How to begin reading comics.

Wolverine2216

This may seem like a stupid question but I am fairly new to reading comics! I am really excited to begin reading and just as some background info I got into comics by trying to sell a collection I bought offline for a great deal, before this I had a decent knowledge of superheroes from watching cartoons as a kid and finding CGS about a year ago(LOVE the show by the way, Enjoyed many work hours listening). I trimmed a 2000+ collection down to about 600 of mainly wolverine and other ones that caught my attention like events and such. But now I am reluctant to begin my reading because im not sure how I should start. Should I just grab random story arcs, or read all the events in order of publication? Also, If you have any suggestions as to great story arcs I should check out or any other tips to increase my enjoyment/success os reading. Finally, what are your thoughts on Marvel unlimited? Thank you to anyone who takes the time to help a rookie out!

Torchsong

1) Find something that catches your eye.
2) Open to page one.
3) Move to the next page.
4) Repeat step 3 until you're addicted, broke from buying too many books, have a bookshelf loaded with books you mean to read one day but couldn't pass up getting at the time because of the deal you got. :)

In all seriousness, just start digging in and finding things you like. Comics is a huge field with something quite literally for everyone out there.

Don't worry about things like continuity or things being in or out of canon - a good story is a good story, and all the fanboy wank in the world won't change that.

Marvel Unlimited is a great way to test the waters and find series you may or may not be interested in. It's well worth the money and will save you a ton on shelf space and longboxes!

Above all, have fun. It's why we all do this...at least that's what we tell ourselves! :)

playdohsrepublic

Torchsong said:

1) Find something that catches your eye.
2) Open to page one.
3) Move to the next page.
4) Repeat step 3 until you're addicted, broke from buying too many books, have a bookshelf loaded with books you mean to read one day but couldn't pass up getting at the time because of the deal you got. :)

In all seriousness, just start digging in and finding things you like. Comics is a huge field with something quite literally for everyone out there.

Don't worry about things like continuity or things being in or out of canon - a good story is a good story, and all the fanboy wank in the world won't change that.

Marvel Unlimited is a great way to test the waters and find series you may or may not be interested in. It's well worth the money and will save you a ton on shelf space and longboxes!

Above all, have fun. It's why we all do this...at least that's what we tell ourselves! :)

This is the only right answer.

Evening639

Two things that have really made my comics reading experience more enjoyable and rewarding over the years:

1. I started following creators instead of characters or companies. This makes it very easy to always find something worth reading every month because even if I don't find any new titles that spark my interest, I can still fall back on my defaults.

Also, this can lead you to read books you might have passed up before if you have faith in those creators.

2. Previews has become my best friend. There is SO MUCH cool material found in the back of the book that I wouldn't know about otherwise because my local comic shop doesn't really carry much indie stuff and even neglects a few of the more fringe Marvel and DC titles.

It also makes it very easy to find good jumping on points because you can see when certain story arcs are going to end or when creative teams will shift two months in advance.

Wolverine2216

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer... I think I'm going to start digging in when i get home. I got the free month of marvel unlimited right now and im working on figuring out what i can read and what I can not. I stumbled upon 1602 and have been enjoying it very much ( not worried about continuity with this one lol). I just finished the first issue and cant wait to read the next one!

kiwijase

Part of the joy is in the looking. Most Libraries have a decent selection of comics these days. Randomly pick something that catches your eye and give it a go.

SolitaireRose

Head to a shop that has some leftovers from Free Comic Book day and pick up whatever is there and start reading. Most of them are short stories that let you know what that company is publishing and give you a good look at what sorts of things they put out. Comixology also has a LOT of free comics digitally, so you can see more samples. The library is a perfect resource, so head on over to the graphic novels (they usually have an adult section and a "teen" section and start flipping through. See what jumps out at you, and check them out.

After reading a good variety, you'll see the kind fo stuff you'll like...it may be Marvel and DC, it may be creator owned stuff, it might be movie and TV tie-ins (they've done extra seasons of X-Files, Buffy, Jericho, etc... with the showrunners involved) it might be manga...it might be all of them!

But try a lot of different things. Comics are like novels - there's all kinds of genres and types!

jaydee74

What are you into? What characters do you like? Start from there and enjoy the ride.

Wolverine2216

Thanks everyone. I have a decent collection built up and I think Im just going to start with story arcs that I have complete and worry about continuity later.