Where on earth to begin??? 2015 comic fan???

[cjsm12]

Hey guys I've always been a fan of the whole superhero universe, both marvel and DC. However recently I've become a lot more interested in the comic side of superheroes and would like to start diving into them(marvel). The problem is I have no idea on how to know where to begin. I am more interested in starting at a more recent time frame but I feel like I will be lost all the time since I won't know what has happened in the past? I just need some help as to where to begin or how to know what to read next? Do I start by diving into events that have taken place recently or do I start with people like Spiderman and Batman?. ANy help on this huge mess would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

[Myetche]

Well, what's your interest? You want something dramatic? Comedic? Somewhere in between?

[idisestablish]

Hey guys I've always been a fan of the whole superhero universe, both marvel and DC. However recently I've become a lot more interested in the comic side of superheroes and would like to start diving into them(marvel). The problem is I have no idea on how to know where to begin. I am more interested in starting at a more recent time frame but I feel like I will be lost all the time since I won't know what has happened in the past? I just need some help as to where to begin or how to know what to read next? Do I start by diving into events that have taken place recently or do I start with people like Spiderman and Batman?. ANy help on this huge mess would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

Well, as it turns out, Marvel is about to launch about 60 new #1 titles for the express purpose of warmly welcoming new readers, like yourself. My best advice to you is to check out the list of titles HERE! and see which ones stick out to you (they've not all been revealed, yet). You can find details about the titles HERE! and HERE!. All we really know so far is what we've seen from these previews. If you are looking for the "big picture" stuff, it's probably going to be Extraordinary X-Men, All-New All-Different Avengers, Uncanny Inhumans, and Guardians of the Galaxy. The downside of this is that the first #1s are scheduled for release in October. To tide you over until then, you might consider a subscription to Marvel Unlimited. You can get your first month right now for just $0.01, and they have all kinds of back issues that you can pick and choose from if you're wanting to read up on some of the history of your favorite characters. Understanding everything is a daunting task, with so much history, but writers usually do a pretty good job of clueing-in newer readers. For instance, if the Swordsman shows up in an Avengers issue, they're not just going to assume you know who he is. He's going to have a flashback or a veteran will explain to one of the new team members (and to you) who he is and the relevant details about him. The ideal for writers is that every issue is someone's first issue. Their success in this respect is debatable, but if you ask me they do about as well as can be expected. Anyway, hope this info helps!

edit: Left out url for Marvel Unlimited, fixed link.

[Hawk_Guy]

I personally would recommend starting with individual characters that interest you and branching out from there. If you wanted to start with recent material, I would recommend Jason Aaron's Thor: God of Thunder and Rick Remender's Captain America. These are really interesting stories that you can jump right in. Thor especially requires basically no knowledge of the character's history to enjoy. I would make sure you like John Romita Jr.'s art before you bought Captain America though.

Vol 1 of Thor: God of Thunder - http://www.amazon.com/Thor-God-Thund...=UTF8&sr=&qid=
Vol 1 of Captain America - http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Americ.../dp/0785168265

Other recent marvel title that I would recommend include Black Widow by Edmondson and Daredevil by Mark Waid.

[Omega Alpha]

In general, events aren't the best place to begin- although Secret Wars #2 is a good jumping on point.

Recommendations are easier if you say which are you favorite characters or the ones you have more interest on.

Marvel has a lot of titles that are beginning with #1s in October and November, but virtually none of them look very accessible to a first time reader, sadly. Thor is a woman, the New Avengers has Hawkeye and a bunch of characters you likely never heard of, Steve Rogers looks 90 years old, Hulk isn't who he used to be, the main X-men title has an alternate reality time traveling centuries older Wolverine and an alternate time traveling years younger Jean Grey (and both the originals are dead) and basically exists as a prop to the Inhumans, etc, so I would recommend older comics depending on who you prefer.

[LadyLutece]

I'd pick your favorite characters and read their first paperback books from Marvel/DCs most recent reset. So for DC, that's called the New 52. So if you wanted Batman you'd search "New 52 Batman vol 1."

And with Marvel, you can either wait for the new number 1s as mentioned above or you can search for Marvel NOW comics. So for Spiderman it'd be "marvel now spiderman vol 1."

Though these are going to be a couple years old, that really isn't very long in comic book time, and these are excellent starting off points since they cover everyone's origins and everything. Also, trade paperbacks are a good format because they are often cheaper overall (about $2 per comic as opposed to $3-5) and they're easier to order instead of paying for the shipping of Batman #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 separately.

[Raye]

Hey guys I've always been a fan of the whole superhero universe, both marvel and DC. However recently I've become a lot more interested in the comic side of superheroes and would like to start diving into them(marvel). The problem is I have no idea on how to know where to begin. I am more interested in starting at a more recent time frame but I feel like I will be lost all the time since I won't know what has happened in the past? I just need some help as to where to begin or how to know what to read next? Do I start by diving into events that have taken place recently or do I start with people like Spiderman and Batman?. ANy help on this huge mess would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

You... may just want to wait for the All-New All Different books. Every book in the line is going to be getting a new #1 in October/November (and maybe December as well, we don't know yet) so that will be a new jumping on point for anything that catches your interest.

[LadyLutece]

Also, Amazon tends to have some of the best deals on paperbacks.

[HUTHAIFA]

Hey guys I've always been a fan of the whole superhero universe, both marvel and DC. However recently I've become a lot more interested in the comic side of superheroes and would like to start diving into them(marvel). The problem is I have no idea on how to know where to begin. I am more interested in starting at a more recent time frame but I feel like I will be lost all the time since I won't know what has happened in the past? I just need some help as to where to begin or how to know what to read next? Do I start by diving into events that have taken place recently or do I start with people like Spiderman and Batman?. ANy help on this huge mess would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

1) Slow down. You dont have to read everything. Thats just to daunting and going to lead to disappointment.

2)Its not all interconnected. Thats a luxury that movies have. Marvel puts out like 60 books a months for the last 20 years or so.

3)Keep an open mind. Just judge and enjoy the book on its own merit.

4)Get Marvel Unlimited. Its 9.99 per month. So if you like digital, you have a great variety of books without the murder on your pocketbook.

5)If you prefer hard copies, like other suggested I would go with more insular titles like Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, Daredevil and so forth.

[Priestly]

As others have said: it depends on what you're interested in!

My advice is the same as others, which is to start with a couple of characters or groups (the X-Men, Avengers, etc.) and then do a bit of Googling to figure out what to start reading. Typing in "______ recommended comics" or similar will yield a lot of blog and top ten type posts that can be very helpful.

If you don't have any specific characters you really want to follow, that can lead you down interesting and different paths. You can look into genres, maybe try to look up characters of color, or stories that are more supernatural than superheroic. The sky's the limit.

Oh, and give up thinking you're not going to be a little bit lost in terms of the character's history. At least while you're reading. But there's help for this - Google! Wikipedia! Any time some event or character is mentioned that you don't understand, just research a tiny bit and move on. Usually the story can be enjoyed even without 100% knowledge of the canon, so don't worry too much!

Lastly, if you want specific titles to start on, just let us know what you like and I'm sure everyone here would be happy to help!

[The Sword is Drawn]

Hey guys I've always been a fan of the whole superhero universe, both marvel and DC. However recently I've become a lot more interested in the comic side of superheroes and would like to start diving into them(marvel). The problem is I have no idea on how to know where to begin. I am more interested in starting at a more recent time frame but I feel like I will be lost all the time since I won't know what has happened in the past? I just need some help as to where to begin or how to know what to read next? Do I start by diving into events that have taken place recently or do I start with people like Spiderman and Batman?. ANy help on this huge mess would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

To be honest, cjsm12, you've probably picked a good time to start.

The majority of the Marvel Universe was cancelled for Secret Wars, by the plot of the Event.

When All-New All-Different Mavel kicks off in a few months time everthing will be relaunching with new #1s and starting off in new directions. That's the perfect time to jump in.

In the meantime dip your toes in the water with whatever you like.

[JLS Comics]

Another fun thing to do is go to your local comic shop. You already know the characters you like, from the movies, so go look through the back issues or even the random dollar boxes and pull some things that - either from the title or the cover art - pique your interest and read those! Small investment and you may discover something you like and want to start building around

[Of Atlantis]

Pick up a few trades of what interests you. See what you like and who you like, and then when Marvel relaunches this September, pick up the books that interest you to the best of your knowledge.

[Penacity]

I just recently started up after about 20 years since reading. I've always been primarily interested in X-men so I went on ebay and purchased every back issue of the latest uncanny x-men run. It wasn't that expensive. That caught me up on whats currently going on and gave me some thoughts on other series/back issues that were connected in some way to this series.

Like someone else suggested I then got a Marvel unlimited subscription for a penny (might cancel when the month is up). So I read up on most of the more recent inhuman series since they will be connected in the new series in October. And I'm currently reading back issues on x-force, new mutants etc. I sort've went back about 10 years and moved forward from there and I may gradually work my way back to where I left off 20 years ago.

[Bamfthony]

Here's what I do: Go and search through the previews here on CBR. You can search Marvel or DC or just wade through everything. It's just like browsing the comic racks.

See a cover that looks interesting? Click and read the preview pages. Wish you could read more? That's a comic you might be interested in. Maybe you'll learn that you keep checking out the Batman books, or the X-Men ones. Maybe you'll surprise yourself and start searching the Image books. There's so much info right here on this website that can help you narrow down your search. Good luck.