Marvel, 3.99
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Olivier Coipel
Inks: Mark Morales
Colours: Laura Martin

Now that Siege is halfway through, is it an epic “seven years in the making” or yet another oversized crossover that is more likely to bore me off the Marvel Universe for good than lengthen my pull list? A return to the action packed superhuman slugfests of old or a simplistic and convenient way to revert the MU to a pre-Civil War state?

All of the above, really.

If last issue offered few surprises – Marvel has been marketing Osborn’s assault on Asgard and the return of Steve Rogers for months now – this second issue at least had a few moments of brutality that made up for the predictable direction the entire Siege event is taking.

Bendis has clearly set out to deliver an action-orientated finale, consequently the title lacks any level of character development, or even the more intimate character moments that previous big events have allowed. The Sentry has been Osborn’s not-so-secret weapon since the formation of the Dark Avengers, but it’s sad to see what was once an interesting and conflicted character devolved to a lambent-eyed killing machine.

Olivier Coipel’s art continues to impress, though by favouring close-ups of the large cast, he’s so far failed to convey the sense of magnitude that an assault on a mythical city should. Coipel’s work on Straczyinski’s Thor revival accomplished just that, and it’s perhaps Siege’s greatest failing that this war of gods and superpowers feels so small in scale and scope.

Love Siege or hate it, the event is simply a transparent catalyst for the reunion of the traditional Avengers line-up we all know and love. Seven years in the making? More like a last minute antidote to previous crossover events. Nevertheless, unlike Avengers: Disassembled, Civil War, Secret Invasion and Dark Reign, Siege isn’t just another temporary shock to the MU that will shake up the status quo but one that looks likely to restore it.

7/10