What decade did you first start reading comics?

[Abe]

For me, it was more the reverse. I'd been reading US comics since 1970; but, started reading European comics, in earnest, in the early 90s. Aside from a couple of Heavy Metals, Archie Goodwin helped launch me along the path, with his collaboration with Pepe Moreno, on Generation Zero. That led to Rebel and Zeppelin. From there, it exploded into a ton of stuff from Catalan Communications (Igort, Vittorio Giardino, Bilal, Varene, several more), NBM (Schuiten, Druillet, Caza, Segrelles, more Giardino), Dark Horse (Cheval Noir, Rocco Vargas,), Humanoids (their 90's/2000s partnership with DC, with Bilal, Charland, Boucq, Jodorowsky & Best) and, now Cinebook (Valerian, Lucky Luke, Spirou & Fantasio, Blake & Mortimer, Antares, Long John Silver, XIII and much, much more).

I'm really impressed by your knowledge of European Bande Dessinée. I noticed it in several posts in many threads - and was more than interested by the history of their publication on the other side of the ocean.

According to your list, you read them more than I did !!!

About Spirou & Fantasio, I was surprised that Franquin hasn't been translated as much as Hergé. IMHO he is an absolute genius and - I checked the Cinebook website - I think that the best is to come for you - even better if you have children. Till "Le nid des marsupilamis" (The nest of the marsupilamis) his Spirou adventures are pure genious. There is also the strip Gaston Lagaffe, especially the first years. And "Les idées noires" (Dark thoughts). For this one use google image : even if you can't read French, you'll understand the deal. And it was published in a magazine for children... O tempora, o mores !....

[MajorHoy]

1960s to start reading comic books, but not any series on a regular basis.

After the summer of 1972 was when I really started regularly buying / collecting them.

[Kirby101]

Read them in the 60s as a kid, started to be an avid reader and collector with the publication of Conan the Barbarian #1 in 1970.

[marvelmaniac6169]

I probably started looking at comic books around 61/62 (I would have been 6/7) and they would have been funny books like Archie/Harvey and maybe some DC if my friends had them.

I did not become interested in or start collecting comics (Marvel) until late 64, early 65.

[MajorHoy]

So far, just over half the respondents chose either "1970s" or "1980s", with "1990s" being the third most common poll choice.

[Spike-X]

Way back in the nineteen hundred and seventies!

The first comics I had were Australian B&W reprint albums of then-current and past DC stories (with a bit of early Marvel now and then). So I got exposed to a lot of stuff, from Bates, Maggin and Swan's Superman, O'Neil and Adams' Batman, all the way back to Justice Society reprints from the 40s. As well as 50s Wayne Boring Superman stories, Infantino's Flash, early Supergirl and Superboy stories, 50s-70s Justice League...There was even the odd Kirby Mister Miracle story thrown in, but that was too much for my lil' mind back then. I had no idea how good I had it!

Then around 1983, proper American colour Marvel comics started appearing in the local newsagent's, allowing me to bask in the glory of Stern and JR jr's Amazing Spider-Man, Simonson's Thor, and Byrne's Fantastic Four. These were followed a couple of years later by the very first post-Crisis DC Comics. I used to have complete runs of Byrne's Superman and Perez' Wonder Woman, bought straight off the shelves as they came out.

What a time to be alive!

[mogwen]

My first comic was a Spécial Strange, a french magazine with 2 issues of Uncanny X-Men, one of Spiderman Team-up, and one of The Thing Team-up!
spstr25_10052002.jpg

[Jack Dracula]

I was 9 years old when I bought my first comic back in 1977. It was Metal Men #49 and I still have it, though it's in pretty bad shape.

[The Darknight Detective]

I was 9 years old when I bought my first comic back in 1977. It was Metal Men #49 and I still have it, though it's in pretty bad shape.

Heh. My first Metal Men was #48 featuring Eclipso. It's not in the best shape, either.

[MajorHoy]

My first comic was a Spécial Strange, a french magazine with 2 issues of Uncanny X-Men, one of Spiderman Team-up, and one of The Thing Team-up!

I'm assuming those would have been "Marvel Team-Up" (Spider-Man) and "Marvel Two-in-One" (The Thing) for here in the U.S., though The Thing did originally have his first couple of team-up issues at the end of the Marvel Feature run in 1973.

I was 9 years old when I bought my first comic back in 1977. It was Metal Men #49 and I still have it, though it's in pretty bad shape.

Heh. My first Metal Men was #48 featuring Eclipso. It's not in the best shape, either.

NOTE: My first issue was #42, when they first revived the series with reprints of earlier stories.

[Personamanx]

I would say '90s. Was given stacks of comics for Birthday, and Christmas gifts before I could even read them well enough to appreciate. Wasn't until fairly late in the decade that I would be able to read them as soon as they were given to me. Took until 2003 or so for me to venture into a comic shop for the first time, but it still took some time for the hobby to eat my allowance for most of my teenage years.

[MajorHoy]

It looks like about three-fourths (3⁄4) of people who responded to this poll chose either 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s.

(Of course, I chose something other than those three decades . . . )

[TriggerWarning]

70's. Saw some little movie called Star Wars and became obsessed so my mom bought me some of the Marvel Star Wars comics. Star Wars #14 is my first ever comic and I still have it. May never have started reading superhero comics if not for Star Wars.

[MajorHoy]

70's. Saw some little movie called Star Wars and became obsessed so my mom bought me some of the Marvel Star Wars comics. Star Wars #14 is my first ever comic and I still have it. May never have started reading superhero comics if not for Star Wars.

And tomorrow (May 4th) is Star Wars Day!

May the 4th be with you!

[Kyer]

I kind of want to split my vote:

I first ran across comics in the early 60's.
But then the supermarket stopped carrying them in the mid 70's?
So I didn't learn they still were printing new material (other than the DC special Death of Superman) until the last week of 2008. The one SF/Fantasy store I would once a year (birthday gift) get to go to probably had new comics, but I was too busy frantically searching for anything Star Trek or Doctor Who back then to have the time to look at anything else. (My ride got bored quickly and I was pushing it to get twenty minutes search time.)