Siege #4
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Olivier Coipel
Inker: Mark Morales
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release date: May 12, 2010

I’ve written about the previous three issues of this series, so I may as well go four for four. The first three issues of this series were great, and fortunately, the end of the series does not disappoint. Siege #4 wraps up the story well, and sets up the new status quo where our heroes can work in the light and we don’t have to see Norman Osborn in fifteen different titles each month. With this issue writer Brian Michael Bendis closes a storyline that basically started all the way back with Avengers: Disassembled. Now we get to see what he does next.

Since this is the end of the story, in classic comic book fashion, we get a big throw down of a fight, this time it’s between the Sentry’s evil side, and the assembled Avengers, Young Avengers, and Nick Fury’s young heroes. There are a couple of not really surprising deaths in this issue and each one is handled pretty well.

I guess the biggest problem I have with the series is the motives of Loki. I mean, sure he is the god of mischief so his goals may not be what we think they will be, but I don’t think they were ever satisfactorily explained. We get a bit in here where Loki says he wanted to return Asgard to its former greatness, but how exactly was getting Osborn to attack the realm supposed to achieve that goal? In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that big a deal, but it is something that kind of bugs me.

SPOILER

I think at this point it’s safe for me to say that the long dark time is over and that the Sentry meets his end in this issue. I always thought the Sentry was an interesting concept that was maybe not as well executed as he could be. I think this is the kind of story he was always made for, a big action series where he is as much villain as he is hero. I think he has finally lived up to his potential with the series, which is funny because he only works in death.

/SPOILER

As with the earlier issues of the series, I have to give it up for the work of Olivier Coipel and the entire art team. He continues to bring his A game with this series. I recently read some of his earlier work on an Avengers story he did with Geoff Johns (the recently collected Avengers: Red Zone hardcover) and it’s amazing to see how his work has evolved. It’s pretty good in that collection, but here, the work is just cleaner and more refined. I said before that I think the shorter length of the series helped Bendis keep the story tight and focused, but I think the length also helped Coipel keep from getting overworked on the series, and also helped keep a lot of delays from occurring. Coipel should be very proud of the work he has done here, and he’s an artist to keep a look out for.

This is exactly what I was hoping for when Siege was first announced. The series was tightly written, impeccably drawn, and best of all, had an ending that actually felt conclusive. I’m glad that the series was able to tell its story in a clear and concise way, and I kind of hope that anyone doing a big event book will follow this formula in the future. I’m also looking forward to what happens in the Marvel universe next. I’m giving this one an unqualified 5 out of 5. If you haven’t read this series yet definitely pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.