Siege: Embedded #2 Review

“Road to Broxton” continues in Siege: Embedded #2.  But instead of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, the weary travelers are Ben Urich, Will Stern, and the um…  voluptuous Volstagg.

At every stop along the way Ben Urich is getting the people’s points of view on the actions of Norman Osborn and his Avengers in the wake of the Chicago Disaster.  Not only that, but Volstagg is bored and always hungry (which he satiates with a bag of pork rinds and a fashion magazine).

In Missouri, Urich speaks to an older lady who says Osborn should nuke Asgard right out of the sky.  She then goes on to rave about Fox News-esque commentator, Todd Keller, who has been selected by Osborn himself to shove the positives of the Asgard attack down the American people’s throats.  Stern and Urich give Volstagg a crash course on who Todd Keller is and why he’s become such an important figure in the Siege of Asgard.

Fifty miles outside of Oklahoma City, the three amigos get stuck in a road block.  Urich investigates and discovers there is a H.A.M.M.E.R. checkpoint in the city and is the cause of the traffic jam.  While Ben is talking to the locals about everything is going on, H.A.M.M.E.R. forces locate Volstagg.  Despite Volstagg getting away and doing massive damage to the troops, Urich and Stern are arrested.  Using a fake seizure acted out by Will, the two reporters escape and head toward Broxton on foot.

It’s not like this is an exciting book or even full of mystery and intrigue.  This is a book that really rides on it’s own face value as a book dealing with the major event in Asgard from a normal person’s perspective.  This is social commentary a la Marvel.  Obviously, comparing this to the horrible events of 9/11 or the war in Iraq would be pretty insensitive, but this book (along with the Frontline books that came before it) works on the level of how we feel/felt when tragedy strikes.  99% of us aren’t there, but events touch our lives in varying degrees.  And whether we like it or not, we get a fistful of opinion from everyday joes like the gas station attendant or some guy in traffic.  Those people in the know have the truth on their side, but so many become overwhelmed with what news channel they watch and begin to form their feelings and thoughts around what’s force fed to them.

That’s what we get in Embedded.  Osborn’s spin machine making people feel exactly as he wants them to feel to justify whatever crazy plan he’s got.  Without starting a political wildfire, this runs somewhat parallel to how the war in Iraq began.  We’re told that a country who we’ve had some issues with in the past is harboring dangerous weapons and the next thing we know, there’s a war.  And while this country fights that battle, people draw lines to stand behind back home.  This series is showcasing a lot of what every politician in the world does – if you can control the people’s fears and feelings, they will give you the keys to the tanks and bombs for safety against the boogeymen of the world.

This brings me to my final point in this review…  From the very first time I saw the Todd Keller, I had three predictions about what will happen to the character.  I figured he would either grow a conscience when faced with the horrors that Osborn is unleashed, get killed, or both.  I’ve still not changed my predictions, but I can tell you this guy’s a real jerk.  It doesn’t matter white side of the political fence you fall on, you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say he’s written to be the epitome of everything you hate about your least favorite news guy.  Be it Keith Olbermann, Bill O’Reilly, Shaun Hannity or Chris Matthews.  This guy is designed to be hated by everyone.  Which is good, because he feeds off the controversy of his statements and purposely says things that are going to be hated by someone.  So, if there’s anyone who is going to get hired to people heaping mounds of bullplop on a spoon, and make us smile while we take it, you’d go out and find the most annoying, jerk faced news guy you can and let him spin his web.  Despite only appearing in a few pages, he’s a really effective character because we can identify with him as being someone who’s created to be the talking head we love to hate.

Brian Reed continues to shine in a book that doesn’t rely on heroes and villains or explosions and super uppercuts to tell the story.  He’s simply done a great job of saying “Okay, if this whacked out crazy stuff is going on for real, how would I react?  If I was searching for truth, how far would I go to get it?”  Though some people might say that the characters in this book are very simplistic and over the top with the way they are drawn or carry themselves.  I can just look at Todd Keller for just a second for me to realize he’s a total douchebag.

Last issue I commented that I wasn’t all that impressed with Chris Samnee’s art.  I felt it was too inconsistent from one panel to another.  This time around I came to the realization that I am more impressed with how he draws some of the characters.  His Ben Urich has the look of a tired old dog.  His eyes are sympathetic and aged.  Volstagg is drawn with a certain amount of  silly, jovial innocence.   Keller just looks like a jerk and so on.  So I guess I can say that I’m coming around to Samnee’s art on this book.

All in all, not the most exciting book on the shelves, but there are plenty of interesting conversations and actions that delve into social commentary and media influence.

(Image courtesy of Marvel Comics.)

Tags: Brian Reed Chris Samnee Siege