Forgive me for bringing up movies in a column dedicated to comic books, but over the last few years the two mediums have become almost inextricably linked for better or worse. I bring it up only in hopes of convincing lovers of super hero movies to take that enthusiasm to their local comic book shop and plop down a few bucks to enjoy the storylines that will never make it to the big screen. Some are intimate and character driven and some so epic and over the top that it would take a bajillion dollars and 100 years to translate into a movie that would likely strike viewers dead from cardiac arrest. One such eyebrow scorcher of a storyline is Siege, a Marvel Comics limited series/crossover event that is seven years in the making. In layman's terms, it's epic.

Despite the fact that the last seven years of Marvel continuity play a major role in the events that take place in Siege, the first issue (released 1/6/10) has provided an excellent jumping on point for new readers and loyal fans alike, providing scores of supplemental material to give a bit of context to the story.

Simply put, Issue 1 of Siege had everything I love about super hero comics crammed perfectly into its 23 unrelenting pages, reminding me why I (and so many others) got hooked on comics in the first place.

I'll neglect mentioning the plot outside of Marvel's intention to use Siege as a death and rebirth of the Marvel Universe as we know it, in hopes that curious readers will venture to their local comic book store to find out for themselves. In the age of the summer blockbuster, why not show a little love for the medium that started it all.

-- By Elias Pate, Writer, Big Shiny Robot, bigshinyrobot.com