Where should I start?

[Arsenal]

Before I get this started, I just want to apologize in advance if I posted this in the wrong place. If that happens to be the case, I'd appreciate it if y'all could point me in the right direction. Now with that out of the way, let's get to the important stuff:

While I've been a semi-consistent comic reader for the past couple years, the only thing DC related that I read was the New 52 & Rebirth titles and even then I tended to stay with the names I easily recognized. Recently, however, I decided to check out vol. 3 of the Teen Titans (don't ask why because I don't have an answer) and it sparked my interest on expanding my horizons on all things DC comic related.

Since DC has a rather complicated looking history for those of us are new to it, I was hoping some of you guys could suggest an era/reboot (i.e Crisis/Post Crisis, New 52, Rebirth) and maybe some series during the era worth checking out so I have an idea on where to go next.

I can throw together a list of some of the series that I remember checking out if it'll help but honestly as long as the art & story is good that's usually enough to catch my interest.

[Ascended]

I can throw together a list of some of the series that I remember checking out if it'll help but honestly as long as the art & story is good that's usually enough to catch my interest.

Well, it'd be easier to make recommendations if we knew what your tastes were like and what you've already sampled.

As for a good place to jump in, Rebirth is as good a place as any other (and better than some). Once you have an idea of what you like and what you want to read, you can start digging into older material. Several of my recommendations will be from the New52 era, and while there are marked differences between that and Rebirth, it's basically the same history and characters (just with some changes to direction mostly) so you can read from New52 to Rebirth fairly smoothly in most cases. Any recommendations from before the New52....well, the details of how they do or dont fit with current continuity dont matter. Just read them as stand-alone tales and dont worry about it beyond that.

So you've stuck with the recognizable names? Okay, let's see. I'll stick to things that are fairly recent for the most part just to make it easier.

Superman Rebirth, by Tomasi, is excellent. Its largely focused on Clark and his family but still throws out the big, crazy ideas you might expect from Superman. The background continuity is a little messed up right now, but not so much it'll prevent you from enjoying the hell out of the book. If you enjoy Superman, also try Morrison's All-Star Superman. All-Star is not set in any continuity and stands alone, making it a great choice for new readers. If you want a Superman who has a little more swagger to him, read Morrison's first New52 Action Comics trade "Superman And the Men of Steel." That's technically part of current continuity, but not really important anymore. And if you want a different sort of take on Superman, read Max Landis' American Alien. Also a stand alone, self-contained story.

Wonder Woman Rebirth by Rucka is really solid and a lot of fun. It currently alternates between an origin story and a story set in the present where Diana is learning about the mountain of lies her life has been built around. Highly recommended. If you enjoy that, also try Morrison's Wonder Woman Earth 1. A self-contained, non-continuity graphic novel that has Diana dealing with the ramifications of her going to "Man's World." If you want a darker, creepier take on the character that doesnt really change Diana's basic personality, check out Azzarello's New52 Wonder Woman run. That series was polarizing and a very slow burn, more horror/thriller than superhero, and traditionalists hate it, but it might be for you.

If you want Batman, try Detective Comics Rebirth by Tynion. It features Batman but will also introduce you to a number of other Gotham based heroes, including Batwoman, Red Robin, and Spoiler. Well written, great art, totally worth checking out. I'd also recommend Snyder's New52 Batman. Its got some problems and a couple storylines that a lot of us here cannot stand, but overall its pretty good and very popular. And if it turns out you like Batwoman, she had a New52 series you can check out as well as a new solo title starting next month.

If you want a kooky, ridiculous title that doesnt take itself seriously at all, and you're a fan of black humor and cartoonishly violent anti-heroes, read Harley Quinn by Conner and Palometti (spelling?). The Rebirth series picks up where the New52 series left off, so I'd start with the New52 and go from there. Its consistent, and in between the jokes and blood its actually had some pretty cool moments. My wife and I are big anti-domestic violence advocates, and this title finally gave us the "Harley kicks Joker's ass to the curb" story we've been waiting for.

If you like Green Arrow (possibly seen on the CW's Arrow show?) then give Green Arrow Rebirth, by Percy, a shot. I just read the first trade paperback last week and thought it was solid. If you are a fan of the CW show, just know that comic book Ollie is a knee-jerk liberal bordering on full-on socialist. But dont let that stop you, he's a fun character regardless of personal politics. If you like that, also try Year One by Andy Diggle, which served as a major inspiration for the show, and Longbow Hunters by Grell, which is easily the most beloved Arrow story out there. That's an older series from the 80's but it holds up decently. You'll find that Percy's Rebirth series deals a lot with Black Canary, and if you like her you may want to check out the New52/DCYOU solo Black Canary series by Wu. The first trade is called Kicking and Screaming. Some people here didnt care for it, most didnt seem to read it at all, but I enjoyed it. Maybe you will too.

Other titles that might be worth it for you include Deathstroke Rebirth by Priest. He's an assassin for hire, a very bad man, and a worse father. Really strong title right now and one of the best from Rebirth. Aquaman Rebirth by Abnett is pretty good but I would recommend the New52 Aquaman series by Johns first. Next month will see the start of JLA by Orlando, and this month there are four stand-alone issues starring individual members of the new team (Atom, Vixen, The Ray, and Killer Frost). It's likely worth checking out and if you do watch the CW shows you'll see several familiar faces. Also next month a book called Super-Sons debuts, starring Superman's son Jon/Superboy and Batman's son Damien/Robin. Written by Tomasi. Everyone is really hyped for this book. And going back a couple years, if you like horror themed comics try Snyder's New52 Swamp Thing and Lemire's New52 Animal Man. Both are excellent. I'd also recommend the New52 Dial H by China Meleive (spelling?), which is basically Tim Burton doing alternate reality heroes summoned by an old rotary phone. Yes, its that weird and its brilliant. And the New52 Red Lantern series by Soule (trade is called Blood Brothers) might be to your liking. It's basically "Star Wars meets Sons of Anarchy" and one of my personal favorites from the last few years.

And this last recommendation has nothing to do with current continuity, is from the early 90's, and the main character hasn't been seen in years. But all that aside, Starman by Robinson is one of the greatest comics ever published. The only collection you'll probably be able to find in print are six omnibuses and they're expensive, but you could likely find the series digitally on either comixology or the DC app.

Hope that helps!

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

Well, if it's just major eras of reboots, you listed the main ones already, save maybe Zero Hour and Infinite Crisis. As for great series during those times? Oye, there are a lot...was there any type of specific of specific style you prefer? Besides Teen Titans? Since you seem to lean towards the main continuity stuff, did you want mainstream, non-fringe superhero titles that play into the bigger picture?

Either way, I'll just quickly recommend Johns' Flash, Johns' JSA, Johns' Teen Titans, Johns' GL, Morrison's Batman epic, Morrison's JLA, Kelly's JLA, Waid's JLA, Waid's Flash, Byrne's Superman...ugh, guess that wasn't too quickly and probably not as nice to read in list-form. I know I've missed some good runs I'm sure, other posters can probably be more helpful. And I wasn't even including fringe stuff like Ennis's Hitman, O'Neil's The Question, Ostrander's Suicide Squad, etc.

Some stuff is currently being re-printed like Waid's Flash, PAD's Supergirl, and I think something else big (Ostrander's Spectre?).

Anyway, if you were able to narrow down exactly what you're looking for - characters, style, does reading order matter, continuity, format even, etc - it may be a bit easier to give suggestions outside of the dozens, possibly hundreds of great runs over the past 40 years lol.

[Lee Stone]

My personal rankings:

1. Post-Crisis (1986-1994)
2. Rebirth (2016- )
3. Post-Zero Hour (1994-2006)
4. New52 (2011-2016)
5. Post-Infinite Crisis (2006-2011)

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

My personal rankings:

1. Post-Crisis (1986-1994)
2. Rebirth (2016- )
3. Post-Zero Hour (1994-2006)
4. New52 (2011-2016)
5. Post-Infinite Crisis (2006-2011)

wow rebirth is okay but certainly not better than post-zero hour, and I don't even include the new 52 at all lol

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

what I did was just pick one era of history and start there. so Post-Crisis would be Man of Steel vol 1-9, Green lantern corps tpb, Justice League International, George Perez Wonder Woman. and just go from there. One thing about DC is unlike Marvel they still have alot of older stuff that is uncollected in trades. If your really trying to read the whole line, instead of just certain series, you'll probably have to hit the comic shop the old fashioned way. Although after the mid 2000's MOSTLY everything is collected.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

My personal rankings:

1. Post-Crisis (1986-1994)
2. Rebirth (2016- )
3. Post-Zero Hour (1994-2006)
4. New52 (2011-2016)
5. Post-Infinite Crisis (2006-2011)

I didn't read much Post-Crisis DCU (lots of which were out of continuity, anyway). But I suppose I can't really argue that list since the subsequent 4 fall in line w/ my top eras and I know lots of ppl love classic Post-Crisis runs. Well, I suppose I did read all the major Vertigo runs, which were DCU at the time, so I suppose I can stand behind your rankings.

But as for pure sentimentality, Rebirth and Post-Zero Hour are definitely my 2 favorite DC eras.

[failo.legendkiller]

It's a very close battle for the 1st place:
1. Post-Zero Hour (1994-2006)
2. Post-Crisis (1986-1994)

Far away:
3. Rebirth (2016- )
4. Post-Infinite Crisis (2006-2011)
5. New52 (2011-2016)

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

It's a very close battle for the 1st place:
1. Post-Zero Hour (1994-2006)
2. Post-Crisis (1986-1994)

Far away:
3. Rebirth (2016- )
4. Post-Infinite Crisis (2006-2011)
5. New52 (2011-2016)

Maybe just nosetalgia but I've always liked the post Infinite Crisis era, better to me than the triangle era Superman and the post Zero Hour. I really liked the JSA JLA runs from that period. Morrison Batman, Superman brianiac/ new Krypton, Red Robin, Superboy Adventure Comics, Dick Grayson as Batman, Blackest Night were all great for me. I'd actually put it even higher than post crisis, although admittedly I might be in the minority on that

[MykeHavoc]

Following Crisis, you had some impressive relaunches: Byrne's Superman, Perez's Wonder Woman, Grell's Green Arrow, Ostrander's Suicide Squad, the rise of the Elseworlds imprint, the introduction of Justice League International and Wally West taking over as Flash. Lot's of good stuff. Starting there and moving forward, I'd imagine you'd find plenty to like, and spans 25 years worth of publication. Also, everything listed has been recollected in trades recently for very reasonable prices. A good time to catch up on the modern era DCU.

[Netherman14]

Superman Rebirth, by Tomasi, is excellent. Its largely focused on Clark and his family but still throws out the big, crazy ideas you might expect from Superman. The background continuity is a little messed up right now, but not so much it'll prevent you from enjoying the hell out of the book.

Though I had some reservations (I had added the first trade to my Amazon shopping cart you see), I'm glad that they're not true and that I'm about to order the correct trade.
Superman Vol. 1 - Son Of Superman (2017) - Cover.jpg

[Stanlos]

Before I get this started, I just want to apologize in advance if I posted this in the wrong place. If that happens to be the case, I'd appreciate it if y'all could point me in the right direction. Now with that out of the way, let's get to the important stuff:

While I've been a semi-consistent comic reader for the past couple years, the only thing DC related that I read was the New 52 & Rebirth titles and even then I tended to stay with the names I easily recognized. Recently, however, I decided to check out vol. 3 of the Teen Titans (don't ask why because I don't have an answer) and it sparked my interest on expanding my horizons on all things DC comic related.

Since DC has a rather complicated looking history for those of us are new to it, I was hoping some of you guys could suggest an era/reboot (i.e Crisis/Post Crisis, New 52, Rebirth) and maybe some series during the era worth checking out so I have an idea on where to go next.

I can throw together a list of some of the series that I remember checking out if it'll help but honestly as long as the art & story is good that's usually enough to catch my interest.

I recommend the following:

JLA: HEAVEN'S LADDER
JLA/TITANS: THE TECHNIS IMPERATIVE
SUPERMAN: REBIRTH
JLA: TOWER OF BABEL
JLA: DIVIDED WE FALL
Wonder Woman: DOWN TO EARTH, WONDER WOMAN: BITTER RIVALS, WONDER WOMAN: EYES OF THE GORGON, WONDER WOMAN: LAND OF THE DEAD, and WONDER WOMAN: MISSION'S END (these make up Rucka's first run on the character and you have the benefit of reading through without the annoying wait)
SUPERMAN: UP UP AND AWAY

[Ascended]

Though I had some reservations (I had added the first trade to my Amazon shopping cart you see), I'm glad that they're not true and that I'm about to order the correct trade.

Oh, just you wait man. The first six issues are solid (that's what you'll be getting in that trade I assume) but it get so much better after that.

[poroto678]

I did two things that kinda worked for me. First, I started reading stuff by highly recommended writers (Like Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka or Mark Waid), which made me a hardcore Geoff Johns fans. I started reading his Flash, then JSA and Teen Titans. Later, of course, i got into Green Lantern. I know they tie-in with major events sometimes, but i mostly overlooked that. I tried not to worry about continuity much at first.

The main goal is to gain experience as a reader and knowledge about the DC Universe (some events requiere a lot of it)

After some serious reading, you google "[Insert Big Event here] reading order" and you read what sounds good. I'd start with the road to Infinite Crisis. I did that and it wasn't hard. After that, a new status quo started (one Year Later), so you can pick up anything you want without any problems. Plus, IC is really good and it's followed by 52, which is glorious.

Why do i recommend to do that? One of my first books was Crisis on Infinite Earths. Yeah, it's THE most important comic book in modern history, but i didn't understand a lot of it cuz i was pretty new to comics. The same would happen with events like Infinite Crisis or Blackest night if you don't get a glimpse of DC continuity first.

Last advice. DcWikia (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/DC_Comics_Database) will be your best friend.

Good Luck!