I had lunch with an old friend this weekend and we discussed comic book reading, what’s good and what’s not so good, price speculation, and jumping on points. “I’d like to pick up Thor but his book is in the 600’s" my friend said.
“That doesn’t matter,” I replied. “There's little chance that Thor will reference something that occurred in issue #2 as a shout out to the most loyal of readers.” Though I think it would be awesome to have Clark Kent thank Perry White for giving him a job at the Daily Planet when nobody else would believe in him, then include a small editorial caption that reads “As seen in Action Comics #1.”
If you have thought about getting back into comic book reading but are unsure where to begin, consider the following steps that helped me after a couple of absences from regular reading:
Go to a comic book shop and ask the opinion of the guy behind the counter. While this can be hit or miss, more often than not you’ll be speaking to a guy who knows a lot about comics and will guide you to picking up something you’ll enjoy. I was led to read Ultimate Spider-Man, Green Arrow and Kingdom Come by the guy behind the counter and the advice I got was invaluable.
Make sure he asks you what you like reading before he begins listing recommendations. Some comic shop guys might suggest books that might not be your cup of tea. If you want to read Superman make sure the guy knows it and he’ll probably be able to propose some quality material.
Listen to comic book podcasts. There are some really good ones out there. There are also some really bad ones. Personally, I listen to iFanboy and I’ve learned a lot about ongoing titles and they’ve introduced me to some great books that I might have otherwise ignored. This is how I’ve been put onto the writing of Ed Brubaker and Jason Aaron as well as titles like Chew, Thor: The Mighty Avenger, and Morning Glories.
There are a lot of comic book podcasts out there. Go to iTunes and look around for what is available. This is a fantastic way to be exposed to great talent and quality books that you might not have considered buying.
Pick a few books at a time. Don’t go nuts during your first visit to the comic book shop. Spend some time looking around and soaking in the different titles. If you haven’t been to a comic shop in a few years it can be overwhelming to see more than a dozen X-Men or Batman related books.
Two good questions for your comic shop owner: 1) Which (favorite hero/genre) book should I be reading, and 2) what’s a good jump on point?
The internet is your personal sidekick. So you like the X-Men huh? There are few ways to approach picking up an X-Men book, or any title that is steeped in long and complicated history. First, just jump in. Second, the information on comic book characters—even the most minor—can be found on the web. Don’t be overwhelmed because you don’t know the identity of every character on the X-Men’s current roster.
I just started reading X-Men and Uncanny X-Men a few months back and I don’t feel completely lost. Sure there were a few characters that I didn’t recognize, but I am well aware of who Wolverine, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost, and Colossus are. Any other characters can be researched to the point of feeling like your stalking them.
Pick up a good trade: If there is something you’re sure you’ll be interested in reading (and make sure the book is highly recommended) pick up the books in trade paperback form. This is an excellent way to catch up on recent storylines without having to hunt for back issues that might take some time to track down.
When I got back into comics, I wanted nothing to do with trades because I was more interested in having the original comic book to read. These days I prefer trades as a means of bringing myself up to speed on different titles. I have been catching up on Irredeemable, Invincible and The Walking Dead in trade and will eventually move onto reading them on a monthly basis.
DON’T walk into a comic book store and pick up a book based on your affinity for a certain character. This was my first and most egregious misstep when getting back into comics at the beginning of the decade. I picked up a little monstrosity called Spider-Man: Chapter One by the legendary John Byrne. I was rusty and remember thinking “does… this… suck…?” after finishing a few issues.
And it did suck. I bought all 13 issues (including issue #0) and wondered how I was able to find them all so quickly as they were sure to all be collector's items! After getting burned I remember reading one blogger’s scathing summary of each issue; the writer suggested the final cover include the caption “Because you demanded it!” Genius. That post was the best thing to come out of that transaction.
Look, if you want to get back into comic books do a little homework and you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to pick up where you left off.
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