given its own appearance to help you keep track of what's happening. The sound effects become part of the artwork as each SKRAKKADOOM and SLLLLICE flies through the page and helps direct your eye through the busy and often crowded fight scenes.
Overall, Siege is one of my favourite Marvel Comics events. It's a rewarding experience and fitting end for a decade's worth of stories. If you're willing to go back and follow the threads of each character arc you can see the influence of every title and how it changes the outcome of Siege itself. If you're not, and just want an action-packed fun comic to flip through, it still delivers all the big fights and fanfare you want to see. Either way, it's a fun story I would highly recommend.
May 6, 2011
Finally catching up with the Marvel event that shook the Marvel Universe, I must say that this is another must collect event from Brian Michael Bendis.
Following events from Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Civil War and the recent return of Thor courtesy of J.Michael Strazynski's run, this hardcover collection comes in the heels of mixed opinions regarding the presence of Asgard in Midgard. In the vernacular, it means that THOR has revived his kingdom of Asgard and had it floating atop the plains of Oklahoma and this in turn doesn't sit well with Norman Osborne, aka GreenGoblin and now head of H.A.M.M.E.R., an organization that replaced Nick Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D. following the events of Secret Invasion and Civil War.
Just when you think that it couldn't get any worse (for the characters) and any better (for us readers), Bendis just gives us another event to die for and worth collecting.
Osborne has made a deal with Thor's duplicitous brother, Loki, to "remove" Asgard from Earth and has agreed that Osborne's forces will do the deed as it will be also to Loki's benefit to return Asgard to its rightful place, minus THOR, who currently was in exile following his actions in his own title, and thus leaving Balder his brother to rule Asgard in his stead and fully receptive to Loki's suggestions.
And this is where you get your bucks worth of the Bang you have come to enjoy since Bendis has written event after event for Marvel. Expect Superheroes like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and other Avengers fighting to counter the attack on Asgard made by Osborne in his own iron suit.
Who wins? Well, both sides suffer losses for sure but not for naught.
Read on to know what SIEGE is all about as we anticipate the next MARVEL event to be collected, which is currently running called, FEAR ITSELF, and features the machinations of the Red Skull and appearance of the God of Fear!
Following events from Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Civil War and the recent return of Thor courtesy of J.Michael Strazynski's run, this hardcover collection comes in the heels of mixed opinions regarding the presence of Asgard in Midgard. In the vernacular, it means that THOR has revived his kingdom of Asgard and had it floating atop the plains of Oklahoma and this in turn doesn't sit well with Norman Osborne, aka GreenGoblin and now head of H.A.M.M.E.R., an organization that replaced Nick Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D. following the events of Secret Invasion and Civil War.
Just when you think that it couldn't get any worse (for the characters) and any better (for us readers), Bendis just gives us another event to die for and worth collecting.
Osborne has made a deal with Thor's duplicitous brother, Loki, to "remove" Asgard from Earth and has agreed that Osborne's forces will do the deed as it will be also to Loki's benefit to return Asgard to its rightful place, minus THOR, who currently was in exile following his actions in his own title, and thus leaving Balder his brother to rule Asgard in his stead and fully receptive to Loki's suggestions.
And this is where you get your bucks worth of the Bang you have come to enjoy since Bendis has written event after event for Marvel. Expect Superheroes like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and other Avengers fighting to counter the attack on Asgard made by Osborne in his own iron suit.
Who wins? Well, both sides suffer losses for sure but not for naught.
Read on to know what SIEGE is all about as we anticipate the next MARVEL event to be collected, which is currently running called, FEAR ITSELF, and features the machinations of the Red Skull and appearance of the God of Fear!
September 24, 2017
I read this in a vacuum, so I'm not so sure how this holds up on its own. All other reviews say it's a great crossover, so it must be me not fully appreciating the work/story here...
I gave this 3 stars since there were parts that I really enjoyed (Osborn being cray, and Iron Man's "too soon" joke at the end, and the issue "The Way Things Are" from Free Comic Book Day 2009) and parts that I really did not enjoy (the art, and Sentry turning into Cthulhu...).
Also, no one seems to address Volstagg and the football stadium full of people incident...?
I missed everything in between Civil War and Siege, so I don't really know how/in what comics Osborn rose up to become the head of H.A.M.M.E.R. and lead his own motley crew of "Avengers"... But, that all falls apart here, so, the end?
I gave this 3 stars since there were parts that I really enjoyed (Osborn being cray, and Iron Man's "too soon" joke at the end, and the issue "The Way Things Are" from Free Comic Book Day 2009) and parts that I really did not enjoy (the art, and Sentry turning into Cthulhu...).
Also, no one seems to address Volstagg and the football stadium full of people incident...?
I missed everything in between Civil War and Siege, so I don't really know how/in what comics Osborn rose up to become the head of H.A.M.M.E.R. and lead his own motley crew of "Avengers"... But, that all falls apart here, so, the end?
August 4, 2024
I’ve always had a lot of love for this event since it was first published 10 years ago. The art work is great. At 4 issues (which is very short for a Marvel event!) it’s really tight and to the point. It also feels like a culmination of stories that span back as far as Disassembled and the forming of the New Avengers (like what Bendis started with The Sentry in that back way back when)
It’s great. The heroes return after being on the run for so long (Cage and his team had been since Civil War!) and lead us into the next era of Marvel
It’s great. The heroes return after being on the run for so long (Cage and his team had been since Civil War!) and lead us into the next era of Marvel
March 28, 2020
Pretty straightforward, action packed story, which leaves ypu with good feeling. Bad guys gets their ass kecked, lost heroes returns, friendships are restored. All in pretty nice and clear drawing that helps action scenes to stand out. 4,5*
March 17, 2021
Výborný event. Pri udalostiach ako Civil War a Secret Invasion ma vždy viac bavila tá príprava a celé to čoro-moro okolo, než samotná bitka a vyvrcholenie. Na Siege naopak cením ten priamy ťah na bránu a skvelé zakončenie jednej éry. Slzička.
April 9, 2020
This started off really strongly but then just became your typical fighting event.
October 22, 2025
Not the most crazy "event" of the early 2000's but still worth picking up .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2023
Right around the time he tackled All-New X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy, everyone just kind of forgot that Brian Michael Bendis was a big deal. Forget when he went to DC! By then it was ancient history. It’s kind of the price he paid for driving so many big events so quickly. And the climax was basically Siege, a big event that finished out the stories that began with “Avengers Disassembled,” and basically undid all of them in the process. It was a big noisy reset button.
“Disassembled” itself gets lost in the shuffle since by the time of the movies everyone just started assuming that the only Avengers comics that mattered were The Ultimates (aside from the Sam L. Jacksoning of Nick Fury, the tone of the movies inarguably owes far more to Bendis than Mark Millar, the most shameless PR man in comics since Stan Lee). “Disassembled,” all the same, led to New Avengers, a Marvel all-stars version of the team that included Spider-Man and Wolverine in the mix. Bendis himself tore into House of M (which was basically the X-Men disassembled, but he himself didn’t return to the franchise until AvX and then All-New, which admittedly fizzled out on a gimmick of the time-traveling original team sticking around forever), and then the whole Civil War and “death of Captain America” thing, and then Secret Invasion (which the MCU teased and then widely dodged as the follow-up to Thanos), which gave us Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) as the Iron Patriot and leader of the Dark Avengers…
So the status quo was massively upheaved, and Siege was its reckoning (funny; Dan Slott teased “The Reckoning War” for years, but by the time he actually got around to it literally no one cared, alas). And it turns out to be a very lightning quick affair. Osborn pulls the trigger on his evil plot to be evil, the Avengers reassemble, Asgard falls, the Sentry is used as a massive plot device (a whole character who only ever existed at Marvel for this purpose, kind of like Adam Warlock). Bing bang boom!
The lesson in all this was event fatigue for fans. They ultimately cared not at all for the storytelling (the mutant question led to actual real storytelling in the X-Men comics for a while, the existence of a potential savior in “Messiah Complex,” which AvX boiled right back down to the usual shenanigans, with “Cyclops” Scott Summers instead becoming a villainous pariah to no one’s benefit).
Now, put aside that you really need to know so much of any of this to comprehend the storytelling in Siege. Put aside the nonsensical assassination of Steve Rogers so quickly undone, so that Rogers and Bucky Barnes spend most of their time in these pages insisting, “You be Captain America! No, you be Captain America!” Forget that whatever nonsense has sidelined Tony Stark this time…happened (you would really hardly know Iron Man was literally the most famous superhero in the world at one point and the whole reason the MCU phenomenon happened with how little Marvel knows what to do with him even now, a medium that usually dumps ten thousand titles on a hot commodity when the going even seems good, and yet at no point did this happen with Iron Man; this is the guy who is apparently so disposable to his own company that he’s literally spent time as his own teenage self and even an AI incarnation of himself, and these are only blips in his publishing history; something called “The Armor Wars” and the fact that he was once a hopeless alcoholic remain his defining legacy)…
I digress. A little. So Bendis pulls the trigger, and that’s Siege. And that’s basically also why it matters. Marvel has such a penchant for telling its readers what to think (the entire characterization of Doctor Doom is everyone saying how impossibly dangerous he is), that when it just goes ahead and tells a story, with an actual ending, it’s baffling. But this is an ending. It’s what happens, what it looks like, when Marvel invests enough time and attention on itself to see something through, its own logic play out. Inevitably the good guys of course have to win. Bad things kept happening, and then those things stopped happening, because the good guys have to win. The end.
And if you tell a story like that, you unleash Bendis. The guy was born to have characters talk this sort of thing to death. Because he’s also wise enough to stop the chatter and just let the big things happen. So that’s how this plays out. Of course it is.
It wasn’t really his fault that Marvel didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver past it. But of course the events kept coming anyway, and eventually there was the one where Rogers was altered to be a Nazi, and that didn’t go over so well, and that’s never going to be in a movie (except as a reference fans can chuckle over in that great elevator fight in Winter Soldier).
So Siege is kind of a big deal.
“Disassembled” itself gets lost in the shuffle since by the time of the movies everyone just started assuming that the only Avengers comics that mattered were The Ultimates (aside from the Sam L. Jacksoning of Nick Fury, the tone of the movies inarguably owes far more to Bendis than Mark Millar, the most shameless PR man in comics since Stan Lee). “Disassembled,” all the same, led to New Avengers, a Marvel all-stars version of the team that included Spider-Man and Wolverine in the mix. Bendis himself tore into House of M (which was basically the X-Men disassembled, but he himself didn’t return to the franchise until AvX and then All-New, which admittedly fizzled out on a gimmick of the time-traveling original team sticking around forever), and then the whole Civil War and “death of Captain America” thing, and then Secret Invasion (which the MCU teased and then widely dodged as the follow-up to Thanos), which gave us Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) as the Iron Patriot and leader of the Dark Avengers…
So the status quo was massively upheaved, and Siege was its reckoning (funny; Dan Slott teased “The Reckoning War” for years, but by the time he actually got around to it literally no one cared, alas). And it turns out to be a very lightning quick affair. Osborn pulls the trigger on his evil plot to be evil, the Avengers reassemble, Asgard falls, the Sentry is used as a massive plot device (a whole character who only ever existed at Marvel for this purpose, kind of like Adam Warlock). Bing bang boom!
The lesson in all this was event fatigue for fans. They ultimately cared not at all for the storytelling (the mutant question led to actual real storytelling in the X-Men comics for a while, the existence of a potential savior in “Messiah Complex,” which AvX boiled right back down to the usual shenanigans, with “Cyclops” Scott Summers instead becoming a villainous pariah to no one’s benefit).
Now, put aside that you really need to know so much of any of this to comprehend the storytelling in Siege. Put aside the nonsensical assassination of Steve Rogers so quickly undone, so that Rogers and Bucky Barnes spend most of their time in these pages insisting, “You be Captain America! No, you be Captain America!” Forget that whatever nonsense has sidelined Tony Stark this time…happened (you would really hardly know Iron Man was literally the most famous superhero in the world at one point and the whole reason the MCU phenomenon happened with how little Marvel knows what to do with him even now, a medium that usually dumps ten thousand titles on a hot commodity when the going even seems good, and yet at no point did this happen with Iron Man; this is the guy who is apparently so disposable to his own company that he’s literally spent time as his own teenage self and even an AI incarnation of himself, and these are only blips in his publishing history; something called “The Armor Wars” and the fact that he was once a hopeless alcoholic remain his defining legacy)…
I digress. A little. So Bendis pulls the trigger, and that’s Siege. And that’s basically also why it matters. Marvel has such a penchant for telling its readers what to think (the entire characterization of Doctor Doom is everyone saying how impossibly dangerous he is), that when it just goes ahead and tells a story, with an actual ending, it’s baffling. But this is an ending. It’s what happens, what it looks like, when Marvel invests enough time and attention on itself to see something through, its own logic play out. Inevitably the good guys of course have to win. Bad things kept happening, and then those things stopped happening, because the good guys have to win. The end.
And if you tell a story like that, you unleash Bendis. The guy was born to have characters talk this sort of thing to death. Because he’s also wise enough to stop the chatter and just let the big things happen. So that’s how this plays out. Of course it is.
It wasn’t really his fault that Marvel didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver past it. But of course the events kept coming anyway, and eventually there was the one where Rogers was altered to be a Nazi, and that didn’t go over so well, and that’s never going to be in a movie (except as a reference fans can chuckle over in that great elevator fight in Winter Soldier).
So Siege is kind of a big deal.
July 10, 2013
This is where shit finally goes down. Things come to a head, and it is one of the most satisfying ends to an Event like this in a long while.
There is a lot of action, a lot of behind the scenes things that make more sense if you read the supporting issues but still, this is the meat and potatoes of the whole thing. Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers attack Asgard, laying Siege to it, and in so doing, actually end up causing the wounds from Civil War to be mended a little, as all the heroes actually end up working together to fight against the forces of evil. It includes a return or two that surprises many, a few deaths, and Thor literally pounding the shit out of people with Mjolnir. It also serves as a bridge between Civil War/Dark Reign and the new Heroic Age. The heroism begins here as there are some fantastic pieces of action and the major guns of the Marvel Universe getting to unleash hell. Well worth a read, though I need to read a few more supporting side titles because some of the people I have no understanding of their motivations/appearances. That being said, this is great fun. Essential.
There is a lot of action, a lot of behind the scenes things that make more sense if you read the supporting issues but still, this is the meat and potatoes of the whole thing. Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers attack Asgard, laying Siege to it, and in so doing, actually end up causing the wounds from Civil War to be mended a little, as all the heroes actually end up working together to fight against the forces of evil. It includes a return or two that surprises many, a few deaths, and Thor literally pounding the shit out of people with Mjolnir. It also serves as a bridge between Civil War/Dark Reign and the new Heroic Age. The heroism begins here as there are some fantastic pieces of action and the major guns of the Marvel Universe getting to unleash hell. Well worth a read, though I need to read a few more supporting side titles because some of the people I have no understanding of their motivations/appearances. That being said, this is great fun. Essential.
February 25, 2022
I own this book.
Norman Osbourne has taken over the Avengers and replaced its members with their corrupt counterparts. This event was the accumulation of a number of other events in the Marvel universe, with the New Avengers attacking Asgard, which is now on Earth. This leads to the original Avengers coming out of the woodwork. We see Steve Rogers temporarily picking up the Cap mantle again, Tony recovering from his previous injuries and the New Avengers disassembling bit by bit. We see Loki being Loki and creating mischief across the board, Norman struggling with the Goblin and overall I just loved this event.
I sometimes find Bendis' work a little hit or miss, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I also enjoyed the prelude. The art is amazing, the story is well-paced and easy to follow and I will definitely go back to read any tie ins I missed from this event.
Norman Osbourne has taken over the Avengers and replaced its members with their corrupt counterparts. This event was the accumulation of a number of other events in the Marvel universe, with the New Avengers attacking Asgard, which is now on Earth. This leads to the original Avengers coming out of the woodwork. We see Steve Rogers temporarily picking up the Cap mantle again, Tony recovering from his previous injuries and the New Avengers disassembling bit by bit. We see Loki being Loki and creating mischief across the board, Norman struggling with the Goblin and overall I just loved this event.
I sometimes find Bendis' work a little hit or miss, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I also enjoyed the prelude. The art is amazing, the story is well-paced and easy to follow and I will definitely go back to read any tie ins I missed from this event.
January 12, 2015
I'm not a big fan of these giant all-star throw down types of event books, but as they go this is a pretty good one. It's Norman Osborn and his bogus Avengers vs. Cap & Nick Fury the now illegal Avengers fighting over Asgard, which is floating a few feet above Kansas. There's a ton of back story involved here which was a bit confusing, but this is basically just one big tag team match,and fairly entertaining one.
December 10, 2022
Яко екшън, бой, взривове, Тор и капитан САЩ. Участват и повечето познати герои и злодеи май... Основата на сюжета е добра и историята би могла да е нещо повече от поредния "глобален" (в кавички, щот нали - САЩ само) конфликт. Ама не е. Рисунките биват, стандартно изпълнение. Единственият по-интересен образ е ОЗбърн, но и там нещата са запазени на ниво "първи клас".
3,5*
3,5*
Displaying 1 - 30 of 276 reviews