Brand New To Comics

I am extremely new to comics in general. I downloaded the DCUniverse app when it was first launched (a few years ago now) and didn’t read much because I felt I didn’t know where to start. I restarted my subscription recently and want to really get into comics (hopefully rebirth and anything newer) but I am still lost at where I should begin. I really like the movies and shows but reading the comics has got me confused. :upside_down_face:

Does anyone have suggestions on getting started for someone who knows a little about characters but not a lot about reading the comic books?

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When I started reading comics again back in the day I began with crisis on infinite Earths and then I went to Infinite Crisis and then final crisis which kind of got me caught up on what all the changes were up to New52. Batman mythology doesn’t really change so you can start reading Batman anywhere, the start of New52 is a good point for Batman, you get Court of the Owls that way. Superman and Wonder Woman continually get rebooted so it might be best to start Superman and Wonder Woman with the newer editions that came out in 2016 at Rebirth.

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Is it important to read those three (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman). It seems they are the most talked about and recommended.

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I would suggest checking out the book clubs. The hosts and other members can be very helpful in answering questions you may have about the stories. For instance, you mentioned jumping in at Rebirth. The first Batman and Wonder Woman arcs have been covered by the clubs:

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I’ll be sure to explore those clubs! Thanks!

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They are the big three. Everyone else seems to end up in their stories eventually.

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First
Watch
Secret Origins the Story of DC Comics

In that hour and a half you will get a good overview of most of our comic book library. It was filmed in.2009 so of course can’t talk about newer than that

The DC History Club has this video as the topic for the month of September 2020

This is my complete list for New DC Readers. It is intended to introduce most of the major characters of the universe at a basic level. It is by year.

https://community.dcuniverseinfinite.com/t/new-to-comics-and-the-dc-universe-any-recommendations/1245979/5?u=turoksonofstone1950

This is my
Batman for new readers

if you want to learn significant events in super hero genre history. Most significant issues are mentioned here. It is by year

if you want to learn how Superman Batman.and Wonder Woman were created

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Most of all, find something that piques your interest and dive in. Enjoy the exploration and don’t worry too much about knowing everything right away. To the other recommendations I’d add any iteration of the Justice
League, all the greatest heroes in one place.

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Most of the DCAOM movies are direct adaptations. Pick one you like and read the source material.

For example if you love Justice League vs Fatal Five then read Justice Society of America Volume 3 or Green Lanterns.

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I actually just read a few justice league issues hoping I might find a character I liked reading. Thanks!

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Interesting. How do you know which issues they are adapted from… other than a google search I guess?

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Ask us.

Which TV show, movie, or character from DC would you say is your favorite?

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Normally DC Database.

Is the DC Database different than the Encyclopedia section on DCuniverse?

Yet, it is basically a wikipedia of DC.

I’ll give you an ‘updated for the modern age’ version of what I was told when I first started reading comics…

On the comics page, you’ll find a section called ‘New to Read on DC Universe’.
Click on ‘See More’ for that section.

Ignore issue numbers and look at the covers.
If something looks interesting, click on it and then take a glance at the preview on its page, by clicking on the cover.
Once you find something that interests you, go ahead and read it.

If you like it enough, you can go back and read a few more issues leading up to the one you just read.
And then continue reading from there as the new issues come out.
If you didn’t like it, just move on and try another comic. Not all comics appeal to everyone, but every comic appeals to someone.
You just gotta find out which ones appeal to you.

Once you’re comfortable with comics and want to dig deeper, you can take the characters and titles you’ve discovered that you like and look at the older versions of them, or check out their past runs.

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Hey Brandyn!! First off, welcome to the wonderful world of comics. There is ALOT to read and I’m sure its overwhelming, but I’m sure you will have a blast. There couldn’t be a much better time to start reading DC Comics, with Future State and Infinite Frontier about to begin and DC Universe Infinite preparing to launch. I started reading comics in 2017, and it was a great experience and now I’m doing all sorts of DC Comics related activities! However, there is a lot and I"m sure it’s hard to navigate.

It’s not quite ready yet, but when DC Universe Infinite launches in January, look out for the New to DCU Book club which will be designed to help new readers get into current comics. If you want to get into the current discussion around comics and be able to read comics as they come to DCU day and date, then make sure to check it out.

Every week we will be reading different issues that arrived that week on DC Universe Infinite, but the focus is on new readers (and Old ones tagging along). Everytime we start a new series, I will make sure we are reading from the start of a run, and provide ample context for what you should know before you read (so you don’t feel like you are missing out on anything). For the first week we are reading the beginning of Tynion’s Batman (the current run of comics on Batman). You will get context on who every single person is (and how much you need to know about them to enjoy the story), and just the right amount of details on what happened before the run started. It should be a really helpful experience (and I’m cross checking my context with someone who knows NOTHING to make sure I don’t give too little context). I’m working really hard on it, and I strongly recommend that you check it out!!!

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I hope all is well, and you’ve started your wonderful journey into comics!

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A great place to start is the original Vertigo series. You don’t need to know any backstories and you generally don’t have to worry about tie-ins and crossovers. Just start at the first issue and read till the end.

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I will gladly help, below is a list of some of the best stories to check out on here. They don’t have everything, but I do hope that more will be added as time goes. These largely consist of Post Crisis Stories (1986-2011) with some Modern titles and independents mixed in to get a sense of who some of these characters are. My recommendation is start with the Batman so you can get a sense of continuity with some stories. Hope this helps. (The links will take you directly to the run/issues/collection)

Batman Essentials
Batman: Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
Robin: Year One
Batgirl Year One
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth
Batman: Ego
Second Chances
The Cult
A Death in the Family
A Lonely Place of Dying
Knightfall
Knightquest
Knightsend
Under the Red Hood
The Black Mirror

Runs to check out
Batman New 52 by Scott Snyder
Detective Comics Rebirth by James Tynion IV
Detective Comics (1938-2011) #583-614

One Shots
Detective Comics #457
Detective Comics #500
Detective Comics #1000
Batman: Red Rain
The Dark Knight Returns
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader

Superman Essentials
All Star Superman
Superman: Secret Origins
Birthright
Secret Identity
For All Seasons
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Runs to check out
Superman Rebirth by Tomasi and Gleason
Action Comics by Dan Jurgens

One Shots
Action Comics 1000
Action Comics #775

Wonder Woman Essentials
Runs to check out
Wonder Woman by George Perez
Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello

Others to Check Out
Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard Traveling Heroes (Green Lantern #76-89)
The New Frontier
Harleen
Mister Miracle
The Question by Dennis O’Neil
Multiversity
Zatanna by Paul Dini
V for Vendetta
Hellblazer (If not so good of a start, skip to #41)
Kingdom Come
Swamp Thing (Original Series)
Saga of the Swamp Thing (Second Series)
Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison (Start at #19)
Flex Mentallo
The New Teen Titans
Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters
Green Lantern: Rebirth and Green Lantern by Geoff Johns
DC Elseworlds Label
Preacher
Aquaman by Geoff Johns

Not on here, but worth looking up
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman
The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Green Arrow by Mike Grell (Have half of his run on here)
Animal Man by Grant Morrison
Batman: Noel
Batman: Vampire Trilogy

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