Broken Frontier

Marvel Comics’ mega-event, Siege, is ramping towards a conclusion in this third (of four) issue. So much happens in such a small span of time during this issue that it takes a second read to soak it all in. Considering this series contains some of the best work of artist Olivier Coipel’s career, that’s not a complaint.

When we left last issue, Ares had been ripped in half (literally) by Norman Osborn’s attack dog, the Sentry, and Asgard was under a full scale assault by H.A.M.M.E.R. Captain America was outraged and called together the troops while Maria Hill did what she could to assist Thor and protect a comatose Tony Stark. In other words, things are peachy. No worries.

The highpoint hit during issue two is sustained during this book’s runtime. There is no decline in quality, fun, and magnitude of story. This show is epic. There is no other word to describe the events and no other medium that can make it look as big as it has to be. There is real weight in the art and colors, which intensify the emotional beats, both satisfying and devastating. And boy, are there some good moments here.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis nails the juggling act of making sure every central character gets a moment to shine, or in some cases, stumble. Whichever is more deserving at the time, the creative team handles it with success. All of the "big guns" get a time to shine here. There are literally two of my favorite Norman Osborn (so many masks) and Thor moments between these covers. With Thor coming off this kind of juice coupled with the one two punch of Fraction and Pasqual Ferry, I might be reading a Thor ongoing for the first time. Big things happen in his corner of the universe, and Bendis does a great job of setting that starting point up.

Reading like a greatest hits of epic Marvel Brawls, this battle is fast and furious. One major player, of course, is the Sentry. Bendis takes this character beyond any kind of gray moral area and fully transforms him into a villain (I think). We’re still not sure what he/it is or what he/it can do, but none of it looks good.

If all the changes being made to Sentry end up being a misunderstanding or add up to be an extreme moment of imbalance, I will be very disappointed. It was hard connecting with a flawed and mentally unstable character like that, but pushing him towards a clear path (good or bad) is something readers can actually get behind. After saying that, it’ll be just my luck that this is all just a misunderstanding and the Sentry will be a member of the Secret Avengers or something. 

“Oops, I didn’t mean to tear the God of War in half. My bad. I want to redeem myself.”

All kidding and future story conjecture aside, if you had to describe this issue and series so far in one word, it would be satisfying. All the right muscles are flexed and Bendis proves again that he can handle a large team book, more so than House of M and Secret Invasion did before. These issues are tight and packed with meaningful developments for anyone that’s a fan of the House of Ideas.