I need a comic to read.. which one?

aguywhotypes

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I'll be honest. I'm not into supers, but I'm willing to give it a try.

What super do you recommend for a complete adult noob?

What about something other than supers? I don't know where to start. The whole thing is very overwhelming.
 

Maggie Maxwell

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Oh man, there's an enormous world of comics out there, as many genres and stories as there are books. Tell us a bit about what you like to read, so we can narrow it down a bit. :) Like, do you prefer comedic stuff or dark? Fantasy, scifi, horror, mystery, etc? Even within superheroes, there are all the genres.
 
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NinjaFingers

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Okay. I can help here.

If you prefer science fiction and are 18 or older, then I heartily recommend Saga. It's an award winning science fantasy series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. (It's not an erotica comic per se, but it IS definitely NSFW).

If urban fantasy is your thing, consider Hellblazer. I don't read it myself, but a lot of people enjoy it.

As for superhero starters.

Ms. Marvel is a definite possibility that comes to mind if you like YA. The first two trades are out, and it really doesn't require you to know or understand anything about the world other than "people have powers." Just be aware that the protagonist talks like she hangs out on tumblr. (Which I love, but...)

If you like detective stories/mysteries, then you probably want to go the Gotham route - any of the Bat based comics. (The Gotham TV show is also a good introduction to Batman's world as well as a quite excellent, in my mind, police procedural).

The thing about supers as a genre is it's in this kind of weird overlapping position, and not only can different books be in essentially different genres, so can different issues of the same book. When Spider-Man fights Doctor Octopus it's clearly science fiction, when Kraven goes up you switch into urban fantasy. (Spider-Man is particularly bad for genre whiplash ;)).

I also generally recommend V for Vendetta and Watchmen out of sheer quality. Watchmen, however, is best saved for when you have some understanding of superhero tropes because otherwise you just won't get a lot of the subversion of said tropes and won't fully appreciate it. V for Vendetta is dystopian and dark. Both of these are pretty much universally considered two of the best comic books ever made.

If you tell me what kind of thing you like, I can give some more personalized recommendations.

According to yp there are comic stores in Canton, North Canton, Columbus...but not Millersburg proper. It might still be worth making the drive, though, depending on time/funds - comic store employees can and will also give you some really good tips on getting into the genre and medium.

The other possible way to slide in is tie-in comics for something you're already a fan of. There are some pretty good Doctor Who comics and now Disney owns Star Wars, they're getting Marvel to make more Star Wars comics. I haven't looked at them yet, but...
 
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Lissibith

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I'm in agreement with TAM. Without knowing what sort of genres you like, offering suggestions is going to be highly inexact and potentially even unhelpful. (I can only imagine if someone had tried to give me something like TDK to get me into comics, instead of Bone and Crimson and Tellos, as happened)

ETA - ninjad!

I found the Justice League International books to be pretty funny - more the original and not the later "I can't Believe It's Not the Justice Leage" and "Formerly Known As The Justice League," which were broader and reliant on knowing some of the earlier stuff.

The Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle run - the original not the new 52 version - is both pretty funny and has some pretty decent sci-fi concepts.

Depending on what you find funny, there's the latest Hawkeye run. I find it pretty funny, but others may disagree.

Guardians of the Galaxy are usually pretty funny and very space opera. I think their newer series is better than a lot of the older stuff but YMMV.

There's also a Nova series (the last one starring Rich Rider) that I thought was a pretty solid interstellar book. Piggybacking off that, there's a LOT of great recent Green Lantern stuff if you want to read about intergalactic space cops.

*Ponders over more*
 
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Maggie Maxwell

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I don't like fantasy, horror.

I do like sci-fi and humor.

All right, then definitely, Saga should be on your list. Like NinjaFingers said, it's amazing, one of my favorites. Not quite so humorous, but I enjoyed The Fuse for sci-fi/mystery. For supers, if you're interested in more tech and humor, Matt Fractions' Hawkeye run may be a good start.

Comics can get expensive real fast, so if you're just looking to dip your toes in the water, try Comixology's freebies section (oh, Atomic Robo is on there! That's a great one. Read Atomic Robo.) Also take a look at the Favorite Webcomics thread. A bunch of us listed and described our favorites. All free online (Atomic Robo is one of them).
 

The Weaver

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So many comics to choose from but here's a few rec's.
King City by Brandon Graham is an inserting beast. It's about a very weird city and the people who live in it. Not very plot driven but funny and absurd in some places.

If you don't mind manga there's always Naussica and Akira. Akria involves a future, Tokyo in which a young biker gains psychic powers, a superweapon and political intrigue. Naussica takes place an a Earth ruined a thousand years ago due to an environmental disaster and the characters living in that world.
 
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dubbauw

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A really good book that I feel fits pretty well with scifi and humor is the Manhattan Projects by Hickman and Pitarra.

The main idea is that the actual Manhattan Project back in WWII was actually a cover for a bunch of secret science projects, space travel ending up being very important. The main characters are mostly famous scientists like Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman. There are a lot of cool science ideas, but it's not totally necessary to understand everything.

There's also a good bit of humor, like a talking space dog, FDR kept alive as a computer, and President Truman leading a secret cult.

So I'd heavily recommend it, and I don't feel like there's nearly enough people who know about it.
 

mirandashell

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I grew up reading 2000 AD which is a British comic. So you may not be able to get it. But it does cover a lot of genres. And has some amazing artwork

ETA: Its most famous creation is Judge Dredd.
 

kwanzaabot

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East of West.

It's hard to describe. Basically it's set in a dystopian USA where after the Civil War, the country was divided, and the North, South, Texas, ex-Slaves, Native Americans and Chinese all got their own nations.
I'm skimming over a lot, but it's hard to go in depth without basically giving away the entire plot.

Starring the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death is basically a Clint Eastwood-y gunslinger) and Mao Zedong's great-great-great-great granddaughter who basically rules the entire west coast.
Oh, and the Antichrist (and his talking robot balloon).
 

dubbauw

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East of West.

It's hard to describe. Basically it's set in a dystopian USA where after the Civil War, the country was divided, and the North, South, Texas, ex-Slaves, Native Americans and Chinese all got their own nations.
I'm skimming over a lot, but it's hard to go in depth without basically giving away the entire plot.

Starring the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death is basically a Clint Eastwood-y gunslinger) and Mao Zedong's great-great-great-great granddaughter who basically rules the entire west coast.
Oh, and the Antichrist (and his talking robot balloon).

Seconded.

It's another underappreciated Image book. Others like Saga (which is still really really good), get all the attention.
 
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Jack Lebowski

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Okay now this is a question that I truly feel qualified to give my two cents on. I have been a comic book reader as well as a collectables dealer for most of my life.

Where to start? Well, assuming you're not rich let's begin with graphic novels and bargain books.

Graphic novels(GN) contain either done in one stories, complete series, or story arcs from longer series. They are a great way to start since you get a whole tale in one easy, carryable format.

Bargain books are available in most comic stores. Overstocks, last ones, not selling in our area, etc. Depending on the title and store you can new comics from a quarter to a dollar each.

May 2nd was Free Comic Book Day at comic stores across the US. To promote and generate interest in our pulpy world. Although the day is gone, the celebration goes on. Most stores will have deals all month. Many owners will give an instant discount too depending on purchases. Especially if they know you're new. It's not the poor economy. They are genuinely nice folks at heart.

Don't be surprised at the tripe you encounter though. Unfortunately some comics give us fans a bad name. But on the other hand, comics are not unfamilar with the Pulitzer Prize either.

Both options above are great ways to introduce yourself to comics reading. But you must get your hands inky! No online buying just yet! You must read the blurb and flip thru the artwork. What catches your eye? It might be something you never heard or thought of.

Tie-ins are a good way to break in. I think that was mentioned by someone earlier. Almost every TV show, cartoon, radio series, serial, celebrity, movie, book series, or current geek (myself included) fad, has had a comic book at some point. From Howdy Doody to Walking Dead.

A couple of my favorites are Ellison's Demon with a Glass Hand and Matheson's Hell House. Matheson himself praised the adaptation. These are older titles. You may have to hunt if interested.

I only ask one thing of you. When you're done reading, if you do not want the books-recycle them please. To other readers. Donate to charity-tax write off! Schools-anything that keeps kids reading. Age apropriate though! Or my personal favorite is donating them to our soldiers overseas. They are desparate for stuff to do during down times. They are bored and miss home. I do not have the info handy, but if anyone is interested I can find it for you.

I hope this helps a little bit to you. And others! There should be no stigma about reading comics. It's certainly not in Japan! Comics are just a tale with pictures added. Isn't that called an illustration in a novel?:Soapbox:

If you need any other advice just ask-I, no scratch that. WE are always here to help!

Jack-I'm so jazzed up that I'm going to pull out some comics from my collection right now!:idea::cool:
 
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GigiF

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I'm going to be a bit bah humbugg-y about this and even though I will get slaughtered from others I'm going to say that older comic books seem to be better written than many of today's efforts.

I have just finished reading major current Superman and Batman stories and frankly, I'm not impressed. (I believe the Superman one was used as a basis for the movie 'Man of Steel' - which is probably why I didn't think that much of the film either).

Anyway... Here's a list from FP about some of the best:
https://forbiddenplanet.com/log/recommendations/50-best-best-graphic-novels/

I think they've missed out Ronin and Elektra Assassin by Frank Miller which are both brilliant books too.
 

Liondel

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I don't like fantasy, horror.

I do like sci-fi and humor.

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. is a great series for sci-fi and humor. Broccoli people and dinosaurs wearing robes. Truly a solid series that should have gone way, way longer than the 12 issues it was given.
 

matthew86

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I think you should start with classic like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. It's designed brilliantly.
 

Lissibith

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Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. is a great series for sci-fi and humor. Broccoli people and dinosaurs wearing robes. Truly a solid series that should have gone way, way longer than the 12 issues it was given.
Oh man, how did I forget about that one! Seconded with all the force of a great typhoon.
 

Jinn Zhong

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A really good book that I feel fits pretty well with scifi and humor is the Manhattan Projects by Hickman and Pitarra.

The main idea is that the actual Manhattan Project back in WWII was actually a cover for a bunch of secret science projects, space travel ending up being very important. The main characters are mostly famous scientists like Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman. There are a lot of cool science ideas, but it's not totally necessary to understand everything.

There's also a good bit of humor, like a talking space dog, FDR kept alive as a computer, and President Truman leading a secret cult.

So I'd heavily recommend it, and I don't feel like there's nearly enough people who know about it.

I love Hickman. I read everything he puts out... But I have no idea what the f is going on half the time. Seriously. East of West? What is going on here? It's like literary graphic novels. You know something deep, subtle, allegorical, symbolically, nuanced is happening. But you have to work at it.

Anyway -- I second this recommendation with my caveat. Fun easy space adventure Hickman isn't. But intellectual weirdness he is.
 
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Jinn Zhong

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Ok --let me throw in my two cents. You said sci-fi...

Rick Remender's "Black Science"
Matt Fraction's "Sex Criminals"
Warren Ellis's "Global Frequency"
Greg Rucka's "Lazarus"

And you want hardcore European stuff?

Get anything written by Alexandro Jodorowsky
 

Layla Nahar

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It's hella old now (80s!) but it you can find it - I really liked 'Nexus'.
 

Grigoris

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This is a fun thread with a lot of solid suggestions. V for Vendetta is a just a great starting point for graphic novels and comics. I've seen more than a few people get into comics after reading it. It destroys a lot of preconceptions people may have about comics. Saga is another enjoyable ride and the collected volumes are a worth the time. One graphic novel I recommend is Deadhorse (By Eric Grissom, Phil Sloan, Marissa Louise, David Halvorson). The two books are a fantastic, hilarious read that masterfully blend mystery, sci-fi, and humor into a brilliant story. Its about with a man searching for information about his dead father and winds up in Alaska where he becomes the target of an obsessed industrialist and a crazed bounty hunter.
 
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KingPen

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Ok --let me throw in my two cents. You said sci-fi...

Rick Remender's "Black Science"
Matt Fraction's "Sex Criminals"
Warren Ellis's "Global Frequency"
Greg Rucka's "Lazarus"

And you want hardcore European stuff?

Get anything written by Alexandro Jodorowsky

I would recommend anything by Matt Fraction.
 

nighttimer

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I would strongly endorse Lazarus by Rucka and Lark, The Fade-Out by Brubaker and Phillips, Velvet by Brubaker and Epting or We Stand On Guard by Vaughn and Skroce. All well-drawn and written and recommended.

These days DC and Marvel are 99.9 all about the superheroes. To their detriment.