Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Olivier Coipel
The Story
And with a simple battlecry, the tables are turned…
After opening with a presidential meeting about Osborn’s offensive against orders (something the commander-in-chief is not all too happy about), the issue picks up right where issue 2 left off with Cap’s shield flying into Osborn’s helmeted face. Thus the battle of the Avengers begins.
Siege #3 has pretty much everything I’ve been waiting for over the past year. All the Avengers teams finally throw down for good. Osborn falls from grace…or where ever he was up high at. The big three together again. Massive damage. Dogs and cats living together. But of course, it’s only the third issue, so there’s still the set up for the climactic battle that should solidify the true return to form of the Marvel heroes.
While it’s nice to see all these things, the pacing is almost too fast, with the issue over before I know it. I’m left wondering if it’s all happening too quickly with no time to let it sink in and enjoy. Maybe I’m just used to long Marvel events made even longer by constant delays. If that’s the case, this is a change I’d be more than glad to get used to, but it still looks pretty fast.
Much of the battle scenes have narration box commentary from the president and other top officials, which distracts from the combat and the dialog that’s actually going on. It makes the reader feel less immersed than usual, as if the reader is watching on the sidelines instead of in the middle of the action. Luckily that ends halfway through. Still, it’s interesting to know that Taskmaster is notable enough to single out to the president.
8.5/10
The Art
I wouldn’t mind having a poster of the splash page of Captain America and the Avengers showing up.
The art holds up nice in this mess of a battle. The character designs are fine. A lot of smoke fills the background, helping the artists not have to draw too many characters while keeping the large-scale battle feel. When the background does show, it’s a well-done Asgard ravaged by combat.
Then some Kirby dots get thrown in for good measure, and you can’t go wrong there.
There are points where I’d like to see a bit more detail in some smaller panels, and there are some panels that almost seem cut off. Overall though, the art is pretty good. Not jaw-dropping good, but it still works in presenting the battle within.
8/10
We’ve now entered the Siege’s final countdown. This issue brings most of the players to the game and sets up the climax and the aftermath to follow in the last issue. Fellow fanboys will find something in this issue to geek out about. Unfortunately the fast pacing with the presidential narration distracts from the story. Hopefully the fourth and final issue will rectify these problems.
The Review
Story 8.5/10
Art 8/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8.5/10