New to comics, where do I start?

[Tattooboy]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, basically new to comics in general.
My favorite superhero is Superman, I always watched the Lois & Clark series as a kid, he's the most classic superhero

So, I want to start reading comics, I'll start off with superman... But I honestly don't know where to start. There are hundreds of comics out there you know...
I'm afraid I'll end up in the middle of a story line, besides that I don't know very much about other superheroes and that can cause me alot of confusion when I'm reading, right?

If I start with the latest edition of action comics I probably miss some good stories from the past...

Can someone help me out, where do I start as a newbie ?

[Ascended]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, basically new to comics in general.
My favorite superhero is Superman, I always watched the Lois & Clark series as a kid, I think he's the most classic superhero

So, I want to start reading comics, I'll start off with superman... But I honestly don't know where to start. There are hundreds of comics out there you know...
I'm afraid I'll end up in the middle of a story line, besides that I don't know very much about other superheroes and that can cause me alot of confusion when I'm reading, right?

If I start with the latest edition of action comics I probably miss some good stories from the past...

Can someone help me out, where do I start as a newbie ?

Honestly, the best place to start is likely wikipedia. Their Superman page is pretty well done and it will give you an idea of the character's publication history. Over the last seventy seven years Superman has gone through a lot of changes and wiki will give you a basic idea of what happened and when.

Past that though, I'd recommend Action Comics by Grant Morrison. The trades (collected editions containing four-eight issues) are easy to find and so are the single issues if that's more your speed. Action restarted with his run and a fresh continuity so everything you need to know about the currently published version of the character starts there. And it's damned good. I also highly recommend Greg Pak's Action run which began at issue 24 or 25 and is still going.

That's where you start for the modern stuff. As for older material, plenty of other posters will point you in the direction of the classics if you're interested in those.

Welcome to the hobby. Its not nearly as daunting as it looks from the outside; all you need is a place to start and then things fall into place fairly easily.

[Tattooboy]

Honestly, the best place to start is likely wikipedia. Their Superman page is pretty well done and it will give you an idea of the character's publication history. Over the last seventy seven years Superman has gone through a lot of changes and wiki will give you a basic idea of what happened and when.

Past that though, I'd recommend Action Comics by Grant Morrison. The trades (collected editions containing four-eight issues) are easy to find and so are the single issues if that's more your speed. Action restarted with his run and a fresh continuity so everything you need to know about the currently published version of the character starts there. And it's damned good. I also highly recommend Greg Pak's Action run which began at issue 24 or 25 and is still going.

That's where you start for the modern stuff. As for older material, plenty of other posters will point you in the direction of the classics if you're interested in those.

Welcome to the hobby. Its not nearly as daunting as it looks from the outside; all you need is a place to start and then things fall into place fairly easily.

Hi, thx for replying!
I am going to buy the new 52 vol. 1 of action comics.

Quick question, I'm from the netherlands sometimes it's not clear to me what things mean like for instance; On amazon I can choose between Kindle, hardcover and paperback. I want the classic magazine style, just separated paper comics, so I probably should go for paperback I'm I right?

[Hilden B. Lade]

Hi, thx for replying!
I am going to buy the new 52 vol. 1 of action comics.

Quick question, I'm from the netherlands sometimes it's not clear to me what things mean like for instance; On amazon I can choose between Kindle, hardcover and paperback. I want the classic magazine style, just separated paper comics, so I probably should go for paperback I'm I right?

Paperback is when the issues are collected in a single soft-cover volume.

[Ascended]

Hi, thx for replying!
I am going to buy the new 52 vol. 1 of action comics.

Quick question, I'm from the netherlands sometimes it's not clear to me what things mean like for instance; On amazon I can choose between Kindle, hardcover and paperback. I want the classic magazine style, just separated paper comics, so I probably should go for paperback I'm I right?

Yeah, the paperback editions will still be a collection of several issues (typically a full storyline), just the same as the hardcovers. Depending on what you order, one collection might have a few more issues or backup pages, prefaces, concept art, and other "bonuses" but you're not likely to find single, 20-something page floppy comic books on Amazon. And honestly, thats for the best. The collected editions are a better value, generally.

[Tattooboy]

Yeah, the paperback editions will still be a collection of several issues (typically a full storyline), just the same as the hardcovers. Depending on what you order, one collection might have a few more issues or backup pages, prefaces, concept art, and other "bonuses" but you're not likely to find single, 20-something page floppy comic books on Amazon. And honestly, thats for the best. The collected editions are a better value, generally.

Hi, so the issues are not separated at all, then It's better to buy the hardcover for a little extra quality?

[Cipher]

Hi, so the issues are not separated at all, then It's better to buy the hardcover for a little extra quality?

If the hardcover is still in print and only a bit more expensive than the paperback, yes, I'd say go for that. They tend to be much better constructed than DC's paperbacks (which I find pretty flimsy).

But don't worry too much about it -- get whichever one you can.

[mkieffer]

In my humble opinion, the way you get into comics is you do not buy anything until you know what you like and do not like.... Many of the really popular trades are available for free in the library....... I learned the hard way, after spending lots of $, that just because somebody likes a particular writer/character/story arc/, does not mean that I will necessarily like it.

Comics are a medium. Find stories that sound appealing to you, read them for free, then once you develop a sense for what you like or do not like, then go ahead and buy stuff.

[DochaDocha]

I agree, go to your local library, or even the library's website, and see what collected editions are available, and read those. Since Superman is so different from era to era, and writer to writer, you might want to find the right niche for you instead of jumping in.

If you got into Superman from Lois & Clark, you'd find the comics from that era would be the ones most likely to line up with the Superman on that show.

[Tattooboy]

I agree, go to your local library, or even the library's website, and see what collected editions are available, and read those. Since Superman is so different from era to era, and writer to writer, you might want to find the right niche for you instead of jumping in.

If you got into Superman from Lois & Clark, you'd find the comics from that era would be the ones most likely to line up with the Superman on that show.

Hej! Unfortunately superhero comics aren't very popular in Holland that's why libraries don't have them. I was very enthusiastic so a couple days ago I bought the new 52 Action comics vol.1 just so I've got something to read you know. But from now on I will read some stories online to see if I like the writing style before I buy stuff...

Btw, would you recommend the superman birthright series? And do you know any good superman comic book series from around the lois & clark tv show period?

[Loose Threads]

Have you seen the Smallville tv series? If so, try to track down the trades for the great Smallville Eleventh Season book.

And do you know any good superman comic book series from around the lois & clark tv show period?

Trial of Superman, Bizzaro, and The Fall of Metropolis are good reads. If you don't mind the crazy mullet.

[Blacksun]

Hej! Unfortunately superhero comics aren't very popular in Holland that's why libraries don't have them. I was very enthusiastic so a couple days ago I bought the new 52 Action comics vol.1 just so I've got something to read you know. But from now on I will read some stories online to see if I like the writing style before I buy stuff...

Btw, would you recommend the superman birthright series? And do you know any good superman comic book series from around the lois & clark tv show period?

there is smallville season 11, that has a lot of the lois and clark feel

[Ascended]

Hej! Unfortunately superhero comics aren't very popular in Holland that's why libraries don't have them. I was very enthusiastic so a couple days ago I bought the new 52 Action comics vol.1 just so I've got something to read you know. But from now on I will read some stories online to see if I like the writing style before I buy stuff...

Btw, would you recommend the superman birthright series? And do you know any good superman comic book series from around the lois & clark tv show period?

Birthright is....interesting. In my opinion it starts off really, really well (arguably among the best origins), but the last half is pretty generic and the finale is rather lackluster. If you can find it for a good price, I'd recommend it, but you should probably see what type of comics you like first, and only buy Birthright if you can get a low price for it after that.

As for the Lois & Clark era, you're looking for the early 90's Triangle Era books. So look for anything with Stern or Jurgens. Basically anything from that time frame up until around 1998 or so is absolutely worth reading. The Smallville comic might fit the bill too; what I've read has been pretty well done.

[yorickbrown]

All-star Superman. Easy to access with no continuity problems and one of the greatest not just Superman storylines but storylines in general.