Trying to get into past comics

[TheDragonKing]

I'm trying to get into past comics but I'm not sure what to to read. I want to collect trades of previous comics but I don't know where to start because I don't just want to collect comics for the sake of a run but because I'm interested in the storyline but I don't where to look for storylines. I'm not looking for comics for specific characters because I'm open to any character or titles but I'm struggling to know where to look. Can anyone help me please?

[batnbreakfast]

Just from the top of my head
Sandman Mystery Theatre- Matt Wagner
Jonah Hex- Darwyn Cooke
Secret Six- Gail Simone
Gotham Central- Greg Rucka

[jb681131]

It depends what you call "past comics".

For a simple short cut the DC has multiple eras with their own continuity:

1. 1938-1956 - The Golden Age
2. 1956-1985 - The Silver and Bronze Age (aka pre-crisis)
3. 1985-2011 - The 1st Modern Age (aka post-crisis, aka pre-flashpoint)
4. 2011-now - The 2nt Modern Age (aka post-flashpoint)
5. 2011-2016 - New 52
6. 2016-2019 - Rebirth
7. 2019-now - DC Univers

Each new era was the result of some event.

1. For the Silver/Bronze age is was the introduction of the Comics Code
2. For the Modern Age it was the end of the Comics Code and the event "Crisis On Infinit Earths"
3. For New52 it was the event Flashpoint
4. For Rebirth is was DC Univers Rebirth
5. For DC Univers it was Doomsday Clock
6. For the future era, it's the ongoing Metal Event

Here are few notable past runs/stories

1. 1959-85 - Flash: The Silver Age by Carmine Infantino
2. 1963-82 - Crisis On Multiple Earths
3. 1966-82 - The Steve Ditko Omnibus - Charleston Comics
4. 1970-73 - The Fourth World by Jack Kirby
5. 1970-72 - Green Lantern/Green Arrow
6. 1972-76 - Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Omnibus by Len Wein and others
7. 1982 - The Great Darkness Saga
8. 1980-96 - The New Teen Titans - The Saga by Marv Wolfman and George Perez
9. 1984-86 - Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
10. 1986 - The Watchmen by Alan Moore
11. 1985-86 - Crisis On Infinit Earths (aka COIE)
12. 1987-89 - DC: Legends + Justice League International
13. 1987-89 - DC: Legends + Suicide Squad by John Ostrander
14. 1987-92 - Wonder Woman by George Perez
15. 1986 - Batman: Year One
16. 1987 - Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunter
17. 1987-90 - The Question by Denis O'Neil
18. 1988 - Batman: The Killing Joke
19. 1988-13 - Hellblazer
20. 1988-89 - Animal Man by Grant Morrison
21. 1989 - Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth
22. 1989-96 - Sandman by Neil Gaiman
23. 1989-93 - Doom Patrol by Grant Morrsion
24. 1990-92 - Lobo by Keith Giffen & Alan Grant
25. 1995-99 - The Power of Shazam! - follows the SHAZAM familly by Jerry Ordway
26. 1987-97 - The Flash by Mark Waid
27. 1996-00 - Batman: The Long Halloween + Batman: Dark Victory
28. 2000-06 - The Flash by Geoff Johns
29. 1990-91 - Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn I, II
30. 1994 - Green Lantern: Emerald Twilight/New Dawn
31. 1994 - Gen13
32. 1993-94 - The Death and Return of Superman
33. 1993-95 - Batman: Knightfall
34. 1994 - Batman: Mad Love
35. 1995-00 - Preacher
36. 1996-02 - Stormwatch + The Authority
37. 1998-09 - Planetary by Warren Ellis
38. 1999 - Batman: No Man's Land
39. 1996-06 - JLA: Year One + JLA by Grant Morrison & Mark Waid
40. 2000 - Batman/Huntress: Cry for blood
41. 2000-02 - Orion by Walter Simonson
42. 2003-04 - Superman: Birthright - Retelling of Superman's origins by Mark Waid
43. 2003-06 - Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka
44. 2003-06 - New Gotham + Turning Point + Gotham Central + Bruce Wayne: Murderer ? + Bruce Wayne: Fugitive
45. 2006-12 - Green Lantern by Geoff Johns
46. 2004-05 - Superman: For Tomorrow
47. 2004 - Identity Crisis
48. 2005 - Infinite Crisis Omnibus - with all the mini-series
49. 2006-07 - 52
50. 2006-07 - Checkmate
51. 2006-08 - Seven Solders of Victory + Final Crisis
52. 2007-09 - Will Eisner's Spirit
53. 2008 - Superman: Brainiac - The Major story by Geoff Johns
54. 2006-11 - Batman by Grant Morrison + Batman Incorporated
55. 2011 - Flashpoint - The Event by Geoff Johns
56. 2011-16 - Batman & Robin New 52 - Story by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
57. 2011 - Batman: Court of Owls + Batman: Night of Owls - The Owls Saga by Scott Snyder
58. 2011-14 - Wonder Woman New 52 - Saga by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang
59. 2011-14 - Aquaman New 52 - Story by Geoff Johns
60. 2012-13 - Shazam! New 52 - New origins by Geoff Johns
61. 2011-14 - Flash New 52 - Flash by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
62. 2011-14 - Green Arrow New 52 - Story by Jeff Lemire & Andrea Sorrentino
63. 2011 - Justice League by Geoff Johns
64. 2016 - Titan Hunt + DC Univers Rebirth + The Return of Wally West
65. 2016-* - Aquaman Rebirth - By Dan Abnett
66. 2016-19 - Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps
67. 2018-19 - Doomsday Clock
68. 2018 - Justice League Dark by James Tynion IV
69. 2019 - Mr. Miracle by Tom King
70. 2019 - Dark Knight: Metal + Justice League: No Justice + Justice League by Scott Snyder + Death Metal

That's the most important in my opinion.

[Restingvoice]

I'm trying to get into past comics but I'm not sure what to to read. I want to collect trades of previous comics but I don't know where to start because I don't just want to collect comics for the sake of a run but because I'm interested in the storyline but I don't where to look for storylines. I'm not looking for comics for specific characters because I'm open to any character or titles but I'm struggling to know where to look. Can anyone help me please?

What kind of storyline do you prefer? Detective, war, time travel, interstellar war, supernatural, horror, family matters, espionage, mythical epic, superhero deconstruction, character study...

[the COMET]

It's pretty much trial and error really.

After a few years I realized that late 80s, early 90s is the right era for me.

People buy digital comics on comixology or DC app (you can read a little synopsis there) and if it's good enough then buy a physical copy. You can start with trades but later on you might want the real copy from the time period, they kinda seem more real

[Noodle]

I sort of went through this a little while back when I started going to comic shows more frequently and wanted to find some old stuff to read. Here's some of the things I did. Not sure if it would help you or not, but it worked for me:

-Like a character? Look into their old runs. Start at a specific storyline or when a writer/artist came on and work from there.

-See a character that a lot of people like but you never really got into? Look into them. Same as before. Pick an easy starting point (storyline start/beginning of a writer/artist run) and work from there.

-Like a writer/artist? Start looking into some of their work you haven't read yet.

-Websites love to make lists. CBR used to do user-voted lists of best comics/stories/creators/etc. Other sites do things like it as well. Go over some of those lists and see if any of those sound interesting to you.

Just a few ideas. I've been able to go back and read some stuff that I now consider some of my favorite comics of all time this way.

[Englehart Humperdinck]

1988-89 - Animal Man by Alan Grant

I think you mean 1988-90 - Animal Man by Grant Morrison.

[jb681131]

I think you mean 1988-90 - Animal Man by Grant Morrison.

Well spotted, I corrected.

[TheDragonKing]

What kind of storyline do you prefer? Detective, war, time travel, interstellar war, supernatural, horror, family matters, espionage, mythical epic, superhero deconstruction, character study...

I prefer stories that involves time travel, interstellar war and character study.

[Restingvoice]

I prefer stories that involve time travel, interstellar war, and character study.

The Return of Bruce Wayne - Darkseid sent Bruce back in time and we get to see how he tried to get back to the present while also influencing his ancestors... this might need some prior knowledge of Morrison's Batman lore, I'm not sure... you'll definitely will get more enjoyment out of it if you know Wayne family tree/history or just history of DCU in general

Time travel is Booster Gold's territory but I'm not an expert on him

The interstellar war would be the Green Lantern events by Geoff Johns - not my field

In character studies, we have a lot, and most of them you don't need prior knowledge

Batman Prey - Hugo Strange trying to find out what made Batman ticks while exploring what Batman fears in his early days
Batman Venom - What happened if Batman failed to save someone and decided he has to get strong no matter what
Batman Cold Days - Mr. Freeze was tortured by a grieving angry Batman. Is this true justice? Bruce Wayne sits alongside the Jury.
Batman The Brave and The Mold - Swamp Thing says he's beyond human emotion. Is he really, though?
Batman RIP Last Rites - What The Butler Saw and The Butler Did It - A two-parter of what happened if Bruce never became Batman compared to the history of Batman from the 40s to the 2000s
Grayson #3 The Gun Goes Off - Guns and killing politic in a revenge story
Grayson #5 We All Die At Dawn - Dick Grayson with a baby lost in the desert. What makes a hero
Robin Son of Batman Vol. 1 Year of Blood - All the sins Damian Wayne did before he was Robin and the effect of an assassin life on the 9-year-old
The Killing Joke - have to include this, of course, the tragedy of the Joker's creation and his attempt to make people relate
Joker Going Sane - What happened if Joker thought Batman died... and he became sane
Harley Quinn - Mad Love - Another really popular one, the definitive look to Joker and Harley's relationship

Sorry it's all Batman coz that's what I know :P

[Dark Falz]

I'm trying to get into past comics but I'm not sure what to to read. I want to collect trades of previous comics but I don't know where to start because I don't just want to collect comics for the sake of a run but because I'm interested in the storyline but I don't where to look for storylines. I'm not looking for comics for specific characters because I'm open to any character or titles but I'm struggling to know where to look. Can anyone help me please?

I kinda' find what you're saying a little vague or hard to understand. Are you looking for specific recommendations for comics, or are you trying to figure out a method to find comics to read?

I think most readers decide to gravitate toward a character and then they deep dive on material for that character. Just think of a character that intrigues you and research their publication history a bit. Wikipedia and ComicVine are big helps with things like that.

[married guy]

I prefer stories that involves time travel, interstellar war and character study.

Timetravel - I would HIGHLY recommend the Booster Gold run by Johns/Katz. It was bloody brilliant and you don't need to know anything about the character to enjoy it.
Interstellar war - That's easy. Geoff Johns' run on Green Lantern will scratch that itch.
Character study - Starman by Robinson is a creative highwater mark. Jonah Hex by Palmiotti & Gray is also exceptional.

[Flash Gordon]

I prefer stories that involves time travel, interstellar war and character study.

Chronos (1998) and Starman (1994).

Both of those should be very much to your liking. James Robinson's Starman is as good as it gets in superhero comics. Just really amazing work.