There has been a LOT of threads scattered around Comic Vine lately all asking the same thing: Where do I start? A good place to start is Babs' Brutally Honest: New To Comics? video!
In this thread you can:
- Refer to what other Viners have already recommended; or
- Ask for new recommendations; or
- Make recommendations!
Characters, Teams & Titles
Recommendations that have been given for particular teams or individual characters. Listed alphabetically.
Avengers
Ultimates & Ultimates 2 (virtually no baggage, but remember it's an alternate universe so there's no connection to regular Avengers)Avengers #1 Volume 3 or Avengers #1 Volume 4 (You get to see all Avengers together, so it's a good introduction point & start of a story/series)
Batman
Year One (gritty & origin story)Long Halloween & Dark Victory (by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale, early stories)
Death In The Family (death of Robin)
Killing Joke
Arkham Asylum (gritty with dark art)
Cataclysm & No Man's Land (NML isn't a jumping on point on it's own)
Batman #700 (a mish-mash of collected stories that introduce you to Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne as Batman. However it feels like non-canon, more like a homage than a recommendation).
War Games
Hush
Batman RIP
Heart of Hush
Battle for the Cowl
Batman And Robin (Dick Grayson as Batman)
Dark Knight Returns (alternate future)
Booster Gold
Booster Gold #1 to #12Captain America
The Ed Brubaker run = Captain America #1 Volume 5 (after issue 50 the series is re-numbered to #600; what the original series would have been)Captain America #25 (the Death of Captain America, immediately after Civil War)
Fallen Son
Reborn
Two Americas (Captain American #602) & the new Zemo story (Captain America #606) are stand alone stories.
Darkness
Witchblade #10 (1st appearance)Darkness #1 Volume 1 by Mark Silvestri & Garth Ennis (first volume lasted 40 issues)
Deadpool
Deadpool #1 the first on-going series by Joe Kelly & Ed McGuinness (now available in 3 trade paperback volumes)Doctor Doom
Dr Doom/Dr Strange Triumph and TormentDoctor Strange
The Oath (5 issue mini set a few years ago & retells origin story)Strange (4 issue mini after he's been stripped of the title 'Sorcerer Supreme')
Fables
Fables #1 or the Legends in Exile which reprints the start of the series. Check the Fables page for all collected paperbacks.Hack/Slash
Hack/Slash & Omnibus Vol 1 (the series started off as one-shots & minis which are collected in the Omnibus)Power Girl
Power Girl #1, Power Girl #4, Power Girl #7, Power Girl #9 (various story arcs of the new series)Spider-Man
Essential Spider-Man (early reprints in black & white)DVD collection (link to Amazon.com)
Ultimate Spider-Man (alternate universe)
Brand New Day (modern jumping on point)
New Ways To Die
American Son
The Gauntlet
Grim Hunt
Star Wars
KOTOR: Knights of the Old Republic (takes place before the game; liberties have been taken, the things that were left to the player's imagination are revealed to be quite wanting)Supergirl
Supergirl #1 the current ongoing series (without any connection to previous Supergirls, you wont get weighed down by excessive continuity. She's new to this Earth, so you start afresh as she gathers her own Rogue's Gallery)Superman
All-Star SupermanTeen Titans
Child's Play story (Teen Titans #71 to #78)Teen Titans #79 to present
Thanos
Thanos ImperativeWitchblade
Witchblade #1 onwardsWonder Woman
Wonder Woman #600 onwards.The Greg Rucka & JG Jones issues (ie Wonder Woman #195 to #226)
X-23
X-23: Innocence LostX-23: Target X
NYX #3 onwards
New X-Men #21 onwards
X-Force
X-Men
Also see Chris Claremont (below)World War Hulk: X-Men (lots of exposition to introduce you to lots of X-characters)
Messiah CompleX
Dark Reign: Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Utopia
Second Coming
X-Men #1 (Newest on-going series featuring the Curse of the Mutants storyline)
X-Treme X-Men (for fans of Storm and/or Chris Claremont's story-telling)
Astonishing X-Men (for fans of Joss Whedon's writing)
Essential X-Men (reprints of 1960's issues in black & white)
Age Of Apocalypse (alternate universe connected to Earth-616 by the Legion Quest storyline)
Creators & Publishers
Listed alphabetically, these are the recommendations given for specific creators (i.e. writers or artists) or playing catch up for particular publishers.
Chris Claremont
Uncanny X-Men: he had an original 16 year stint on the title, followed by later stories in the 1990's. Check here & here.X-Treme X-Men
DC
Similar to Red Hood: Lost Days - Red Robin, Birds of Prey, Batman & Robin, Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, Seven Soldiers Of VictoryHeroes & Anti-Heroes - Secret Six, Legion of Super Heroes, Batman #700, Superman #700 & Wonder Woman #600, Rogues' Revenge & Flash Rebirth
Grant Morrison
Seven Soldiers Of Victory, Batman & Robin, New X-MenJoss Whedon
Astonishing X-Men Volume 3 (issues #1 to #24) & ending with Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1Marvel
After Fallen Son - Secret Avengers (Dark), Avengers (Flashy) & Thanos Imperative (Cosmic), Heroic Age (restarting many series)Top Cow
Something like the Witchblade & Darkness, but 'newer' - Upcoming '13 Artefacts' story line.Vertigo
Contact or check the Lists of aztek_the_lost. He daily-updates his lists ranging from 1993-2010 of all the Vertigo comics he has or hasn't read over the years.Themes
Can't quite put your finger on it? But you vaguely know the sort of thing you're after? You're not the only one...
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