Throughout my life I’ve read comics here and there, some found in magazines, comic strips from the paper, comics pertaining to movies I liked and even something as crazy as a one and done single issue of a Fantastic Four comic I read in my cousin’s backyard found in a Popsicle Stick box when Marvel had Popsicle flavors...yes that was real.
I think it’s safe to say that, in whatever medium, there are so many creators out there and no matter how many stories people have read over the years, it’s not likely even comic “experts” know everything there is to know about comics. That isn’t to say people aren’t passionate, I mean that art-form’s awesome for how it unleashed all this amazing creativity oozing out of all fans.
But I wanted to take you guys on a journey from my own new experience and guide you through a journey when, like me, you wanted to give this comic thing a try. So let’s get started.
Disclaimer though I am still learning about all these great things and continue to look up stuff here and there, but let’s take a look:
Everyone who’s anyone has said it, but narrow down what you want to start reading with a specific genre. Is it superheroes? Fantasy? Sci-Fi? Horror? Cartoon? The beautiful thing about comics is that there’s variety. And with something like superhero books surrounding larger universes like Marvel or DC, they feel like an amalgamation of all genres and it’s freakin' awesome.
But for me it came down to my love of fantasy and superheroes. But there was a little more to it than that because superheroes are a whole other entity since there are thousands of characters involved with YEARS of continuity. With a genre like fantasy I looked up recommendations for books that were like other franchises I enjoyed like Star Wars and Game of Thrones and I wound up with Saga, which is quite possibly my favorite book of all time. If you're a new reader this is actually a brilliant place to start. But like Game of Thrones this is not a Saturday Morning Cartoon, with some graphic material, but trust me, story and character wise it is the best comic writing I have ever seen.
For superheroes narrow it down to your favorite character or perhaps a team. I love the X-Men movies and Wolverine as a character and that got me reading a good bit of Chris Claremont’s run before I saw the Dark Phoenix movie and now I’m currently reading the newly relaunched mutant titles forming out of the big House and Powers of X storyline, which is a pretty excellent place to start (no pun intended). And there are still plenty of X books I want to read.
But also remember that the Internet is your friend and if you want to start somewhere with any character or series just search the words "where to start" for whatever character or team and you’ll find all sorts of blogs and message boards about where to begin and if there are any self contained stories to read. And if you find you something that might interest you, go for it. Have fun!
Also, if there’s a new series (a new #1) for something that is about to launch and you’re clamoring to read it, you could go about buying it a couple ways depending on what you want. If you’re the kind of guy who likes physically reading on paper and likes the experience of going to the shop and talking to the staff about all that nerdy goodness, go to your local comic store and set up a pull list. You also might get a discount on your books each week and never be afraid to ask questions about where to begin for a particular character and/or series. And keep in mind that new comics release every Wednesday.
On the digital end there’s also subscriptions you can get like Comixology, Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe. From my knowledge Comixology actually does give you the option to subscribe to a series so that way you’ll never miss an issue. But if you want a deep dive into the past, Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe have you covered with its extensive library of characters’ series or by putting together lists of issues for famous storylines. Say for instance you want to read Crisis on Infinite Earths and want to read the tie-in issues on top of the main 12 issue storyline, DC Universe has got you covered there. Marvel also does the same with event titles.
I also find it great that print issues include a digital copy code to transfer your comics digitally to whatever app your heart desires. Personally, if you want it all in one place I’d recommend using Comixology for that because it can become convoluted having comics on multiple apps since Marvel and DC have regular comic apps for their own libraries aside from Unlimited and Universe respectively. It’s a lot.
Personally, I like the experience of going to the store and getting my books in print and interacting with the staff at whatever store. It can be A LOT to collect if you’re a nut like me, but in the end it’s so worth it. There’s just nothing like experiencing a comic on paper and turning the page to see what happens next. Plus if you really love the book, you’ll always have it and you can revisit it again as many times as you want.
It’s also recommended that if you want a particular storyline or series it’s always a better route, heck, it’s the best route to find past storylines in trade paperback or hardcover. These are basically single issues put together as a book, or volume, with each issue basically acting like a chapter if you were reading a novel. Unless you have luck at your local store to find back issues, don’t go nuts with hunting every issue. Just find a nice solid graphic novel and you’re a-ok.
Graphic novels can be found all the time at comic stores and even bookstores and if you're not sure if you want to drop the cash, go support your local library. And going off of libraries take advantage digitally whether your library has an "e-zone" catalogue and you can read on your computer, tablet or phone. And do yourself a favor and check out the app Hoopla. All you need is to punch in your library card number and you have a freakin database of digital comics to read. It's loaded and you can borrow up to 10 items each month.
In regards on what to read, I mean like I said before the Internet is a great place to look with all the blogs, YouTube videos, and message boards. And as I said I’m still learning since I haven't read everything. But in regards to popular characters like Batman and the X-Men these are some that I'd recommend:
Year One by Frank Miller is a phenomenal standalone origin story and artwork that definitely has that film-noir flavor. It's a much darker approach and if you're a fan of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy this is a great place to start.
Hush is a standalone story that features an amalgamation of all the Batman villains but is so gripping in it of itself. It adds something if you know these characters, but it’s also a great introduction to the Batman world.
The Killing Joke by Alan Moore is also great if you want a standalone story that features a strong dynamic between Batman and Joker. As long as you know these two characters clash, which if you haven’t you’ve been living under a rock, this is another fantastic story that’ll get you enraptured in the medium itself.
But Batman Year One is definitely where I would personally start and if you wanted a taste of a Batman vs Joker history before reading Killing Joke, the Year One follow-up (or spiritual successor) titled The Man Who Laughs is also a fantastic read.
I also mentioned X-Men and if you don’t mind complexly written stories, House and Powers of X is a really good place to start since it’s a relaunch of the world of X-Men. A mini-series that was set to rebrand a bunch of mutant-related titles.
Although, the new X-Men series that spawned out of "House" and "Powers" literally titled “X-Men” is actually a pretty good place to start as well since it was made accessible to new readers.
Also, if you want something modern the first trade of Astonishing X-Men subtitled "Gifted" is also great and written by Joss Whedon, who directed the first 2 Avengers movies, so you get a brilliant team dynamic amongst the characters and some great drama intertwined with fun humor. It is the first in a four volume series, which I admittedly haven't finished and intend to, but this volume in particular is a great standalone adventure.
But if you don’t mind going classic I highly recommend reading some of Chris Claremont’s run which started with Giant Sized X-Men #1, which brings in new members to the X-Men being Nightcrawler, Storm, Banshee, Colossus and...oh yeah, my favorite character of all time, Wolverine. The paperback X-Men Second Genesis is where you want that and I’d actually recommend that you start at Giant Sized #1, read from issue 94 and stop at issue 108 in that book and jump right into the Dark Phoenix Saga, which is one of the craziest stories you’ll ever read and one of my personal favorites.
There really isn’t a right or wrong way to get into comics because as Stan Lee puts it "every comic book is someone’s first." You could pick up just any issue of anything and get something out of it, but I’d recommend doing some research to see if you can read something that’s currently ongoing. But also keep in mind that if there’s a #1 on the shelf, it’s #1 for a reason. Think about it. Comic companies always want new readers and say if a new #1 of something is continuing off of a previous storyline, the writers do try to write the issue in a way to recap the previous events to not make it too confusing for readers.
Like for instance when Guardians of the Galaxy had their relaunch last year, a new #1, which was written by Donny Cates, it referenced a ton of previous events that happened. I actually found out it was coming off of a massive storyline titled Infinity Wars that I hadn’t even read, but it was written to start a brand new story that anyone could enjoy and I dug the heck out of it. Same with the War of the Realms event. The book was great, but it turned out it was an added bonus if you had read the entire 7-year long run of Jason Aaron’s Thor, which because I loved that event book so much and Aaron as a writer (since he also did Star Wars comics), it made me want to go back to the beginning and read all of Jason Aaron’s Thor.
There can be a lot to read for some series more than others, but if you think you’re gonna enjoy it no matter what, go for it. Even if you picked up a #5 of something and liked it, that might lead you to go back and read the first 4 issues in whichever way you want. Just do the research, figure out your tastes, don’t feel intimidated by what you might hear out there by people who have read comics longer than you, and most importantly have fun.
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