Due to a fairly hefty amount of requests, I bring you this post. I bring it to your very faces, so now you can all shut up and read comics!
Joking, I like most of you.
So, what's this post about?
Some of you want to read Siege and I have even had comments asking whether or not all seven years worth of material leading up to it is necessary. As I told my associate, Mouse, Siege is a pay-off event. Unless you are invested in what lead to it, it won't have impact. I like the impact it had. Thus, this post.
First of all, let's examine the claim of Siege being seven years in the making. Is it true? Not strickly speaking. If you consider the series that started it all, then no. The first part in all of the build up was The Avengers: Disassembled, and that came out in August of 2004. So, it's five years and a bit. Still, that's a long time.
Where to begin? HERE'S WHERE! *Grabs crotch*
I kid, but seriously...
The Avengers: Disassembled.
This is where it all started. The event that, as the titled suggests, tragically disassembled Earth's mightiest heroes and set Wanda Maximoff, Scarlet Witch, on a downward spiral.
A controversial storyline to this day, based on the decisions Bendis made. A storyline that I wouldn't say ranks up there with the best, but it's definitely more capable of being appreciated now.
This is your first stop.
House of M.
Not ENTIRELY necessary, but very much considered a follow-up of The Avengers: Disassembled.
I'd say this is more essential to appreciating Second Coming than Siege or what have you, but if you want to see how Scarlet Witch developed from House of M and what caused everything after for The X-Men, then check this out. It's connected to The Avengers: Disassembled, but then goes off in a different direction.
Civil War.
This is the next big storyline.
After The Avengers endured the events of The Avengers: Disassembled, the long-running tension between the members and associates was insanely tender. The interesting aspect about Civil War is that the event which ignited it all, namely The New Warriors' indirectly causing 500 people to get killed, actually came close to bringing The Avengers back together.
The following events and differences caused rifts that haven't been mended until...well, now. Nothing was really the same after this, and it birthed an incredibly tentative period in Marvel history.
An essential piece of the puzzle.
Secret Invasion.
Carrying on from the paranoia that surrounded the Marvel Universe after Civil War, Secret Invasion ramps it up to a whole other level.
Essentially, this is Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Marvel. The Skrulls, a shape-shifting race of aliens, have been monitoring the Earth for decades. Finally, they attempt an invasion by replicating certain Earth heroes and villains. Who? Find out by reading!
Not entirely original, but regardless, the way it's laid out is quite intriguing and it's a pretty nail-biting story. Everyone is on edge, suspicious and looking over their own shoulder. Rather than unifying the Marvel Universe, it ends in tragedy and shock.
The final piece of the puzzle before leading into the next part.
I should take this opportunity to inform you that the first REAL part of Dark Reign occurs in this one-shot:
Secret Invasion: Dark Reign.
It's pretty essentially. I wouldn't bet on getting it anywhere besides eBay, though it should be cheap. However, it's been compiled with a bunch of other stuff in the Dark Reign: Accept Change trade paperback, which is available from all good webstores and such. Definitely get that. It takes place IMMEDIATELY after Secret Invasion.
Now, Dark Reign is a status quo change as a result of how Secret Invasion ends. A long time ago I posted a Dark Reign retrospective, which I will provide the link for. Now, I would HONESTLY recommend you don't read it yet. Read the above trade paperback's first and then read my Dark Reign post.
Why? Because it essentially spoils Civil War and Secret Invasion.
I would advise reading my Dark Reign retrospective over the actual material if you're looking to just get into Siege. I say this because lots of important things happen over a number of different series' and one-shots. Once you've read the stories I've told you to read, check this post out:
The Mast's Dark Reign Retrospective.
Alternatively, for a more extensive Dark Reign low-down:
The Marvel Database's Dark Reign Page.
It actually gets cut short, but I can fill in the gaps. Regardless, you should be able to get all the info you need in the post I linked to. Regarding the Dark Reign material, if you do want to know everything that happened and where you CAN get the reading material, just ask me in a comment and I will provide you with a list of trades that involve Dark Reign's touch on various series'. Just get there, first. If things aren't making sense, then I'm always available.
Naturally, there are compilation tie-ins for Secret Invasion and Dark Reign (Secret Invasion: Thor, Secret Invasion: Spider-Man, Dark Reign: Elektra etc), but you CAN safely avoid those without losing much, I'd say. Just go by the assumption that, unless I specifically tell you to get it, it's not madly necessary. If you WANT to investigate further, I can help you.
Really, though, I can't stress enough that a lot of this paying off relies on investment in the stories and characters. If you just read it online, you won't feel a thing, quite likely. The trades are NOT expensive! Get them from a store, or if you want them even cheaper, your respective country's Amazon site (Use Amazon Marketplace, it's usually cheaper). Book stores typically carry trade paperbacks now, too. Still, there is enough info in my Dark Reign post AND The Marvel Database to get you up to plot speed. I just don't think it's the best idea.
After you're up to speed on everything, you can dive into Siege. The first trade, containing all Siege build-up issues, is already out.
Siege: Prelude.
Hopefully, by the time you reach this point, these stories will have made a comic fan out of you! Siege, as a trade paperback, will be out not long from now. The Heroic Age is in fledgling stages, so get on it!
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I really got inspired to go back and read all of these stories while writing this, so thanks to all the people who have requested the info, Mouse especially.
Let me know if this helps or if you actually found it useful! If you read the stories, let me know what you think! Swing me a comment!
Thanks so much for reading.
Until next time, peace.
-The Mast
