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Post by iamasianbatgirl on Jul 17, 2014 12:27:38 GMT -5
I've been asked a lot about comics and my recommendations recently and that made me want to write a post on my blog for new/perspective comic book fans because it can be really daunting, especially for women. Some of my tips include: follow creators not characters, be open to try new genres, reach out to local LCS's and ask questions. I was just wondering what tips you guys might have for getting immersed into the wonderful world of comics
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jul 17, 2014 12:38:06 GMT -5
I've been asked a lot about comics and my recommendations recently and that made me want to write a post on my blog for new/perspective comic book fans because it can be really daunting especially for women. Some of my tips include: follow creators not characters, be open to try new genres, reach out to local LCS's and ask questions. I was just wondering what tips you guys might have for getting immersed into the wonderful world of comics Nikki, First off, they should all listen to Talking Comics! Seriously, all your points are well-taken and the ones that I would espouse; additionally, I would advise trying not to get locked into any one "family of books" ( Batman, X- Men, etc) before sampling a broader range, not to frequent any store that won't provide the help you need (or makes you feel as an "outsider"), and that libraries can be a great resource, with many of them stocking single issues now, as well as trades and graphic novels! Please, when your entry is up, can you post a link? I'd love to see it! |
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Turk
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Posts: 97 
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Post by Turk on Jul 17, 2014 14:09:05 GMT -5
Read more than just 1 issue of a book before you decide whether or not you like it. Sometimes you have to let a story arc sink in.
Don't feel confined to Marvel or DC. There are so many great stories from the smaller guys as well. I used to think that if it was any good then the big 2 would pick it up and boy was I wrong.
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Post by Huw on Jul 17, 2014 14:19:11 GMT -5
I would suggest taking note of which writers are on books that you really like. Then find other work by them and look for what they have coming up.
Quite often you'll find certain writers will click with your tastes more than others, whilst some don't speak to you at all.
Also, don't be afraid to stop reading titles that you're no longer enjoying, obviously give them a chance before deciding that, though! You can always look out for when a new writing team will take over and jump back on.
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Post by Huw on Jul 17, 2014 14:21:24 GMT -5
I would suggest taking note of which writers are on books that you really like. Then find other work by them and look for what they have coming up.
Quite often you'll find certain writers will click with your tastes more than others, whilst some don't speak to you at all.
Also, don't be afraid to stop reading titles that you're no longer enjoying, obviously give them a chance before deciding that, though! You can always look out for when a new writing team will take over and jump back on.
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Post by iamasianbatgirl on Jul 17, 2014 20:25:45 GMT -5
I've been asked a lot about comics and my recommendations recently and that made me want to write a post on my blog for new/perspective comic book fans because it can be really daunting especially for women. Some of my tips include: follow creators not characters, be open to try new genres, reach out to local LCS's and ask questions. I was just wondering what tips you guys might have for getting immersed into the wonderful world of comics Nikki, First off, they should all listen to Talking Comics! Seriously, all your points are well-taken and the ones that I would espouse; additionally, I would advise trying not to get locked into any one "family of books" ( Batman, X- Men, etc) before sampling a broader range, not to frequent any store that won't provide the help you need (or makes you feel as an "outsider"), and that libraries can be a great resource, with many of them stocking single issues now, as well as trades and graphic novels! Please, when your entry is up, can you post a link? I'd love to see it! Thank you for the tips, Bob... everybody, really. I knew this would be the best place to ask! And of course, recommending Talking Comics is a given. ;D I'll definitely post a link to the blog post once I'm done but if anybody has anymore tips, feel free to add to the list! |
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Post by darthrabie on Jul 19, 2014 6:44:09 GMT -5
Everybody always says, "follow creators not characters." How does one know who the good creators are if they have never read comics? I followed a group of characters for over twenty five years. When I started any title had to have either X or mutants in it. From there I started learning what writer I liked and what artist I liked. I still read Uncanny X-Men and Uncanny Avengers but I also read a bunch of other stuff as well due to my knowldge of the industry. I would say pick a character, or a team book. Read them for a year. If the book is from the big two there will be different artist on it. Then go from there. I also think Bob was spot on with suggesting the library. When I lived in Vancouver my wife and I were busy with babies. I could not afford comics, but the library was stocked with so many trades.
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Post by Huw on Jul 19, 2014 7:21:26 GMT -5
Everybody always says, "follow creators not characters." How does one know who the good creators are if they have never read comics? I followed a group of characters for over twenty five years. When I started any title had to have either X or mutants in it. From there I started learning what writer I liked and what artist I liked. I still read Uncanny X-Men and Uncanny Avengers but I also read a bunch of other stuff as well due to my knowldge of the industry. I would say pick a character, or a team book. Read them for a year. If the book is from the big two there will be different artist on it. Then go from there. I also think Bob was spot on with suggesting the library. When I lived in Vancouver my wife and I were busy with babies. I could not afford comics, but the library was stocked with so many trades. That's a good question! I guess you learn which characters you like before you decide on creators. As you find the characters you like, you'll learn what you want to see from them and how you like them written. For example, I love Batman. I know that when I read Scott Snyder, Grant Morrison and Greg Rucka's Batman I will invariably enjoy them. However, I'm not a fan of how David Finch writes Batman. Another example is Fantastic Four, Jonathan Hickman's run was one of the best runs in modern comics and hit all the spots you'd expect from an F4 title. But the current writer has people turning away from the book, myself included. So I guess at the start it's about finding your feet character wise and the rest will follow. Follow writers on twitter, too. You'll learn who's popular quite easily on there and you can test the water in their books as a result. |
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Post by courtneyk on Jul 20, 2014 21:47:59 GMT -5
I got back into comics (and into superhero comics for the first time) in January. For me, what's worked is checking out lots of #1s to get an idea of what I do and don't like, and which creators I love and which I'm not such a fan of. I'm also lucky in that my local comic shop has a fantastic staff who talk to new customers about what they're interested in and will make recommendations. If you go into a shop and it seems to have an approachable staff, ask them what they're reading, and what they like about it. Let them know what brought you to comics and what you like in other media, and see if they have suggestions. For me, I came into comics via the MCU, and I like that lighter tone to my superhero stuff, so the staff has helped me find books in that vein that I like.
Listening to the Talking Comics podcast has also been extremely helpful in learning more about what's out there. I also like the How to Love Comics website and tumblr, and more recently I've been listening to the Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast to get into the X-Men comics. I cannot say this enough, but if you are reading superhero comics for the first time, Wikipedia is your friend!!! Don't feel silly if you have to stop to look a character up - I know there are long-time readers who do the same thing. It does get easier as you go along, and then you get to have a-ha! moments like when I was in the theater for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and they mentioned Stephen Strange and I was like I KNOW WHO THAT IS.
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Post by iamasianbatgirl on Jul 21, 2014 11:22:59 GMT -5
I got back into comics (and into superhero comics for the first time) in January. For me, what's worked is checking out lots of #1s to get an idea of what I do and don't like, and which creators I love and which I'm not such a fan of. I'm also lucky in that my local comic shop has a fantastic staff who talk to new customers about what they're interested in and will make recommendations. If you go into a shop and it seems to have an approachable staff, ask them what they're reading, and what they like about it. Let them know what brought you to comics and what you like in other media, and see if they have suggestions. For me, I came into comics via the MCU, and I like that lighter tone to my superhero stuff, so the staff has helped me find books in that vein that I like. Listening to the Talking Comics podcast has also been extremely helpful in learning more about what's out there. I also like the How to Love Comics website and tumblr, and more recently I've been listening to the Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast to get into the X-Men comics. I cannot say this enough, but if you are reading superhero comics for the first time, Wikipedia is your friend!!! Don't feel silly if you have to stop to look a character up - I know there are long-time readers who do the same thing. It does get easier as you go along, and then you get to have a-ha! moments like when I was in the theater for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and they mentioned Stephen Strange and I was like I KNOW WHO THAT IS. That Wikipedia tip is great! I forgot that I did that a lot when I got into Geoff Johns' Teen Titans in grade school and especially when I got back into X-Men. |
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Post by WiccanBeyond on Jul 21, 2014 16:46:29 GMT -5
I worked at a comic shop for about six years, one of the things that I liked to do was encourage curious and potential readers to not be intimidated. For some reason there's the idea out there that you have to start at the very beginning. You don't. Find whatever looks good to you and jump on in.
And honestly, I have found that a graphic novel work really well for this, because they are a complete story. My personal, go-to gateway graphic novels were: Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman: For All Seasons, Spider-Man: Blue, Superman Secret Origin by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales. And in the case of Superman Secret Origin, if they liked that I could then recommend the volumes Action Comics graphic novel Johns and Frank did together.
And for the NPR listeners in your life there is: Fatale, Sex Criminals, Fun or anything by Greg Rucka... Actually, ignore everything I said before and just throw Greg Rucka comics at whatever new reader comes your way.
And no Before Watchmen. Alan Moore will curse you. You need to warn new readers of the reality of such dangers when they enter the fun and wacky world of comics.
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Post by Nick on Jul 22, 2014 11:10:32 GMT -5
It's been stated before, but I suggest people just jump right in on whatever book holds their eye for more than a few seconds. Also, make getting into comics a game: try three or four books a week until you have three or four books you want to continue reading regularly. And yes, Talking Comics has been a great resource for me, especially when I got back into comics a year or so ago.
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Post by iamasianbatgirl on Jul 22, 2014 11:16:13 GMT -5
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Post by Simon on Jul 23, 2014 8:32:37 GMT -5
That was a well written article, do you post articles like this often?
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Post by courtneyk on Jul 23, 2014 9:23:53 GMT -5
Great article! I just followed you on tumblr, by the way. I'm slippedintherain on there. You can follow me if you enjoy seeing lots of pictures of Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston and Michael Fassbender along with some comics content. |
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