Seige has been upon us for a few months now. But we had to get there somehow, cause Norman just had to try and use his power to get rid of the heroes. Wait a tic…..We have a hardcover collection with a ton of creators involved and several titles? Sounds like a time for:

Mini-Pellet Reviews!!!

Avengers: (W: Brian Michael Bendis/A: Marko Djurdjevic) If I’m brutally honest here, I didn’t enjoy this all that much. Not because of my irrational hatred of Bendis, but I just felt that Clint in general is acting too much like a loony. Like it or not, you would think a man (trained by Steve Rogers and follows his ideals to the grave) would think clearer on a plan like this. On the upside, the art by Djurdjevic is outstanding. We all know him for amazing covers, but he can do a interiors just as brilliantly. (Story: 2/Art: 5)

Daredevil: (W: Andy Diggle/A: Billy Tan) I haven’t read a Daredevil comic in a long time but shockingly, Andy Diggle is making me want to try it out again. Usually I am a bit iffy with the man’s work; but with the idea of Matt Murdock being in control of The Hand has a wealth of opportunities then I am intriguing on picking this up. Oh and Billy Tan is killing it with Marvel books lately. I know this came first, but seeing his work for this one-shot makes me think Daredevil is a good looking title. (Story: 4/Art: 5)

X-Men: (W: Matt Fraction/A: Alan Davis) Again this has nothing to due with my somewhat indifference of Fraction but…..This is my least favorite story of the bunch. I just can’t take Fraction’s take on the team as a whole. It’s too smug and there seems to be no sense of danger in this issue at all. Besides this is more of a Namor issue then anything else. False advertisement I say! Even the legendary Alan Davis couldn’t save this issue, in fact I didn’t like his pencils in this at all. (Story: 1/Art: 2)

Hulk: (W: Greg Pak/A: Ben Oliver) I was expecting this to be a bit of a ‘meh’ story as well but surprisingly this is pretty good. Maybe it isn’t as strong as Daredevil, but I’m interested to see Pak’s take on Skaar and Banner. Especially this idea of Banner teaching Skaar giving off a weird father/son bond. Oh and let me state that if artist, Ariel Olivetti, could make his ‘artwork’ look like Ben Oliver’s then I wouldn’t be so hard on him. Oliver is seriously Olivetti-lite and I actually quite enjoy it. (Story: 3/Art: 4)

Secret Warriors: (W: Jonathan Hickman/A: Ed McGuinness) Again more false advertisement; cause it’s a Nick Fury story and not the actual team. But I won’t complain here, cause Hickman writing Fury is just pure gold. Fury’s ‘List’ is much more entertaining then Osborn and the action in this is pretty damn entertaining. Plus McGuinness shows why he can be a pretty versatile artist even if his style is somewhat outdated. Not the best of the collection (coming to that shortly) but definitely a must read. (Story: 5/Art: 5)

Wolverine: (W: Jason Aaron/A: Esad Ribic) More false advertisement! Okay so Wolverine is in this and it’s better to advertise it as such. This is more of a Mar-Vell/Fantomex story then anything else. Now I know some people have an undying hatred for Fantomex; but if written well I can love the character. Here, with the interactions between Mar-Vell, I would kill to see a Fantomex mini by Aaron. Otherwise it is a ho-hum issue with some bizarre pacing. I love Ribic as an artist and it’s great to see him to a ‘big’ comic. But with someone else coloring/inking his work it does seem a bit weird. Go out and search his work on other Marvel titles, cause this isn’t the best take you could get of an amazing artist. (Story: 3/Art: 3)

Punisher: (W: Rick Remender/A: John Romita Jr.) Here we have the best issue of the whole collection and, dare I say, one of the best Punisher comics ever? I’m dead serious on that last bit because this is such a fun and entertaining comic. Yes I know I am a supporter of a ‘realistic’ Punisher and not the ‘Marvel’ take….but I can’t deny how amazing this was to read. Considering I am not a fan of Remender’s run of Punisher so far, he took a lot to win me over. It was an action packed thrill ride with a serious ‘holy shit’ ending. Frankencastle actually looks pretty damn enticing to read. Oh and how can I not talk about Romita Jr.? He is a god when you look at this comic because it just looks gorgeous. If you want to prove to people why Punisher can have a great comic, then you need to show people this. (Story: 5/Art: 5)

Spider-Man: (W: Dan Slott/A: Andy Kubert) Art wise this is a gorgeous comic. Kubert is perfect for a Spider-Man comic. If he (or his brother honestly) could do the ASM title for a while, I’d pick it up. But Dan Slott…..man I have not liked anything he’s done with the character since BND started. This one-shot is no different. Sure there are some nice jokes and the idea of the story is sound. But the execution just seems a bit ‘off’. If that makes any sense. Not a bad comic by any means, but considering Osborn/Spidey fued is epic to being with; this ‘fight’ is a bit of a letdown. (Story: 2/Art: 5)

So should you pick this hardcover up? I say……yes, yes you should. There are some clunkers in the pile (X-Men/Spider-Man), some average, but a good half of these stories are pretty damn fun to read. If you don’t want to get this trade as a whole then let me also say one thing. Try and find the Punisher, Secret Warriors, and Daredevil issues. If you want to read the ongoing titles of these three series, then these one-shots will definitely prove how great they may be.