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Ask Slashdot: I Want To Get Into Comic Books, But Where Do I Start? 212

An anonymous reader writes: Hi fellow readers. I don't recall reading many comic books as a kid (mostly because I could not afford them), but of late, I have been considering giving that a shot. I wanted to ask if you had any tips to share. Do I start with paperback editions, or do I jump directly into digital? Also, could you recommend a few good sci-fic comic book series? Thanks in advance!
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Ask Slashdot: I Want To Get Into Comic Books, But Where Do I Start?

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  • by chill ( 34294 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:23PM (#56298247) Journal

    What are you interested in? Are you looking for short (comic books) or long (graphic novels)?

    My recommendation would be Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

    • by xevioso ( 598654 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:30PM (#56298311)

      I would heartily second this. This is the best series ever written, in my opinion. Many people say that the Watchmen is the best, but if you saw the movie, you might know to take that with a grain of salt. The Watchmen was great because it deconstructed the whole superhero mythos, but that makes no sense if you haven't been reading comics for a while.

      I'd also recommend Astro City by Kirk Busiek. Saga is probably the best sci-fi series out right now. You might also read Y the Last Man, and Lucifer as well, which is a spinoff from the Sandman series.

      • by Tuidjy ( 321055 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @03:30PM (#56299293)

        Sandman, Watchmen, and Transmetropolitan would be my "best three series", if we stick to those originating in English. Which one is my current favorite depends on the mood in which I happen to be.

        Lucifer, Hellraiser (John Constantine), Preacher, The Books of Magic (Tim Hunter), The Boys, Stray Bullets... there is a ton of other series I've enjoyed, and which I reread occasionally. But the ones above are the ones I consider "must read".

        Should one start with them? Probably not. It's best to start with something short, fun and sweet, or maybe pick up a maganize which includes a number of stories and styles, and then search for more of what you like.

        Although, now that I think about it, those magazines were popular and common when I was growing up, but I have not seen any for a long time. To be honest, once my daughter came along, I stopped buying comics... and 90% of what I own will be unsuitable for her for a long, long time.

        • Hellraiser (John Constantine)

          That's Hellblazer...

          And many people will be surprised to discover John Constantine is blonde and British.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I think a NEWCOMER would have trouble with Sandman. I found it to be rather dense material with some crazy subject matter that jumps around in time and character perspective a fair bit. Don't get me wrong, it's great, but I wouldn't call it a starting point. A newcomer to comics in general should be reading a good, decent length serialized story that's easier to follow, with a clean simple layout, then move onto other things.

      Since Sci-Fi was mentioned, I'd suggest something more like Y:The Last Man or Fe

      • I think a NEWCOMER would have trouble with Sandman. I found it to be rather dense material with some crazy subject matter that jumps around in time and character perspective a fair bit.

        It is adult material, in the sense of not only therms but in complexity of material. It does have the virtue of being mostly self contained - expect maybe for the first 8 issues. You don't need to know much in the way of comic lore to read it.

        Gaiman's 1602 has a good take on the Marvel Universe. Also the illustrated Stardust is not technically a comic book but a very good hybrid.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      And the spinoff Lucifer (its nothing like the TV series).

      For shorter stories: Dark Knight Returns hands down.

    • Just got American Gods a few days ago. This stuff is fantastic for adults getting into comic books or graphic novels.
    • by lgw ( 121541 )

      I'd broaden that to "start with the classic Graphic Novels":
      Batman, the Dark Knight Returns
      V for Vendetta
      Watchmen

      These are the books that started the whole "comics are for adults too" idea, and they're each great. All of them, along with Sandman, have more depth and play more with comics as an art, than the monthly superhero stuff. But don't start with Watchmen - it's as much about comics as an art as the story it tells, so it won't work if you haven't read a few other comic books.

    • by Golthur ( 754920 )
      I'll doubleplusgood the Neil Gaiman Sandman recommendation (one of the best series ever), but perhaps more easily approachable (and in the same ballpark of fantasticness) is Fables by Bill Willingham.
  • deadpool (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I'm a latecomer too. Moved to digital, reading deadpool. That way I can read when I have time.

    • by schnell ( 163007 )

      The "digital" question is very important. Are you getting into this to be a comic book collector, or just to read comics? If it's the latter, I highly recommend Comixology [comixology.com]. It offers purchase of individual comic issues, graphic novels and trade paperbacks/collections, but also a monthly subscription service where you can read zillions of (mostly indie, natch, but some Marvel/DC) titles and see what appeals to you.

      I still have several long boxes full of comics from my teenage collector years (need to check i

  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:28PM (#56298287)

    Usually, I start with the first page. Beware, though, some Japanese titles might start with the last page.

    • You have it backwards, my friend. Japanese titles start at the first page and american/european titles start at the last page.

  • by mcmonkey ( 96054 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:31PM (#56298329) Homepage

    Dead trees or electronic?

    You're asking strangers if you are more comfortable reading a screen or paper.

    Casper the friendly Ghost might be a good place for you to start.

    • Yep, the submitter needed to tell us a little bit about what they were drawing in order for us to route them appropriately... we must be in a SlowNewsDay.. (FedSpeak day today... maybe that'll shake the market a bit.)

  • Fringe (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    The Sci-Fi TV series is from the comics of the same name. The TV series went bad with the last season and ruined it, deviating from the comics. If you find a copy of The Death Of Superman (1st run) cheap... grab it.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    I really like the app and use it on my phone and tablet to read comics. It is only $69 a year for an annual subscription.

    https://marvel.com/comics/unlimited

  • Westerners tend to read from left to right; however manga traditionally starts from the rightmost cover. ;)

    mnem
    I find that CosPlay is generally the most fun aspect by far of any comic I've ever actually enjoyed.

  • When the Wind Blows
    Maus

  • by Anonymous Coward

    I've enjoyed reading Star Power (http://www.starpowercomic.com/), it's solidly in the Sci-Fi category.
    Also Schlock Mercenary (https://www.schlockmercenary.com/), which has been running for a very long time. The art has imporved much since the beginning.
    Girl Genius is kinda sci-fi (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/newreaders.php) though not in a futuristic setting, which I have found interesting.

  • by SensitiveMale ( 155605 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:37PM (#56298403)

    So much shit is being printed now. Even the "limited edition" prints aren't limited.

    • In my strongly held opinion the greatest comic book creator of all time was Carl Barks (aka "The Good Artist") creator of Uncle Scrooge. He both wrote and drew his stories.

      Steven Speilberg was a fan and some of the Indiana Jones stuff was inspired by things in Barks stories. A patent was applied for for raising sunken ships and rejected because there was prior art in one of Carl Barks's stories. Other comics artists have continued to write comics using variations of his characters in various countries; h

  • If you aren't sure what you like just yet I would recommend checking out your local library. They usually have a pretty good selection that you could sample and see what you like.
    • I would second this. The comic books are not a genre, it is many genre. Superheros are common. Self published black & white biographies are good, for example, Maus, Ghost World, and Persepolis. Japaneses manga coves robot warriors to brewing sake to the swim team.

      Squire Girl has good humor. Saga has great visuals. etc.

      If the first does not grab you attention move on to the next. It is like going to a librarian and asking for a good book.

  • Asking for comic recommendations is like asking for book or movie recommendations. There's no correct answer, because it will depend on what your interests are. What types of things are you looking for? Science fiction? Superheroes? Comedy? What age category are you looking at?

    There are numerous classic series, and numerous classic storylines within those series that have been collected as trade paperbacks.

    If you don't know what you want, maybe get a Comixology account, and browse through what's availa

  • ComicsExplained:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/f... [youtube.com]

    Anything you'd ever want to know about Marvel, DC and everything in between.

  • Go to your local librarian, and spend the afternoon at the library and see what you like.
    Note that there is hardback comics, like Tintin etc.
    Superhero comics often require a certain knowledge of the backstory.
  • I thought this [atomic-robo.com] (4 page take from a robot in a similar situation as yours) was an interesting take on the status of comics today although I'm a webcomic guy, never been an actual comic BOOK reader, so I don't know if its accurate or not. You could also cast a wider net, and read some reviews and other discussion by searching for 'comic book reviews', 'comic book blogs', or other similar searches on your preferred search engine. Perhaps there may some sort of community on reddit, facebook, or another communit

  • Don't. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:44PM (#56298467)

    Seriously, just don't.

    If you must, go for the indie authors and limited series. Pick already complete series, or ones by creators that will end their series.

    Marvel and DC have rebooted, reset, rehashed, and redone their series so many times that you will never stop being disappointed and disgusted by the garbage they've come up with for this year's 'special'. They never end, never progress, so you will never be able to stop spending money - you'll have to give up, disappointed.

  • Why....? (Score:1, Informative)

    by Spy Handler ( 822350 )

    Comic books are something teenagers read. Yes I know there are adults who read it too but that's mostly for nostalgia because they used to read it when they were kids.

    It's like skateboarding. Virtually every adult skater does it because they've been doing it since they were small. Nobody turns 35 and then thinks "hmm I should take up skateboarding even though I've never tried it before".

    I had a huge stash of 80's and 90's Marvel comic books that I've collected since I was 11 (it's mostly gone now, given awa

    • So wait... You only read garbage and toss it off as childish when there's way better material out there? I don't even read comics and I know that's shortsighted.

    • There are plenty of comics made for adults.
      Not even talking about "adult content".

      Also your assessment regarding skating is not correct ... I know plenty of adults who started skating around 30 and older.

  • by StandardDeviant ( 122674 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:47PM (#56298493) Homepage Journal

    transmet is a delightfully bonkers sci-fi/political thriller epic; the series has completed and is available as a (ten? iirc?) volume collection via amazon et al.

  • by turp182 ( 1020263 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:49PM (#56298507) Journal

    Individual Titles:
    The Watchmen
    V for Vendetta
    300 (get the hardback, the movie is a perfect rendition of the original comic)

    Series:
    Sin City

    • I'd add Y-The Last Man and Ex Machina as good scf-fi series, and Fables as a good overall series.
      • Thanks for the recommendations, I will check them out as I enjoy graphic novels. Started with Watchmen, man, that was awesome.

    • Several recommendations for Frank Miller books, and I gotta say, maybe skip them. The original Dark Knight wasn't too bad, and his collected Daredevil might be okay, but he started getting political and just weird (not in a good way). The last Dark Knight series was technically kind of interesting but I had to quit, it turned to shit very soon. There are authors and artists that care about story and art. Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore is very good, and his follow on stuff was interesting too, like Ra
  • Schlock (Score:3, Insightful)

    by apoc.famine ( 621563 ) <apoc.famine@NOSPAM.gmail.com> on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:50PM (#56298517) Journal

    Schlock Mercenary [schlockmercenary.com]. 15+ years of daily comics, and still going strong. The first 5 years of art was pretty rough, but it's much better with that much practice now.

  • Playing field (Score:3, Insightful)

    by The New Guy 2.0 ( 3497907 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @01:51PM (#56298531)

    Submitter, what are you trying to write?

    xkcd and Joy of Tech have been going strong since 2000 as web-only image files.
    Marvel and DC Comics have so many titles reserved that it's hard to create a hero without their help.
    Political cartoons are all over the web and print... see if your local newspaper can find a slot for you.

  • Graphic novels and comic books are a medium through which to tell a story. There are really good ones that take a long time to work through and keep your attention well. There are horrid ones where you find yourself flipping back and forth between adjacent pages because you feel like there was a printing error and they forgot five or six pages. Starting out is like starting out with fiction, or movies, it's reasonable to just pick a couple well-reviewed pieces which are materially different from each oth

  • by Anonymous Coward

    "The Watchmen", and "The Killing Joke" (Batman) are both considered top examples. The HellBoy series is fun, as is "The Tick".
    Good luck!

  • by Anonymous Coward

    After years of reading comics, there's a distinct difference between European (mainly French and Belgian) and American comics. To get a good understanding I recommend the Preacher, 100 Bullets, various Batman renditions and Sandman (which I personally don't like) to get a feel.

    On the European side I think XIII is a must-read (based on the Bourne books), followed by Tintin, Asterix and maybe Bruno Brazil.

  • Do you have lots of disposable income that you have no better use for?
    If YES: Go right ahead and dive into comics collecting. Be warned you won't have that disposable income for long, though.
    If NO: Walk away now. It'll likely bankrupt you in the long term.

    Go to a comic book convention and talk to the dealers there, ask them how they got started in the comic book selling business.
    They'll tell you they started out as collectors. ;-)
  • Find your local comic shop and check it out. Look around, see what you like. If they are good shop, they have a current issue for each comic to check out the inside versus just seeing the cover art.

    If you like a few things, see if they have what is called a "Pull List" or "Subscriber List". This is where they set aside the comics on your list every week so you can ensure you get them and pick them all up at once, often at a % discount. A good shop will not charge you for "bag and board". This is the cardboa

  • The very best place to start if you want to get into comics is your local comic book store. You will find people there who will be glad to make recommendations, and better still, they'll show you what they're recommending so you can try them on. You'll be able to see the artwork and decide which worlds you want to visit. The people in those stores are generally nice, and weird, and sometimes really great. They have time to talk to you and they truly love the subject. There's no better way to get introduc

  • You are an adult (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Read books, not comics. Go to a library or bookstore to start. I read comics as a kid. Wham, pow, thin plots. Really, you can do better. I never post anonymously, but I know if I don't I'll invite a storm of haters.
  • EC produced groundbreaking science fiction comics in the 1950s. Look for Weird Science, Weird Fantasy etc. These titles featured the finest artists ever to work in comics, and the writing pushed cultural boundaries to the extent that publisher William Gaines was called to testify to the Senate on charges that comics led to moral decay (which resulted in the formation of the Comics Code Authority). Original copies are rare, expensive, and pretty much museum pieces. Luckily there's a great variety of reprints
  • do it. Draw comics. Put 'em online with some banner ads and a Patreon account. Run a few kickstarters to get some print runs done. If you really want a following maybe do a Twitch channel of your drawing sessions. Once you've got some samples and a following use that to break into the industry. That's what the 8-Bit theater guy did.

    Oh, and make sure you have a thick skin. You _will_ have trolls who's only join in life is telling you how much you suck. And worse than the trolls are legitimate critics. Ign
  • by Anonymous Coward

    Check out your local library. Libraries now have a really decent selection of graphic novels, and I'm not talking about YA manga crap. Our library has everything from Spiderman, Batman, hero type stuff to indie stuff. Go and check out your library and try a bunch of different graphic novels!

  • Trade paperbacks are the way to start. In terms of Sci-fi: Ex Machina, and Y-The Last Man are two I really enjoyed. Fables is another good series to dive into but isn't sci-fi. The nice thing about TPBs is you can pick them up relatively cheap, and if you don't like the story, no need to grab the next one.
  • by roc97007 ( 608802 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @02:24PM (#56298803) Journal

    I'd go with the graphic novels / compilations rather than try to start with individual comics, as with a compilation you're more likely to start at the beginning of a story arc.

    As to which titles to read, that's a very individual choice. I can tell you what titles *I* liked, but your mileage may vary. Wildly.

    I hadn't really followed the DC universe very closely in the last couple of decades, but ended up picking up the Supergirl: Power and Supergirl: Identity compilations a couple years ago and really enjoyed them. Kara is a more complex and tragic character in these stories than I'd remembered her being.

    The first two Marvel: The Ultimates compilations are pretty good. Each is a complete story, of the "what if super heroes existed in the real world" type that Watchmen started in the 1980's. Extremely violent, character deaths, creepy in parts.

    Just about anything by Neil Gaimen. Sandman, Coraline, Stardust, "How to talk to girls at parties", American Gods.

    Pretty much any of this century's Green Lantern Corps compilations. Well written, engaging characters.

    Alan Moore's Miracleman (Marvelman) compilations are finally available, after being in legal hell for a couple decades. Well worth reading. Start with "A dream of flying". It starts out as a straight superhero story, but rapidly takes a really dark, science-fiction turn.

    In my opinion, Marvel had a good thing going with the Ultimate universe (Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, The Ultimates, Ultimate Iron Man) until Marvel apparently got bored with the universe and destroyed it. The early Ultimate graphic novels were mature, interesting and lacked all the decades of baggage that their regular titles had.

    And finally, I have to put in a word for Schlock Mercenary, a "comic space opera" webcomic that starts out a gag-a-day but over the years has become a complex and compelling science fiction story in a very plausible, scientific framework. The online strips are available as softbound compilations. Also recommended is the Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries, the beat-up edition filled with handwritten notes from the Schlock characters who had previously owned it.

    Also check out the Pibgorn webcomic. Start with "the girl in the coffee cup".

    • Oh, and Matt Wagner's "Mage". A lot of people are fond of Wagner's "Grendel" but I personally couldn't get into it.

  • If you are interested in super-hero comics, Invincible is a great place to start, especially if you go digital and start with issue 1. It does a great job of introducing you to that universe bit by bit and has a good mix of character, action, and humor.
  • by fibonacci8 ( 260615 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @02:34PM (#56298893)
    If you do, and your library has a subscription, check out Hoopla [hoopladigital.com]. You can borrow digital editions of physical comic books, allowing you to try before you buy.
    Spoiler: Any of the choices out there are good ones, it's up to you to figure out how much time you want to devote to enjoying them.
  • for example (and sorry for the long link): https://www.amazon.com/Invinci... [amazon.com]

    I think it was this one that my friend lent me, and it had something like 4 separate story arcs between the covers.
  • If you have a library account you can link it to a app called Hoopla which lets you check out digital comics for free. Sandman, Locke and Key, Transmetropolitan, Y The Last Man and Saga and Chew are some of my favorites.
  • by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @02:43PM (#56298945)
    Alan Moore, without a doubt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
  • Wizard Magazine put out a list a few years back of the 100 greatest graphic novels, that could be a good starting point.
  • by vadim_t ( 324782 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @02:55PM (#56299009) Homepage

    Get Marvel Unlimited. It's just $10 a month and gives you access to decades worth of archives, and you can read all you want without extra cost.

    Then just check out something related to movie characters that sound interesting, browse the app's own suggestions, or try something at random.

    And if at some point you find yourself interested in how some situation came to be, or where a character came from, just google for it and you'll quickly find wiki pages telling you exactly which issues to read.

  • I would recommend trying out a subscription to Marvel Unlimited. It's an app that has decades of digital back-catalogs for Marvel comics and newer comics on a six month delay. They also have a number of guided reading options, like "Read everything with this character" or "What to read before you watch Black Panther" and that sort of stuff. They also have offline reading options, so you can download a whole ton of comics before you get on a plane or something.
  • Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. https://jayandsilentbob.com/ca... [jayandsilentbob.com]
  • by jma05 ( 897351 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @02:59PM (#56299055)

    You could try Humble Bundle.

    They have a new comic bundle out as I type this. They are inexpensive and tend to be eclectic; so not a bad place to start since you are just starting out and do not have specific preferences yet.

    I feel the paper editions are too pricey these days, especially when bought individually. Digital comics read well on tablets. I think it is a good idea to stick to digital until you find a series you really like.

    You should visit your local library as well and sample around. Mine offers both paper and digital versions.

  • by cloud.pt ( 3412475 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @03:14PM (#56299159)

    Obviously falls a bit out of the "comics" OP refers too, but Akira is a roller-coaster ride everybody should take themselves to. Never mind its age - lmost 30 years old does not take away from most of its still up to date themes. And it does get you a cheap, premium 35th anniversary box that is not only super complete and polished, but very inexpensive when you do the per-volume math.

    Or, you know, get the "free" digital version.

  • If you go the digital route, periodically check out Comixology (for sales) and Humble Bundle Books [humblebundle.com].

    Also note that many of the second-tier publishers (Valiant, IDW, Image) provide DRM-free PDF/CBZ downloads for backups; others -- notably Marvel and DC -- do not.

  • with Calvin & Hobbes.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Wait, you dodged a bullet but now want to volunteer to jump in front of one? Did you also never live in your mom's basement and would like to try that now? Just because you're on Slashdot you don't have live like the rest of us. There's still hope for you!

  • First of all, I agree with most others that Graphic Novels (Trade Paperbacks) are much better than individual issues.

    I would suggest picking up a series that has actually completed and well regarded. There's so much fantastic works out there that you shouldn't waste time on trying something that you haven't heard of.

    Also, when I read novels, I love science fiction. For some reason, in comic books, I tend to read a lot of fantasy. Prepare to be interested in genres that you would not otherwise like.

    Some o

  • Go back and collect the classic greats. Individual titles have good days, and bad ones. You've already been told about tDKR. Here are some more recent great titles you might want to pick up:
    - Identity Crisis (Infinite Crisis is drivel, though)
    - Green Lantern: Rebirth
    - Hush (best Batman arc, IMHO)
    - Astonishing X-Men (Joss Whedon)
    - Marvel's Civil War
    - Marvel's The Ultimates series 1 & 2

    There's one publisher that is an absolute delight; only published for a span of 3 or 4 years before going defunct: CrossG

  • by Anonymous Coward

    I'd suggest growing out of it. Seriously.

    Let me guess--you think the current never-ending stream of comic book movies are fantastic?

  • There's a lot of really good stuff out there (and another 90+% of horrible crap, but the good stuff is enough to keep you busy for a while):

    Naver has been betting strong on infinite-canvas style [webtoons.com], both eastern translated works and english-original ones (check the page out, there's A LOT of webcomics there, a bit of everything for everyone)

    Girl Genius [girlgeniusonline.com] got most of the Hugo awards for graphic story [wikipedia.org] in the first years of the category

    uhm, I'm a bit busy at the moment so I'll just list a bunch of webcomics I lik

  • I also couldnâ(TM)t afford comics as a kid. In my 20s I started reading Uncanny X-men and followed that plus all of the extended books through Age of Apocalypse. You can figure out that was about 20years ago, give or take. A couple of years ago I wanted to check out what had been going on in comics and downloaded the Marvel apps. First I started buying the digitals, but I found the Marvel Unlimited app was nearly as good and less expensive in the long term. With an annual subscription I read all I want

  • Q: What's the difference between a comic and a graphic novel?
    A: About 20 bucks.

    TY,IHAW,TTSP

  • Free online, though you can pick up print if you want. Totally worth reading. I used to have a $20 a week comic book habit back in college, but gave it up when Marvel did the Onslaught storyline. Just got tired of spending too much $$$. But Atomic Robo is the only comic I go out of the way to buy (and have most of the trade paperbacks now). (can't believe I took the bait and replied to this post)
  • by Pete Smoot ( 4289807 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2018 @07:03PM (#56301005)
    Gotta pay the bills somehow until you build your vast following.
  • Start at the library, especially if cost was once an issue and might still be.

  • Do it the way we did it - sample for yourself and see how you feel. This is one of the weirdest, most passive "Ask Slashdot"s I think I've seen.
  • There's a hell of a lot of good stuff available from french or belgian authors. I'm quite sure you'd find translations at least for the more common ones, if needed.

    Think of classics like Tintin, Asterix, Spirou, Valerian for the extremely well knowns. There are so many others.

  • I would suggest finding something more useful to do with your time.
  • by Spinalcold ( 955025 ) on Thursday March 22, 2018 @09:26AM (#56304779)
    I got into comics pretty heavily about 5 years ago and have fallen in love with the medium, the power of pictures and words is something that is overlooked by many (including many comic writers). It is an extremely expensive hobby though, so here are some tips to manage that:

    Use the library: I first started getting into comics though libraries, they are fantastic and you can get a huge selection. Plus it's a great way to explore the genre, grab a bunch and if you don't like something, no sweat, move on to another book. In Canada (at least where I am in Canada) they separate the adult graphic novels from the all ages stuff, which is great cause some of those adult books can get very sexually explicit and violent. But it's also a way to help you sort for stuff you like, if you want biographies and mature content you have a separate section than the all ages which is where you will find most of your Marvel and DC content (though both have some adult content too)

    Bargain bins: Most comic stores will have bargain bins were you can get graphic novels for about $5 or floppies for $.25-$1. Those are a good place to sample new stuff and I have found most of my favorite books in those.

    Piracy sites: I won't be specific here cause I don't want to advertise any sites but I do pirate a lot of stuff, especially all the new series from Marvel/DC. Not many have the money to buy every new number 1 from Marvel DC to find the new good series, nor do I think a person should have to buy a book to sample it. There is also the problem that Marvel has been relaunching books once a year, this is a terrible business practice and should NOT be supported. So I usually pirate the first couple issues and if I like it I will buy them.

    Marvel Unlimited: This is a good way to get old comics. It's a digital subscription service that allows you to read a TON of the back catalog. I find that the 80s and the early 2000s are two extremely good era's for Marvel and there is lots of good stuff on Marvel Unlimited.

    It took me a while to hone in on the types of books I really like and it took a lot of experimenting with new types of books and a lot of just straight up gambling with random books from the bargain bin. But I feel I have a pretty good grasp on what I like now. As for science fiction here are some good ones to start on:

    Ocean/Orbiter by Warren Ellis: collects 2 stories, he is known as one of the best comic writers and these two stories are my favorite. Orbiter is an uplifting story of a dystopia that finds it's love for space again
    Orbital by Sylvain Runberg: (yes, can get confusing with the above comic) European comic and a bit Star Trekian in it where it's attempting to solve conflicts between species with politics. Not 100% successful cause then there would be no action, a nice blend of action and politics.
    Star Trek Broken Mirror: Speaking of Star Trek. Takes place in the Mirror TNG Universe where the Federation Empire has been pushed back to earth. Oddly, Barclay is one of the main characters.
    The Metabarons by Jodorworsky: If you want a weird space epic this is the best of the best. It follows a lineage of Metabarons as they become the most powerful warriors in the galaxy and how the traditions have come to be. It is mythical and beautiful.
    The Nikopol Trilogy by Enki Bilal: Distant future and Ra has returned to earth because he needs to procreate so his lineage is preserved. There was a weird movie based on it call Immortal, half animated and half CGI character but before they could do that properly, so it's very visually weird but very well made.

    There is also TONS of Marvel sci-fi, with stuff like Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy. Too much for me too list. But I hope this starts you off well. Oh, at some point you should read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, it is one of the only good analysis's of the comic medium and is a must read for fans of comics. Happy reading!
  • I would highly recommend these "starter" books:

    Topic: Math & Logic
    Logicomix: An epic search for truth
    https://www.amazon.com/Logicom... [amazon.com]

    Topic: Super heroes
    Watchmen
    https://www.amazon.com/Watchme... [amazon.com]

    Topic: DnD
    The Bag Wars Saga
    https://www.amazon.com/Knights... [amazon.com]

If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.

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