New(ish) to Comics - What Should I Read?

[Gary Alexander Stott]

Hey guys, new member. Hope I'm posting this in the right section.

Okay, so I'm fairly new to comics, though I'm not quite a beginner. 'Amateur' might be a better word.

I grew up watching the Spider-Man animated series as well as Iron Man, Fantastic Four etc. plus the first wave of Marvel's modern movies (I consider X-Men and Spider-Man to be the start of Marvel's current cinematic golden age). I dabbled in comics when I was younger, reading a few issues of Marvel's bigger titles.

I'm currently a 4th-year English Literature & Creative Writing student, and after hearing about the unique merits of the comic medium, I decided to venture into the field to see what it had to offer.

I've already read some of the intellectual classics of the medium such as Watchmen, The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight Returns, Arkham Asylum and The Sandman, and enjoyed them greatly.

I've also read a ton of big Batman stories such as Hush, The Long Halloween, Year One etc. I've also dabbled in DC's New 52 with the first volumes of Action Comics, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Lantern, and generally enjoyed them.

Realizing I'd been neglecting Marvel, I recently purchased Age of Ultron, The Infinity Gauntlet, and Marvel Zombies.

I've also experimented with a few original titles, absolutely loving Saga and enjoying Sex Criminals too.

Now that you've read my history, I'd like some recommendations. I want to become better-read in comics, particularly with Marvel. Catch me up. What do I need to read?

I feel like I need some Spidey titles on my shelf. I'm also about to start reading the new Guardians of the Galaxy (should I read the 2008 run too?). I'm also interested in reading The Punisher, for something different. I'm looking at the Punisher Max series, as well as the current Marvel Now run. Also, what exactly is Marvel Now? Is that designed to be like DC's New 52? In other words, designed to attract new readers?

Thanks for (hopefully) reading all of this! All opinions are welcome!

[victorxd1999]

Marvel Now is a relaunch of all titles (so everything starts with a new #1 but the history remained the same), New 52 is a reboot where the entire history was changed.

Now for your other questions:
2008 GotG is so much better than the 2013 one. It spawned from Annihilation Conquest (which is very hard to collect right now) which spawned from Annihilation (just released in an omnibus, highly recommended especially if you like Infinity Gauntlet). For Punisher you need to read Garth Ennis' run and then Garth Ennis' Punisher Max run.

Aside from those, I'd say look up Ed Brubaker's Captain America run, MMicheline's Iron man run etc. And the big events like Civil War

If you really want to see the comic medium pushed to the limits try some Vertigo comics (an imprint from Dc that was meaned for a mature audience, Sandman became a part of it too) like Preacher, Transmetropolitan, V for Vendetta, Y the Last Man, Daytripper etc.

What is the genre your most interested in? Despite popular believe, there are also a lot of great western and horror and sci-fi and slice of life etc. comics.

[Wollodrin]

Criminal!

Technically it's Marvel, since it's from Icon.

[Gary Alexander Stott]

Thanks for the responses, guys!

With regard to genre, I don't really have any preference in general, though at the moment I'm looking for superhero/fantasy/sci-fi stuff.

I should also add that I'm not really into any Golden/Silver/Bronze age stuff, having grown up used to more psychologically-complex depictions.

Also, I'm one of those people who prefer to read collected editions as opposed to single issues!

What are the best collected arcs to read with regard to Marvel's A-list superheroes? Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Daredevil, Thor, Captain America etc.

[America / Bucky / Russia]

What are the best collected arcs to read with regard to Marvel's A-list superheroes? Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Daredevil, Thor, Captain America etc.

Spider-Man - JMS' run (01-07), collected in 5 Ultimate Collections. It falters nearer the end as it passes Civil War and goes into One More Day, but to me it's a lot more heartfelt than what happened in the Brand New Day era.
Superior Spider-Man (13-14), collected in (hopefully 3) OHCs and 6 TPBs, where Doc Ock quite literally steals Peter Parker's life and in a way makes it better.
If you're okay with touching the Chrome Age, check out Michelinie/McFarlane's work on Spider-Man, collected in Omnibus
Iron Man - Fraction's run (08-12); Pepper Potts becomes Rescue and there's a great dynamic with Iron Man/War Machine
Extremis by Warren Ellis, available in a lot of different editions
Hulk - first volume of Indestructible Hulk. Hulk's a pretty difficult character and I can't think of any standout stuff from the last decade. Greg Pak's Incredible Hulks didn't sit right with me; Planet Hulk is decent;
Aaron's run is OK but not brilliant.
Daredevil - Ed Brubaker's run I can recommend; also Bendis' and Waid's runs (available in Ultimate Collections and OHCs) are also apparently really good although I haven't read them. As for Chrome Age there's always Frank Miller's acclaimed run and his redefining of the origin, The Man Without Fear.
Thor - JMS' brief run is really strong, taking Thor from Asgard and moving him (literally) down to earth. There's also Journey Into Mystery which focuses on a reborn, child Loki. Thor: God of Thunder has some amazing artwork and a great inter-generational story of the Viking age, present day and far future. The Mighty Thor relaunch from the late 90s I've heard is good too.
Cap - Brubaker's run, hands down. Start with Winter Soldier and work your way through, because you won't regret it.
The Truth is an interesting (though controversial) mini which looks at efforts to recreate the serum in the 40s leading to a black Captain America. Might not be your cup of tea, but I like its historical exploration of black politics and the legacy Cap as a concept has.

[FanboyStranger]

As far as Spider-Man, to combine your love of superheroes with your degree pursuit, I'd recommend Kraven's Last Hunt by JM DeMatteis and Mike Zeck. It deals with some major themes like mortality, insanity, and finding one's place in the world, even if that journey is ultimately self-destructive. I'm not a big Spider-Man fan, but this is one story I always revisit because it's so masterfully done. I'd also recommend Paul Jenkins' run on Spectacular Spider-Man with Mark Buckingham-- those are the best Spider-Man comics of recent vintage for my money, although Jenkins' stuff nosedives when Bucky leaves for Fables. Superior Foes of Spider-Man is the best Spider- book at the moment.

Daredevil is pretty much the central Marvel character for consistant smart portrayals. I'd recommend Miller and Mazzuchelli's Born Again above all other DD stories as it has formed the foundation for pretty much every take sense.

If you like Sandman, there's any number of Vertigo books that will fit the bill: The Invisibles, Hellblazer, Lucifer, The Unwritten, Books of Magic, Fables, Preacher, Transmetropolitan, 100 Bullets, etc. These books tend to be a cut above most superhero stories.

[Billy Batson]

http://comraderecs.tumblr.com/

[victorxd1999]

Thanks for the responses, guys!

With regard to genre, I don't really have any preference in general, though at the moment I'm looking for superhero/fantasy/sci-fi stuff.

I should also add that I'm not really into any Golden/Silver/Bronze age stuff, having grown up used to more psychologically-complex depictions.

Also, I'm one of those people who prefer to read collected editions as opposed to single issues!

What are the best collected arcs to read with regard to Marvel's A-list superheroes? Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Daredevil, Thor, Captain America etc.

Marvel doesn't really have a lot of very intelectual comics, but here are the ones out of the top of my hat:
Kraven's Last hunt, Daredevil Born Again and Marvels. If you're looking for intelectual comics then, like I said before, definitely check out more Vertigo comics. It started in 1993 and was home to many award winning comics. Check out mine and FanboyStranger's list for the best books in a nutshell (I also add Doom Patrol and Animal man to them).

If you want to read more of the same you have read, why don't you follow the creators? For example, if you like Killing Joke and Watchmen why don't you pock up other acclaimed books by Moore? Like Top Ten, his Swamp thing run, V for Vendetta and From Hell for example. Or if you liked Arkham Asylum by Morrison, why don't you check out his New X-Men, Invisibles, his Doom Patrol, his Animal Man etc.? That's usually how I find more comics I love, just follow my favourite creators.

[ohmshalone]

I'd go with the Ultimates. It's a re-invention of Marvel's characters, and reads like a blockbuster. A little dated (there are references to Freddy Prinze Jr.), but it's full of memorable scenes, one-liners and testosterone.

I also second the 5 collections of JMS's Spider-man. I just went through them myself. It's not a classic from start to end, but a lot of fun, light reading.

More fun reading: New 52 Justice League.

There are obviously many others but these stick out as comic books I'd recommend to anyone who just wants something fun and easy to get hooked on.

[Diamond]

Off the top of my head: Enigma, From Hell, Promethea, Elektra: Assassin, Silver Surfer: Parable. You should try mangas like Pluto or Adolf, too.

Criminal!

Technically it's Marvel, since it's from Icon.

Not anymore. It's a matter of time its moving to Image.

[Hero]

Yeah, I expect to see Image releasing its own Criminal editions at any point now.