Discussion: Where to Start With Comics

Discussion posts are something I do every Thursday to get a conversation going.  I'd love to hear your input in the comics!  Thanks for stopping by!

So, you want to read comics.  Well, there's really two ways to break into the genre.  Graphic novels and individual comics.

Graphic Novels or Trade Paperbacks are how I started.  I picked up a couple volumes of Hawkeye and found that I really enjoyed the medium.  It was cheaper to buy these bound up editions than to get each individually and I was already behind, so it could be difficult.  Personally, I think this is the best way to find your way into the genre.

If you're looking for a good superhero graphic novel, go with Hawkeye or Batgirl.  They're both relatively uncomplicated and don't require extensive knowledge of the characters.  Though, since both are popular characters, you probably do know a bit about them already.  If you're looking for a non-superhero graphic novel check out either Saga or Walking Dead (which I haven't read, yet).

Individual Comics are a bit harder to get into without a guide.  I read comics digitally because it's cheaper and more accessible.  I started just searching around and finding characters I was interested in.  Or I would jump onto series that had just started so I would end up too far behind.  This worked out really well.  And if you're a big fan of marvel, a better idea is to invest in Marvel Unlimited, which allows you access to all their archived comics (including some very recent ones!) for a monthly subscription fee.  I do this as well and it is well worth the cost.

If you're looking for good series' to read I recommend checking out my Sunday Comics tag, where I review all the comics I've read recently.  If you want to jump onto a series that has just gotten rolling, Marvel has recently relaunched most of its series.  The best right now are Avengers, Captain America: Sam Wilson, Doctor Strange and New Avengers (though this is a bit more confusing).

Now you want to know how you start refining your tastes and discovering more that you like.

Well, chances are there will be characters that show up in the stories you're reading (if you're reading superhero comics) that make you more interested.  So you start investigating that character.  Or you'll fall in love with an artist (*cough**cough* Jim Cheung) and follow them to the series's the do.  Same with writers.

If you aren't reading superhero graphic novels/comics, you'll do similar things with artists/writers.  However, chances are you'll have to look slightly harder to find your next favorite thing.

But once you open that door and start getting interested, it's hard to close again.  I wish you all luck on your adventures!