Siege - Month One

So I ordered the entire Siege run - not just the Siege and Siege Embedded series, but all of the tie-ins as well - including titles like New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Siege Thor, Siege Spider-Man, et.al. It actually started-out costing all of about $15-20 more a month (3-4 months), which I figured was worth it to get a real hold on the Marvel Universe today, but has now skyrocketed to something like $35-40, with the addition of numerous unannounced titles coming in March and April.

Obviously Marvel is going to wear this thing out, and I suppose that's good in the sense that it's a success and people are reading comic books, but I didn't realize this was largely an Avengers thing, going in - I thought it had more to do with Asgard. Siege is about Asgard, but the further we get into the whole thing, the more it seems only a loose plot device.

Marvel recently announced the end of several Avengers titles, including Mighty Avengers, Dark Avengers, and Avengers Initiative. But never fear, they also announced several new, ongoing series and Siege one-shots. I suppose I should have seen this coming, but when the whole thing was about invading Asgard, I assumed... you know, that was the story. I was expecting a shake-up of Asgard - a literal "trimming of the fat" - just like they did with the Mutant Massacre and Atlantis Rising (or whatever) and other storylines before this, but Siege has far more to do with the whole Avengers/Norman Osborn thing. It's definitely worth picking-up the limited series, but if you really don't care for the straight Superhero line, you probably won't lose track of the entire MU.

Still, it isn't bad. It really isn't bad at all, and I haven't even gotten to the Thor issues because I subscribe to Thor and have a few issues to catch-up on first. Siege is worth the price of admission for Coipel's art, but the story is worth reading.

In fact, I could have gone with nothing more than the limited series and been fine, but I actually welcome the chance to learn the modern Marvel Universe this event gives me. The Utopia nonsense also worried me, because I didn't know WTF was going on in a series to which I subscribe when that happened, so how could I be sure I'd know what was happening right under my nose with Siege if I didn't get all the issues!?

Yeah, I bought-in - what was I gonna do?

As goofy as it sounds - and I freely admit it is - I really am doing this to get a handle on the MU, as a whole, at this moment in time. I read the Mutant titles, so I really don't much care what happens in the Superhero titles, but enough of the characters I follow (Thor, Daredevil, Moon Knight) interact with both that I got tired of not knowing "the whole story." I also doubt that many of the issues tangentially involved in Siege will ever be worth much, but since I bought-in for a penny, I figured I'd buy-in for the pound.

Still, even I am shying-away from what I'll call Total Siege and passing on some of the many Avengers titles and tie-ins now jumping into the fray - I don't read Thunderbolts and have no intentions of starting, and I already know they are not central to this story, so I can do without that, for instance. Embedded is actually worth the read, as well, featuring consummate reporter, Ben Urich, traveling to the Ragnarok with a weary Volstagg, the figure at the center of the Soldier's Field incident, but isn't necessary.

For the cost, Siege actually delivers, but I doubt you'll miss much by skipping everything other than the core, limited series. It is creeping into just about every Marvel title, with many previously unannounced one-shots involving A-line characters (Spider-Man, Thor, more) now slated for April release, which subscribers might consider. Collectors are urged to look into the many title closings and beginnings; Siege is restructuring the Avengers line. Siege is big, and I don't know if it has any lasting power in any regard, but it is worth following.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010