HELP! Need help with a DC Pull-List.

[Maximum-Mike]

Good day!

My son, age 17, and I are getting into collecting comics.

He's more into DC, myself Marvel.

I stopped collecting back in 2015 and I've lost touch with the pulse of the comics world (if I ever had it).

We're putting together a new pull-list for our local comic book shop.

He knows he wants to collect one Batman comic and one Superman Comic.

Which of the current 2019 Batman and Superman Comics, if you could only pick one, would you pick and why?

Also, where should we start, what number?

I hate coming in in the middle of an arc....

Thank you!

[BatmanJones]

I've been reading Batman my whole, long life and I love Tom King's current run on Batman as much as or more than any before it. I'd start with #1 since it's a 105 issue story. #67 came out yesterday.

[Maximum-Mike]

I've been reading Batman my whole, long life and I love Tom King's current run on Batman as much as or more than any before it. I'd start with #1 since it's a 105 issue story. #67 came out yesterday.

Thank you sir.

How does Tom King's Batman stack up versus Detective Comics' current run?

[BatmanJones]

Thank you sir.

How does Tom King's Batman stack up versus Detective Comics' current run?

Very different but I really enjoy both of them. Giving perspectives on current runs as defined by the DC "Rebirth" relaunch which began in 2016...

Detective had a nice long run by James Tynion and Eddy Barrows that focused on the Batman family, including at least one unlikely member. Then, about a year ago, a few pretty forgettable issues by James Robinson. Then about six good issues by Peter Tomasi which lead up to Detective Comics #1000, releasing next Wednesday. If you want an easy jumping on point, Detective #1000 would be that.

King's Batman run has been a great deconstruction of the Batman mythology and has had a lot to do with his romance with Catwoman and whether or not Batman can be happy, which I find deeply rewarding. King's playing a long game but it's the title I look forward to the most and I can't wait to see how he resolves at least three major cliffhangers. I felt it started slow with the first arc (I Am Gotham) but really picked up in the next two and just got great after that. And the run features really great art from a variety of great artists.

Hope that helps!

[BatmanJones]

Also, though DC seems to be backing off on trade paperbacks going forward, the trades for the recent runs on Batman and Detective so far are all available in case you don't want to chase down single issues.

[Maximum-Mike]

Thanks, that really helps.

I'll likely chase down the individual books if I can, provided they don't cost an arm and a leg; something about having a nice fat stack of individual books.

Now I've got to decide between Action Comics or Superman for a good Superman comic...

[WallyWestFlash]

For Batman I would recommend Detective Comics. Issue 1000 is about to come out which is huge and it's starting off a new story arc with the Arkham Knight. There has also been a build up to it with the last few issues if you want to check that out. I think it started with issue #993. So you don't have to go too far back.

I would not recommend Batman. Besides that it's terrible, IMO, it is right in the middle of a long drawn out "story" that started in issue #1. Also the current story arc, knigtmares, is a bunch of one shots that make no sense even to the ones who have read from issue 1 if you were thinking of just jumping in as is.

As for Superman, Action Comics just started a new arc, Leviathan, and is just two issues in and is decent. The Superman title is not very good and is already 9 issues in so I wouldn't go for that.

Those are my recommendations.

[Maximum-Mike]

For Batman I would recommend Detective Comics. Issue 1000 is about to come out which is huge and it's starting off a new story arc with the Arkham Knight. There has also been a build up to it with the last few issues if you want to check that out. I think it started with issue #993. So you don't have to go too far back.

I would not recommend Batman. Besides that it's terrible, IMO, it is right in the middle of a long drawn out "story" that started in issue #1. Also the current story arc, knigtmares, is a bunch of one shots that make no sense even to the ones who have read from issue 1 if you were thinking of just jumping in as is.

As for Superman, Action Comics just started a new arc, Leviathan, and is just two issues in and is decent. The Superman title is not very good and is already 9 issues in so I wouldn't go for that.

Those are my recommendations.

Lol...there never is One. Clear. Answer. is there? Alright, looks like I've got some decisions to make.

Thank you both for the input!

[Maximum-Mike]

So...all that in consideration.

How do the current books for these tried and true heroes stack up?

-Flash

-Aquaman

[jb681131]

Well since 2015, Batman hasn't been awsome awsome. The same for Dectective comics and All-star Batman.
But you must read the short serie Batman: White Knight.

For superman, I've only read Action Comics and I very much like it. The Oz / Bootser Gold storyline is very very good.
I heard that the Superman title is also good as well as Super Sons.

And start with Number #1. You should also read DC Univers Rebirth before. It's like a new reboot.
To get the full storyline of Rebirth you can read it like this:

1. Watchmen
2. Before Watchmen (optional)
3. Superman: Lois & Clark
4. Superman: The Final Days of Superman
5. Titans Hunt
6. DC Universe: Rebirth or DC Rebirth Omnibus
7. Titans: The Return of Wally West
8. Batman / The Flash: The Button (optional)
9. Superman: Reborn
10. Superman: The Oz Effect
11. Detective Comics: A Lonely Place of Living
12. Justice League of America: Panic in the Microverse
13. Doomsday Clock

And you can add the other Action Comics that go between.

[iron chimp]

Thanks, that really helps.

I'll likely chase down the individual books if I can, provided they don't cost an arm and a leg; something about having a nice fat stack of individual books.

Now I've got to decide between Action Comics or Superman for a good Superman comic...

Chasing the individual issues is a messy rabithole to go down especially for batman and superman as its never ending. Personally i'd get the 1000th anniversary issue of detective as someone else said, batman, superman, and action. Go into shop and buy each of them off the rack for 3 months - see which you of the 4 you like and then sort a pull list out from there. Other books see if any new mini series starting or a new ongoing series looks interesting on the racks and give them a shot. It will take a while to find what you like so you just got to suck it and see.

[BatmanJones]

So...all that in consideration.

How do the current books for these tried and true heroes stack up?

-Flash

-Aquaman

I think Flash has been unremarkable since New 52. Hoping it gets better with Flash: Year One, which is coming up quickly.

New 52 Aquaman by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis is the best his solo title has ever been IMO.

[jb681131]

I think Flash has been unremarkable since New 52. Hoping it gets better with Flash: Year One, which is coming up quickly.

New 52 Aquaman by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis is the best his solo title has ever been IMO.

What !? Flash New52 was way above anything Batman, Superman, Dective Comics, Action Comics, Justice League, Catwoman, and many more did.
Flash rebirth is also very interresting.
Sure they are not his best runs, but to say that it's unremarkable is a bit hard.

And for Aquaman I will note that his Rebirth title is also very good and The Will Pfiefer run that started with Sub-Diego what pretty good too.

[Ascended]

For Superman, I think the best choice at the moment is to jump in with writer Brian M. Bendis' current run. It began in 2018 with the Man of Steel miniseries (6 issues) and then he took over both Action (as of issue 1001) and Superman (with a new #1).

Which you should follow depends on how you like your Superman. The Action title is focusing on the "Clark Kent" side of the character, with lots of emphasis on Clark's day job and co-workers, his marriage to Lois, and Metropolis. If you read the Superman comics back in the early 90's (the triangle era) it's very much like that.

The Superman title is for your big crazy science fantasy adventures; the "Superman" side of the character. It's dealt with whether Krypton's destruction was as benign as we thought, and is currently dealing with Clark's son Jon returning home after an adventure in space with Clark's father Jor-El, who's alive because of ridiculous reasons and was, up until recently, being mind controlled by a villain (or something).

I enjoy both books but I think both do have flaws. Superman's main villain hasnt impressed and Action hasn't quite gotten Lois' voice right. And there's other stuff that has seen mixed reviews that I wont spoil for you. But I myself think Bendis has a better grasp on Superman's character than 90% of the people who have written him in the last twenty years, and the art on both books is top tier. The problems I have with his run dont come close to equaling the fun Im having with it.

[Flash Gordon]

Brian Michael Bendis is 9 issues in on both SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS, both books are really stellar. I'd say you could grab a trade of his MAN OF STEEL mini from the tail end of last year and then dive right into the current stuff. That mini sets up the status quo that he's working with.

SUPERMAN is big action and adventure with Ivan Reis so I'd say that book is the best. Ivan Reis is just terrific and he's doing such interesting stuff. ACTION COMICS works as a sister title, with more focus on Clark Kent and a slightly grittier Metropolis. It reads really well alongside SUPERMAN, but if I had to pick I'd go with SUPERMAN 100%.

Prior to Bendis the SUPERMAN books were pretty bad for quite a while so you can largely ignore all that.