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Where to start with…comics

Captain Kelsten

By Captain Kelsten
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Captain Kelsten

Captain Kelsten

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Comics have been going for donkey’s years. There’s runs and re-runs and reboots and refreshes and continuity so confusing it’s almost impenetrable. A common question I see asked (because I ask it myself via google) is “where to start with X?” so use this thread to ask or answer where to start with a new series. 
 

I’ll go first:

 

Where should I start with Iron Fist? I’m watching the rather disappointing series and fancy giving the comics a try. 

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yakumo

yakumo

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Matt Fraction Iron Fist is a great start, its a modern reworking of the character and well I'm biased but Fraction is one of the best writers out today

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Immortal-Iron-Fist-Complete-Collection/dp/0785185429

 

For X-men I love the Claremont run which is classic X-Men, which is essential reading and subsequently foundation for X-men. However, for modern stuff Hickman's run of X-men is fantastic and a great jumping on part for new readers. Some people don't like it, since it rocks the X-men formula too much with some strange character shifts but I think its bloody brilliant. But I haven't read X-men since the 90s.

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cassidy

cassidy

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14 minutes ago, yakumo said:

Matt Fraction Iron Fist is a great start, its a modern reworking of the character and well I'm biased but Fraction is one of the best writers out today

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Immortal-Iron-Fist-Complete-Collection/dp/0785185429

 

For X-men I love the Claremont run which is classic X-Men, which is  essential X-men and subsequently foundation for X-men. However, for modern stuff Hickman's run of X-men is fantastic and a great jumping on part for new readers. Some people don't like it, since it rocks the X-men formula too much with some strange character shifts but I think its bloody brilliant. But I haven't read X-men since the 90s.

Well I was gonna type the exact same thing tbh. 

 

But fair play to @yakumo he's nailed it. 

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SaintAnselm

SaintAnselm

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For Spider-Man start with Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis

 

I would just avoid X-Men for now, even as someone whose been reading comics for 24 years, the comics still confuse me and as decent as the recent reboot was, most of the plot and characters will just go over your head.

 

Best advice though is to subscribe to Marvel Unlimited and take advantage of the useful reading guides they have there, the app’s been updated lately and it now seems more aimed at new readers like yourself.

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Scruff

Scruff

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Do yourself a favour and read the 6 issue Ellis run on Moon Knight from..8 years ago? Absolutely fantastic and hoping the last issue is something the TV series leans heavily into. The new Moon Knight series seems promising too and we're only 3 issues in.

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Captain Kelsten

Captain Kelsten

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46 minutes ago, SaintAnselm said:

For Spider-Man start with Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis

 

I would just avoid X-Men for now, even as someone whose been reading comics for 24 years, the comics still confuse me and as decent as the recent reboot was, most of the plot and characters will just go over your head.

 

Best advice though is to subscribe to Marvel Unlimited and take advantage of the useful reading guides they have there, the app’s been updated lately and it now seems more aimed at new readers like yourself.


I have done just this and started reading Immortal Iron Fist as recommended up thread!

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cassidy

cassidy

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And for an amazing introduction to Hawkeye. Again Matt Fraction and David Aja's run is superb. 

 

Highly recommend Ms Marvel as she's pretty new and easy to catch up with. 

 

Squirrel girl 

 

Moon girl and Devil Dinosaur also a real fun book. 

 

Last one is Brian K Vaughan's Runaways. 

 

That should do you for a week or two. 

 

 

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sandman

sandman

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On 17/09/2021 at 11:58, Doctor Shark said:

Comics have been going for donkey’s years. There’s runs and re-runs and reboots and refreshes and continuity so confusing it’s almost impenetrable. A common question I see asked (because I ask it myself via google) is “where to start with X?” so use this thread to ask or answer where to start with a new series. 
 

I’ll go first:

 

Where should I start with Iron Fist? I’m watching the rather disappointing series and fancy giving the comics a try. 

Do you only want Marvel?

 

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SaintAnselm

SaintAnselm

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1 hour ago, Doctor Shark said:

No not at all, I was just asking in my first post where to start with Iron Fist. 
 

Heres a follow up: where to start with Hellboy / BRPD?

http://www.multiversitycomics.com/annotations/hellboy-reading-order-2021/

 

The Mignola universe is fucking awesome and Dark Horse publish some of the best quality and affordable books out there.

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Captain Kelsten

Captain Kelsten

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On 24/09/2021 at 21:00, SaintAnselm said:

http://www.multiversitycomics.com/annotations/hellboy-reading-order-2021/

 

The Mignola universe is fucking awesome and Dark Horse publish some of the best quality and affordable books out there.


Should I get the library or omnibus editions? 
 

Also, I hadn’t realised there were so many hellboy and associated books!

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yakumo

yakumo

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Hellboy is great, some of the stories are hit and miss later on though but is early stuff is magnificent. 

 

Here's a few more

 

Locke and Key

Paper Girls

Fables

Sandman - the Diner issue is brutal though, still makes me feel uneasy.

Marvels by Busiek and Alex Ross 

Doctor Strange: The Oath 

Thor by Jason Aarob

Punisher Max 

Animal Man Grant Morrison

Wonder Woman Greg Rucka and Cliff Chiang

All Star Superman

Plantery

Ex Machina

Blacksad

Scott Pilgrim

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Mr. Gerbik

Mr. Gerbik

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Quoting myself:

 

Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing

 

This is the series I recommend to anyone who will listen. Even if you don't like the Huk, or even superheroes in general, or even comic books. I honestly believe Immortal Hulk is so good, that it transcends all such personal preferences.

 

Writer Al Ewing took every piece of Hulk lore established since the early 60s and effortlessly weaved it all into a tale of straight up horror in his own version of Alan Moore's Anatomy Lesson in Swamp Thing. You don't need to have ever read a single Hulk comic before as it's completely standalone. The basic idea is that when Bruce Banner dies, Immortal Hulk rises - and whatever happened to Banner, Hulk takes personal. As the story expands from body horror into cosmic horror, with philosophical and psychological elements tying everything together, the biggest standout is how it all feels as part of a cohesive whole. Each issue works by itself, each issue leaves you gagging for more, and yet it tells a coherent story that plays out on an epic scale.

 

By far the best thing Marvel and DC are putting out right now. If you love comics, hell, if you're at the very least curious enough to have clicked on this topic, you owe it to yourself to read Immortal Hulk.

 

Available in various soft and hardcover trade paperback formats

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sandman

sandman

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Miracle man is probably your best place to start 

 

Then The Dark Knight Returns is essential 

 

From there you should check out the following in no particular order 

 

Locke and Key

The Boys

Planetary

Geoff Johns Green Lantern run

Batman Year One

Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing run

Sandman

Dan Slotts Spider-Man run

Elektra Assassin 

Daredvil Born Again

Grant Morrison’s Animal Man

The Invisibles

Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol 

BPRD

Mark Waids Daredevil run

Ultimate Spderman

Batman Hush


And, to finish off - Watchmen

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yakumo

yakumo

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5 minutes ago, SaintAnselm said:

They are over priced though, like all DC and especially Marvel books.

 

I disagree, Absolute are well worth the money, the binding, paper, quality of the printing is second to none. The only thing which is over priced are standard issue comics which I concede. But then again yon the flip side people pay $25 for EVS shitty Cyberfrog per issue and more.

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SaintAnselm

SaintAnselm

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1 hour ago, yakumo said:

 

I disagree, Absolute are well worth the money, the binding, paper, quality of the printing is second to none. The only thing which is over priced are standard issue comics which I concede. But then again yon the flip side people pay $25 for EVS shitty Cyberfrog per issue and more.

The Dark Horse library editions are just as good quality wise and they are almost a third of the price, they just don’t come with a slipcase.

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yakumo

yakumo

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39 minutes ago, SaintAnselm said:

The Dark Horse library editions are just as good quality wise and they are almost a third of the price, they just don’t come with a slipcase.

Sorry, the reasons why Absolute cost more is due to having ribbed spines, and the production cost involved. Yeah, its expensive and would I like to pay less?, most definitely but then I'm reading Sandman in an ostentatious manner that cannot be replicated.

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matt0

matt0

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On 30/10/2021 at 21:36, Doctor Shark said:

I've bought the first three Hellboy Library Editions and they are, indeed, glorious. But my god, the fingerprints! Do people buy these and just never actually open them?!?

 

Any high end comics anthology is bought with the sad knowledge that I am basically ruining it by reading it.

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  • 3 months later...
krenzler

krenzler

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Are there any exciting upcoming runs with a fixed writer/illustrator duo on any of the big DC or Marvel titles? Would be nice to try and collect the original issues and it being worth it for both the story and art.

 

Wouldn't have minded collecting all 50 issues (seperately) of Immortal Hulk for instance. I hate the concept of constantly changing art from arc to arc even though it's understandable to a degree.

 

Like Bendis/Bagley, Bendis/Maleev, Snyder/Capullo etc. of the more recent(ish) ones.

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