Good afternoon all, I’ve never been much of a comic book buff. However, I’ve always been a DC buff. I grew up watching Batman TAS, Superman TAS, Batman Beyond,etc…
I’m finding it particularly hard to find a series to get in to. I’ve tried getting into the classics and contemporaries but its hard. Is there any series you guys would recommend an old school (not so oldschool) guy like me?
Thanks
For live action, Stargirl is really good. As for animation I would pick Green Lantern the Animated series. Hope that helps and welcome to DC Universe @Ed-Nigma.
Well what do you like in other media? There’s a Batman comic for people who like mysteries, thrillers, action adventure. The more we know about you, the better suggestions we can make.
Are you looking for comic series or tv series? Is there a specific character you are interested in? What type of story are you interested in? There are series that have a lot of action or mystery or drama, etc.
Knowing all of this can help you find a series you will like.
I’m looking for something dark and gritty, to read just nothing too graphic. GL, Batman, Superman are all fine. Not a fan of Aquaman or Swamp Thing.
Blackest Night is one of my personal favorites. It involves the green lantern corps.
DCeased is another good one.
If you haven’t read White Knight, you might read that one too.
I would say swamp thing, but I haven’t read any, so I wouldn’t know.
I’m currently reading Batman: Shadow of the Bat. It is a darker Batman series that focuses more on the villains. The storylines are a couple issues each, but none are more than 4 or 5, I think. I’m loving it so far. I can’t give a full review because I haven’t finished it yet, but it is a darker Batman series but it isn’t very graphic.
If you want a good Batman story, try Batman Year One and Legends of the Dark Knight. Year One is the definitive Batman origin story and Legends is a series recounting Batman’s first cases. Usually they range between one to five issue story lines and can get really dark sometimes. I would also recommend checking out Shadow of the Bat like @Row.Harper says. Not my favorite, but they can be really good at times. Also if you are interested try Batman by Scott Snyder or Batman: The Cult, Snyder’s joker is amazingly and The Cult is fantastic
Batman Year One: https://www.dcuniverse.com/collections/batman-year-one
Legends of the Dark Knight: https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/series/batman-legends-of-the-dark-knight/c126159b-18a2-4c93-8f7a-200f0b181891
Shadow of the Bat: https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/series/batman-shadow-of-the-bat/17f4693e-6357-48a3-a9ba-fcde1f7d4696
Batman New 52: https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/series/batman-2011-2016/e98b04b0-b3b3-4fda-b735-3c120c7c4f4a
Batman The Cult: https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/series/batman-the-cult/b76316d4-c2f6-4be8-ab0e-746d0e447f32
The Question by Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan seems like something you’d enjoy.
I recommend Batman: Under the Red Hood (if you haven’t read it already). It’s a classic (2005 I believe) and if you’re interested there is a movie (this has a matching title, I’m not referring to the new Death in the Family movie that just came out). There are some things that are different from the comic in the movie, but the main story isn’t lost, just a few details.
If you like Under the Red Hood, then Red Hood: the Lost Days is a good follow up prequel story.
Red Hood and the Outlaws rebirth volume 1 is my all time favorite and it gives you more of a view point on Red Hood’s character. This series is probably what makes connecting to his character easier, and this is the pathway that DC has put him onto now.
As for shows, like @Reaganfan78 said Stargirl is pretty good, especially if you enjoyed Justice League Unlimited, and that show gives you a chance to look at characters that aren’t as mainstream. It also has a cool retro aesthetic too.
Being that you enjoy the DC Animated Universe shows @Ed-Nigma, you could try the comics based on them as they’re very easy to get into and extend the viewing experience quite well.
The titles below are all of the digitally available ongoing series based on DCAU shows:
Batman: The Animated Series:
Superman: The Animated Series:
Writer Mark Millar penned several issues of the above title, which was as good (and in some cases, better) as the books in the traditional Superman line at the time.
The New Batman Adventures:
Batman Beyond:
Justice League:
Justice League Unlimited:
I hope those titles can be of service. 
How about the Dennis O’Neil and Neil Adams run of the late 60’s and early 70’s? Those are great! I loved The Jokers Five Way Revenge!
Hey @Ed-Nigma, welcome to the community! For dark and gritty I would recommend Gotham Central. It follows the Gotham City Police Department and deals with police corruption along with how they handle the likes of Two-Face, etc. It really gets into the private lives of some of the Detectives and their personal issues.
Batman and Green Lantern don’t headline, but both appear in Hitman.
The gore might be a problem, but not many as grim & gritty as The Authority.
Start with GREEN LANTERN (1960-) #76 and just read…
I particularly like the one where Black Canary becomes a member of the Manson family.
Mike Grell’s Green Arrow run is definitely on that wavelength. Has a few spots that are relatively graphic but the tone of the work is pretty serious and not exploitative.
I’d recommend the OG run of Birds of Prey. I’m reading it right now and it’s super good. I’m a big Barbara Gordon and Dinah Lance fan.
the new animated harly qwin. its good, but if you have a 5yd in the place. defo not a show. or my fave doom patrole. oh and dont watch green lantern. just dont
I like the gotham night comics if your looking for a small twist with the batman/batfam story line.
Justice League Dark or Any John Contstain comics