I was picking up Venom and Joker stories that looked interesting to me when I first started collecting. Art drew my eye, and these 2 characters above all else held my interest.
But I don’t know that it ever occurred to me that comic books could be truly great until I read the Killing Joke.
I bought the book without knowing what was waiting for me inside, and I was completely blown away by the story. It was the first comic book that sat with me once I’d finished it, and the first that I immediately felt the urge to read again.
I was thinking about this today and wondered what your stories are- did you happen across a story by accident that blew you away, or did you begin reading comics on someone’s suggestion with something like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Sandman, or All Star Superman???
OOC: My sister got me The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 for Christmas. I eventually watched it wondering if it was good and that was it. I immediately put it on hold at the library and have been hooked ever since.
The first that is considered by most to be great: Batman Court of Owls. Wasn’t based on any recommendations. I just started reading comics with New 52. I still picture Batman in my head the way Snyder and Capullo portrayed him in that book.
The first that many, but not all, agree is great… and stayed with me… couldn’t put down till I was done: Superman For Tomorrow. I wish I had an interesting backstory to tell here, but I literally just stumbled upon it during a Comixology fire sale. I had taken a huge liking to Azzarello’s work on Wonder Woman and Jim Lee’s work on Justice League. When I saw both their names on the cover, I figured it must be good… was a good assumption .
Mine was Batman: in Darkest knight. This comic got me into Green lantern because Batman Became a lantern, and I am like “The lanterns are cool” so got hooked up on the lore and love all the lanterns.
Honestly, what got me into comics was my love for my partner. They’d always been super into comics, but I never had been, so I wasn’t interested at all — and would in fact even call them a nerd about it.
Then about 9 years ago (ohgodtimehappenssomuch), we were falling out of interest for the things we had liked together, so we didn’t share any hobbies for a while. I missed hearing them talk really passionately, and I’d seen that they were really into the then-new Hawkeye series (Fraction’s run), so I let that be my introduction to the comic world. And I got hooked.
Read plenty of titles for a few years with them. We got really into collecting things and dissecting the storylines and characters we liked, and I loved ranting with them about things we didn’t like and how we would’ve written them differently. Then we both stopped due to work and stress, and just the typical not-having-any-time-to-do-things part of getting older.
Now I’m slowly getting back into it on the DC side and have been sharing what I’m reading with them. They’re really excited about the new Harley Quinn series in particular! We grabbed a couple paper copies earlier this year, and I grabbed some Elvira ones for my wall. I can’t wait to show them The Nice House On The Lake too.
For me it was the first Bronze Age appearance of Two-Face in Batman no. 325 in the story “Half an Evil.” It was also the first comic book I remember reading.
Death of Superman. I picked up a TPB at a bookstore at the mall. I think I was early teens. Not sure what made me purchase it, but I was completely engrossed once I started reading. Now I have… a few more TPBs lying around.
With my Harley Quinn obsession I would have to say almost every single comic I have seen Harley Quinn in and of corse her comic book series if you have not read it go read it they are truly good comic books
In 2005 Time Magazine released their list of the 100 Greatest Novels from 1923-2005 (they started with 1923 because that’s the year Time Magazine started) and I got it in my head to read them all. Watchmen was on that list and was the only comic book/graphic novel to make it. I read that and was blown away by the complexity of the storytelling, the depth of the characters and plots, the maturity of it all - everything. It had probably been at least 25 years since I had read a comic book at that point because I left them behind in the early 90s thinking they were “kids stuff”. That changed my view of comic books forever.
I still wasn’t an avid comic book reader until about 10 years later when I met a guy who managed a comic book shop. His love for comics was infectious and he got me started on reading them in 2016 and now I’m hooked. But it all truly started with Watchmen.
For me it was Justice League #120. It was the first time of me owning comic books where I appreciated comic books (taking care of them, not folding them, or cutting out characters to tape in a book, or tracing over them with a pen, or writing my name in the book). I was becoming a collector. It was a story that I kept re-reading, and was disappointed when I couldn’t find the next issue.
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They’d always been super into comics, but I never had been, so I wasn’t interested at all — and would in fact even call them a nerd about it.
