You should really start reading comic books … or at least consider reading them. I know that they get a bad reputation as being for kids, boys or the lazy person’s version of a book. Trust me when I say, this reputation is unfounded and impeding on the ability of people like you and me to enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures—laying down and opening up a page to beautiful artwork and gripping dialogue. In case you were wondering, no you do not have to love superheroes to love comic books: there are as many types of comics as there are fictional genres, including some with your favorite television or film characters. Overall, if you like watching television and you like reading books, you’re missing out on the world of comic books.
If you’ve read this far, I’m now going to write under the assumption that you’re interested in reading comics but don’t know where to even start. I’ll be the first to say that I’ve been there but have been lucky enough to have an older brother that’s coached me in the ways of the comic book. So here I am, selfishly asking to be your comic-book-big-sister so I can see more familiar faces in the comic shop. But before we get to that, let’s search for a book for you in the following segments: find a broad interest, simplify that interest, find a comic and enjoy.
Personally, I’m a big DC Comics fan. What they lack in producing quality movies they make up for in stellar printed stories. Though my brother, the person responsible for getting me into comics, reads and recommends to me all sorts of stories from different publishing companies, like Marvel, Dark Horse and the multitude of independent publishing companies that exist. It’s all just a matter of finding what stories interest you. If you’re like me and grew up watching Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans, I would recommend reading Geoff Johns’ Teen Titans run. It was actually the first comic book series I ever read and kept me interested to dive into more. This train of thought, while quick, follows the same steps mentioned before: find an interest and simplify it.
If you’re not already a fan of superheroes (or not at all) it could initially be challenging finding a story that’s right for you. I recommend finding your first comic book in a few different ways. One is doing some quick research on the most popular and well-rated books if you’re the type of person that’ll see a movie if a friend recommends it. If you want something that’s more tailored to your taste, I would recommend this quiz. It has 10 questions that are great for newer readers like “Have you ever read a comic book before?”, “What genre speaks out to you the most?” and “How much action can you handle?”. If you don’t like your result, feel free to do more quiz-searching– there are loads out there!
To help simplify your search even further to your specific tastes (and if you don’t have them yet, trust me you will), go to a local comic book shop and flip through different ones! You’ll notice differences in art styles, storytelling and types of characters that will make all the difference in the types of comics you’ll find yourself gravitating towards. These small shops live off of the public’s interest and deeply appreciate any patronage, so feel free to ask any questions you may have and visit often! There’s also no shame in picking something up just because it looks pretty. Whoever said “don’t judge a book by its cover” never read comic books; it’s incredibly important that you appreciate the art enough for you to want to turn to the next page. After all, a comic book is at least 50 percent art.
Now if you’ve picked up a story and want to read more but don’t know where to turn to next … same. Comic books can be incredibly tricky when figuring out how to continue the story as you’ll probably buy an issue or book that isn’t yet completed or ties into another writer’s story. This step requires some research, but nothing that’s more than a Google search away. So, let’s say I wanted to continue reading after Geoff Johns’ Teen Titans #12. I would type that title into a search engine and see what pops up. If you’re reading a story published by DC or Marvel Comics, there are two sites that will be your best friend. Here is where you’ll essentially find a Wiki page for each comic issue published by DC (including telling you the previous and next issue in the story), and the same exists for Marvel. Other information exists for different publishers that you could easily find through some quick searching. Try to watch out for spoilers along the way!
That’s basically all you really need to know when first getting into comic books, the rest you’ll figure out along the way! I hope this article sparked some sort of interest or curiosity in you to explore what might have once seemed daunting or unknown. If you even just feel like you’ve learned something new, that’s great too! I encourage you to explore any interests you may have, regardless of whatever invisible barriers seem to exist between you and enjoying them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some reading to do.