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Review by Robert Tacopina

Writer: Brian Reed
Artist: Chris Samnee
Color Art: Matthew Wilson
Letters & Production: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover: Adi Granov
Editor: Lauren Sankovitch
Executive Editor: Tom Brevoort
Executive Producer: Alan Fine
Published by Marvel Comics

Siege Embedded is a companion piece to the main Siege storyline that begun this week at Marvel Comics. Embedded, much like the Front Line titles before, it serves as a view of the event through the eyes of reporter Ben Urich. To be honest I must admit that I never thought these types of tie-ins were essential to the story that was being told and thus never cared to indulge in them. However since Siege is only a 4 issue series I thought I would give Embedded (also 4 issues) a shot. So, do I think it is a worthy addition and required reading to enjoy the over encompassing story? Let’s start with the basics.

Embedded opens up with talk show host Todd Keller preaching to America that only Norman Osborn has the resolve to act on Asgard and its inhabitants after the tragedy at Soldier Field in Chicago. During a commercial break a HAMMER agent propositions Keller but we don’t learn what this will entail at the moment. Next see Ben Urich in police custody and being held in the back of a squad car. An old acquaintance, Will Stern (a disgraced TV anchor now relegated to a cameraman), gets police permission to chat with Urich. Stern simply lets Urich out of the car and the two bolt to freedom…really?

Urich and Stern grab a bite at a diner and Ben recounts to Will how he stood up to Osborn at a press conference following Norman’s triumph at the conclusion of Secret Invasion. Coincidentally, the pair see Volstagg just standing outside of the diner and approach him while Ben secures an interview with the Asgardian warrior. The issue wraps up with the threesome hijacking Stern’s news van and heading to Broxton, Oklahoma; the current home of Asgard.

Brian Reed is the writer of this series and while I am a fan of his work, I just found too many conveniences within the story that rubbed me the wrong way. First of all, the fact that the police allow a man who Norman Osborn (pretty much the leader of the free world) deems a threat to his person to escape their custody, was just odd and unbelievable. Also the fact that Volstagg, a man who is being held responsible for thousands of deaths, is roaming the streets of Chicago freely is just ridiculous. Volstagg stands out like a sore thumb and there is no way that HAMMER or any other authoritative agency would not be using every possible resource to hunt this man down. Those two issues just ruined the story for me and I actually found the rest of the story to be quite good. Unfortunately, those two circumstances just let it all fall flat.

I do have to commend Chris Samnee on the art on this book. While not a style that I would immediately be drawn to, I did find that it really grew on me as the issue progressed. My initial reaction was that the art was so jarring that I thought I would find it too distracting. Fortunately, it didn’t and Samnee and Wilson actually became the saving grace in an otherwise lackluster story.

Now do I feel that this is required reading? Absolutely not. In fact the only ones who will really appreciate this are those who are so invested into Siege that they are compelled to devour every morsel pertaining to the event. Of course this is only issue 1 of 4 and things may turn around. But at this point in time I wouldn’t be able to sincerely recommend  this as anything other than filler.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 10 (Slightly Below Average)