User blog:The Damn Batman/So You Want To Get Into Comics

Hey, guys, I wanted to make a blog talking about comics. Contrary to popular belief, comic books aren't all about super heroes. A lot of companies like Image, Dark Horse, and Oni Press put out stories that don't include superheroes at all. There's lots of engaging stories out there that will suck you in and make you love the characters and the universe they live in. The trick is knowing how to get there. A problem I've come accros is that people have no idea on where to start reading comics. That's why I've put together a guide to help you get into the medium.

Step One: Think of what you like and what you want to read
The first step of getting into comics is trying to figure out what you would enjoy most. Think of what genres you like to read and what kinds of stories you enjoy. The great thing about comics is that there's so many different kinds of stories out there. Horror, drama, action, and comedy are just some examples of the types of stories you can read. Once you get your ideal genres together, it's time to move on to step two.

Step Two: Research
Doing research is pretty simple. Just look around the internet for what you're trying to find. This can be as simple as googling "best horror comics" to looking around for recommendations on forums. A lot of sites even have suggested or reccommended reading lists. One example is on r/Comicbooks. They have a suggested reading list for superheroes and for non-superheroes. I'll leave a link to both at the bottem of the post if you guys want to check them out. When in dount, don't be afraid to ask! A lot of communities won't shy away from reccommending their favorite comics, but make sure the site doesn't have reccommended reading list first.

Step 2.5: Read The Classics!
There are tons of sites out there with "top hundred comics of all time" or something along those lines. Most of those stories are on that list for a reason, so try reading some of those and see what you like.

Step Three:  Where To Buy Comics
There's a few methods on how to read comics depending on what's right for you. The first and most well known method is buying them at a comic book shop or book store. If you're looking for just a taste of certain comics, I'd reccommend a comic book shop. Those places are often filled with single issues and obscure titles you wouldn't find at a book store. If you're looking more for collections of multiple issues, I'd try a book store. Book stores often have volumes of specific stories from different publishers, but mostly from DC and Marvel. If you're just looking for a collection of specific story arcs, I'd go there. Another option is amazon. I've bought a lot of my collection from amazon, often the stuff they don't have at book stores. The catch is that it takes a while to ship, but it's worth it if you're looking for things they don't sell at the comic book shop or the book store. Now we're at my favorite method.

Personally, I prefer digital comics. Most of the major comic book companies sell a large amount of thier comics digitally. There's a few different sites and apps for this, but the one site I'd recommend most is Comixology. This site has a huge library of comics from a lot of different publishers and has sales often. All you have to do is buy them on the site and download them to your smart phone or tablet, you can even read them on the computer.

Unfortunately because of a change in ownership of the company (from apple to amazon) they no longer allow in app purchases. But if you want the same expirience with in app purchases, just download the publisher's app. DC and Marvel apps are definetly the most reliable out of all of them, and have the same sales as Comixology. Another advantage of digital comics is something called guided view, where you can scroll though each individual panel without being spoiler as to what happens next.

Step Five: Find A Publisher Or Author/Artist You Like
If you find yourself enjoying the story a certain comic, try to find more work that the author has done.

Bonus Step: Getting into Superhero Comics
This part seems to mess people up the most. Superhero comics have been around since the 1930s, making them a difficult medium to get into. Though there are ways to get into it. DC and Marvel often create jumping on points for new readers, so that they can enjoy the characters they know and not be confused on who the hell some of these people or plots are.

As of 2011, DC comics has rebooted their universe. This means that the history before this point has been pretty much erased. If you want to read the rebooted universe, look for the comics that have "The New 52" somewhere on the cover. A lot of people, however, are more interested in the previous universe, probably because of all the great stories that came out of it. My advice is to do research before you read.

Though it may not seem like it Wikipedia is a pretty realiable resource for information on superhero comics.If you're confused as to who a character is, just google his name and see what comes up. There's also a lot of youtube channels out there that explain important events, characters, and concepts in the DC and Marvel universes that you may not want to read, but are kind of important for understanding why things are the way they are. I'll link a few of those channels at the bottem as well.

Another thing is to not just pick up random titles and expect them to make sense. Though the issue number is number one, this may not be the first title that this team or character has had. Starting at issue one of their title can be a pain, so you just try to do some research into the context of the new title and why they're in this new one. Some comics even have introductory pages that explain the background of whatever you're reading. One example of this is Uncanny X-Force, which would have completely confused me if I hadn't read the introduction pages. It gave me some background info that I wouldn't have known unless I had been following the X-men comic at that time.

Final Step: Don't Be Afraid To Try New Things!
Although you might love a cetain publisher or genre, don't be afraid to step out of your confort zone. The only way that you can find new things that you like is through trial and error. Try branching out into other genres, companies, or writers. If you haven't read anything besides superhero comics, try an indie comic! If you've never read a superhero comic, give one a try. You'll eventually find a ton of new comics that you'll enjoy.

Links
Recommended superhero comics: http://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/wiki/faq#wiki_with_superheroes

https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/wiki/recommended

https://www.reddit.com/r/Marvel/wiki/faq

Recommended non-superhero comics: https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/wiki/faq#wiki_without_superheroes

Some comic related YouTube channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/comicstorian

https://www.youtube.com/user/fluidicbeats

https://www.youtube.com/user/VariantComics

https://www.youtube.com/user/SprEffective

Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/