Poll: Comic Revolution: How do I get into Comics and or What story?

[Lonestar Studios]

I am a Gamer, I enjoy certain TV shows and anime, I am a Casual Movie Goer, and as for comics. I've read the first 8 Spider-man Comics (reprints). The Majority of the movies I watch are Super hero movies, my favorites being in no particular order:The Dark Knight, Ghost Rider, and The Dark Knight Returns. My favorite super heroes: Captain Marvel(Shazam), Batman, Superman, Ghost Rider, and Spider-man. I feel bad because I want to support comics, I want to be a regular reader, I want to get into comic books. Mostly DC Comics, I prefer their Characters. I know about Movie Bobs video about getting into comics and ignoring the continuity but I want to hear not really all of your methods of entry but more of what do you recommend. What story line, what characters, and what big events. Well DC preferable, any of my favorites (the ones I said earlier), beautiful artwork, and great story.

And anyone reading the replies to this post, I hope it helps you as well, and I as soon as I get some recommended books, ill be back.

Sense not everyone has the same favorites, if you know some good story lines and issues of one of your favorites, to help others with that favorite and possibly so I can enjoy more stories myself

Thanks for the help, if you do so of course

 

[vv85]

I'd recommend Flash and Batman from that list, though I also love the Green Lantern backstory.

For a series recommend, 'Not Mans Land' was the series that really got me into Batman. I dont know why, but it really hit me.
link here [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man%27s_Land_(comics)]

 

[Hectix777]

I am a Gamer, I enjoy certain TV shows and anime, I am a Casual Movie Goer, and as for comics. I've read the first 8 Spider-man Comics (reprints). The Majority of the movies I watch are Super hero movies, my favorites being in no particular order:The Dark Knight, Ghost Rider, and The Dark Knight Returns. My favorite super heroes: Captain Marvel(Shazam), Batman, Superman, Ghost Rider, and Spider-man. I feel bad because I want to support comics, I want to be a regular reader, I want to get into comic books. Mostly DC Comics, I prefer their Characters. I know about Movie Bobs video about getting into comics and ignoring the continuity but I want to hear not really all of your methods of entry but more of what do you recommend. What story line, what characters, and what big events. Well DC preferable, any of my favorites (the ones I said earlier), beautiful artwork, and great story.

And anyone reading the replies to this post, I hope it helps you as well, and I as soon as I get some recommended books, ill be back.

Sense not everyone has the same favorites, if you know some good story lines and issues of one of your favorites, to help others with that favorite and possibly so I can enjoy more stories myself

Thanks for the help, if you do so of course

DC is a relatively tough pill to swallow when you dive into it, but it can be manageable if you have an iPod or Pad. DC went Digital and put a lot of its catalog on its app, they even put the very first comics of Superman and Batman. It's easier to jump into DC now since they did the new 52 reboot and a lot of things changed. I personally recommend reading Superboy and Teen Titans, they're far enough away from the big heroes to do their own thing.

Just try to remember that comics can be fun and MOST IMPORTANTLY start a budget. Comics cost $1.99, yeah, but that can add up if you read multiple series. So just be aware of the spending limit and have fun. Also they release on a monthly schedule so it's easy to get caught up. Or y'know, Wikipedia.

 

[go-10]

go with DC comics, the new 52 makes everything easier to follow
I'd recommend any of the Bat books, but also Superman and Supergirl have been really good lately, and I don't think anybody out there can deny the awesomeness of Justice League! All in all it's kinda hard to find a bad book in DC's catalog

if you want to get into Marvel, I can only recommend Avengers Arena, Nova, and/or Superior Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, and Venom since everything else is kinda crappy

also the X books have been good, I'll name them in order from amazing to great: All New X-Men, X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Uncanny X-Force, Cable and X-Force, Wolverine and the X-Men, Savage Wolverine, Wolverine, and Uncanny Avengers (it might as well be an X book)whatever you do DO NOT EVER PICK UP X-Men Legacy :O

 

[Agayek]

Atomic Robo is the only real answer to this question. Everything else is provably wrong

 

[DRTJR]

Captain Marvel is my favorite Superhero, I have many of the older issues of his, BUT I'd recomend something rather contained like All-Star Western to jump into.

 

[Mr. Omega]

DC is going through a lot of re-establishing thanks to the recent reboot, but I will say the Batman line has been really good. Anyway, some very general tips for getting into comics:

1: If you have an iPhone or iPad, look up the DC and Marvel apps. Also, set up an account with Comixology. Marvel has a sale every Monday and Friday, so it makes getting digital comics in large quantities easy.

2: As someone else here mentioned, learn to budget yourself. Comics aren't that expensive, but the price adds up FAST.

3: Try and find collected editions or trade paperbacks as often as you can. These normally collect story arcs together in a simpler format. It's also a good way to read earlier stories.

4: Generally good places to start reading a series
A: At the start of a new story arc.
B: When a new writer starts writing it.
C: #1s, obviously.

5: Don't worry too much about numbers. DC and Marvel renumber their books so often it hardly matters. And when looking through digital comics, they often label them by volume as well as specific number. (Volume can be summed up as "Well, they went back to number 1. New volume!")

6: Try to remember writers you like.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

Get any Batman books written by Scott Snyder. That guy just straight up "gets" Gotham, and the Batman. He's a skilled comic writer and worth learning more about.

 

[-Ezio-]

i will give you one warning. it is not a cheap hobby if you get really into it.

i started at the DC reboot with green lantern. i liked it. so i started to get the other GL books. then i saw that spiderman was doing something interesting so i started buying that. then MLP:FiM started releasing comics. obviously had to get that too. now on a monthly basis these are the comics i buy:

Green Lantern
Green Lantern: New Guardians
Green Lantern Corps
Red Lanterns
Larfleeze
Threshold (being canceled lucky for my wallet)
Superior Spiderman (2 a month)
MLP FiM
MLP FiM: micro series
plus the occasional mini series (currently The Last of Us)

all this adds up to about £35. so I'm buying a new game worth of comics every month.

not saying i regret it. i dont. love my comics. just make sure you know what you might be getting yourself into.

 

[Vausch]

My first comic was Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Yeah I pretty much started in the most convoluted place possible, but it was an amazing story.

Lessee, recommendations:

Any Green Lantern books written by Geoff Johns

Superman: New Krypton is a bit of an interesting place to read. Gary Frank's artwork is fantastic and it's basically what Man of Steel would have been if Superman had been in character.


If you want a good series of event comics: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, then 52. Keep the wiki pages open to answer any questions you have, then just read those 3 in succession. They're great event comics, and 52 is one of the best things DC ever put out ever, detailing the events of a year in comic through the eyes of B-list characters like Booster Gold (who is awesome), Elongated Man, The Question, Starfire, Animal Man, Steel, and Black Adam.

Although a great place to start is the Titans comic, The Technis Imperative. It's a pseudo event comic with hundreds of characters showing a battle between the Titans and Justice League, and it gives you natural exposition throughout the comic to detail previous events along with little cards in the pages telling you who each character is and a brief history and summation of their abilities.

 

[Souplex]

I tried to get into DC when they rebooted.
Lasted six months, then just stopped caring.
My favorite DC hero has to be The Flash. (Wally West) He sadly doesn't exist in the reboot for some reason, instead we have Barry Allen.

 

[Auron]

Getting into DC is easy now with the New 52, just pick up one or two books and start it up. It should be fairly easy to get physical editions but I use digital myself. I have been reading mostly Marvel lately though so I'm using their app/site subscription model, Marvel Unlimited. Sadly DC has nothing that compares in scale. Comixology should have the DC titles however it's not a subscription and you have to pay individually. I recommend the Justice League and Batman series, Catwoman was surprisingly good in the New 52 as well.

PS - Batman is nothing like the character in his movies, Arkham asylum/city gets the character far better in fact.

 

[Lonestar Studios]

Captain Marvel is my favorite Superhero, I have many of the older issues of his, BUT I'd recomend something rather contained like All-Star Western to jump into.

I think of you as a higher form of life, like a god. Captain Marvel ftw my friend

 

[Lonestar Studios]

I would like to add a variable to what I have said before. To give you an idea of a "Budget" I have, I don't get money frequently and my other hobbies are gaming, fan fiction, and Warhammer 40k (My favorite). So I tell you this so you can understand what amount of money should be allocated to my comics budget, and I wanted to show of my love for warhammer 40k

 

[ghostrider409895]

Sense not everyone has the same favorites, if you know some good story lines and issues of one of your favorites, to help others with that favorite and possibly so I can enjoy more stories myself

Thanks for the help, if you do so of course

Between DC and Marvel, I always felt that DC embraced a more fantasy world in comics. I know both have superheros, but when you compare DC to Marvel stories, people in DC tend to actually like their heroes, while Marvel's heroes tend to be hated. This is based on overall history, since I haven't really been reading recent DC comics. But, consider in DC they have a Justice League and idolizing reporters. Marvel has superhero registration and the Daily Bugle calling heroes a menace.

That out of the way based on some of the movies and heroes you posted saying you like, they tend to be more darker characters. Superman is usually lighter, as is Captain Marvel, but Batman (modern) and Ghostrider tend to have darker archs. Spider-man depends on the story arch, but he is moderate. I personally would test the water on a few of these guys. I know my local library and the one downtown have what are called Essential Marvel, which are black and white reprints of twenty to thirty issues of a particular marvel hero. I read through the Spider-man copies as a kid, as well as the Fantastic Four archs. If you can find them, they might allow you to see what a story would be like for a particular Marvel character. I would also recommend graphic novels. Rather then buying individual comics, these usually hold an entire arch, or they are stand alone works, and when you get one for a particular hero it allows you to really see how a story could evolve. That is how I first started reading Punisher comics, and how I learned that Garth Ennis is the best writer for the Punisher.

Personally, I tend to go for darker stories, like the Punisher, Daredevil, Hellblazer, Preacher, and so forth. But that is just me personally. If that seems to be your sort of thing, I was a big fan of "The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank" for the Punisher comics. It is a graphic novel that marks a new time for the Punisher. I would also recommend reading "The Watchmen." That is a standalone work by Alan Moore, and while it has nothing to do with the superheros you listed, it is a really good work, and it is an excellent start to someone wanting to get into comic reading. I hope some of what I said helps, and have fun getting into comics!

Edit: Oh, and I am sorry that I refer to mostly Marvel characters, but that is what I have more experience with. However, the same advice applies to feeling out DC comics, and Darkhorse comics.

 

[Lonestar Studios]

Sense not everyone has the same favorites, if you know some good story lines and issues of one of your favorites, to help others with that favorite and possibly so I can enjoy more stories myself

Thanks for the help, if you do so of course

Between DC and Marvel, I always felt that DC embraced a more fantasy world in comics. I know both have superheros, but when you compare DC to Marvel stories, people in DC tend to actually like their heroes, while Marvel's heroes tend to be hated. This is based on overall history, since I haven't really been reading recent DC comics. But, consider in DC they have a Justice League and idolizing reporters. Marvel has superhero registration and the Daily Bugle calling heroes a menace.

That out of the way based on some of the movies and heroes you posted saying you like, they tend to be more darker characters. Superman is usually lighter, as is Captain Marvel, but Batman (modern) and Ghostrider tend to have darker archs. Spider-man depends on the story arch, but he is moderate. I personally would test the water on a few of these guys. I know my local library and the one downtown have what are called Essential Marvel, which are black and white reprints of twenty to thirty issues of a particular marvel hero. I read through the Spider-man copies as a kid, as well as the Fantastic Four archs. If you can find them, they might allow you to see what a story would be like for a particular Marvel character. I would also recommend graphic novels. Rather then buying individual comics, these usually hold an entire arch, or they are stand alone works, and when you get one for a particular hero it allows you to really see how a story could evolve. That is how I first started reading Punisher comics, and how I learned that Garth Ennis is the best writer for the Punisher.

Personally, I tend to go for darker stories, like the Punisher, Daredevil, Hellblazer, Preacher, and so forth. But that is just me personally. If that seems to be your sort of thing, I was a big fan of "The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank" for the Punisher comics. It is a graphic novel that marks a new time for the Punisher. I would also recommend reading "The Watchmen." That is a standalone work by Alan Moore, and while it has nothing to do with the superheros you listed, it is a really good work, and it is an excellent start to someone wanting to get into comic reading. I hope some of what I said helps, and have fun getting into comics!

Edit: Oh, and I am sorry that I refer to mostly Marvel characters, but that is what I have more experience with. However, the same advice applies to feeling out DC comics, and Darkhorse comics.

Thank you for your help And I don't mind marvel at all. My favorite hero of all time is Captain Marvel and I love pretty much anything he is in that doesn't just make him a background character. I really appreciate all the support for this let the support keep going my friends.

 

[Lonestar Studios]

Leaving links to the books you recommend would help immensely.

 

[Savagezion]

Zero Hour is awesome and a must for any fan of DC IMO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Hour:_Crisis_in_Time

Batman always drags me in to comics when I have a dry spell but that may be my tastes. I can pick up a batman comic and accidentally get drawn back in despite being a marvel fan.

Spectre is another one you may look into.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_%28comics%29

It gets really good when Hal Jordan gets involved.

For Marvel, you should check out the Gambit miniseries from 1997. I love that book series.
http://www.newkadia.com/?Gambit_Comic-Books=1536

Then of course I highly recommend the Age of Apocalypse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Apocalypse

 

[Gali]

Get any Batman books written by Scott Snyder. That guy just straight up "gets" Gotham, and the Batman. He's a skilled comic writer and worth learning more about.

I f*cking second that. Scott Snyder is a brilliant writer, and a very humble guy. I love his interviews.
Also, if you enjoy his Batman stuff and want to read something that isn't about superheroes, I'd recommend American Vampire. It has an awesome storyline that goes through centuries and his depiction of vampires is very interesting. Also, the artwork.. oh the artwork..

Coming back to the regular superhero stuff, I got into DC comics by choosing a character that I think is interesting - for me it was Batman - and besides getting the New 52 comics, I looked up lists about the best Batman storylines, and bought the collected editions of anything that's interesting for me. Sometimes you get a storyline that can be confusing without much knowledge about the characters etc., but wikis can help you out with that.
My first comic ever was the paperback collected edition of Batman: Hush. There are aspects about it where you need a wiki, but overall it is one of the best represantation of Batman and modern superhero comics in general. Jim Lee's artwork is just legendary, and Jeph Loeb is also a very good Batman-writer. You might also want to check out his Batman: The Long Halloween, and the Sequel Dark Victory. Those two do not need any further Batman-knowledge at all.

If you enjoy and know that character from what you have started, I'd recommend that you check out teamup books like Superman/Batman or whole teams like the Justice League stuff. It really helps if you have atleast one character you know pretty good and can relate to.

You could also start with a superhero team book to see who you like. I think Moviebob mentioned in one of his videos that to get into comics... you just buy them and look up the things you don't know on the Internet. And I think he's pretty much right about that. And like people say:"Any comic might be somebodies first." and a good one incorporates that. That may not fit to every comic, but a good one should atleast get your atttention so you want to read more of it to fill the gaps. That's what I think is one of the best aspects about superhero comics - there's so much to read and learn, and you feel like the "Worlds greates detective" who puts the picture together.

PS: It doesn't hurt to check out comic review/newssites and such. I can recommend comicvine.com because they offer a pretty good wiki, reviews and podcasts and such. But there are much more like ifanboy.com, comicbookresources.com... ANd when you have more experience about the medium, I recommend the review show Atop the Fourth Wall to learn about the shittiest and weirdest comics out there. It's very amusing.

PS No.2: Furthermore, if you want to know more DC comics characters, you could also watch the old 90's+ cartoons made by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and the like - so Batman:TAS, the Justice League cartoon etc. ... There are also comics about the "DC animated universe", you can get them pretty cheap on Comixology. But keep in mind, they are more kid-friendly (which isn't a bad thing of course).
When it comes to Batman specific, the Arkham videogames are also a good depiction of him, also written by Paul Dini and there are some of the old cartoon voice actors in it. Yes, there are also comics about them, which are pretty cheap too because they are mostly digital-only.
In fact, Batman: Arkham Asylum inspired me to get a real Batman comic. And now my bookshelf is full of them.^^

 

[stroopwafel]

Batman by far has the most quality and mature books, even if you've grown out of (superhero) comics(like me.) Batman: Arkham Asylum by Morrison is a fantastic graphic novel and an inspiration for both the Rocksteady games and Nolan films. There is also Arkham Asylum: Madness by Sam Kieth which is also really good. Then there is the classic The Dark Knight Returns which is a bit inaccessible outside of its '80's context but essential reading to understand the re-interpretation of the character from its camp roots to 'The Dark Knight'. Batman Year One(also by Miller) is also really good and remain the definitive origin story. Both these books also have fantastic cartoon adaptations.

Then there are also numerous Elseworld Batman books which are really good. Batman Red Rain, Bloodstorm and Crimson Mist by Mounch/Jones remaining my personal favorites. I just love Jones' Batman design, espescially in the Victorian setting these stories take place.

As for recent books, I agree Snyder's run on Batman is pretty good, espescially the 'Death of the Family' arc.