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Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Old 01-19-15, 06:23 AM
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Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

I really haven't read comics since I was a kid back in the late 80s/early 90s but I want to give it a go. I do watch a lot of the superhero/comic movies and some of the animated stuff and decided to dive in and read a few graphic novels and see how it goes. I'm enjoying the Batman novels, but wanted some ideas on the Marvel side.

Any good recommendations on Marvel stuff? I guess Spiderman and the XMen universe would be a starting point for me. And maybe the Avengers related stuff. I enjoyed Spidey and XMen as a kid.

I'm basically looking for graphic novels or collections that would be considered classic or essential reading.
Old 01-19-15, 06:37 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Daredevil has been pretty consistently great since Frank Miller took over in the lasted 70s.
Old 01-19-15, 06:37 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Do have any local libraries?
Old 01-19-15, 07:35 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Yes that's I where I will get the books from.
Old 01-19-15, 10:56 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Start with Action Comics #1 and go from there.
Old 01-19-15, 11:01 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Originally Posted by The Valeyard
Start with Action Comics #1 and go from there.
1938 or 2011? There are two Action Comics #1 now...
Old 01-19-15, 11:30 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

There are two ways to go on Spider-Man. If you want "classic and essential," you should start with the original Stan Lee-Steve Ditko series from the '60s. That's the basis of the character. But if you're allergic to the '60s Marvel style, you could try Ultimate Spider-Man, which reboots the character for a modern audience.

These threads are a little musty, but they still have lots of suggestions that you might find interesting.

Recommend some TPB's, please

Where do I start? Series suggestions
Old 01-19-15, 11:33 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Originally Posted by davidh777
There are two ways to go on Spider-Man. If you want "classic and essential," you should start with the original Stan Lee-Steve Ditko series from the '60s. That's the basis of the character. But if you're allergic to the '60s Marvel style, you could try Ultimate Spider-Man, which reboots the character for a modern audience.

These threads are a little musty, but they still have lots of suggestions that you might find interesting.

Recommend some TPB's, please

Where do I start? Series suggestions
You should also mention that Ultimate Spider-Man isn't a part of the main Marvel continuity. Ultimate Marvel is its own separate continuity.
Old 01-19-15, 12:05 PM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Originally Posted by taffer
You should also mention that Ultimate Spider-Man isn't a part of the main Marvel continuity. Ultimate Marvel is its own separate continuity.
I don't need to now.
Old 01-19-15, 12:47 PM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Space Ape, long-term comic reader here (30+ years)...there are a million X-Men titles, same with Avengers, Superman, Batman, and some of the other well known teams (DCs JLA titles), so I would second picking up a title that could be considered one and done (you are less likely to be forced to pick up other titles to read all of their adventures). That being said, Daredevil is actually a great suggestion, as you could pick up his title and with the exception of a handful of crossover stories, not have to spend a fortune grabbing other books to enjoy the character. I would track down the Mark Waid run from the past several years.

Also, if you ignore all the spin-off mini series, Deadpool is a good book that allows you to stick to one title to enjoy the character.

I am insane and pick up nearly all of the D.C. New 52 titles in HC/TPB format, but you could enjoy the last several years of All-Star Western, if you like Jonah Hex. The main Batman book is a keeper, and the Green Lantern family of titles actually work well as a group of titles that seem to be constantly crossing over with each other. Again, with characters that show up in multiple books each month. You are better served sticking with the main book for a few issues (or a trade or two) before deciding if you want to stick with the book.

You also have one and done series like The Walking Dead (I do not watch the show, but have read every issue in TPB form, Invincible is another title that you can enjoy and ignore the spin-off series). With Dark Horse you can pick up Buffy and their Angel book and enjoy the entirety of their Buffyverse titles. Usagi Yojimbo is also a self-contained book (I recently picked up the Dark Horse trade that covers 600+ pages).

IDW has the TMNT books, Ghostbusters, and other licensed books. Back to Image, East of West by Hickman, and Saga are ongoing books that garner a lot of love from the fans and critics. You also have Rachel Rising by Terry Moore.

Almost forgot, Boom (kaboom) Comics has the Adventure Time books that are fun for all ages. Keep in mind that some books are black and white, independent titles, amd for mature readers. There are a ton of titles to choose from, but it is sometimes easy to forget that you can get a ton of enjoyment from comics by just picking up a handful of titles, without having to break the bank (I am sure you are well aware that the majority of titles from any company will run you $3.99 per book).

Last edited by Inhumans99; 01-19-15 at 01:12 PM.
Old 01-19-15, 04:31 PM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

I would say two things:

1) Never buy single issues as they are a total waste of money.

2) Buy omnibus and collected stories used from eBay/half/hastings/amazon. You will save a fortune.

Collecting comics is the actual equivalent to throwing money into a hole.
Old 01-19-15, 04:55 PM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Originally Posted by DVD Josh
I would say two things:

1) Never buy single issues as they are a total waste of money.

2) Buy omnibus and collected stories used from eBay/half/hastings/amazon. You will save a fortune.

Collecting comics is the actual equivalent to throwing money into a hole.
Anytime you spend money on entertainment you are essentially throwing money down a hole. That's not unique to comics. Few things in life actually increase in value over time.

In addition to the websites you mentioned above, I would also recommend instocktrades. That's my favorite actually. They are usually cheaper than Amazon or any other site. New 52 trades at instocktrades are $8-$10 brand new. I agree single issues at $4 a pop is hard to justify when you can buy trades that cheaply.
Old 01-20-15, 06:49 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

If you're into the movies, I'd recommend Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America. Details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Brub...arvel_Comics_2
Old 01-20-15, 12:34 PM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Originally Posted by taffer
Anytime you spend money on entertainment you are essentially throwing money down a hole. That's not unique to comics. Few things in life actually increase in value over time.
Comics are a bit special, though. A monthly hit at 4 to 5 bucks a pop, which then usually gets bagged and boarded and stored out of habit; if the story is good, maybe you buy it again in hardcover or tpb or omnibus form to read it again, so you don't have to dig through boxes and unbag loads of comics.

I'm a comic fan, but it's insane... to your point, probably as insane as buying a lot of movies that you'll only watch once, but still, at least that's not a monthly habit.

However, as a new reader, man there's a ton of good stuff, and luckily you don't have to go search for floppies.

X-men: haven't read it regularly in a while, but
Morrison's New X-men changed the status quo, available in many formats
Whedon's Astonishing X-Men still holds up
Peter David's most recent X-Factor run has been excellent, though it touches on a lot of the various crossovers and events, while the previous two are more self contained
Speaking of crossovers, I think the Second Coming crossover (circa 2010) was like an old-school X-men crossover. You'll be super confused if you try to figure out the status quo, but it's straight out action across all the X-teams.
For more death and dismemberment, Kyle and Yost on X-Force and Remender's Uncanny X-Force are great

as someone mentioned, Brubaker's Captain America is excellent, and they're almost finished collecting it in omnibus form.

If you like Guardians of the Galaxy or Marvel cosmic in general, try the Annihilation crossovers (Conquest is coming out soon)

Bendis, Brubaker, Waid: as others have said, Daredevil has had some great runs post-Miller. I'm not even that big of a fan of the character himself.

Other largely self contained stories (as in, you won't get confused with crossovers with other titles)
Busiek's Astro City
Ellis and Cassaday's Planetary
Morrison's All Star Superman
Kirkman's Invincible
Vaughan's Saga

Last edited by fujishig; 01-20-15 at 12:42 PM.
Old 01-25-15, 07:37 PM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Thanks for the suggestions.

I got Miller's Daredevil Man Without Fear on hold at the library. Hopefully that's a good place to start with Daredevil.
Old 01-25-15, 07:44 PM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

The Man Without Fear series is the modern origin for Daredevil, but honestly I didn't find anything special about the story. Miller's earlier work on Daredevil in the 70s and 80s was significantly better.
Old 02-01-15, 12:57 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

I haven't read comics regularly in 25 years, but use to own a comic shop. Here are some of my favorite "old school" titles.

any Batman from the mid to late 1970's
New Teen Titans (V1)
Frank Miller Daredevils (V1 156 on)
Fantastic Four V1 (around 190's to 200's) Byrne issues
Alan Moore Swamp Thing (V1 21 on)
New X-Men Byrne issues
Crisis on Infinite Earths (a masterpiece, but you need to know a little background before reading this).
Watchmen
I also loved the early Amazing Spider-Man (before there were 100 different Spidey titles) and the Batmans from the 1950's. I used to read the reprints when I was a kid. They are simple and kinda goofy, but I loved them when I was young.
Old 02-01-15, 01:34 AM
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Re: Starting to read comics...need a few suggestions where to start

Originally Posted by DVD Josh
I would say two things:

1) Never buy single issues as they are a total waste of money.

2) Buy omnibus and collected stories used from eBay/half/hastings/amazon. You will save a fortune.
I would largely agree that buying trade paperbacks and hardcovers would probably be the best at this point. They tend to be complete stories and the value is better. Pick a character you like and get one of their top-rated trades.

Originally Posted by taffer
The Man Without Fear series is the modern origin for Daredevil, but honestly I didn't find anything special about the story. Miller's earlier work on Daredevil in the 70s and 80s was significantly better.
I agree, Miller's work on pretty much everything back then is better than his more recent work.

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