Diamond Summit '09: Siege by Marvel.com
SIEGE, a four-issue limited series event rolling out in January 2010, reunites not only superstar creators Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel but a certain team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
"We are at the climax," Bendis says of SIEGE's place within the Dark Reign epic. "Norman Osborn's reach has gone as far and wide as one could possibly imagine it ever would and he has set his sights on Asgard. Why he does this and how he does this, the question is, 'Is this the event that will bring not only the Avengers teams that already exist together but the classic Avengers as well?'
"[SIEGE] is an Avengers story but the nature of Dark Reign and the Avengers books and how they have been in the past few years makes it a Marvel Universe story. This is Avengers-focused but also involves the Young Avengers, the Secret Warriors-it's a big pile. Nick Fury is there front and center. But I think the real show stopper is the chance to see Thor, Iron Man and Captain America fighting alongside together. And what could possibly be big enough for them to get over themselves and do such a thing? SIEGE."
As director of H.A.M.M.E.R., Osborn has often raised his sights high-but why the fabled realm of Asgard, and why now?
"It is a very scary proposition to learn that another realm is hovering right over our realm," Bendis explains. "And from [Norman's] point-of-view that is a threat. If all of a sudden another country is hovering over our country it would not be met with a picnic. It would be seen as a threat. And not
only is it another country, it is another country filled with immortal, all-powerful god people. It's a threat of the highest magnitude and it has to be dealt with.
"This is not only a spin to the public, it's what he believes. Norman isn't a moustache-wielding villain. He is mentally ill and the clock is ticking until that magic puppet makes itself be known. The reality is here that he thinks a certain way. What I like about a good villain is that their [point of view] isn't incorrect. It's arguable. It's what they're doing about that that you may go, 'Hey, that's not right.'"
The writer noted to artist Coipel that SIEGE should be viewed as more of a war story than a super hero adventure. The duo's work on 2005's landmark HOUSE OF M series paved the way for this tale, their latest collaboration.
"When I found out [Coipel was] available for this I thought 'No way,'" he says. "SIEGE has been great because HOUSE OF M was a blast for us and we felt just at the end we were getting into something, not just having fun making comics but you get to this other level where you were feeling each other's brain. Every time we see each other we say 'We have to get together and try again.' So I was thrilled he was ready to do it."
Unlike other past Marvel Universe events, SIEGE stretches tautly over just four issues, making for a story Bendis labels "very intense."
"We gave it a good hard look and I talked to [Marvel Publisher] Dan [Buckley], [Editor-in-Chief] Joe [Quesada] and [Executive Editor] Tom [Brevoort] about it and I said if we're going to go down this 'event' road again the one thing we have to [remember is that] people are not committing a year of their life and a lot of money [to events]. We really need to meet them half way. I was shockingly able to get it all done in four issues without it feeling weird.
"We've got Mark Morales, who was the unsung hero of SECRET INVASION, and Laura Martin who was not only the colorist on THOR but SECRET INVASION as well. So it's a real A-list group of major, major talent to make this, what I think people will be surprised to hear is 'only' a four-issue limited series."
But in all, Bendis feels sure the real stars of SIEGE come out in the form of the classic Avengers.
"What's interesting about having Captain America, Iron Man and Thor all on the same side is that it's the first time in years and in some cases in decades that they have been on the same team of Avengers," he states. "People don't remember this, but even before I was on the Avengers they weren't on the same team. So it's been a while since we've seen the whole trinity of Avengers.
"You know what I think is exciting is that our people got a feeling that this is the big finale of Dark Reign. For people who hung in there and enjoyed all the different voices and flavors of Dark Reign you get a big payoff. What people may not know is that what happens at the end of SIEGE is as big a change to the Avengers franchise as when we Disassembled them and started the New Avengers. A decisive change for the Avengers franchise coming out of it will be completely different then what went into it. And that is something I'm very, very excited about."
SIEGE kicks off this December 2 with the SIEGE: THE CABAL one-shot, a special Bendis calls, "the beginning of the end of Dark Reign." Then, on December 30, readers can grab a free copy of ORIGINS OF SIEGE at their local comic shop, which includes an all-new lead-in story featuring the God of Evil and Cabal member, Loki. This issue also includes an exciting preview of January's SIEGE #1.
Bendis Talks "Siege" by CBR.com
Norman Osborn's political and extralegal powers give him worldwide influence over events in the Marvel Universe, but that's not enough for the former Green Goblin. He wants to extend his dominion over to other realms as well. In the December one-shot ,"Siege: The Cabal," by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Lark, Osborn makes a move to do just that. The events of the one-shot serve as a prologue to "Siege," an event that begins in January and involves a huge cast of characters from Marvel's "Avengers" titles. CBR News spoke with Bendis about the project, which marks the end of Osborn's Dark Reign and the beginning of the next major chapter of the Marvel Universe.
Bendis envisions "Siege: The Cabal" as a companion piece to the "Secret Invasion: Dark Reign" one-shot, which detailed the origins of Norman Osborn's secret criminal brain trust. "This is how the Cabal falls apart," the writer told CBR. "We knew they were going to fall apart. The only question was how were they going to fall apart?"
Bendis wants to keep much of the plot details about "Siege: The Cabal" under wraps, but the solicits for the special reveal that part of the reason the Cabal unravels is because Norman Osborn sets his sight on conquering the realm of Asgard. "I don't want to reveal too much, other than the fact that Loki has Norman's ear," Bendis said. "Loki has been working him pretty good since the beginning of 'Dark Reign.' We've seen almost all of those scenes front and center."
Further complicating the dynamic between the Cabal members is the power vacuum that was left when two of it's members, Namor and Emma Frost, quit the group. "In 'Siege: The Cabal,' Norman replaces Emma and Namor with two new members," Bendis remarked. "And he does so without the other remaining Cabal members having any say in the matter."
While one of the new members remains a secret, readers who have seen the cover to "Siege: The Cabal" know that the other is the villain known as Taskmaster. "I'm a big Taskmaster fan, and he's a Norman loyalist. He's running Camp Hammer," Bendis remarked. "If people are going to be disloyal to Norman, he's going to replace them with loyalists. That's just the way he does things."
The fallout from "Siege: The Cabal" is what kick-starts the four issue "Siege" mini-series that begins in January. "It's written by me, drawn by Olivier Copiel, and colored by Laura Marin," Bendis said. "It's the big, brand new chapter in Avengers lore. It's as big a change to the Avengers franchise as 'Avengers Disassembled' and 'New Avengers' were, and that's not hype or bull. What I like it about it is, it's a very big change to a franchise that's doing pretty well and didn't need to change anything, but the story is telling itself and we're going for it."
"Siege" is a storyline that will be huge in both scope and cast. "It stars all of the Avengers teams, the Secret Warriors and the Young Avengers. Plus we've got all of Norman's forces, as well, including the Initiative and all that entails," Bendis revealed. "This the event that brings the classic Avengers back together again. What could happen in the Marvel Universe that would get Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and everyone else to get over themselves and get back together? What would get the band back together on legitimate terms?"
"Siege" is a mini-series as well as a crossover event that will spill over into the Avengers titles, and possibly several solo titles that feature prominent Avengers as well. "There will be tie-in issues, and the 'New Avengers' and 'Dark Avengers' issues will be essential, but those issues will include a lot of fun payoffs for a lot of characters. Including characters that people have been wondering about, like Norman Osborn, the Sentry, and Ares," Bendis explained. "Just like we did in 'Secret Invasion,' we're going to flip over all our cards and show you everything. We're not going to end 'Dark Reign' and leave you wondering, 'What happened to that guy? And what happened to this guy?' We're going to turn everything over. I think people were satisfied by the way we did that in 'Secret Invasion.' As a fan, it's what I like to see. And that's definitely what we're going to do."
Bendis is excited to usher in the next chapter of the Avengers franchise with "Siege," but he's just as excited to be working again with his "House of M" collaborator, Olivier Copiel. "I love him. I think we've done amazing work together, and I think he's done amazing work on 'Thor,'" Bendis remarked. "Since 'House of M,' we've been dying to work together again. And, as the years went by, and 'House of M 'kept selling, our determination to collaborate again grew."
In addition to a story that's immense in scope, with an A-List artist, "Siege" readers will also get some extra features as well. "There's going to be some special back matter material that I'm helping to produce in the back of the 'Siege' issues, as well as the tie-in issues of the Avengers titles," Bendis revealed. "So, the issues are going to be packed. They'll have back-up stories, text pieces, or whatever is appropriate to accentuate what's going on in the book itself. It's going to be a hell of a package."
When "Siege" hits stores in January, it will bring the curtain down on Marvel's long running "Dark Reign" storyline while also serving as a bookend to some of Bendis's early Avengers related work like "Avengers: Disassembled" and "Secret War." "'Siege' has been in the works since about 'Avengers: Disassembled.' When it would happen and where was up for grabs, though," Bendis said. "There was some discussion about whether it would happen before or after 'Secret Invasion,' but once 'Dark Reign' was set, Joe Quesada and everybody else said, 'Hold off on 'Siege.' 'Dark Reign' needs to be a part of it.' So 'Siege' needed to fit with the way Marvel is right now. We knew that after 'Dark Reign' we'd be headed towards a different Marvel Universe, and 'Siege' is the beginning of that."
BRIAN BENDIS Leads a SIEGE to End Marvel's DARK REIGN by Newsarama.com
In any prolonged war, there are some battles looked at as the culmination and then final arc of the conflict; both in real life such as the Battle of the Bulge and even in classic fiction such as Final Battle in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And in landscape of the modern Marvel Universe, the quiet battle between the forces of Norman Osborn, H.A.M.M.E.R. and his Cabal versus the remaining heroes.
In the upcoming Marvel miniseries Siege, writer Brian Bendis is writing what he calls the “final act” of the Dark Reign era of the Marvel U as Norman Osborn sets his sights on Asgard and its conquest. Spurred by the events of Dark Reign: The List, Osborn is going after Thor’s homeland with all his combined forces behind him. But how does Loki figure in? With the inner strife between the members of the Cabal beginning to bubble to the surface, who’s side is Loki on?
And what of Thor? He’s currently banished from the kingdom of Asgard thanks to the secret machinations of Loki, and he’s not yet on the best terms with his peers in the Avengers. But Bendis has promised that the core trinity of the classic Avengers – Thor, Iron Man and Captain America – will reunite in the pages of Siege. With all the strife those three have accumulated in recent years during Civil War, World War Hulk and Secret Invasion, that’s another conflict readers are dying to see a resolution too.
Joining Bendis to work on this four-issue miniseries is artist Oliver Coipel. Coipel, fresh off an award-winning run on Thor, is also a former collaborator with Bendis on the best-selling House of M series as well as some work on New Avengers. But now, Coipel is taking Thor and Asgard into the wider Marvel U with Bendis at the wheel.
Newsarama: What can you tell us about Siege, Brian?
Brian Michael Bendis: Well, it's two things at once. For one, it's the shocking finale of the Dark Reign that poured all over the Marvel universe this year. At the same time, it's the opening of a very very large brand new chapter, particularly for the Avengers franchise – but also for things going forward in the Marvel U next year.
It's a tight four-issue miniseries, not eight or ten; four issues that sets up and delivers what I think will be a huge payoff for people picking it up. And for people waiting for an event to reunite the classic Avengers all on the same side, this is it. That hasn't happened since I've been on the book – and even further back, to a decade I think.
Nrama: When we first heard about this, Thor and Asgard came to mind. Are they a part of it?
Bendis: Asgard is part of it; Thor is a big part of it, and so is Iron Man, Captain America, the New Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, the Dark Avengers, the Secret Warriors and more. Maria Hill makes a giant comeback in this too.
Asgard is a foundation for what they're all fighting over – the whys and whats happening to it and who's really response are things that'll be revealed in the miniseries.
Nrama: For awhile, Thor and Asgard have been cordoned off from the larger Marvel U for the most part, but over the past year Loki’s turned up in the Cabal. How do you think Thor and that fits in with the wide world of Marvel, and what makes him so important to Marvel as a whole?
Bendis: Well, in the biggest sense Asgard has been a key part of Marvel, and the Avengers, for a long time. The threat of Loki is what brought the Avengers together in the first place – probably Loki's biggest boner move on Midgard.
Nrama: [laughs]
Bendis: Second, the idea that Asgard is now on earth means something is wrong with the nine worlds.
Nrama: You're talking about the Nine Worlds, the realm of which Asgard existed in up until Asgard's move to Oklahoma in Thor #1.
Bendis: Right. Asgard shouldn't be on Earth – or Midgard, as Asgardians call it.
From Norman Osborn's point-of-view now as head of H.A.M.M.E.R., it's a massive threat. Consider the situation – all of the sudden another country is laying on top of the United States. That can't be seen as a good thing by anybody on the outside, but more a hostile move. Norman's thoughts are that this is a legitimate threat and could easily be seen that way by others. Loki also agrees this is wrong, and not the way Asgard should be.
But for the heroes, it is what it is. There isn't a person in the Marvel U that Thor hasn't chipped in to help out once, so they're on his side.
Nrama: You mentioned earlier a possible reunion of the classic Avengers, and foremost in that is the unofficial trinity of top tier heroes: Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. On the record now, will you confirm they're teaming up once more in Siege?
Bendis: They're all three in the book. Will they get over themselves and their previous disagreements to get on the same page and reunite? The answer to that is the price of admission – the price of the comic. There's a lot going on with these characters – that's not an easy sell, considering they've been beating the shit out of each other in recent years. Most of them have died and come back to life since their last team-up. Do they feel the same way they did two years ago? Wait and see.
Nrama: As you said, it's been awhile since the three have teamed up. You've been writing Avengers for years and never had the chance to do it – yet. How long has this been in the works?
Bendis: We've been aiming towards this for some time. Siege is part of a larger arc that includes Secret Invasion and Secret War before that.
Here's what I'll promise – coming out of Siege, there will be a big change to the Avengers' books line-ups and rosters; as big as it was after Avengers: Disassembled. I promise at the end of this event, this miniseries will change the entire Avengers franchise. And it's not something we have to do.
Nrama: How do you mean?
Bendis: Usually, big shifts like this are precipitated by a change in creators or lagging sales or something, but not for this. This status quo change isn't something we have to do – but it's something we want to do.
Nrama: Digging deeper into the origins of this, how far back were the ideas that developed into Siege start popping up and being discussed?
Bendis: Well, my initial pitch of Secret Invasion and its' effects on the Marvel U was the idea that with Norman in charge, everyone gets to be Peter Parker. None of the other writers were forced to be a part of it, but people jumped onto it. Seeing that I realized how potent the idea was. In the initial pitch for Secret Invasion when the Cabal assembled (then called the Illumi-naughty), everyone at the table puts forward one big thing they want out of this. In there, you get Doom's desire to control Latveria, and the Hood wants his gang, and Loki wants Asgard.
Asgard's the big get – the hardest on the wish list to acquire. How does a mortal like Norman Osborn wrap his head around getting ahold of the god realm of Asgard. That was the original finale of Secret Invasion, but we decided to hold back to make it mean more.
Nrama: Will the tie-in issues be as widespread as Secret Invasion?
Bendis: That's the good news for people – readers, your voices have been heard. We're keeping a tight lid on the tie-ins to Siege, and really pulling it together to be a tightly connected series of events relating to the core Siege miniseries. So we're only doing a handful of tie-ins as opposed to getting a little out of control, which both Marvel and DC have done from time to time.
Everything's being kept pretty tight – you can buy what you want to buy, and the tie-ins provide different angles based on events in Siege. I'll be writing both New Avengers and Dark Avengers and handling that while Siege goes on.
Nrama: For some of the previous big miniseries, Marvel has put out a prologue or preview to get things started. Are you doing this for Siege?
Bendis: Yes! There will be a eight page free prologue posted on Marvel.com, which will be drawn by Lucio Parrillo. He's an amazing painter, and one of Gabriel Dell'otto's protégés. It's going to come out on December 29th on Marvel.com.
Also in December, we'll have the Siege: The Cabal which will be drawn by Michael Lark.
Nrama: Wrapping things up, we can't go without asking about your collaborator in this. For this, you're reteaming with your House of M collaborator Olivier Coipel. After House of M he went straight to beign the artist who redefined Thor and Asgard in the pages of the newly-launched Thor series with writer J. Michael Straczynski. What made him the go-to guy for this?
Bendis: It was a no-brainer to me. I had a blast working with him on House of M – I think it was one of the great things we've ever accomplished. I don't look back at my previous work too often, but when Olivier signed up for Siege I went back to look at House of M and it was so much better than I remembered. I remembering being in love with Olivier's pages as they came in, and I also remembered that we really got into the groove once House of M started rolling. We've worked on a few things since this, like an issue of New Avengers, and we've been talking about doing something major again and this is it. For awhile, Thor was taking up all of his time but when Siege came up, he was on top of my list. It came to me when I was thinking which artist had more influence on both Thor and the Avengers together, and it's him. He's perfect, so we hit the ground running.
And he's not coming in alone. Long-time inker Mark Morales is on-board, as well as newly exclusive Marvel colorist Laura Martin – who's been coloring Secret Invasion and Thor. It's real A-List super team.