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Ask Slashdot: I Want To Get Into Comic Books, But Where Do I Start?
An anonymous reader writes: Hi fellow readers. I don't recall reading many comic books as a kid (mostly because I could not afford them), but of late, I have been considering giving that a shot. I wanted to ask if you had any tips to share. Do I start with paperback editions, or do I jump directly into digital? Also, could you recommend a few good sci-fic comic book series? Thanks in advance!
What are you interested in? Are you looking for short (comic books) or long (graphic novels)?
My recommendation would be Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
I'm a latecomer too. Moved to digital, reading deadpool. That way I can read when I have time.
Usually, I start with the first page. Beware, though, some Japanese titles might start with the last page.
Dead trees or electronic?
You're asking strangers if you are more comfortable reading a screen or paper.
Casper the friendly Ghost might be a good place for you to start.
The Sci-Fi TV series is from the comics of the same name. The TV series went bad with the last season and ruined it, deviating from the comics. If you find a copy of The Death Of Superman (1st run) cheap... grab it.
So much shit is being printed now. Even the "limited edition" prints aren't limited.
Seriously, just don't.
If you must, go for the indie authors and limited series. Pick already complete series, or ones by creators that will end their series.
Marvel and DC have rebooted, reset, rehashed, and redone their series so many times that you will never stop being disappointed and disgusted by the garbage they've come up with for this year's 'special'. They never end, never progress, so you will never be able to stop spending money - you'll have to give up, disappointed.
transmet is a delightfully bonkers sci-fi/political thriller epic; the series has completed and is available as a (ten? iirc?) volume collection via amazon et al.
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Individual Titles:
The Watchmen
V for Vendetta
300 (get the hardback, the movie is a perfect rendition of the original comic)
Series:
Sin City
BlameBillCosby.com
Schlock Mercenary. 15+ years of daily comics, and still going strong. The first 5 years of art was pretty rough, but it's much better with that much practice now.
Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
Submitter, what are you trying to write?
xkcd and Joy of Tech have been going strong since 2000 as web-only image files.
Marvel and DC Comics have so many titles reserved that it's hard to create a hero without their help.
Political cartoons are all over the web and print... see if your local newspaper can find a slot for you.
So wait... You only read garbage and toss it off as childish when there's way better material out there? I don't even read comics and I know that's shortsighted.
Read books, not comics. Go to a library or bookstore to start. I read comics as a kid. Wham, pow, thin plots. Really, you can do better. I never post anonymously, but I know if I don't I'll invite a storm of haters.
I'd go with the graphic novels / compilations rather than try to start with individual comics, as with a compilation you're more likely to start at the beginning of a story arc.
As to which titles to read, that's a very individual choice. I can tell you what titles *I* liked, but your mileage may vary. Wildly.
I hadn't really followed the DC universe very closely in the last couple of decades, but ended up picking up the Supergirl: Power and Supergirl: Identity compilations a couple years ago and really enjoyed them. Kara is a more complex and tragic character in these stories than I'd remembered her being.
The first two Marvel: The Ultimates compilations are pretty good. Each is a complete story, of the "what if super heroes existed in the real world" type that Watchmen started in the 1980's. Extremely violent, character deaths, creepy in parts.
Just about anything by Neil Gaimen. Sandman, Coraline, Stardust, "How to talk to girls at parties", American Gods.
Pretty much any of this century's Green Lantern Corps compilations. Well written, engaging characters.
Alan Moore's Miracleman (Marvelman) compilations are finally available, after being in legal hell for a couple decades. Well worth reading. Start with "A dream of flying". It starts out as a straight superhero story, but rapidly takes a really dark, science-fiction turn.
In my opinion, Marvel had a good thing going with the Ultimate universe (Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, The Ultimates, Ultimate Iron Man) until Marvel apparently got bored with the universe and destroyed it. The early Ultimate graphic novels were mature, interesting and lacked all the decades of baggage that their regular titles had.
And finally, I have to put in a word for Schlock Mercenary, a "comic space opera" webcomic that starts out a gag-a-day but over the years has become a complex and compelling science fiction story in a very plausible, scientific framework. The online strips are available as softbound compilations. Also recommended is the Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries, the beat-up edition filled with handwritten notes from the Schlock characters who had previously owned it.
Also check out the Pibgorn webcomic. Start with "the girl in the coffee cup".
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
If you do, and your library has a subscription, check out Hoopla. You can borrow digital editions of physical comic books, allowing you to try before you buy.
Spoiler: Any of the choices out there are good ones, it's up to you to figure out how much time you want to devote to enjoying them.
Inheritance is the sincerest form of nepotism.
Alan Moore, without a doubt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
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Get Marvel Unlimited. It's just $10 a month and gives you access to decades worth of archives, and you can read all you want without extra cost.
Then just check out something related to movie characters that sound interesting, browse the app's own suggestions, or try something at random.
And if at some point you find yourself interested in how some situation came to be, or where a character came from, just google for it and you'll quickly find wiki pages telling you exactly which issues to read.
You could try Humble Bundle.
They have a new comic bundle out as I type this. They are inexpensive and tend to be eclectic; so not a bad place to start since you are just starting out and do not have specific preferences yet.
I feel the paper editions are too pricey these days, especially when bought individually. Digital comics read well on tablets. I think it is a good idea to stick to digital until you find a series you really like.
You should visit your local library as well and sample around. Mine offers both paper and digital versions.
Obviously falls a bit out of the "comics" OP refers too, but Akira is a roller-coaster ride everybody should take themselves to. Never mind its age - lmost 30 years old does not take away from most of its still up to date themes. And it does get you a cheap, premium 35th anniversary box that is not only super complete and polished, but very inexpensive when you do the per-volume math.
Or, you know, get the "free" digital version.
In my strongly held opinion the greatest comic book creator of all time was Carl Barks (aka "The Good Artist") creator of Uncle Scrooge. He both wrote and drew his stories.
Steven Speilberg was a fan and some of the Indiana Jones stuff was inspired by things in Barks stories. A patent was applied for for raising sunken ships and rejected because there was prior art in one of Carl Barks's stories. Other comics artists have continued to write comics using variations of his characters in various countries; here in the USA the most notable was Don Rosa. Do an internet search for Barks and/or Uncle Scrooge or read about them in the wikipedia.
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
Free online, though you can pick up print if you want. Totally worth reading. I used to have a $20 a week comic book habit back in college, but gave it up when Marvel did the Onslaught storyline. Just got tired of spending too much $$$. But Atomic Robo is the only comic I go out of the way to buy (and have most of the trade paperbacks now). (can't believe I took the bait and replied to this post)
Gotta pay the bills somehow until you build your vast following.
I got into comics pretty heavily about 5 years ago and have fallen in love with the medium, the power of pictures and words is something that is overlooked by many (including many comic writers). It is an extremely expensive hobby though, so here are some tips to manage that:
Use the library: I first started getting into comics though libraries, they are fantastic and you can get a huge selection. Plus it's a great way to explore the genre, grab a bunch and if you don't like something, no sweat, move on to another book. In Canada (at least where I am in Canada) they separate the adult graphic novels from the all ages stuff, which is great cause some of those adult books can get very sexually explicit and violent. But it's also a way to help you sort for stuff you like, if you want biographies and mature content you have a separate section than the all ages which is where you will find most of your Marvel and DC content (though both have some adult content too)
Bargain bins: Most comic stores will have bargain bins were you can get graphic novels for about $5 or floppies for $.25-$1. Those are a good place to sample new stuff and I have found most of my favorite books in those.
Piracy sites: I won't be specific here cause I don't want to advertise any sites but I do pirate a lot of stuff, especially all the new series from Marvel/DC. Not many have the money to buy every new number 1 from Marvel DC to find the new good series, nor do I think a person should have to buy a book to sample it. There is also the problem that Marvel has been relaunching books once a year, this is a terrible business practice and should NOT be supported. So I usually pirate the first couple issues and if I like it I will buy them.
Marvel Unlimited: This is a good way to get old comics. It's a digital subscription service that allows you to read a TON of the back catalog. I find that the 80s and the early 2000s are two extremely good era's for Marvel and there is lots of good stuff on Marvel Unlimited.
It took me a while to hone in on the types of books I really like and it took a lot of experimenting with new types of books and a lot of just straight up gambling with random books from the bargain bin. But I feel I have a pretty good grasp on what I like now. As for science fiction here are some good ones to start on:
Ocean/Orbiter by Warren Ellis: collects 2 stories, he is known as one of the best comic writers and these two stories are my favorite. Orbiter is an uplifting story of a dystopia that finds it's love for space again
Orbital by Sylvain Runberg: (yes, can get confusing with the above comic) European comic and a bit Star Trekian in it where it's attempting to solve conflicts between species with politics. Not 100% successful cause then there would be no action, a nice blend of action and politics.
Star Trek Broken Mirror: Speaking of Star Trek. Takes place in the Mirror TNG Universe where the Federation Empire has been pushed back to earth. Oddly, Barclay is one of the main characters.
The Metabarons by Jodorworsky: If you want a weird space epic this is the best of the best. It follows a lineage of Metabarons as they become the most powerful warriors in the galaxy and how the traditions have come to be. It is mythical and beautiful.
The Nikopol Trilogy by Enki Bilal: Distant future and Ra has returned to earth because he needs to procreate so his lineage is preserved. There was a weird movie based on it call Immortal, half animated and half CGI character but before they could do that properly, so it's very visually weird but very well made.
There is also TONS of Marvel sci-fi, with stuff like Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy. Too much for me too list. But I hope this starts you off well. Oh, at some point you should read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, it is one of the only good analysis's of the comic medium and is a must read for fans of comics. Happy reading!