Minis or Series That Have To Be Read Whole

[t hedge coke]

Galactus, the Devourer. Black Panther: Man Without Fear. Savage Dragon. For Better or Worse.

Some comics "need" to be read from the first issue of the story/run/comic to the end, to work their magic. What those are, depends on you. Maybe the single issues/stories don't fully introduce a plot each time or the characters. There could be a big reversal that's being built to. Satire can seem serious if it's just a short peek at it through a slender window.

A number of fans will say Morrison's Batman stuff needs to be read apiece, starting with Batman and Son (or starting with a lot of earlier prep work), and I can't say they're wrong, just that I don't think so. I think Batman Inc reads just fine on its lonesome. But, Happy!? If I'd tried to read Happy! while it was coming out, just the first issue, I probably wouldn't bother with issue two. The preview pages were too cranky for me, especially just then, that year, that time.

But, the collection had a clearly bigger game going on. I wouldn't have to sit for a month being depressed and scared or w'ev, I could move forward and forward, and the nastiness became more parodic, more clearly "hard" instead of hard, and I knew things were going to be alright.

[Stingo]

Great thread!

I think James Robinson's Golden Age and Starman benefit from reading in one-two settings. Other titles that are good "binge readings": Brubaker's Captain America (the first two-three years of his run), the first year of Ostrander's and Mandrake's run on The Spectre, Brubaker's Fade Out, Moore's From Hell, and (my personal favorites) Roy Thomas' runs of Invaders and All Star Squadron.

[Dayle88]

An obvious one but Bendis' Daredevil. It has moments and issues that can be enjoyed on their own but as you read it the series feels like several large stories until you finish it and realise you were reading one massive story. As a complete work it's one of my absolute favourite runs.

[Mr`Orange]

Greg Pak's Warlock, the first three issues were okay and I almost gave up on it, but then a friend who read the final one was going on about how great it was and how the final issue really brought it all together. So I bought the final one and read them all in oen go and it made a massive difference.