Pick of the Week
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PENCILS: Olivier Coipel
COLORED BY: Laura Martin
LETTERED BY: VC - Chris Eliopoulos
COVER BY: Olivier Coipel
Size: 40 pages
Price: 3.99
I am very rarely swayed by public opinion, and I don’t mean that in the “Oh, I’m such an individual” teenager kind of way, not at all. But for whatever reason when it comes to comics (especially when it’s my turn to do the Pick of the Week), I just try and put aside what everyone thinks, or what book everyone is raving about and that’s probably obvious when you read my Picks. Sometimes I’m just as wowed by an issue as everyone else is and sometimes I’m out there all by myself raving about some book that no one else read. The reason I bring this up is because on this particular week I was overwhelmed with comments and rantings of people absolutely raving over Siege #2. At first it was kind of neat, it seemed that many people were enjoying the issue, and then by the time I got to the comic book store, it was like a tidal wave of support for a book (from my perception at least), so much so that when I got to the store my thought as I picked it up was, “No way I’m going to pick this book..” See? Making a judgment based on popular opinion is never a good thing. And yet here I am, proclaiming and ordaining Siege #2 as the Pick of the Week! How did this happen?
Well I can say this much: it wasn’t an easy Pick. This was a light week for me, but it was filled with some fantastic books, and it really came down to the wire with a few of these comics (you’ll have to tune into the Pick of the Week Podcast to hear who the runner ups were) but as I sit here in front of my comic book, I have to give it up for the team behind Siege #2Â for producing an excellent, action packed comic book.
We all know how great a writer Brian Michael Bendis is. Even when Bendis isn’t at his best, he’s better than the majority of the comics out there. Without hesitation I can easily say that Bendis has been a constant in the 2000s for me, consistently producing great work. As I alluded to, there have been ups and downs. Bendis solidified his character work and his ability to write dialogue, but it seemed that his biggest challenge was around books with teams and many characters, often collected around an event (*cough*House of M*cough*Secret War*cough*Secret Invasion*cough*), but as he’s honed his skills on the Avengers titles, his group and action work as evolved and gotten steadily better. Now it seems as if we’re at the apex of that work, with this “mini-event” (by comics events standards) with a four issue miniseries that seems to promise the end of Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign and usher in the Heroic Age. I was skeptical after issue #1, it felt too rushed and contrived for me, but I still enjoyed it, just with a level of skepticism. After reading this issue though, not only am I totally on board for this event, but man, did Bendis bring it. But he didn’t bring it alone.
As much as I want to praise Bendis’ writing here, I have to say that the thing that tipped the scales for me was the work of artist Olivier Coipel. I know I’m late to the game here, as I haven’t read a single page of Coipel’s work in Thor or any other title to be honest. I’ve seen his art here and there online, but I’m pretty sure that this series is the first title I’ve read with his art. Oh man is this guy good! We’re talking like Jimmy Cheung good. In fact, I haven’t been this jazzed for an artist since I discovered Cheung’s work on Young Avengers. Every aspect of the art of this issue is just fantastic, from his storytelling and layouts to his figures and detail in people and objects. Yet by no means should I leave out the rest of the art team, which are all stars in their own right; with Mark Morales on inks, Laura Martin on colors and Chris Eliopoulos on letters, this series really is something special.
It’s amazing to see how Bendis and Coipel have teamed up to not only move forward a major and impactful story that will have ramifications across the entire Marvel Universe, but also to do it in such a memorable and beautiful way. I could literally go through each scene of this book and sing its praises, from the realization of Ares in the beginning, to Captain America rallying and launching the calvary, to The Sentry finally doing something other than running away to cry, to that last page with Osborn seeing what’s coming for him. Every page outdid the one before it, with several jaw dropping two page spreads. The story was crafted in such a way to move at a pace that allowed for action to happen as well not leave the reader confused or disoriented. This is event/action comics done at it’s best.
I really am surprised at my own choice here, but I have to give it up for Bendis. The past couple of months have been dominated by rings and colors and resurrections across the street. So much so that I was just talking to some friends about how quiet it’s been over at Marvel. Being a Marvel fan at heart, I like it when there’s something to hold up and talk about. It’s even better when it happens and you’re not expecting it. Hell, I wasn’t even going to get these Siege related books and made fun of the checklist on the show, but after this issue, sign me up. This series marks the ascendency of Olivier Coipel to that elite class of artists and we’re only halfway through the story, I can’t wait to see what the remaining 2 issues look like. Siege #2Â just turned it up as the event to be on board with, or else you’re going to be missing out on some awesome comic books.
Ron Richards
I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming.
ron@ifanboy.com
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I’m surprised!
Suprised that the Sentry didn’t go flying off into space crying for the hundreth time!
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
My pick as well, surprisingly good!
Respect the pick, it was a great review. Sadly I am not reading this and I can’t really comment on it. Although I heard it was just a ‘holy shit’ Sentry moment and that’s about it…..Still can’t judge, so good pick ron.
My pick was Sweet Tooth b/c, to me, it proves Sweet Tooth is the best comic on the stands today. Great issue.
I’m by no means ready to make a pick, officially, but I do know this was the first book I ran to read and cannot imagine anything left in my stack having a bigger impact.
This was the right pick … can’t wait for the podcast discussion come Sunday. I’ll be listening to it promptly after the Super Bowl (actually, I have to work the Flower & Garden show, but then after that, then after watching the recorded Super Bowl, the iFanboy podast).
excellent choice… i only had 5 books this week, and this was def my choice as well
Between the speech that STILL has me misty-eyed, to the fucking suitcase (you *know* what’s in the suitcase!), to the big Sentry moment, to the last AWESOME page, this issue had it all.
A better comic hasn’t been written in months. By anyone. In fact, I’m gonna call it right now: this is gonna be the best single issue in 2010.
God this issue made me hate that whiney girl Sentry.
Loved that last page. The rest of the issue was good, and an improvment over the first, but I wasn’t blown away.
I went with Sweet Tooth. Lemire has so much talent that I almost want to yell at him for it.
I have to disagree with the notion that Bendis’s event books, "House Of M," "Secret Invasion," or others aren’t his best work. They are some of my favorites, they BRING the intensity, and they’re better written than all other comic events. That’s just the fan mentality that events = bad, when usually that equals a whiny fan. Event books are of course a different type of book than a solo book and have a very different feel.
Did Ron not read "House Of M?" Because that had Coipiel’s amazing art and is worth multiple reads, it was so good. (Ron said he never read a Coipiel book before) He was a superstar back then, he hasn’t just recently joined that status. Even his Thor work is phenomenal.
Siege is what the best comics are made of. I knew this would be excellent all along.
Wow was Siege 2 good this week.
@KickAss – I totally spaced on the fact that Coipel did House of M – I did read it and obviously it didn’t stick with me. I don’t recall any of the gasp inducing pages in House of M that Siege #2 had, not to say that his work wasn’t bad back then – but he really turned it up a notch here. That said, good catch that I forgot that I have read Coipel before…thanks for keeping me honest
I can attest that House of M is a great single-day read. Take away all of the Event hype that amounts to nothing, take away the months of tie-ins, take away the month between chapters and just read the whole series in a sitting, and it is one hell of a thing.
i’ve been telling you for months that The Sentry was awesome and here it is now (see last week’s dark avenger thread, baby!) Totally happy for this pick.
and i agree with Kickass abd Jimski House of M was good. i really dug it.
Finally, Josh, do you like my new avatar?
I’m not reading this for real (skimmed it, though), but I respect the pick. Especially because Ron made it–and Ron can do no wrong.
Maybe I’m the only person in the world who doesn’t understand why the "holy shit" moment in this book really…matters? I mean, ripping a C-lister apart Mortal Kombat style? Who cares. That seems like bad shock value to me. Do something like that to someone who matters. It just seems like another lame excuse to build the Sentry up. Again.
But, if this pleases its target audience–and it certain has–then it’s more than done it’s job. A book like this (or Blackest Night) getting good fan response is good for the industry and creates a nice fan environment. So, that’s cool.
Damn tootin’.
The double page spread alone gets pick of the week for me! 🙂
They should have more ‘Incoming’ in comics these days!
I’m going to do my best to compose myself….I Hate The Sentry{cough cough couch} i’m so sorry. i don’t know what just came over me….{deep breath} i’ve gone from passively disliking the sentry (he’s either crying or he’s fixing every problem involving the dark avengers) to actively hating him after this issue(now he’s just some stupid overly powered animal on a leash). {cue dark brooding voice} he needs to die in a Very Very bad way. Preferrably by a warhammer to the face and hopefully followed by some gloating that would probably go something like: "Thou Art Dead You Overly Powered Nancy"
i suppose it’s a good issue, for it to elicit such and emotional response out of me but i’m not happy about it.
You know the first issue was really bashed on the intrawebs but I thought it was quiet good. I hated all previous Bendis events, by the way. Seige took all that was wrong with Secret Invasion and Civil War and removed it out right. Still haven’t read this yet, but if the Sentry cries like the bitch he is, I am gonna punch someone!
@edward you’re fucking awesome dude. I thought Josh had adopted a new avatar until I read that last part. Still laughing my ass off!!! You’re such a dick, lol.
Good pick and review. Seems they’ve finally found a solution for all those Sentry haters out there (make him a crazed, uber-dangerous, bad-ass villain).
This was everything an event comic should be. Well worth the pick and the surrounding excitement.
(This might have been my pick, but ‘Blackest Night the Question’ got my sentimental vote.
this was an amazing event comic…the first i have liked on marvels side since forever
I really liked this issue, especially Coipel’s art, Thought that was great.
Ron, giddy to see you pick Siege for the POTW. I didn’t hate the 1st issue like a lot of folks did, but I did think it was a tad sparse for the first of a four issue event. But THIS ISSUE!?!?! Oh my, this issue was gold, Jerry, GOLD. We got great cinematic moments, from Ares saying "Osborn" to Fury telling Phobos nothing can scare him, to Sentry doing what he did (he rolls like that!?!?) and lots in between. This was what event comics should, and could be, on a more consistent basis. Kudos to Bendis and the art team (Coipel especially) on absolutely killing it.
When the Sentry ripped Ares in half i almost lost it. I should have seen it coming too with the spotlight Ares has been given by Bendis in DA but man, that was just crazy awesome.
Thor was one of my favorite series of the last couple of years and it still is. I was a little concerned with the writer change, but Kieron Guillen is really doing great work. Ron you have to check out the art it has been great since the Thor relaunch. You won’t be sorry if you go back and read the new Thor run from when Straczynski relaunched it. it was great!
I get all teary when I realize I’m reading an event book…where things happen.
Really, Ron? REALLY? WELL GOOD JOB!
What did the Shield say to the face?
SLAP!
"I’m CAPTAIN AMERICA! Beeyotch!"
My lcs got allocated due to the shipping mishap, ergo no Siege for me. Pretty much have to walk away from the internet for a week to avoid the spoilers, right?
It was good..the art was awesome and the last scene with the shield coming down on Norman was brilliant. Don’t understand what the big deal is baout Sentry tearing Ares apart..Bendis had She-Hulk do the same thing to Vision. Let’s just hope they don’t blow this and give us a pay-off.
The issue for me is how this varies with EVERY OTHER PORTRAYAL EVER of the Sentry/Bob. Is there a "No-Prize" for explaining this behavioral anomaly?
So Maria Hill in a truck with a kid takes out the pack of villains that just took down Thor? I can’t seem to get over that.
Hmmm, according to solicits, it appears that Ares is getting his own book in April
@WilliamKScurryJr – Have you not been reading "Dark Avengers?" Sentry acted the way he’s been characterized all along in that book.
The tearing was pretty rad.. c’mon. I certainly didn’t see it coming… and so what if She-Hulk did it to Vision 7 years ago. Ares IS a god so who knows if he’s really dead or not. This was a really good issue… SECOND best of the week.. followed ONLY by Scalped! ; )
Finally… a worthy POTW. Good work Ron!
@Slockhart – let’s hope that the solicit is a red herring …
@Slockhart- The Solicit is not for a new series, but for the trade of the Ares’s mini that came out recently!
So now The Sentry isn’t the worst character in the history of comics? Pardon me while I go reevaluate my life.
What? Now we love the Sentry? I thought us friends iFanbase.
Excellent choice!
So all it took to make him cool in the eyes of fans was to have him rip another character in half? Why didn’t Bendis think of this years ago!?!?
Last page put a big grin on my face. This was a good action-packed well told comic. What more could you want from a superhero comic?
They have put a lot of time promoting/developing Ares. They gave him that mini. Then they put him in the Mighty Avengers/Dark Avengers. Obviously he is not Wolverine/Spider-Man level, but he has been an Avenger for a couple years.
I don’t think it was a cop-out kill.
The ramifications of the Sentry killing a god with such ease is what is interesting.
I also like the Ares’s appealing to the Sentry by pulling the friend card all for naught.
@AmirCat and SBomb232
Apparently that book I was looking at is a black and white anthology one shot, kinda like those Batman books they did a couple years ago. Silly me.
I’m confused a bit here. Can Ares really be ‘killed’ killed? I mean he’s a god not just a regular superhero. He might be out of the picture for awhile, but I think killing a God takes more then just ripping him/her/it in half. Then again Sentry has God like powers so…..maybe it works.
I don’t know, I just find it hard to believe it was that easy. It would be hilarious to see Ares walking around saying: ‘It’s just a flesh wound’.
ron – i love that your picks are seldom predictable. this was a light week for me, in that i didn’t buy any books. for some reason i delved into the comments section for a number of books and everything said about this one has me itching to read it. looks like i picked the wrong time to turn my back on events
seige 2 was the best comic, imo, since green lantern 25… the first issue that actually had me shocked during the reading. And coipel is Marvel’s best artist. I know art is a matter of opinion but to me he stands miles above the greats: McNiven, Romita JR, Yu, etc…
just saw that all three of you made this your POTW when was the last time that happened. had to be an issue of batman and robin right?
One word … "INCOMING"
@RoiVampire
Pretty sure the last time that happened was that issue of Fantastic Four a couple months ago.
@WilliamKScurryJr and drakedangerz- Bendis had Sentry rip someone in half the very first time he wrote the character.
also, comics I would put money on Ron having read that feature Olivier Coipel’s art:
New Avengers Annual #1 (the Cage-Jones wedding)
New Avengers #23 (the Civil War Spider-Woman issue)
and Uncanny X-Men #448-449
Don’t get me wrong… I totally loved this issue but isn’t anybody else seeing the predictable ending on how the Sentry will be taken out? Son gets left behind, finds out his father was brutally murdered and goes off and triggers the Sentry’s mental problems into taking his own life.
I don’t necessarily think that this issue makes The Sentry seem cooler by repainting him as a villian. He’s just a mindless nut. However, it does attribute to him a crime that will make his eventual death at the end of this series justifiablel. The constant calls from the fans of the Marvel Universe to kill this character over the last ten years simply wasnt a good enough reason. But, if you kill a God……
You know Hercules has fought Sentry before, like last year…….and he kicked his ass!
So if there is a Sentry beatdown by Hercules then I am all for that.
I can’t wait ’til Marvelman appears and beats his ass.
In case it wasn’t clear, the ripping in half was not the coolest thing in the issue. It was cool, but everything else I mentioned previously was *way* cooler. 🙂
that last page is awesome 🙂
Can’t say that this did much for me… although the last page was good.
Also, I may have missed something (considering I don’t read much Marvel anymore) but when did Sentry change from ‘mental but easily manipulated goverment stooge’ to ‘cold blooded murderer who does whatever osborn tells him’??
Yeah. That was good.
some might consider ‘easily manipulated’ and ‘does whatever osborn tells him’ to not be such a jump
Wow!!! Absolutely great story telling! Looking forward to the next issue!
Bendis did have Sentry rip someone in half before: Venom in New Avengers. Just didn’t take. Great issue and great review!
Actually it was Carnage. And that did take. Still dead.
@ABirdsEyeView – sure, but unless there is something big that has happened that i’ve missed (which as I say is a possibility) then I thought that the Sentry was an inherently good guy who happened to be a few sandwhiches short of a picnic.
I can’t say i’ve ever read another instance of him where the whole ‘ripping someone in half’ thing would be in character, which means either I’ve missed a story beat somewhere where his personality was changed or in this instance he was written out of character to provide an ‘oh f*ck’ moment.
I’m guessing you haven’t been reading Dark Avengers, because it’s all been there
I’ve been a fan of Coipel since he did House of M, and it’s great to finally hear him talked about at length on the site. I’m really looking forward to the podcast this week!
And for the record, I’ve been a fan of Bendis’ Sentry since the beginning. I knew the character had this potential, and I knew that Bendis was working towards getting him there. Always trust in Bendis!
Loved how Jarvis laid the groundwork for Captain America and Iron Man to work out there conflicts stemming from Civil War by giving him Tony’s armor in the briefcase. It was like Jarvis keeping it unspoken, but saying, "put past problems aside and go kick ass with your friend."
That was a nice subtle touch.
Hope that case did have Tony’s armor, ahhahahah
I can’t help but to think that the recent developments in The Sentry are so Marvel can set up their take on The Mighty/Irredeemable.
so they want their 10-year old take on Superman that’s been developing slowly over time to more closely resemble two takes on Superman that have come out in the last year?
It definitely has an Irredemable vibe to it.
After this issue, the Sentry is basically irredemable as a hero.
Yay! Awesome and intense issue! Booya for events! Im a noob so… what’s in the suitcase? Im not a Sentry hayer but, yeah, this got pretty dark! Then I read Dark Avengers from last week and yeah, its dark awright. Eager to see what Bendis had planned for him all along! Can’t wait for Ares son Phobos to get in the battlefield. Shit is gonna go down!
SCALPED would have been my pick. It didn’t disappoint
Cant wait for Red Hulk and Hulk (the green one), she-hulk, kid-hulk and red-she hulk and Skaar hulk come and beat the Sentry! Unless he keeps ripping them apart! Like yellow pages! I dont think there is a block for that move. was it back, back + AB???? Send Samson to try it out first! I kinda like evil mofo Sentry!
I was really surprised by how much better this issue was than the first. It was gorgeous and action packed with some amazing layouts and storytelling. Definitely one of Bendis’ strongest event issues in a long while. I really enjoyed it, and I can’t wait for next months issue.
The final page was the real win in this issue. Coipel is an amazing visual storyteller.
ultimatehoratio you’re assuming The Sentry isn’t 616’s version of MarvelMan, after all, what’s one more retcon?
I don’t read Hulk, and I’d be surprised to see him saving Asgard, but if we are going to have surprise-guests I’d love to see Daredevil, the Hand, White Tiger, and the Black Tarantula. By Odin’s Beard!
ok so from what i understand is the money is on the sentry being marvelman….are they really planning on having him be in the marvel u or are they planning to somehow make it that he exists in his own universe?
@MattB Thats a theory but i really don’t see it. I don’t think it would make sense from a marketing standpoint, which is why they bought MM in the first place. They could make more money by reprinting the old stuff and getting Gaiman to do a new mini that tied everything up. possibly under the MArvel Knights banner
This issue wasn’t just Ares getting ripped in half. Ron hit the nail on the head with his pick. This issue is filled with great moments and the art is awesome. I’m also interested in the ramifications that will result from this. I really like Phobos over in the Secret Warriors book and I can’t wait to see how he reacts to his father’s death. I hope he steps up and becomes even more of a badass and maybe even the new god of war.
I ran around for 2 days after reading this asking, "CAN IMMORTALS DIE?!!"