How to Start Reading Comics That Have Been Around for Decades
Comics are by far the most popular since magic movies started being released during the holidays . On the other hand, the comics themselves are more difficult to get into. Here’s how to find a place to dive if you’re overwhelmed by decades of comic book stories.
Decide what you want to read about
Everyone has something that prompted them to start reading comics in the first place. Before you start looking for reading problems, decide what you want to read about :
- Choose a character: everyone and their mother know about the release of the new film “Age of Ultron”. But where did Ultron come from? And who the hell is that other weird robot dude ? If you’re asking questions like this, you can try using a character-centered approach. Search apps like Comixology (sometimes called “Comics”) for the name of the character you want to know more about. You can also just google for the best stories about this character (“best ultron stories”) or their origins (“ultron origins”). A little research can go a long way.
- Choose a story: The history of comics is filled with iconic and important stories. Some of them represent large-scale events (which we will talk about a little later), for example, the Civil War . Some of them are personal stories, such as Spider-Man No More . If there’s a particular story you’ve heard about and want to read it, start with it as a foundation.
- Pick a Writer : Once you understand who the characters are – usually after you’ve started reading – tracking specific writers is a good way to find what you really like, let alone branch out without being caught up in an ocean of comics. there. For example, Frank Miller is best known for his Batman series The Dark Knight Returns . You won’t always read the same characters – Frank Miller was also famous for Daredevil Born Again , which isn’t even in the same universe as Batman – but follow the lead of a writer you know is you like maybe one of the most rewarding ways to read different series. If you’ve read a story that you really like, find out who wrote it and look for their other work.
Get some context
Unlike Monty Python, it won’t be easy for you to start from the beginning if you’re done. Many major comic book stories have been written over the decades, and they have changed so much over the years that you will probably never go back to the beginning. Instead, you’ll want to start with a little context — read some of the “classic” storylines and brush up on the character’s story a bit.
There are several ways to get some context. Some of the most effective are:
- Read the character bios: everyone knows who Spider-Man or Batman is, but who is Doctor Strange or Black Panther ? The quickest way to find out is to read the wiki entries about these characters. While Wikipedia itself has entries for most comic book characters, there are also dedicated wiki sites for specific publishers.
- Pick up character encyclopedias: For many characters, you can often find encyclopedia-style books that give you an idea of the character, as well as suggestions for reading key stories that might interest you. This is one of the best ways to get to know the character.
- Read classic stories: You may not be able to read every comic that ever came out, but some older stories are more important than others. For example, if you’re a fan of Marvel movies, the classic Infinity Gauntlet storyline will do more to help you keep up with references than most other stories. You won’t spend a lot of time talking to comic book fans before you get some recommendations for classic stories that you can read, too.
Keeping up with current comics and learning the context of older characters are two different things. Often times, the lore and fandom around a character can be found in old stories or in aspects of the character that are accepted as “canonical” (which can be quite flexible, but still a bit important). If you want to get to know the character, read about him first before embarking on their daily life.
Find the “jump” point
So now you’ve read a little about the classic editions and want to catch up with the more modern era. Since you’re not reading to begin with, you may find what comic book fans call ” jumping on the glasses .” These are the parts of the story where you can start reading without getting too confused. Depending on what you want to read, there are several different ways to find a point jump.
Follow the recent “event”
Comic book companies love their events . Sometimes they’re headlining, like when Wolverine died for the tenth time , or big crossovers that turn into films like Civil War . It can be overwhelming, but it’s also a good way to get to know a lot of characters and the universe in general very quickly. Recent “events” will also help you understand the status quo of this world, making it a worthy leap to the point.
However, modern crossover events can seem particularly intimidating because events spanning the universe are usually associated with a dozen other episodes. The Civil War, for example, has seven major events, but there are over a hundred issues that are directly or partially related. If you really want to go deeper, you can check out Reading Lists, which will tell you in what order to read the entire event, but feel free to skip a little and just read the main event. It will be much less tiring and you will get the most important points. You can then disperse and read the sidebars of only the characters you want to follow.
Find Reading Lists by Fans or Publishers
Most comic book apps and stores are large volumes containing several smaller issues. These collections usually have a whole story from start to finish in one place. In some older cases, these will be high-profile stories that you will see links to later. These can be continuous stories, isolated events, or even retellings of the character’s origin.
Alternatively, you can check out the fan-compiled Reading Lists (after all, if anyone knows the comics, it’s the fans themselves). While there is no single place where you can find reading lists of everything, if you have a character, event, or writer name, you can almost always find a reliable list of the best stories with a quick Google search. For example, the Comic Book Herald has huge reading lists for both Marvel and DC . Mary Sue also has a great collection of Comics 201 guides for navigating the comic world after you get started .
Start at the beginning of the “run” of the writer
Comics are not written by the same people for decades – different writers will “skim” through the book, often for several years. So, find the comic you want to read (say, The Avengers), then find when the last writer started his work — usually god jumping in place.
Likewise, watch out for “fake” problems # 1. The coveted # 1s in the comics are attractive, but it is not entirely correct to interpret them as the beginning of the character’s story. Often, comics put them on the cover to mark the beginning of a chapter in a story spanning decades. Continuity can’t be ruled out, but they’ll start off the story like it’s the first thing you’ll read, and (hopefully) purposely provide contextual clues to past events where appropriate. This method doesn’t make 100% sense, but it’s better than grabbing the newest comic you see on the shelf.
Once you find a source you like, keep researching. The beauty of reading comics is that there is no single “storyline” to follow. TV shows, movies, and even books have taught us to think that there is one continuity, and you have to start from the first episode and watch them in order. Comics are very different. All of your favorite characters exist in the same world, going about their business in different stories (until they overlap), and you can pop in and see how any person or group is doing at any time you choose, without necessarily worrying about the wider universe.
Learn to go with the flow and just enjoy the stories
Comics are 97% origin stories. Comics themselves are the exact opposite – their origins took place several decades ago. If you decide to read comics because you like movies and want to try your hand at the source material, you can pass out pretty quickly. Especially if you are trying to find a comic book version of a movie you like to compare.
The Age of Ultron comic is very different from the Age of Ultron movie. He shows Ultron in the distant future after he defeated everyone and began to rule the world. The upcoming Batman v Superman movie is heavily inspired by The Dark Knight Returns, but this comic is about a near-future Batman who is retiring. Both of these stories are not even part of the underlying continuity of their respective universe. Crazy, right?
Comics are very different from other media. If you were to watch The Hunger Games and decide you want to read the book, you get essentially the same story. If you’ve watched The Avengers and wanted to read the comics, you might find that Tony Stark is the head of SHIELD and Ultron is a woman . Or that for some reason they are called the Illuminati .
Comics may seem daunting, but you can enjoy reading them if you just go with the flow. Some stories are silly, some may not make sense without some context, and you might wonder how the characters ended up in such vastly different circumstances (like the time the Hulk became king of the planet ). But treat her not as a game of thrones, but as friends. In fact, you don’t need to know every detail of the backstory in order to follow it. Just download some comics , upload them to your favorite app, and start reading.