Comics are intimidating.
No, seriously, if you’ve ever considered reading comics, you’ve experienced the head-spinning confusion of trying to figure out where to start. Since 1934 and 1939 (when DC and Marvel were established, respectively), superhero comics have been churned out, remixed, and recreated for our reading pleasure.
But that means there’s nearly 90 years of history to sift through. 90 years of comic runs (the comics version of a TV series; usually, each run is self-contained but can reference other runs if they like), anthologies, and one-offs sharing the same heroes and names. We're talking over 100,000 issues between the two publishers.
Yes, it does get confusing. There are, like, five different runs that call themselves “Ultimate Spider-Man,” and don’t get me started on the endless runs called “Batman.”
As you can probably tell so far, the bulk of this blog will focus on DC and Marvel, since those are the industry powerhouses. I will include a section at the end about lesser-known publishers that you can check out if superheroes simply aren’t your jam.
So, where are you supposed to start?
Well, there are three methods you can use to start reading comics.
Chronological
If you’re the kind of person who must start from the very beginning, then you’d best start scouring the internet for scans (comic books that have been scanned to a digital format for viewing) of Golden Age (comics published from 1938 to 1956) comics.
You’ll have some luck with subscription services like Marvel Unlimited or DC Universe Infinite, but those are both paid services. I personally wouldn’t want to pay anything unless I knew I’d be reading a truly impressive number of comics each month.
We do have a few of the original team-up comics available in the HCPL collection, such as a Superman & Batman team-up. This book is a collection of reprints from the 1950s (the Silver Age of comic books, which began in 1956 and ended in 1970). You’ll find characters like Robin, Lois Lane, and the Joker in this collection as well.
Batman & Superman World's Finest
Getting to see these characters from the beginning can be fun, and the evolution of comic art style and storytelling is fascinating. You can finish these comics with a new appreciation for just how far the stories and medium have come.
One downside of reading from the beginning is the lack of historical and social context for many of the comics and the stories themselves. You won’t have the same cultural knowledge as the original readers did, and you might be surprised by how different some of the characters are compared to their modern incarnations. These things shouldn't affect your reading too much, but it's good to keep them in mind.
Story
If, like many people, your interest in reading comics stems from enjoying the recent superhero movies released by Marvel and DC, you might have more luck starting with a story that’s already familiar.
Most recent movies are based on comic runs that have already been written. If you really enjoyed Captain America: Civil War, you’ll probably enjoy reading the comic version.
Civil War is a whole event for Marvel Comics, which means it spans several runs for several characters and teams. Thankfully, Marvel has provided the full, suggested reading order.
A significant roadblock, though, is that not all the characters in a run like this make it to the big screen. Many are cut for time and accessibility for an audience that isn't familiar with the comics. While the Civil War movie features the Avengers, the comics feature the entire Marvel Comics universe: the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Runaways, and more, you might not know.
Luckily, comics often include references to previous issues. You can always look up any referenced issues to get context for the story.
Character
Another way to start reading comics is to find a character you enjoy and read their runs first. Don't worry about backstory or origins with this method; most runs either show the character’s origins or offer a little recap at the beginning of the run. Either way, you’ll get the background information you need to understand the character.
You can either find a character you identify with or a character you think is cool. For my comics journey, I think Red Hood is cool (see right), so I decided to start with him. Once you have a character in mind, you can start looking for runs that feature that character. Most will have at least one run dedicated to them, but especially popular characters will have multiple runs.
Remember when I said there were five runs titled “Ultimate Spider-Man?” Yeah, that’s not a good character to start with. If you want to make your comics journey a bit easier, this method works best with a character that isn’t as mainstream as Spider-Man.
If you like Marvel, I suggest one of the X-Men (not the whole team, just one), Squirrel Girl, or Gwenpool. They’re popular enough to have more than one run but not so popular that you’re drowning in options. If you want a character with only one main run for easier reading, I suggest Spider-Punk.
For DC, I suggest one of the former Robins (Batman’s sidekicks: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Stephanie Brown) or a superson (Superman’s children: Jon Kent or Conner Kent) to get started. You have multiple options, and each character has titular runs that you can easily find.
Non-Superhero Options
If superheroes aren’t your jam, don’t worry. Comics aren’t all caped crusaders and masked supervillains. While not household names like DC and Marvel, publishers like Dark Horse and IDW put out original comics with incredible stories.
Dark Horse has published the Umbrella Academy comic series (yes, exactly like the Netflix series; it was a comic first) and series based on games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
IDW Publishing has more original offerings and graphic novels. If you want something that hasn’t been adapted for or from TV, they’re your best bet. Most of their works lean toward horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, but they also have Young Adult titles like Cooking with Monsters if you want something more laid back.
Starting with a Dark Horse or IDW stand-alone could get you acclimated to the style of comics quicker, especially since you don’t have to worry about keeping track of an ongoing storyline as you read.
Final Advice
Now that you know where to start and what to look for, here are a few final tips.
Slow Down
If you’re used to reading regular books, you’ll be tempted to speed through comics without thinking twice. It happens, sometimes without you even realizing it, but try to take it slow.
Comics aren’t just speech bubbles and narration boxes. The drawings are just as important to the story as the words. A book might say the main character is feeling frustrated, but a comic will show panels of them frowning, clenching their fists, and gritting their teeth. If you miss those, you’re missing out on the story.
You Will Be Confused--That's Okay
No matter how prepared you think you are, you'll still be confused sometimes. It's an inevitability when there are decades' worth of comics lore. Even people who have read comics since they were children get confused once in a while. Don't let that confusion stop you from reading and enjoying comics, though. You can easily look up characters or events you don't understand.
If you want to try to head off some of that confusion, you can always look up basic origin stories for characters on a fandom wiki (similar to Wikipedia, but dedicated to specific media franchises). DC and Marvel have their own wikis with countless articles about characters, story arcs, and setting details. These wikis are your friend, so don't hesitate to use them.
Don't Force Yourself
You might simply dislike reading comics, and that’s okay! Just like how audiobooks and e-books aren’t for every reader, neither are comics. If you don’t like the medium, you shouldn’t force yourself to keep reading them.
If you tried reading comics for more superhero content, don’t worry! There are actual novels that you can read, some of which are based on existing comic runs.
Find a Local Comic Shop
If you still aren’t sure where to start, then consider looking for a comic shop near you. There are a few chain shops, like Bedrock City Comics, and independent shops, like Atomic Monkey and The Comic Vault.
Look up reviews before you go to see how friendly the shops are to newer readers. Most will be, but you don’t want to accidentally walk into one that’s biased towards established readers. A good comic shop will have workers eager to help you figure out where to begin your journey reading comics.
A comics shop will also give you a good idea of what characters and stories are currently popular, and which haven’t gotten new comics in a while.
Here’s a few more comics in the HCPL collection to get you started, and feel free to ask in the comments for more recommendations!
Add a comment to: Reading Comics: Tips and Advice for Starting Your Comics Journey