Comic books - how do you get started?

One thing I've never been able to get into growing up has been comic books. Not because I don't think superheroes are awesome. More because I fell in love with baseball and have always collected baseball cards.

But, being surrounded by this awesome community and the culture here at Paragon, I can't help but be curious enough to start reading. So, I come to you, City of Heroes community. Tell me what the best way to get into them would be. Where do I start?

I'm sure there's some subculture stuff out there that can bring heated conversations, so please don't let it fall to that.

To be honest, I think it'll depend on what interests you.

Best advice is to find a Comic Shop near the PS offices or near where you live. Go in and take a look around and ask the counter guys what they like.

I also wouldn't limit it to DC/Image/Marvel. There's interesting stuff in the smaller press companies as well. There's a lot out there to find.

Thank you for the time...

@Travlr (Main) / @Tymers Realm (Test)

Comics seem pretty good about having a niche for just about everybody; genre and rating-wise.

In addition to what was mentioned above, think of some books, movies or TV shows that you really liked and see if they're available in comic/graphic novel form.

Even items such as hobbies, historical events, biographies, etc may have a comic-styled companion hiding somewhere.

Finally, don't limit yourself to just comic books and novels; you may find strips or shorts to be more to your liking.

Well, having just recently started getting back into reading comics, I will say I'm loving reading them on my iPad through the Comixology app. I like the panel by panel display as well as being able to resize particular panels and such...

Another benefit is the 99cent sales they have a couple of times a week. I love being able to read big clumps of stories at once as opposed to having to wait for a new installment each month. Sure, I'm behind on all the current events but *shrug*

I also appreciate not having to store all those comics around the house. But that could just be me...


As for specifically where to start... I'll leave that up to others more fully immersed into all the goings ons and such that I am only starting to catch up with. Personally though, I suggest Marvel over DC. (And now let that battle begin! ha!)

I would recommend starting with trade paperback compilations of some of the "classics". Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, Marvels and Kingdom Come are some of my favorites. I also enjoyed the folio-sized series that DC did with Alex Ross illustrating, but admittedly, that's at least as much because I love Ross' art as for the stories (though I enjoyed the stories, too).

Historically, I'd see if you can find compilations of Claremont's run on X-Men in the 80's (starting around issue #110 or so). This run really defined comics for the rest of the decade, and still has influence today via both movies and younger artists who it inspired. Frank Miller's Daredevil run from the same era is also good, and you can see him start to work towards the things he does in Dark Knight Returns.

Obviously, if you're looking to invest as well read for entertainment, you'll want to get original issues instead of reprints/compilations.

step one: find a good shop in your area.

step two: give the counter-nerd some input on what kind of thing you like and solicit suggestions.

step three: check 'em out, buy the stuff that appeals to you, go from there.

Definitely don't limit yourself to Marvel and DC. I grew up reading comics (and was a Marvel zombie until Crises on Infinite Earths hit the stands), and I can't stand most of the stuff the "big two" put out these days. Here are some of my recommendations for "super hero" comics, in no particular order...

Echo, by Terry Moore

Astro City, by Kurt Busiek

Irredeemable, by Mark Waid

Ultimate Spider-Man, vol. 1, by Brian Michael Bendis


That's just off the top of my head.

Try your local library as well, if you want to sample some things without having to spend any money. I don't know if all libraries are the same, but ours here has an outstanding graphic novel and trade paperback collection. You can dabble there, find things that look interesting, get a good sampling before laying out any money.

Beyond that, as everyone else said, hit your local comic shop, or bookstore and just try things that look cool. Comic book readers LOVE to share their favorites, so if you give anyone an idea of what you like, you'll get lists of potential reading material.

Comics, to me, is a personal thing. There are many different aspects that attract people. The collectibility of a book, the art, the story, the theme, etc. I'm a mixture of all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caemgen Well, having just recently started getting back into reading comics, I will say I'm loving reading them on my iPad through the Comixology app.

I think that is a cool format that I understand is bringing in more readers. I'm old-school and love to have the book in hand, flipping through one page at a time. I'm also a collector and get excited when I can add a copy that I was missing.

I think you need to figure out what it is that might interest you. In addition to the above, is there a certain art style that grabs you? Is there an adaptation from another media that you are interested, like a movie or TV show? Are you into collecting books on characters you might have grown up with (GI Joe, Casper, Star Wars)?

One area to dive into in a comic store is the bargain bins. You might want to grap a variety of books on the cheap to sample them.

I hope you enjoy!

Here is a list I like.

http://www.crisis2crisis.com/

If you want a continuous story than spans a few books, and gives you a nice condensed history of DC Comics, this is the site you want.

Start with Invincible and end with Invincible.

The only comic book (well, trade paperback) I have ever bought.

A lot of good suggestions here. It was obviously much easier knowing what I was looking for (I'm a Bat and Spidey fan) going in and at the time I started collecting it was easy to get started; at least for the Bat-family stuff. If you were to go with DC, now wouldn't be a bad time since it's only been a few months since the New 52 reboot.

Think about the type of characters you love to create and play in CoX. Their powers, background and personality.

Ask the clerk or even us what comics have that kind of characters.

I just pick an arc and run with it. I wouldn't even limit myself to a specific character, but rather the content of the story. I'm not a big Flash guy, but Flashpoint was an enjoyable read.

But I tend to stick to tradebacks, rather than individual issues.

Rather than start with the individual comics, start with the Trade Paperbacks. They are collected story arcs and can be had for cheaper, usually, than buying the individual titles.

Foamy has a nice thread here about TPBs. I suggest you check it out and find something you may be interested in.

DC recently rebooted their continuity through an event called Flashpoint. That may be a place to start to bring you up to speed on the current setting. Most of their New 52 is only about 8 issues or so in, so a decent place to start with. If you want the stuff in the last 20-30 years, Crisis on Infinite Earths was the rebooting point for the DC-verse from mid-80's to Flashpoint.

Start with a gateway comic. Like Watchmen. Or Sam and Max.

Back when I was in college, I let guys on my dorm floor read The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and they became instantly hooked. Might be a good place to start. I agree that Watchmen is probably better for someone who is already a fan of comics.

I agree with the others that it would probably be easiest to find some trade paperbacks of some of the "classics" and start from there. If you are worried about getting lost in continuity, start with reprints from the 60's/70's/80's when storylines weren't as convoluted. The great thing about comics is that the good stories and art are timeless. Most of the time what makes a comic great is what an artist/writer does with a character, so if you read something and like it make note of who are the creators. I grew up reading mostly Marvel, so here are some suggestions off the top of my head:

Avengers Kree/Skrull Saga
X-Men by Chris Claremont/John Byrne - especially Dark Phoenix Saga
Daredevil by Frank Miller - Elektra Returns and Born Again stories
Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock by Jim Starlin
Thor by Walt Simonson
Hulk by Peter David

This is mostly mainstream stuff...if you prefer a small independent film over a summer blockbuster, check out DC's Vertigo line. Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Grant Morrison's Animal Man, and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing are good examples of the genre.

First of all welcome to comics. I think it's the greatest art form ever created. I too once collected baseball cards (can I interest you in 100 Ryan Klesko 1992 Leaf gold rookie cards?) but find comics more rewarding. That's a personal preference of course.

I'm on board with the consensus advice to start with a trade paperback or two. You'll get your beginning and end. You'll need to have a sense of what you're interested in for a jumping on point. Superheroes, crime drama and horror (to just mention a few) will put you on different paths.

If I were to suggest 3 series for a jumping on points to comics in general, to an adult, I'd suggest

1) Sandman. Any of the Trade Paperbacks would be awesome, but I'd want to start chronologically at the beginning. Preludes and Nocturnes is the first tpb.

2) The Watchmen. Don't let the movie prejudice you on this, they have to judged independently.

3) "The Dark Knight Returns". Very timely with the movie coming up.

Note: I'm not saying these are the best, just good jumping on points.

I've been out of comics for about 5 years, this after being in for about 20. Comixology is a great tool for getting back in. Yes, the tactile sensation of turning page and holding the comic in your hands is great, but also great is not having dozens of long boxes accumulate in your closet/spare room/garage.

It won't take too long to see where your interests lie. Some people follow artists, others are devotees of certain writers, others are fanboys (and girls) to certain character and titles. I'm sort of all 3, you'll figure out which you are.

One fairly cheap thing to do may be to attend a local comic convention. If it ends at say, 4pm, start shopping in earnest around 3. These folks generally do NOT like coming home with large stashes of inventory and can be very generous offering deep discounts. This could be a good way to cast a wide net and is really how I went about reading different titles when I started.

I had stopped collecting back in the mid-90's and it was only several years ago I got interested in getting back into comics.

But I'm just wasn't interested in going nuts trying to figure out every issue of the major cross-over dujour or the 3-5 titles for 1 hero that tends to be the formula of the big 2 (Marvel / DC).

I have 2 friends that are into comics, one who is practically a comic book store unto himself, the other that is more selective.

Between the 2 of them I was able to figure out what to read and collect.
What follows is what I enjoyed the most:

Watchmen
V for Vendetta
The Dark Knight Returns
Kick-***
Hellboy (at least the first 10 trades I haven't bought or borrowed past that).
The Goon (it's quirky and fun, but even by the tpb from last year the story hasn't progressed much)
The Walking Dead
the Sin City trades
Kingdom Come
Grendel (I have most of the trades).
Savage Dragon (I'm not up to date but between comics and trades I have the first several years).

I'm also fond of the old Conan comics, and I've gotten several of the tpb of the early runs.
the Simonson Thor run (massive book but I read much of it as a child and it was great getting my hands back on those great stories).

For me, it was non-superhero movie properties that got me into comics.

Godzilla. Planet of the Apes. Star Wars.

Which I bought at a convenience store. Then I found a good comic store, with an owner that had lots of cool and different stuff for me to get into.

X-Men. Cerebus. Groo.

Then I latched onto creators, either writers or artists.

Byrne. Mignola. Morrison.

That opened all sorts of other doors for me.

I would recommend picking up a trade of some property that seems interesting to you. And I would do it at an actual comic shop - not a bookstore. From there you should be able to branch out into many different directions.

Just remember, every comic is someone's first. All comics have some (or a lot) of history to them. Do not let that turn you off or intimidate you.

Most of all, have fun. Enjoy the medium, enjoy the stories, and embrace the history that led to the creation of this great MMO.