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

If you like the X-Men, then here are some recommendations:

  1. The (possible) inspiration for the X-Men, the Doom Patrol! They even have their own book club on here if you want to follow along with their adventures. Here’s their latest post.

  2. Raven’s team, The New Teen Titans, was DC’s answer to the Uncanny X-Men in 1980!

  3. Another popular 1980s X-Men-esque team was Batman and the Outsiders!

  4. If you want something more recent, then check out the team in Detective Comics 2016!

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JLD Blight is great for Zatanna. JLD as a whole. As mentioned. Seven Soldiers, Ravens solo series are great, Wolfman/Perez run on Teen Titans, just read the Dini one mentioned, it’s great. Zatannas search is on here. You just have to read a few reprints to have the whole order as it’s spread out thru various titles. Identity Crisis is great for Zatanna, & will shed light on why Batman has a problem with her in certain comics afterwards.

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Day of Vengeance full reading order also great for Zatanna.

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Some more good Raven stories are Teen Titans: Terror of Trigon, and Teen Titans: Judas Contract. However, if you’re just getting into the comics side of DC the best thing you can do is go to the “comic books” tab of DC universe then select “storylines” and just read what looks good to you. Most of the stuff on storylines is pretty self contained or at least catches the reader up quickly.

Personally I would also recommend “DC’s New Frontier” as it gives a good intro to most top names in DC (you may have to roll with the punches a little for the first issue but it gets more familiar by the second.) If you’re looking for a good intro to Batman or Superman comics I would recommend “Batman: Zero Year” and “Superman: Brainiac.” Zero Year is a three-part retelling of batman’s origin, is great for newcomers, and a personal fav. Superman Brainiac is a great showcase of Superman (and Supergirl) and helps show how wrong the movies get him. Once you feel like you’ve got an idea of the DC comics universe, read Crisis on Infinite Earths as it is still the best major crossover in DC.

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Teen Titans raven is a really good book

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And in September There will be a beast boy book in the same series

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Welcome to DC and DCU!

Not many non-DC fans know there has been more than one Batgirl. My favorite Batgirl (and one of my top three favorite characters) is Cassandra Cain. It’s not the same Batgirl as Year One (Barbara Gordon) but I liked it and I think you would given your preferences.

Link to Batgirl (2000) series: DC Universe

I’ll also echo the above recommendation for Detective Comics (2016) but, it might be better to learn a little about some of the characters that are in that story first.

Which batgirl? :rofl:

My personal favorite is Stephanie brown (she is also a robin) because she becomes spoiler(I’ll get there too). Batgirl (2009-) is the series I’ve read, it was OK, and I’d read it again.

Spoiler is this super cool chick (still Stephanie brown) who wears a purple suit, and is basically the same as batgirl.

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Go Bette or go home: Batman #139, 153, & 159!

Sidebar for the uninitiated: Bette Kane was the first Bat-Girl, working alongside Batwoman in the early 1960s. The most famous Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, took her name from Bette but otherwise took most of her cues from the original Batwoman.

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Aw, yes. Created as a romantic partner for Robin to stop people from thinking he and Batman were gay. Strange times lol

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I am also (obviously) a big fan of Stephanie Brown. Definitely recommend her origin (Detective Comics #647-649), her short time as Robin (soon to receive a new tale in the Robin 80th Anniversary Special!), and her Batgirl run in 2009.

Enjoy all the Great Shows and Animated Content the site has as well! great for Bingeing

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I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Gail Simone’s 2011 Batgirl run yet. That’s kind of the quintessential batgirl to me. Phenomenally written. I will also attest to @AlexanderKnox’s recommendation of Black Mirror being really good. It’s definitely really dark—borderline horror—but well done. I’m a big fan of Jock’s art in Black Mirror.

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Agree on anything Simone at all times, plus Black Mirror is easily my favorite Batman storyline ever. That’s the only storyline, for 1 character, that’s a no brainer for me every time.

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I thought Simone’s Batgirl was a hilariously dark/macabre at times. I actually think it was editorially pushed on her come to think of it but I can’t be too sure. Simone was fired over email, came back, and then left due to creative differences.

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Oof, I didn’t know about any of that. I did notice that when the next run started it had a significant change in tone and writing style. It became a book much less about Batgirl and her relationships with her family and friends, and much more about just Batgirl herself being a college student. The ending of the run was perfect though; it’s one of the few books that almost brought me to tears. Talking about it just makes me want to reread it.

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Yeah, when Simone left voluntarily is when Fletcher and Tarr took over. Gave us Batgirl of Burnside which had mixed reception when it came out. I loved the art though because Tarr is a beast!

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Agreed. It wasn’t the worst run—it just was a completely different character. It took me a couple of issues to adjust because it tried to sort of tie the beginning of the run into the end of the previous run, but all of the characters and their relationships has changed. I feel like it would have been more effective if they just rebooted the run and started with Batgirl in Burnside doing her thing. Maybe that’s just me though.

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I will one up you on your list.

  1. Batman New 52
  2. The Long Halloween
  3. All Star Superman
  4. Kingdom Come
  5. The Sandman
  6. Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
  7. Black Orchid
  8. The Black Mirror
  9. Arkham Asylum A Serious House on Serious Earth
  10. Mister Miracle
  11. Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison
  12. The Dark Knight Returns
  13. Vampire Batman
  14. Batman: War on Crime
  15. Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth
  16. Superman: For All Seasons
  17. Batman: The Cult
  18. The Killing Joke
  19. Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying
  20. Batman: Venom
  21. Flex Mentallo
  22. Watchmen
  23. Superman by Peter J Tomasi
  24. V for Vendetta
  25. Batman Noel
  26. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow
  27. Green Lantern by Geoff Johns
  28. Aquaman by Geoff Johns
  29. Batman: Strange Apperations
  30. Gotham by Gaslight
  31. Green Arrow by Mike Grell
  32. Zatanna by Paul Dini
  33. The Books of Magic Miniseries
  34. DC The New Frountier
  35. The New Teen Titans
  36. Planetary
  37. Suicide Squad by John Ostrander
  38. Gotham Central
  39. Wonder Woman by George Perz
  40. Wonder Woman by Brian Azzerello
  41. Birds of Prey by Chuck Dixon
  42. Batgirl New 52
  43. Batman Year One
  44. Swamp Thing by Lein Wein
  45. Flashpoint
  46. Starman by James Robinson
  47. Animal Man by Grant Morrison
  48. Green Lantern/Green Arrow Hard Travelin Heroes
  49. JLA: Tower of Babel
  50. Batman: Under The Red Hood
  51. Crisis on Infinite earths
  52. Green Arrow: Quiver
  53. Green Arrow Rebirth
  54. Multiversity
  55. Batman: Shaman
  56. Doomsday Clock
  57. Batgirl Year One
  58. Superman: Red Son
  59. Batman: No Man’s Land
  60. Sandman Mystery Theater
  61. Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil
  62. Nightwing by Chuck Dixon
  63. Birds of Prey by Gail Simon
  64. Sweet Tooth
  65. The Question by Dennis O’Neal
  66. Animal Man by Jeff Lemire
  67. The Invisibles
  68. Hellblazer (all of it)
  69. Preacher
  70. Batwoman by J.H. Williams and Haden Blackmen
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