Siege: The Cabal #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Lark (pencils), Stefano Gaudiano (inks), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Cabal implodes and lines are drawn.

What’s Good: The issue’s strongest point is its characterization.  Dr. Doom is written well by Bendis.  He’s the same absurd bad guy who insists on referring to himself in the third person. but, as usual, Doom backs all that egotism up in a big way.  In this issue, his self-righteousness and arrogance actually make him feel somewhat jarring as a character, unrealistic even, yet Bendis’ display of Doom’s power validates it.  Doom feels like he doesn’t belong because he doesn’t; he functions on a different level from Osborn.  He’s the all powerful, cackling old school villain while Osborn is something more convoluted and modern and Bendis’ depiction of this collision is well-played.

Speaking of Osborn, Bendis does a fantastic job on him as well.  Compared to Doom, Osborn actually sounds realistic; a scary thing, when Bendis essentially cements this month that Osborn’s sanity is bound to implode any day now.  The fact that Osborn’s fear of the Asgardians is based largely on advice from the Green freaking Goblin is evidence of that, and it also makes for a fantastically written conversation.

Overall though, this issues functions just as it should, truly feeling like the beginning of a slow collapse, as Norman’s finally confronted by limitations to his power. Publically, he’s reminded that he isn’t the President of the United States.  Privately, he’s bitten off more than he can chew with Doom.  And he seems to be in denial on both these points.  In probably the most beautiful bit of dialogue in the issue, he accosts Doom for making a “huge, dumb, arrogant mistake.”  When I first read that line, I thought Osborn was speaking of himself and apologizing to Victor.

Art-wise, there’s absolutely nothing to complain here.  With his signature dark, scratchy feel, Lark ably captures the action and the tense conversations with ease.  It’s a good looking book, and I couldn’t expect much more.

What’s Not So Good: For the start of Marvel’s last major event for the foreseeable future, I expected the start to have a bit more of a bang to it.  A character death perhaps, or at least a major event that leaves some sort of irreparable damage.  That I didn’t get either was a bit disappointing.

And it’s not like Bendis didn’t have his opportunities, he just seemed hell-bent on holding himself back.  Take for example the attack on Avenger’s Tower, which basically sparks off the Siege event.  There’s a beautiful illustration by Michael Lark that makes it look as though the Tower itself is on the verge of collapse, as though it were being eaten away.  I loved the idea of the Tower being destroyed.  I mean, damn, that is a way to start an event!  Of course, a couple pages later, and Norman’s back in his office and the Tower is just fine.

Well, at least Bendis can fulfill the promises Marvel has laid out in its ads and solicitations for this issue by revealing his secret partner, right?  Of course not.  Instead, we just get some glowy, vaguely humanoid shape letting loose with a couple of energy blasts with no major hint as to his/her/its identity. Great…

Bendis puts all the characters where he wants them and does what he needs to do to get an event started, but he just doesn’t bother to shoot any higher.

Conclusion: It’s an entertaining issue with very solid character work, but it could’ve been more.

Grade: B –

-Alex Evans

Dark Reign: The Cabal – Review

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Since Dark Reign: The Cabal is a collection of short stories, I’ll write a small review for each before basing my final grade on the overall quality of the $3.99 one-shot.

“Doctor Doom: …And I’ll Get The Land”

Jonathan Hickman (Script) and Adi Granov (Art)

More character study than anything else, “…And I’ll Get The Land” gives readers a glimpse into the mind of Dr. Doom as he thinks about what may come about as a result of the first meeting of The Cabal. The artwork from Adi Granov is definitely the highlight, though Jonathan Hickman’s script is an interesting, if fairly basic, read.

“Emma Frost: How I Survived The Apocalyptic Fire”

Matt Fraction (Script) and Daniel Acuna (Art)

“How I Survived…” is a story about Emma Frost coming to terms with her past that Matt Fraction uses to put more of a personal stamp on the character. A character study like the Dr. Doom story, it really doesn’t present anything new that would make it an essential read. As for the artwork…well I’m just not a fan of Daniel Acuna’s style. It was a fairly big negative for me.

“‘The Hood: Family Trust”

Rick Remender (Script), Max Fiumara (Art), and Nestor Pereyra (Colors)

Easily one of the strongest offerings in the one-shot, The Hood’s story (presumably) acts as a lead-in to his Dark Reign tie-in mini-series. In it, The Hood explores what it was like to be Parker Robbins and what it means to have family (of any sort). Part flash-back and part present day speech, Rick Remender’s script manages to tell a satisfyingly complete tale that is not quite as simple as it initially seems. The stylish, compelling visuals by Max Fiumara (of Four Eyes fame) are an excellent fit for the tone and mood Remender effortlessly captures.

“Namor, The Sub-Mariner: The Judgment of Namor”

Kieron Gillen (Script) and Carmine Di Giandomenico (Art)

In Namor’s story, he presides over a custody battle that involves an Atlantean child with special powers. Kieron Gillen’s script does a great job of walking the line between character study and truly relevant Dark Reign tie-in. It establishes the current status quo for Namor and how it relates to the Cabal situation in a way that’s full of engaging character moments. The artwork does a nice job of bringing the Atlantean court to life, though it does tend to look almost cluttered at times due to a color palette that occasionally makes things blend together.

“Loki: Dinner With Doom”

Peter Milligan (Script), Tonci Zonjic (Art), and Jose Villarubia (Colors)

“Dinner With Doom” is a story about just that, Loki’s dinner with Dr. Doom. As you probably guessed, it’s not exactly the most normal of dinners. Peter Milligan’s script is definitely the highlight thanks to his incredibly sharp character work for both Cabal members. If you are at all a fan of either Doom or Loki, consider it well worth reading. The artwork does a solid job of bringing the more…interesting…aspects of the dinner to life, though Tonci Zonjic’s characters seem a bit too simplistic at times (though they are quite expressive despite the simplicity). Jose Villarubia’s coloring almost makes up for the lack of detail, but not quite.

Conclusion: The good outweighs the bad, but nothing in the Cabal one-shot is all that essential. It’s worth reading for fun or if you just enjoy the characters, but you won’t miss anything if you choose to pass on it.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny