Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

I only got into GNs a few months ago (mainly for the horror) and have already amassed a considerable collection. I tried to avoid the masks for as long as I could, but The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen eventually croaked that resolution. I'm still staying clear of the time and $$ needed for full immersion, but I've got most of the essential Batman titles and am cautiously entering X-men territory.

I also have Kingdom Come, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Infinite Crisis, supposing (perhaps unwisely) that these multi-character extravaganzas would be a logical means of getting to know what's what after not reading comics since I was 13. Any suggestions for other titles, both DC and Marvel, that employ the immense breadth, mature themes and casts of hundreds that these titles enjoy? I've read about Civil War ... do you need to get each friggin mask's take on events to really get that whole picture? Any chronological reading list of exceptional titles would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

One of the "events" I always loved is The Dark Phoenix Saga. Another guilty pleasure of mine is the Infinity Gauntlet.

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

Just ordered Dark Phoenix; it was one of the last comic cycles I read, so I'm looking forward to revisiting it. Thanks...

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

JLA/Avengers has plenty of characters, though I admit I don't remember a whole lot about the story from when I read it last year.

One from when I was a kid: the Avengers-Defenders clash.

The Fantastic Four's Inhumans-Silver Surfer-Galactus arc is pretty amazing.

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

I'm mostly a DC nut, I'd recommend these off the top of my head:

New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
New Teen Titans: Terror of Trigon
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga
Legion of Super-Heroes: The LSH/LSV War
Cosmic Odyssey
DC 1 Million (Greatest epic crossover DC has EVER done)
Identity Crisis
Sinestro Corps War
Blackest Night
52
The entire Grant Morrison JLA run (26 issues I think, all available in trades)
The entire Geoff Johns JSA run (over 100, all in trades, some of the best mainstream superhero comics ever)

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

Marvels and The Ultimates

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

The quality varies, but the Earth X trilogy (Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X) is pretty epic in scope. I really liked Earth X, but felt that each successive book went down hill more. It's technically a trilogy, but there are 5 volumes total (1 Earth X book, 2 Universe X books, and 2 Paradise X books). It's basically the Marvel version of Kingdom Come.

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

I agree with everything on this list.

On the Marvel side, I'd recommend Annihilation, which is basically what the rest of the universe was doing while Civil War was going on, and sets up the cosmic part of the Marvel Universe. This continues in Annihilation: Conquest, War of the Kings, Realm of Kings, and the Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy ongoing series.

This is a little older, but try out Buseik and Perez's run on Avengers. Also, if you like a lot of characters and continuity-fixing, try Buseik's Avengers Forever, a series I really don't hear about all that often anymore.

I haven't read it yet, but Alex Ross's Justice series seems to be highly recommended. I also recommend Cooke's New Frontier.

If you already have Infinite Crisis, I'm not sure if it'll make sense, but the order should be:

Crisis on Infinite Earths
Identity Crisis
Infinite Crisis
52
Final Crisis (this may be skippable, but involves at least one major plot point)
Catch up on Green Lantern, notably Sinestro War
Blackest Night
Brightest Day (ongoing)

Do not, I repeat DO NOT bother with "Countdown to Final Crisis." There are also years of continuity between the original Crisis and Identity Crisis, but for overall, large arcs affecting today's continuity, I think you can safely skip most of those. Most of them have been almost written out of continuity or forgotten anyway.

Kingdom Come started off as an alternate future to the DC Universe, then changed to official canon of the DC universe, then changed to another alternate future of the DC universe, so you can safely read that last. Geoff John's latter JSA run references it as well.

On the Marvel side it would be something like:
Avengers: Illuminati
Civil War
Planet Hulk
World War Hulk
Secret Invasion
Dark Reign
Siege

On both sides (DC and Marvel) you can probably get away with reading the main trades without getting every single ancillary trade.

Re: Comic Epics ... Where to begin?
 

You say you've got a lot of Batman, so I assume you've read The Long Halloween. If not, get that ASAP.

The Spider-Man black suit saga is one I come back to a lot.

Which non-superhero books do you have? If you haven't read Sandman, that one is absolutely 100% essential.

I also recommend The Incal, a European book by filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, as well as Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing.