Comic Book Recommendations

Yo. I'm somebody who may have picked up a few comics just because they were there but never really got interested in them. After some deliberation, I find that I DO want to read comics but, as is usually the problem with newcomers, I don't know where to start. Could somebody please recommend to me which good books I should read to get up to date with the new status quo of DC and Marvel?

Anything DC Rebirth is good. It's a little dependent on continuity but it's good to jump in there.

Ms. Marvel is an excellent new series tailored to newcomers. Plenty of non-cape readers pick it up.

edited 11th Jan '17 12:29:00 PM by Mr.Badguy

I'm looking for some indie (or non DC/Marvel) comics with either one or all of these traits.

• Cartoony
• Artsy (Almost looks like a painting)
• PG-13 to R

These are probably stuff you'd see in a webcomic, than a print comic, but hey, comics to me are ripe for independent creators to expose themselves and to not be controlled by any producers.

Edit: Oh dear I killed the thread. I guess my tastes were too specific for the comic industry.

edited 9th May '17 7:15:53 PM by DokemonStudios

Velvet by Ed Brubaker. Spy thriller.

Fables by Bill Willingham. Crossover deconstruction of fairy tales.

edited 17th May '17 1:14:55 PM by RAlexa21th

I'm sure peeps that already know me could probably glean this from my yelling about it for the past couple months now but I LOVE ME SOME FRICKIN SCUD.

Fans of Dan Harmon's TV work and/or people that have enjoyed literally anything related to Deadpool owe it to themselves to check it out, and I almost feel like the latter comparison is too reductive, but I think it does a better job of explaining who would dig it in short than any lengthier discussion really would.

I found a comic book store in my area recently and I'd like some recommendations for books to get. I'm largely interested in DC stuff found in trades/omnibuses that are entry-levelish reads, though I will accept recommendations for Marvel or ongoing DC Rebirth stuff. Don't really have any superhero preferences at the moment.

Also, I already own Watchmen and have Nextwave on my wishlist.

edited 21st Aug '17 10:08:28 PM by Karxrida

You might consider the Showcase Presents volumes (or Marvel Essentials, if you also like Marvel) for various characters you recognize. This will give you a better idea of what they were really like back in the Silver Age, rather than the stereotypes we've backfilled on them since.

Ms. Marvel (2014) Omnnibus vol 1 is a fairly recent origin story. There is some Inhuman shenanigans in the background but they aren't that important.

I've heard that Ultimate Spider-Man is a good retelling of Peter's origin. The Ultimates was well-liked when it came out and it is the main inspiration for the MCU (most of the aesthetic comes from this book).

Captain America: Winter Soldier is the beginning of Ed Brubaker's acclaimed run. There's some Avengers event in the background and the thing called Cosmic Cube that can be a bit confusing.

What do you mean Silver Age heroes aren't stereotypes?

edited 28th Oct '17 4:28:02 PM by RAlexa21th

Oh, they are, but some have had changes in retrospect. For example, Hal Jordan was smart in his first run.

I've found a wonderful comics Stand Still. Stay Silent and just want to read something similar.

edited 28th Feb '18 2:11:00 AM by JamesWagoner

What are some good dc stories or runs that are a bit more under the radar

Um, DC Comic Bombshells, though that's an Elseworld.

Maybe Black Lightning Year One.

Looking for any good Batman story. How old it is doesn't matter. It's Boxing Week and I have money to spend.

Knightfall is a classic.

I have been watching the Riverdale TV series lately. I know that they are based on characters from Archie comics, but I had never read them before. Where should I start?

Mark Waid recently started writing Archie, kinda updated to match Riverdale's feel. There are several trades available.

I've rep-watched Into The Spiderverse recently and I am quite thirsting for more of the Webhead(s).

So what are some of the bees-knees, creme-de-la-creme, can't-call-yourself-a-fan-before-reading Spider-Man comic book runs?

Runs, mind, not just individual stories.

And don't bother including Ultimate Spider-Man, it is obviously already on the list.

The Lee-Kirby run. The Romita run is also well-regarded.

If you want a more current run, the Nick Spencer run is well-received.

Edited by RAlexa21th on Jun 11th 2019 at 2:09:10 AM

Lee-Ditko Spider-Man run you mean.

The Ultimate Spider-Man numbering can be a bit confusing, so if you want to read Miles Morales, start with the 2011 relaunch.

• Ultimate Comics (2011 relaunch): Spider-Man #1-28 (trade volumes 1 through 5)
• Spider-Men 1-5 (read this after issue 12 (or volume 2 of the trade) of the Miles run.)
• Cataclysm: Ultimate Spider-Man #1-3 (you can skip the other Cataclysm stuff; it's awful)
• Ultimate Spider-Man #200
• Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #1-12

After the Ultimate Universe gets destroyed, the series picks back up in 616, with Miles Morales Spiderman (2016),

Another recent Spidey book I've really enjoyed, is "Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman (2019). The recent relaunch of Superior Spider Man is really fun as well, but does require at least a little familiarity with his character.

And of course, there's always Spider-Gwen.

Edited by megaeliz on Jun 20th 2019 at 3:09:30 PM

So, curiousity time;

I'm a fairly longtime comic reader, and would kinda like to find something new (to me, at least).

My favourite works tend to be ones where the artist has a very strong sense of design, motion, or both. For example, Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragonés, Stan Sakai, and Osamu Tezuka (basically all of Marvel, Groo the Wanderer, Usagi Yojimbo and Astro Boy).

For writers, Peter David, Gail Simone, Walt Simonson, Stan Sakai again, Jeff Smith, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Giffen/DeMatteis and similar are all old favourites.

I'm also not averse to webcomics- Schlock Mercenary is a longtime addiction, although I tend to be a bit frustrated by the ones that just kind of peter out and go nowhere

So, throw me some recommendations, please!

Edited by TeChameleon on Oct 15th 2019 at 11:32:38 AM

Pretty Deadly is amazing. Emma Rios is a master at conveying motion, and the story itself is beautiful.

If you haven't read I Kill Giants yet, then you absolutely should, it will make you ugly cry.

The Wicked + The Divine has a great sense of design, in both the art and the story.

Agents of the Realm was always good, but when Mildred Louis relaunched it, it leveled-up in a big way.

Snotgirl is really pretty, and is hilarious but also has a lot of mystery and tension.

Pumpkinheads has a surprisingly strong sense of motion, and for all that it's set at a pumpkin patch, a lot of work went into the designs.

I'm way behind on Invisible Kingdom, but Christian Ward does great sci-fi.

Huh. Will have to keep an eye out for those, thanks!

So I've been trying to get some practice in the glorieuse langue française and I wanted to know what are some good comic titles from over there.

Sci-fi, fantasy and action, please, I'm already gonna have to read the damn thing with a dictionary on hand, no need to go even further outside my confort zone.

Asterix. Start with Asterix.

Tintin is another good place to start.

This thread may also be useful and of course the Franco-Belgian Comics index.

The Great Power of Chninkel, Thorgal and La Quête de l'Oiseau du Temps are nice fantasy ones.

For sci-fi I would suggest Universal War One and The Incal.