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How to begin reading comics.
Wolverine2216
Posts: 42
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!
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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! :)
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.
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!