Siege

[Docker2.0]

Anybody care to explain to me at exactly what point Asgard moved from being over Latveria to being back in the states? Or is that another piece of marvel continuity at its best?

I'd love to hear that answer to this question myself.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Also very excited for Cap's involvement in this. And looking forward to Thor's inevitable "revenge" for the Avengers attack, which I personally thought was way too weak and brief to put him down that quickly.

All I know is that Sentry better fix that hole he put in Asgard's walls.

Can't they just fight in Broxton. Nobody cares about collateral damage in Oklahoma anyway

Anybody care to explain to me at exactly what point Asgard moved from being over Latveria to being back in the states? Or is that another piece of marvel continuity at its best?

Hahaha, very true

 

[Texas]

I'd love to hear that answer to this question myself.

That's easy ! Asgard was never moved from over Broxton, the people were moved. The better question is does Siege happen after Thor vs Doom which takes place in Latveria 'cause the Asgardians are back in Asgard in Siege

 

[Docker2.0]

That's not easy! That's the point! All the Asgardians were in Latveria now they are in OK again.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I'm guessing after the battle with Doom.

Just read it, pretty epic I thought. Can't wait to see Thor **** Osborne up.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

It's after the Doom stuff. The Asgardians move back to Asgard, which was always over Oklahoma. There's only one Thor issue left for the Asgardians/Latveria story and then that comic ties into Siege, so it seems pretty obvious that the Asgardians must move back to Asgard after whatever happens with Doom in the next Thor issue. Not a big deal.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

First Cap, now Thor. What's with the weird shipping lately?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Delays = scheduling problems. Thor and Cap have had their share of delays lately. It's a good thing Gillen could wrap all of the Latveria stuff up so quickly too, or we'd have even more of a delay with Thor.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Ya imagine if JMS was still writing! Siege would be finished before the Latveria story!

 

[moraldeficiency]

If JMS was still writing we would have Siege at all. That was kinda the reason he left.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Ahh yea, good point.

 

[NightBeetle]

Double...

 

[NightBeetle]

STORMING HEAVEN: "Siege" #1

In this, our second installment of STORMING HEAVEN, we welcome back Brian Michael Bendis for a page by page commentary on the action and incidents of "Siege" #1. If you missed the first part of our feature, where we discussed the "Siege: The Cabal" prologue, check it out here and then hurry back. The fun is about to start.

CBR News: Here we see that Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears, is ground zero for the destructive incident that Osborn and Loki fabricate in order for Norman to invade Asgard. Why did you choose Chicago?
Brian Bendis:

I picked it because it's a city I know and it's a city that feels rather American to me. It's right there, and I didn't want to blow up anything in New York any more.
Originally it was going to be Wrigley Field and Joe Quesada, who is a big baseball nerd, calls me up one day and goes, "No! That's horrible!" And I go, "It's supposed to be horrible." He goes, "No! It's un-American! You can do football! Use the Bears." And I'm like, "Isn't that just as American?" and he goes, "No." [Laughs]. So I went with that.
I'm not a sports guy. I just wanted a truly American thing being disturbed and turned into something horrible. I played with it being a school, but I felt that was too close to "Civil War."

So even though we open here with an incident like in "Civil War," the big difference here is that the inciting incident was manufactured and the one in "Civil War" was an accident that was bound to happen. I know some people are going, 'You just ripped off "Civil War," but Norman and and Loki have said in their dialogue that they're looking to recapture that moment from "Civil War," so they can do whatever they want.

Have you received any feedback from Bears fans over the destruction of Soldier Field?

Yeah. I didn't realize that a lot of fans were having so much trouble with the Bears emotionally that they were thrilled to see it. I've done a slew of interviews for the Chicago press, and it seems like Chicago really loved it and thought it was hilarious.
I have done local press before where they're either really upset over things like this or really happy. You never really know what you're going to get, and, really, I didn't mean any disrespect. I don't know anything about the Bears. I told the "Chicago Sun-Times" that I just discovered this week that Refrigerator Perry is no longer with the Bears organization. So that's what I know about the Bears. But it is hilarious that all these Chicago radio stations have been like, "They need a kick in the ass! Let Marvel Comics tell them to get off their asses and get to work!" And I'm like, "All right!"

The central figure in the middle of this incident is Volstagg, of the Warriors Three. Why did you have Norman and Loki choose him? Is it because he's gullible?

He's certainly not gullible. He's a great warrior. It came from the fact that JMS [J. Michael Straczynski] had an idea in his "Thor" run about Volstagg wanting to go out into the world and be like Thor. I thought it was an interesting idea with a lot of possibilities, and I was kind of thrilled to find out he wasn't going to touch upon it again in his run. So I thought, Volstagg was the perfect example. As Loki says, "There's a lot he doesn't know." It's almost like he's living on a different planet. If you're looking to create an incident around someone who wouldn't recognize it as an incident till it was over, he is absolutely your candidate.

Here, Norman and Loki talk about why they did what they did. When we spoke about "Siege: The Cabal," we discussed Norman's motivations, but is there anything you can tell us about Loki's motivations in "Siege?" He's often depicted as someone who has secret and sinister reasons for doing what he does.

I'm not going to say too much about that, because it's a major plot point in the story. But I did say in the prologue, and I think it's sometimes lost in the way Loki is interpreted, that Loki is the God of Mischief; so it can be very easy to write him as a mustache twirling villain who just wants to create trouble. And at one time, that's just what he was, but over the years he's certainly evolved into something else. He points out to Norman that he's the God of Mischief, but it's not like he creates mischief for mischief's sake. He says that he uses mischief like Thor uses his hammer. It's his tool to get things done.

Now, when you're doing business with Loki and he screws you over, you can't be upset. You did sign on the dotted line. But there is a lot to the character that sometimes gets swept under the rug. I like the idea that there's a new Asgard. Thor seems more contemplative and regal, and Loki has come back a little more focused. That's the way I'm interpreting him in this series.

Usually in stories, the inspirational speech is delivered to an army of heroes. Here you have Ares giving one to an army of villains.

Yes, but in their eyes they're not the villains of the story. To them, this is the truth. Plus, you've got the God of War leading an army into battle. You've got to take moment and really embrace that.

Earlier in the issue, Osborn lies to Ares to get him on board with the invasion of Asgard. So does Ares fit the archetype of the noble general that gets duped into fighting a politician's dirty war?

Maybe. One way or another, that will be dealt with in the next issue.

How important of a character is Ares in the overall story of "Siege?"

Ares is massively important. It's too bad that there's a printing error in "Siege" #1. Marvel is going to fix it in the next issue and put a version online that fixes it. One of the text pages outlining Ares' battle plan got printed incorrectly at the printer. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but page three of the back matter is actually the same as page one. So you're missing a block of Ares plan. It's no one at Marvel's fault - we all worked hard on it and it will be online so people can see what Ares' plans and point of view are.

You wouldn't think that "Shock and Awe" tactics would work against gods, but I'd say this page here makes the case that they could.

Yes, Coipel's rendition of this scene is fantastic. I see a lot of reviews are pointing out what I've been saying for months; that this is a fantastically drawn book. There's no greater joy for a writer like myself than to be able to sit back and go, "Yeah I don't need to do anything to that page. I don't need to touch it. It's all there." That's the best feeling in the world.

Coipel and I first worked together on "House of M," and I'm really proud of that work. For years now, though, I've been wondering, "What if we did another project together? What would it look like? What are his strengths? And what would I do differently?" And here we are now with four issues worth of strengths. I think this page represents all of that to me.

Thor joins the battle for Asgard. I don't believe you've had an opportunity to write the character much before this, so how does it feel to write Thor?

I've only written him in bits and pieces and I've made some jokes over the years that Jews shouldn't write Thor, but those were just jokes. Obviously Jews created this version of Thor. It was just at the time my instincts would be to have him go, 'Oy vey!' and then drop the hammer! [Laughs]
Also I've been working all year as a consultant on the Thor movie. So I've been listening to Kenneth Branagh expound in beautiful Shakespearean tones about Thor. I've been in a room with all these Thor authors and artists, and it's really been inspiring to me and very inspirational on how to handle Thor
.
And, as I said earlier, enjoyed what I perceive to be a more contemplative, less words-more action, type of Thor. That has a lot to do with Coipel's powerful imagery as well. So I wanted to bring that Thor full fold into the Marvel Universe. He's been a little off to the side doing his own thing and "Siege," if anything, is about these characters reentering the Marvel Universe and maybe fixing it or making it worse. We'll find out. That's a big part of why I'm doing this. So that's what this image means to me. I only wanted to write Thor when I had something really special to do with him, and I hope this is it.

Do you enjoy writing back matter text pages like the ones found in "Siege?"

Yes I did them in "Secret War," and I've found over the years that when people talk to me about "Secret War," they talk more about what happened in the back matter than the main pages. So they seemed to stick with people.
Also it's a great way to get across some outstanding bits of information without cluttering up the artist's schedule. So we're having a lot of fun with the back matter pages. I thought, "If we're doing a story about a war, we'll do the war and handle the planning from this angle," which gives you a lot for your money.
This also gives you a sense of what's to come in my other $3.99 books like "Dark Avengers." It's back matter material that isn't just padding, it's a big part of the story, coming in and out of "Siege."
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]
Bendis' final thoughts on "Siege" #1[/FONT]

It's a long time coming, and it's fascinating to me how the stakes of anticipation have risen over the years from event to event. When "House of M" came out, the expectations were like, "Okay, show us what you got!" Then, after "Civil War" when I did "Secret Invasion," it was like, "You better show us something we've never seen before!" So the expectations keep building. It's both daunting and exciting. I'm excited for people to see the burst of Marvel fun that they've got coming to them.
Also, I thank people for hanging in there with us. "Dark Reign" has been a long haul and people stuck around and took the whole ride. So "Siege" is my thank you.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Bendis looks ahead to "Siege" #2, on sale February 3rd[/FONT]

In issue #2, you get payoffs on almost everything you saw here; payoffs on Cap, Thor, Norman, and the Sentry. There are gigantic payoffs coming. Remember, by the time issue #2 is done, we're halfway through the story. So a lot happens
Also, this is a war story and there's a big casualty next issue. It's so big I'm shutting off my Google alerts. I'm not trying to make anyone mad, but when I saw the finished art, I went, "Jesus." It was a scene that Coipel really seemed to enjoy drawing, and, for some reason, Laura [Martin] loved coloring. I wonder what people's reactions will be from that scene, which even made me wince!

 

[NightBeetle]

Double post again

 

[NightBeetle]

Embedded: Rebuilding Ben Urich

Brian Reed discuss about bringing Marvel’s ace reporter back from the brink in SIEGE: EMBEDDED

Reporter Ben Urich does not tend to be a violent or spiteful man. That disclaimer said, there can be no doubt that Urich hates Norman Osborn.
Over the course of his career, Urich has experienced a great many things. He has been threatened, stabbed, witnessed the first alien visitors to this planet in recorded history and exposed many a wrongdoing. Of all the one-time Daily Bugle veteran's accomplishments, however, his exposure of Osborn as the Green Goblin brought him both the most pride and the most pain.


It recently appeared a struggle lost, with Osborn being labeled a hero and ascending to Director of H.A.M.M.E.R. in the wake of Secret Invasion. However, Siege may prove the event that renders Osborn touchable once more. On February 3, in SIEGE: EMBEDDED #2, writer Brian Reed and artistChris Samnee aid Urich, along with Asgard's Volstagg the Valiant, in bringing that possibility closer to reality.

"Ben went toe-to-toe with Norman at the end of Secret Invasion, and he lost," Reed reminds. "For Ben, Siege is round two. Ben's not going to wait for Captain America to punch Norman into submission, he's going to show the world he was right before, and make sure that whatever Osborn's trying now, he will not get away with it."
Before that can happen though, Urich needs to reclaim the energy knocked out of him by his recent trials. Reed believes that Siege represents an opportunity for the reporter to do just that.


"A lot of EMBEDDED is about re-awakening Ben's love for life," the writer reveals. "He had some really rough times post-Secret Invasion, and EMBEDDED is him getting over that. Ben has certainly built up a fair deal of cynicism towards the events of the world, but he's not going to wallow in that. Things are bad, have been bad, but Ben believes they can and will get better."

Urich's optimism represents only part of what Reed feels makes the reporter an optimal character to guide readers through this epic event."Ben's a regular guy who has walked in the shadows of super-powered humans," he explains. "As readers we're immune to how astounding super heroes really are. But Ben gives us the chance to step back, and see the super-powered folk for how bigger than life they really are. I've loved having his voice to talk about the latest big events."


Additionally, Urich, as a newsman, represents a perspective not offered in other Marvel comics that will be dealing with the same events, something the writer attributes to Urich's transition to head of the Front Line publication.
"Ben used to be the crime reporter," Reed points out. "He worried about what the criminal underworld was up to and that was his beat. But after founding Front Line, he started to have to look at the big picture, and fate put him in the position where he could see that picture first hand."

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm already wincing about that "big casualty" in #2. Please don't be Balder or Sif.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

It'll probably be Steve, again.

 

[bored]

Meh, it'll probably be somebody like Maria Hill.

 

[runawayboulder]

It's not going to be Cap, Thor, Iron Man, or Spidey. I think it might be Balder. Sentry totally flattened him in SIEGE #1. He just came back from the dead too...

 

[Dread]

Didn't Rogers already receive his pardon in Who Will Wield?

Possibly? I might have missed it with all my teeth grinding about how Marvel botched the entire REBORN schedule to the point of irrelevance.

"Big Casualty" in #2? Why does Bendis always have to kill off some character to feel tough? How many has he slaughtered by this stage in his career? Writers who kill more characters than they create seem to be overcompensating for something; what I won't say.

Some writer, somewhere, either before he leaves Marvel or after, has to have the stones to kill off Jessica Jones. There doesn't have to be a reason. Was there any for offing the Wasp, rather than to make the Invasion "important"? I can understand Marvel entrusting their entire line to one writer, but why one with such contempt for the genre that he feels it needs fixing?

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Just read the first issue and enjoyed it a lot. Although i have to say I'm not 100% on board the Coipel party train. His general artwork is ok, imo, but his battle-scenes that Bendis keeps gushing over? Maybe it's my age showing, but growing up with the likes of George Perez and John Buscema...now THOSE guys could draw superhero/ army battles! Coipel's stuff just looks a bit too sketchy to me.

Whatever.

Loved the pacing. Although it seemed a bit rushed. I wouldn't have minded paying a little bit more for a longer issue and longer fight scene. Oh, and anyone thinking Thor is "down" just because the newscaster says so doesn't know the God of Thunder. Other than Sentry, none of those other *****e bags TOGETHER should be able to make Thor break a sweat. Next issue could be a great Thor moment...Bendis better not **** it up.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Possibly? I might have missed it with all my teeth grinding about how Marvel botched the entire REBORN schedule to the point of irrelevance.

"Big Casualty" in #2? Why does Bendis always have to kill off some character to feel tough? How many has he slaughtered by this stage in his career? Writers who kill more characters than they create seem to be overcompensating for something; what I won't say.

Some writer, somewhere, either before he leaves Marvel or after, has to have the stones to kill off Jessica Jones. There doesn't have to be a reason. Was there any for offing the Wasp, rather than to make the Invasion "important"? I can understand Marvel entrusting their entire line to one writer, but why one with such contempt for the genre that he feels it needs fixing?

I don't think it's "contempt", as much as just the style of writing Bendis is trying to mimic. Going back to the "Greek Tragedies" and Shakespeare and the like, every great epic always had a LEAST one death. Not comparing Bendis' skills to any of that stuff, just think he's using that as an example to generate a bit of drama...

 

[louiebling$]

Possibly? I might have missed it with all my teeth grinding about how Marvel botched the entire REBORN schedule to the point of irrelevance.

"Big Casualty" in #2? Why does Bendis always have to kill off some character to feel tough? How many has he slaughtered by this stage in his career? Writers who kill more characters than they create seem to be overcompensating for something; what I won't say.

Some writer, somewhere, either before he leaves Marvel or after, has to have the stones to kill off Jessica Jones. There doesn't have to be a reason. Was there any for offing the Wasp, rather than to make the Invasion "important"? I can understand Marvel entrusting their entire line to one writer, but why one with such contempt for the genre that he feels it needs fixing?

Yea steve was pardoned in WWWTS.

 

[Dread]

I don't think it's "contempt", as much as just the style of writing Bendis is trying to mimic. Going back to the "Greek Tragedies" and Shakespeare and the like, every great epic always had a LEAST one death. Not comparing Bendis' skills to any of that stuff, just think he's using that as an example to generate a bit of drama...

Shakespeare didn't seem to have so much delight in killing other people's characters to give some stock action movie plot of his more weight that he couldn't do without a body count.

A movie that has a body count just to have one isn't a drama. It's a slasher flick. And to be honest both Marvel and DC have been playing that card a bit much lately.

There are more ways to get people's attention to a franchise than death. Will the current class of editors have to all retire and hire new blood for us to see it?

Yea steve was pardoned in WWWTS.

Okay, thanks.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Shakespeare didn't seem to have so much delight in killing other people's characters to give some stock action movie plot of his more weight that he couldn't do without a body count.

A movie that has a body count just to have one isn't a drama. It's a slasher flick. And to be honest both Marvel and DC have been playing that card a bit much lately.

There are more ways to get people's attention to a franchise than death.

Well sure there is. But you accuse him of using that style with "contempt for the characters" which honestly makes it sound like you have some sort of personal problem with the man.

Have you ever met him? I have. And he didn't at all strike me as the kind of guy who sits at his computer, cackling evilly, and wringing his hands together while he contemplates which character he's going to kill off next because of some sort of "contempt" he has for the characters and industry.