reborn marvel comic reader...where to begin AGAIN!

[gsy971]

Thanks for everyones input! Although i am so confused at the different tittles for same teams and individuals.
So what is:
House of M
Ultimates
Civil War
X-Men: Astonishing/Uncanny/regular
Back in "the day", one team/individual, one comic. Now there seems to be whole different series and stuff. This is where I am getting most confused.
Thanks again

[Gaz]

Thanks for everyones input! Although i am so confused at the different tittles for same teams and individuals.
So what is:
House of M
Ultimates
Civil War
X-Men: Astonishing/Uncanny/regular
Back in "the day", one team/individual, one comic. Now there seems to be whole different series and stuff. This is where I am getting most confused.
Thanks again
Astonishing X-Men is the main X-Men, with Cyclops as leader. New X-Men is the new generation of X-Men who are training.
House of M was a big crossover with the X-Men and Avengers, resulting in most mutants losing their powers.
The Ultimates are a sort of version of the Avengers set in another world which also has versions of the X-Men, FF and Spider-Man. They're bascially, simplified and updated versions of the base characters.
Civil War is another crossover, centred around a dispute over secret identities, I believe.

[dingo]

Thanks for everyones input! Although i am so confused at the different tittles for same teams and individuals.
So what is:
House of M
Ultimates
Civil War
X-Men: Astonishing/Uncanny/regular
Back in "the day", one team/individual, one comic. Now there seems to be whole different series and stuff. This is where I am getting most confused.
Thanks again

House of M is a big event that just finished. Probably best to just be aware that it happened, it reduced the number of mutants to less than 500 or so, forget about it and move on.

Ultimates is the Avengers but in the ultimate universe. The Ultimate universe is what marvel did rather than have an infinite crisis when the continuity started getting too big. The ultimate universe is great, especially for new people, but it is completely separate and unrelated to the normal universe, refered to as 616.

Civil War is the next new event that is going to happen, there is a lot of info on this in the Civil War Forum so feel free to go over there if you want to have a look.

The X-men various comics are basically marvel being aware that an x-men fan will buy several x-men books per month and make sure to offer them. If you are thinking of buying one and would like to know which is best of these you probably need to go ask on the X-forum.

Having said all that I am not so sure anyone has been particularly helpful in this thread.

This is the Marvel U according to ME ;)

I ignore the X-books.

Flagship books are

The New Avengers
The Fantastic Four
Amazing Spider-Man

I always get these. They are the Marvel U to me.

Then you have some other second tier books you may like to pick up.

The Thunderbolts (this is a team of ex-villains trying to redeem themselves)
Iron-man (plagued by delays lately)
Captain America (getting rave reviews lately but I don't read it)
Daredevil (also getting rave reviews, big changes going on)
etc (including other spider-man books)

Now for the interesting stuff. These are the books that people rave about online. They are the cream of the crop as far as creativity go.

She-Hulk
The Thing
- Both written by Dan Slott and both extremely great books. He is a fun writer with a lot of respect for the characters and a good knowledge of what has happened and is happening.

Young Avengers
Runaways
-Both also get rave review around here too. Hard to pass up.

Ultimate Titles -
Ult Fantastic Four
Ult Spider-Man
Ultimates
Ult X-men (the only x-book i buy)
plus various mini-series
These books get some of the best talent on them and it shows. The quality is always extremely high. You may hear people bitching about one title or another but I feel that is just because the bar has been set so high anything less than sublime looks crap. Another good thing about these titles is that by buying a few trade paper backs you can completely catch up and know EVERYTHING about these characters. Marvel is keeping it small for this reason.

Anyhow, that is my take on things. Which means you need to decide.

First of 616 or Ultimates.
If you go Ult I recomend just buying all four monthlies and have done.

If you go 616, you need to decide your tastes.
I have ignored X-men because they don't do it for me.
I would recomend at least the one I listed as central to the 616 universe and the two Dan Slott books though. I feel that is a good place to start.

Anyhow after that longwinded rabbiting on, if you are not totally scared away, if you have any other specific questions feel free to ask.

[gsy971]

thanks dingo. from australia? will be going to nsw mid march for vacation.
I think i want to stick with earth 616. i don't want to get hooked up with alternate universes unless i have to.

i just finished a inhumans graffic novel which entailed them going to the hymalayas. great read. it had more of an adult feel to it. characters sensibilty and physical drawings more real and mature.

this is what i am looking for in the marvel comics. i know "basically" origins of the mainline marvel characters so i don't need to start at the beggining but wouldn't mind reading more updated/mature origin stories along with the new and old adventures.

BUT THERE IS SO MUCH OUT THERE! I AM STILL NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN! the inhumans were great and i would like to continue that read. I will take your advice and look into the thing and she-hulk material. any other suggestions are welcomed.

[dingo]

thanks dingo. from australia? will be going to nsw mid march for vacation.
I think i want to stick with earth 616. i don't want to get hooked up with alternate universes unless i have to.

i just finished a inhumans graffic novel which entailed them going to the hymalayas. great read. it had more of an adult feel to it. characters sensibilty and physical drawings more real and mature.

this is what i am looking for in the marvel comics. i know "basically" origins of the mainline marvel characters so i don't need to start at the beggining but wouldn't mind reading more updated/mature origin stories along with the new and old adventures.

BUT THERE IS SO MUCH OUT THERE! I AM STILL NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN! the inhumans were great and i would like to continue that read. I will take your advice and look into the thing and she-hulk material. any other suggestions are welcomed.

Firstly, yes I am from Australia, Perth on the West coast. Have a great time in NSW.

Now I know you have said that you want to keep away from the ultimate titles, but if you are looking for stories with an adult feel then you can not go past the Ultimates.

All hyperbole aside, this is the best comic on the market, and arguably will end up one of the all time great comic books. The art is very realistic, if apparently somewhat slow to do. It would probably be worth picking up the trade paper backs.


As for The Thing and She-Hulk, just so there is no mis-representation, they are first and foremost fun books. Now fun and serious are not mutually exclusive but just so you are aware they are fun. (I still say everyone should be reading them).

[gsy971]

hey dingo, what is Marvel Knights? this was the type of comic i read for the Inhumans. actually it was a compilation of 12 issues of Inhumans marvel knights.

[dingo]

Marvel Knights was basically an imprint for slightly more gritty comics set in a world closer to the real world for a more mature audience.

Marvel Knights has (unfortunately for you) just been modified slightly to be a place for out-of-continuity one shots and mini-series with the same tone.

There is still the MAX line though which is an "explicit content"/adult only line. The Punisher is the flagship title of that line.
Sorry but I don't really know much about it.

[gsy971]

Marvel knights is what i like. is marvel knights new stories or just rehashed old stories written for a mature audience.? it seems the inhumans i read was rehashed mature stories. will the ultimates satisfy my marvel knights needs?

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

If you want seriously kickass super-hero books that don't skimp on the characterization, try these:
Daredevil
Captain America
New Avengers
Young Avengers
Spider-Woman:Origin (mini)
Ultimates
Uncanny X-Men
New Excalibur
Black Widow:The Things They Say About Her (mini, mor to the spy thriller side of the superhero field)

If you prefer more retro-kind of superhero action:
Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man
Marvel Team-Up
New Thunderbolts

If you like comedy comics:
Cable/Deadpool
She-hulk
GLA (mini)
Defenders (mini)
Nextwave

[dingo]

Marvel knights is what i like. is marvel knights new stories or just rehashed old stories written for a mature audience.? it seems the inhumans i read was rehashed mature stories. will the ultimates satisfy my marvel knights needs?

Yeah. That is the closest on the market to the Marvel Knights you were reading.

(BTW, marvel knights wasn't rehashed stories)

[Mariah]

If you want seriously kickass super-hero books that don't skimp on the characterization, try these:
Daredevil
Captain America
New Avengers
Young Avengers
Spider-Woman:Origin (mini)
Ultimates
Uncanny X-Men
New Excalibur
Black Widow:The Things They Say About Her (mini, mor to the spy thriller side of the superhero field)

If you prefer more retro-kind of superhero action:
Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man
Marvel Team-Up
New Thunderbolts

If you like comedy comics:
Cable/Deadpool
She-hulk
GLA (mini)
Defenders (mini)
Nextwave
i second this emoti---i mean motion :p

[ChildOfTheDarkholde]

this is what i am looking for in the marvel comics. i know "basically" origins of the mainline marvel characters so i don't need to start at the beggining but wouldn't mind reading more updated/mature origin stories along with the new and old adventures.

.

Check out Spider-Woman:Origin.

http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/reviews/spiderwoman_origin/001.html

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=108866

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=98867

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=103792