Siege 3

Hope at last! Captain America makes his triumphant return, with the New and Young Avengers and Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors in tow. We learn upfront that Osborn no longer has the backing of the President or the United States government; apparently they're none too happy that he's started a war with Asgard against orders, and they issue a warrant for his arrest for treason. Thor's back in action, and goes toe to toe with the Sentry; and while he seems to fare better against him than any hero thus far (sorry, Ares), he still appears to be largely outclassed. Iron Man finally makes an appearance in his classic armor, but there's not much to it considering the general hype about his presence in this series. Osborn is finally taken down and stands exposed as a monster to the world, but forces have been set in motion beyond even his control, meaning the heroes are in for a hell of a fight before this is over.

I don't understand why the Hood is here; I mean, I get that Osborn calls him in as backup, but it doesn't make sense that Osborn would reveal his close ties to a known crime lord when he's made sure that every major news outlet is watching and reporting on this event, even in a moment of desperation. It just seems like an excuse for Bendis to shoehorn his favorite supervillain into a story arc that he doesn't belong in, and it's distracting. Also awkward is Osborn's reveal to the world. For some reason he's wearing his Green Goblin make up, which seems like a really poor decision at a media-heavy event, especially when Osborn seems to take such enjoyment from showing off his smiling face in moments of triumph.

Really, the biggest problem I have with this series is the same problem I have with a lot of Bendis' work (particularly crossovers): he's got a lot of big ideas, but doesn't take the time to fit them together in a logical fashion. It's as if he started with what he wanted the end result of the story to be, and then worked backwards. Osborn's downfall comes across as the result of stupidity and sloppiness rather than psychosis and overreaching ambition, which makes no sense for a man with such intense willpower and self control. Little time is taken to address the characters (any of them) at an individual level.

I did enjoy the art, but holy splash pages, Batman! And why is everyone crouching in mid-air? I know, I know, you have to show off all your Avengers, but it doesn't make the art make any more sense. Also, the sheer number of splash pages makes this story feel almost unbearably short.

Overall, this crossover has been enjoyable thus far, and this issue has me excited for the conclusion next issue. I just wish it didn't feel like just a formality to pave the way for the Heroic Age.