Master Thread: "I'm New to DC Comics! What Should I Read?"

Every day, a new person enters a comic shop and leaves without reading or purchasing anything, because they simply don’t know where to start. That’s where we here in the DC Universe swoop in to help!

For those of us lucky enough to be steeped in the lore, which stories would you recommend for fresh fans in the following categories? You don’t have to answer for all of them if they’re not your bag!

:muscle:t4:Action:
:family_man_man_girl_girl:Team-Ups:
:male_detective:t2:Mystery:
:rose:Romance:
:japanese_ogre:Horror:
:microscope:Science:
:sparkles:Magic/Fantasy:
:joy:Humor:
:books:Classic:
:iphone:Modern:

Let’s make this thread the ultimate list of new fan recommendations!

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For a fantastic modern book, start with Batman (2016) vol 1 -> 4. You can also read vol 1-3 on DCU right now. Just skip issues 7-8 and 23-24.
Batman becomes a great romance book from vol 4-6.
For a fantastic classic book, start with Watchmen. This book changed comics forever and is seen only comic on the best 100 books of all time list
For a great fantasy book, read Aquaman (2016) Vol 1-3. If you can’t relate to aquaman’s hope for atlantis, then you will never connect with aquaman.
For a great Humor book, read Supersons (2016) Superman and Robin have children. Just focus on their relationship and pretend you know what else is happening. It’s on DCU right now!

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For mystery, romance, horror, science, and magic/fantasy, I’m not sure what to say, since most of the books I’ve read fall more generally under the superhero umbrella. Does something like Green Lantern count as science, for example? Eh, it’s sci-fi, but not especially scientific.

:muscle:t4:Action: Ooh, there are a lot of good ones. JLA under Grant Morrison and Mark Waid is a classic (though I actually think Morrison’s work is a little dull - I’m strongly in the minority on that, though). Birds of Prey is a personal favorite. I’m reading Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern right now, and that’s great too. Also definitely look into the original Ostrander Suicide Squad.
:family_man_man_girl_girl:Team-Ups: All of the above also apply here, really.
:joy:Humor: Try Justice League International. It’s underrated but pretty fun.
:books:Classic: Absolutely look into Jack Kirby’s Fourth World work. It wasn’t really finished, but what’s there is brilliant and gets used and referenced by other DC stuff constantly.
:iphone:Modern: The best thing I’ve read in recent comics was James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics from 2016 on. I’ve heard good things about Tom King’s Batman but wasn’t very impressed with it myself. I’d file that under the same category as Morrison’s JLA where I’m in the minority, so chances are you’ll like it.

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In the MAGIC/FANTASY category: Read Geoff Johns Shazam New 52 trade. Its a great story, and will get you ready for the new Shazam movie coming out.

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I’m pretty new to comics to lol

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Death of the Family is what got me excited about comics again…

I just encourage everyone to take part in the Book Club. The cimics we read are probided by the service and there is a constant spoiler free chat all week.

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Best team up ever is Red Hood/Arsenal!
I mean…
…like…
They even got their own title.

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I’d recommend Action and Detective comics from the 30s and 40s, it’s great that you can read the early years of Superman and Batman! :grinning:

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Action: Injustice (it’s very easy to read and fast paced)
Mystery: Batman Eternal (all of Batman’s cases are so thrilling)
Horror: Gotham by Midnight (It introduces the Spectre and the art is incredibly spooky)
Magic/fantasy: Blackest Night (it has everyone… must read)
Humor: Lil Gotham
Classic: The Killing Joke

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Couple of my current favorite reads:
-Dark Nights METAL w/ tie-ins (A delightfully dark and twisted tale of Batman vs. Batmans with some really messed up ideas with many gory details)
-Emperor Joker (mostly told from Supermans POV, but it asks the question “What if Joker had the power to change reality?”)
-Super Sons/Adventure of the Super Sons (Superman’s and Batman’s sons meet, train, become a two-man wreaking ball against evil. Really fun read!)

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Titans,Aquaman,Justice league (all comics),the new teen titans,justice league of America,etc

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Just to keep it short - anything written by Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Geoff Johns, and Grant Morrison.

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I always recommend Identity Crisis. A great read with wonderful art. It’s also a little bit of a murder mystery. I’ll always remember how surprised I was at the end of the story.

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We are Robin is one of my favorite series. Batman is gone and the community comes together to stop crime.

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We are Robin is one of my favorite series. Batman is gone and the community comes together to stop crime.

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Per Identity Crisis, by Brad Meltzer.

I would strongly prefer his run on Justice League to Identity Crisis. It is about the same number of books and is a trade.

His first arc was great, introducing the various members, including Red Tornado, which was very touching, in his quest for humanity.

His team was more varied than any other version of Justice League, including four women, one of whom was chair, two black members, Vixen and Black Lightning, and two younger members, Red Arrow and Hawk girl. Yet there was a sense of legacy, with the Trinity and Hal Jordan as Green Lantern.

It helps if your first comic book has characters who represent you in some way.

If you google Identity Crisis, you will find many people hate it.

Also a great deal of the pathos is the identity of the victim, Sue Digby. If this is your first comic book, all that is lost.

The crimes Sue endured is not suitable for the young, nor for many women. Remember we are holding this up as a representative comic book, a good comic book.

There are many deaths, including a father.

Some aspects of the book, like Deathstroke versus the League and what the villain carried to cover tracks, are absurd.

When the final books are selected, there has to be categories for teen readers and younger. I could read any comic books when I was young. Then horror comics came back, and villains killed people rather than robbed banks, for no reason, except they could…

Watchmen, Batman Year One, Dark Night Returns are great, but they are violent and mired in the dark parts of the real world. Over 16 fine, college students, of course. But 12 and below, and the parents wanting to introduce their child to DC, not appropriate.

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“Aquaman” (2011) The New 52
We have the new movie that has grossed over a billion worldwide that Geoff Johns wrote. Oh! He also wrote the arc mentioned above that inspired the new movie

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I recommend you read Batman New 52.
By Scott Snyder. It’s a 50 issue run and it’s amazing. At least that’s what I’ve heard.

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Saga of the swampthing by Alan Moore

Doom patrol by Grant Morrison

Superman batman by Jeff Leob

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Jla by Grant Morrison

Rebirth super sons

Swampthing by Scott Snyder

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