It would be preposterous to claim that the plot fundamentals of Siege made sense in any rational universe. That is something that Marvel fans, however, have had a good few years to come to terms with, and editorial direction of the Marvel Universe notwithstanding, Siege #2 continues to deliver a surprisingly exciting ride from a writer not known for his thrilling action beats. The issue is essentially a 22-page action comic, with occasional, brief breaks to give us reaction shots… and reinforcements. While hardly groundbreaking, the opening half of Siege, ignoring all spin-offs and tie-ins, may be Bendis’ tightest work in the last couple years.
Coipel continues to be a big part of the mini’s success, deftly handling the bulk of the issue’s action. While a few panels, most specifically the issue’s shocking, gory death, seem rushed and a little clumsy, others more than make up for it – seeing Maria Hill ride up in the back of a pick-up truck, rocket launcher in hand, was such a bizarrely charming sequence it couldn’t be ignored. The issue continues to have flaws, but the fact of the matter is, right now this is exactly the sort of brief, simple beat-’em-up most people look for in these big events. It may not be ambitious or revolutionary, but things are clearly happening, and these things are being caused by people with motives. For a big event, this is success.
Grade: B+
– Cal Cleary
Siege #1
read/RANT! 
It is successful, but to put it at the same level as B & R and Joe the Barbarian is absurd.
I judge Big Event Books on a very, very different scale than I do other books. JOE THE BARBARIAN, for example, has the Vertigo legacy of some of the greatest comics ever printed with which it will be compared. SIEGE has the legacy of a bunch of failed cash-grabs and a few moments of genuine brilliance to ‘live up to’.
If you just look at the grades on my reviews, free from all context, they’ll seem pretty weird. However, they’re intended to denote not only how much I enjoyed a given issue, but how much that issue succeeded at what it was trying to do.
I mean, comparing BATMAN AND ROBIN to THE UNWRITTEN otherwise would be equally unbalanced, because B&R aspires to be nothing more than a pop-savvy, thrilling action comic, while THE UNWRITTEN is handling some slightly weightier themes. That doesn’t mean that I should punish B&R, which achieves its modest goals with such vast confidence and style.
Or, I guess, any two ‘B+’ grades are not necessarily equal. Some are born from the confidence of aiming low and hitting the mark; others are born from an ambitious failure.
I guess it’s best not to take grading seriously. I know it’s hard at times. Still, it’s important to note that Siege #2 is not a very good comic, and willl probably be the worst thing I read this month.
I’d go as far to say it was downright awful.
“It may not be ambitious or revolutionary, but things are clearly happening, and these things are being caused by people with motives.”
It’s kind of sad, actually…
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