Suggestions for a reader looking to get further into DC

[Jack The Tripper]

Hey all,

I've been a comic reader for agesssss, but I've never really found something to get me into DC as easy as I got into Marvel. I grew up watching all the 90s Marvel cartoons and my brother was a big fan, so I gravitated towards Marvel into my teens. Having said that, when I was about 14 I found myself drawn to Blackest Night, which got me into Green Lantern a hell of a lot, so I read the Geoff Johns stuff and i loved it. The New 52 was appealing for a new DC reader like myself, so I attempted to get into things then, however i only stuck with Batman. Then, when Rebirth came around I tried that too, but was wholly disappointed. The only DC comic I get regularly now is Morrison's Green Lantern. I want to desperately get into DC a bit more to up my knowledge (and because it has aspects I'm very interested in).

Basically, what i'm asking for is recommendations on runs/characters, whether they're classic, hidden gems, unmissable, or modern. Any character(s) will suffice. I've read a lot of Batman, a large amount of modern Hal Jordan/GL, and a decent amount of Superman, so other characters are pretty much complete blank slates for me. I work in a comic shop (Although I haven't read a lot of DC comics, my knowledge on characters/mythos is still quite high) so availability shouldn't be a problem for anything that's currently in print or milestones for certain characters.

Please, gimme all your juicy takes! Thanks!

[sifighter]

Well honestly it really depends on what characters you want to read and the types of stories, but a big hurdle is continuity/history as its been changed and a handful of time though that by no means you can't enjoy runs just that certain history won't line up exactly.

Now you've mentioned Batman, so have you tried getting into other members of the batfamily? There is Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, Tim Drake , Damian Wayne, Batwoman, Spoiler, Orphan, Signal, Batwing, and etc. Maybe you can find enjoyment in series starring some of them and see how you like them compared to the main batman. As a Nightwing fan I recommend maybe picking up the deluxe rerelease of Nightwing year one where you can read Dick Grayson go from Robin to Nightwing.

I honestly recommend Rebirth Superman, but mainly for the parts of Superman raising his son Jon. From there it leads into a fun series called Super Sons starring Jon Kent and Damian Wayne

Now as for characters you haven't read, a really good current run I've been reading as of late has been Justice League Dark by Jame Tynion and now Ram V. If I wanted to sum it up without giving too much away its that Wonder Woman has formed a new team of magic users during a crisis when magic is falling apart and the dark source of magic has come to reclaim whats theirs. It can be a bit horror based at times but its definitely got some great moments in it. Another is Robert Vendetti's Hawkman which really takes an interesting deep dive into that characters history and past lives and I think does a great job of consolidating a confusing character.

As for some older stuff I happen to be a fan of the JSA so I'd say try to read some of the david goyer and Geoff Johns work.

Finally, I recommend DCeased along with Unkillables, Hope at worlds end, and Dead Planet. It's by Tom Taylor, basically its an elseworld series where a zombie-like virus (biting and killing, no eating people) broke out over the DC universe and our heroes survive and respond to it. However its not some edgy thing trying to kill all the heroes, though heroes do die, but there are also good moments of heroism and moments you won't get to see in the main line universe such as Damian Wayne getting to become Batman.

[the COMET]

OK, i grew up watching 90's Marvel cartoons as well, along with Batman and Superman animated series. But only got into comics after finishing the entire Justice League cartoon wich left me wanting to learn more about the characters, the stories and DC history in a whole.
10 years later it's been a sucessful and rewarding journey so i feel the obligation to share wich book are the most beginners friendly and tactics for the best reading experience

You can't go wrong with the classics, so at first it's best to ignore reading order and focus on great stories

BATMAN
Year One
Killing joke
The Mad Monk (Matt Wagner)
The Monster Men (Matt Wagner)
Hush

SUPERMAN
Man of Steel (John Byrne)
Secret Origin (Geoff Johns)

Green Lantern
Sinestro Corps War
Secret Origin (Johns)

Those are what pretty much made me addicted to comics, from there i knew i would never stop. From there eventually you'll find yourself interested in other characters and groups, specially the ones you see in other media like cartoons, live action, videogames.

To have an overall view of the timeline of events i suggest the History of the DC Universe by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, it's very basic but helpful. If youcan take a peek at the DC Comics Year by Year by DK, it helps as well.

At first i suggest collecting trades, later if you feel the need to own the "real thing" you'll want the back issues. Today with the help of the comixology DC app you can buy current and most of back issues in digital format.

[Gaius]

If you like GL, both Green Lantern: Earth One books are cool alternate GL stories. The Batman and Superman ones are also worth checking out.

For Wonder Woman well there's the Marston, Perez, Jimenez, both of Rucka, and Simone runs but for standalone stories:
JLA: A League of One
The Hiketeia
Legend of Wonder Woman (2016)

And for a current book there's Justice League Dark, only WW on a team/ensemble thing worth checking out.

[Stingo]

Hey all,

I've been a comic reader for agesssss, but I've never really found something to get me into DC as easy as I got into Marvel. I grew up watching all the 90s Marvel cartoons and my brother was a big fan, so I gravitated towards Marvel into my teens. Having said that, when I was about 14 I found myself drawn to Blackest Night, which got me into Green Lantern a hell of a lot, so I read the Geoff Johns stuff and i loved it. The New 52 was appealing for a new DC reader like myself, so I attempted to get into things then, however i only stuck with Batman. Then, when Rebirth came around I tried that too, but was wholly disappointed. The only DC comic I get regularly now is Morrison's Green Lantern. I want to desperately get into DC a bit more to up my knowledge (and because it has aspects I'm very interested in).

Basically, what i'm asking for is recommendations on runs/characters, whether they're classic, hidden gems, unmissable, or modern. Any character(s) will suffice. I've read a lot of Batman, a large amount of modern Hal Jordan/GL, and a decent amount of Superman, so other characters are pretty much complete blank slates for me. I work in a comic shop (Although I haven't read a lot of DC comics, my knowledge on characters/mythos is still quite high) so availability shouldn't be a problem for anything that's currently in print or milestones for certain characters.

Please, gimme all your juicy takes! Thanks!

James Robinson's Starman series. One of the best books to ever come down the ol' comic book pike.

[the COMET]

Intermediary

For characters and teams you don't know there's the old team up books: "DC comics Presents" wich is Superman + guest, and "The Brave and the Bold"- after a few issues it's Batman + guest.
Hunt down any Origin story you can, in the 80's there was a legendary "Secret Origins" series
Now some of my personal favorites:

Supergirl
Superman / Batman - Supergirl
Supergirl - Power

ADAM STRANGE
Archives
Planet Heist
Rann-Thanagar War

LEGION OF SUPERHEROES
2005-2011 Mainly by Mark Waid. It's called the Threeboot, some ppl may prefer some other incarnation.
For a good origin story on the team i like the 1994 #0.

TEEN TITANS
1980 series
Geoff Johns

ETRIGAN
The Demon , 1990 Series *hidden gem* try to survive DC Hell with Jason Blood as your guide.
Demon Knights (medievil dungeons and dragons-like)

SUPERMAN
Exile - Superman lost in space, gets captured by Mongul and fight as a gladiator in Warworld. *animated movie worthy
Action Comics 586 - Darkseid brainwashes Superman
Godfall - Action Comics 812, Adventures 625, Superman 202 * movie worthy
Adventures of Superman annual 3 1991 - what-if space story **hidden gem**animated movie worthy

BOOSTER GOLD
1986 #6 - origin
52 series *animated movie worthy
52 pick-up ( Geoff Johns)

Most readers should suggest the events like Crisis on Infinite Earths, infinite crisis, blackest night and so on, but after reading many of them, i realized they are attention seeking stories, extravagant events where characters die and others get reborn, they are not exactly fun reads or among the very best, but have somewhat importance as they are used to change concepts, reboot series. You can appreciate them more after having some knowledge, not good entry points.

In my personal experience i find stories from late 80's- early 90's and mid 2000s-2011 as the ones that work for me, can be different from person to person

[Restingvoice]

I need to know what makes you disappointed first

[the COMET]

Advanced
- WARNING -
Continue at your own risk (may cause brain damage)

So you're probably a DC comics fan for a few years now, read an entire Justice League and Batman run and think you know your stuff, right? Well guess again, you've barely scratched the surface!!

The DC Comics Encyclopedia by DK
know your characters

DC Adventures Universe Published by Mutants and Masterminds
a RPG book with advanced knowledge on DC timeline, beginning of the universe, alien races, planets, factions, life on Earth.
DC Adventures Heroes and Villains vols. 1 and 2 - characters stats, bio. How fast the Flash can run? how much stronger is Superman compared to others?

The Atlas of the DC Universe - Published by Mayfair, 1990. Written by Paul Kupperberg
advanced knoledge on ... everything. Where are Gotham and Metropolis located on the map? More aliens, planets, alternate planes of existance, pocket universes. It's all here.

Genesis - by John Byrne, 2007. Old Gods, New Gods, Godwave, how pantheon of gods came to be in the universe, and later metahumans.

Green Lantern The Ganthet's Tale - 1992. Early history of the Guardians of the Universe. The Krona mistake.

Arion the Lord of Atlantis - in Warlord 55-62 second feature followed by his own series in 1982.
Advanced magic civilization living among caveman in 45.000 BC

The Atlantis Chronicles by Peter David
How Atlantis sank, how atlanteans came to be able to breathe underwater **hidden gem** live action mini series worthy

New Gods Secret files & origins
Universe timeline (2 pages)

The New Teen Titans #11-12. 1980
Before the Olympian (Greek) Gods, there were their creators, the Titans of Myth! **hidden gem** Wonder Woman movie worthy with some changes like WW replacing Donna as main character and JL replacing TT.

Omega Men # 7. 1983 **hidden gem**
Alien civilization on the Vega System and Origin of X'hal, the living goddess of Starfire's people. (mature content)

Omega men 1983 series;
L.E.G.I.O.N. '89 series
R.E.B.E.L.S. 2009 series
For classic space stories

Jokes aside these are the instruments i've used to grow my DC knowledge, it's been an awsome ride and there are still so much more, like Silent Knight, Shinning Knight for medieval stories. All those war times stories that i'll probably never read. And modern classics people are writing today. I hope some of these suggestions can give joy and entertain people as much as they have entertained me. Have fun.

[Restingvoice]

Do those encyclos do anything? Don't DC writers change things on a whim?

[Jekyll]

I will give my top 3 DC runs:

James Robinson’s Starman. My absolute favorite story/run in all of comics!

The early 2000s JSA which is a very close second to Starman.

You can’t go wrong with Mark Waids Flash run either.

[Pinsir]

New 52 Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman Vol. 4 #1-12, #0, #13-23, #23.3-35, Secret Origins Vol. 3 #6)

[poroto678]

Hey man

I'm kinda sick of the big 6 LOL, specially Batman, so i would recommend stuff from C and D listers that i totally love. Nothing makes me happier than a Hidden Gem.

I suggest:

Geoff Johns' JSA (I can't recommend this one enough. It's masterful)
Jeff Lemire's Animal Man (best art ever)
Dan Didio's Phantom Stranger
Marc Adreyko's Manhunter
James Robinson's Earth-2
Peter Milligan and Lemire's Justice League Dark
Robert Venditti's Freedom Fighters
Judd Winick's Outsiders

Also, the wildstorm Universe has some REALLy cool stuff, specially Warren Ellis' Stormwatch and The Authority, which is the finest anti-hero team ever.

And if i had to recommend a run from every one of the Big 6.

Superman: Geoff Johns' Action Comics.
Batman: Grant Morrison's run or Peter J Tomasi's Batman and Robin.
WW: Brian Azzarello's. Hardcore WW fans hate it, and that must be why I like it. Usually I fins her book so damn boring, but Azz gave it a spin which worked wonders.
GL: Marz/Winnick run while Kyle Rayner was DA MAN. The spin offs are super good two: Red Lanterns (by Peter Milligan), Sinestro (by Cullen Bunn), GL Corps (by Tomasi and Gleason)
The Flash: Geoff Johns' run. Best. run. ever.
Aquaman: Geoff Johns' run. An also the Sub diego run they did before Infinite Crisis. That was really good.

Hope it helps.

[DrNewGod]

Take a look at a Justice League mini-series called The Nail. It's an Elseworld (sort of DC's version of Marvel's What If...? series, but all in single issue or miniseries formats). It pretty much nails the heart of the JL - or at least, a late-Bronze Age interpretation of them - and showcases several other characters besides. Ross' miniseries Justice is also good for this. Just keep in mind that those are out-of-continuity tales, so don't look for the consequences and character developments to show up elsewhere.

Another I'd suggest is Goodwin and Simonson's Manhunter series that ran as a backup in Detective Comics. It's been collected.

It's not my cup of tea take on the character, but as a story, the most recent Hawkman series is pretty good.

Two Superman tales I enjoy are "Time And Time Again" and "Panic In The Sky." They're both self-contained, both collected, and fun reads. Candidly, I'm a bit surprised editorial let the Superman titles have access to that many characters for PitS without trying to make it a company-wide event.

I suggest older or self-contained stuff for a beginner because it's less likely to be entangled with The Event Of The Month, and there's usually room to figure out who these characters are.

[mmurphy1968]

A lot of good stuff previously mentioned so I'll try not to repeat.

Legion of Superheroes. The original Levitz is good stuff as is Abnett and Lanning's Legion Lost story
Denny O'Neil's The Question is one of my all time favorite comic runs

[Lightning Rider]

Hey all,
Basically, what i'm asking for is recommendations on runs/characters, whether they're classic, hidden gems, unmissable, or modern. Any character(s) will suffice. I've read a lot of Batman, a large amount of modern Hal Jordan/GL, and a decent amount of Superman, so other characters are pretty much complete blank slates for me. I work in a comic shop (Although I haven't read a lot of DC comics, my knowledge on characters/mythos is still quite high) so availability shouldn't be a problem for anything that's currently in print or milestones for certain characters.

Please, gimme all your juicy takes! Thanks!

I'll try to tailor the answer to what you're looking for.

In terms of classics:

Kingdom Come
Justice by Alex Ross
JL: New Frontier
JLA: Year One
TT: Judas Contract (& generally Wolfman & Perez on TT)
COIE & Infinite Crisis

In terms of hidden gems:

52 (2006)
Jack Kirby's New Gods
Mr. Miracle by Tom King
Deathstroke by Christopher Preist
Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
Hawkworld by Tim Truman

In terms of other big characters besides Batman, Superman, and GL:

Aquaman by Peter David
Aquaman by Geoff Johns
Flash by Mark Waid
Flash by Geoff Johns
Green Arrow: Year One
Green Arrow by Mike Grell
Hawkman by Geoff Johns
Hawkman by Robert Venditti
Wonder Woman by George Perez
Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka (2002)
JSA by Geoff Johns