new to DC

[mata-leao]

hello,

i' m new to the DC universe....well not completely new, i'm somewhat familiar w/ a few characters. i've been reading comic books for years (on and off) and i grew up reading Marvel so naturally, i'm more familiar and interested in Marvel characters.

i've also read that it's harder for a new reader to jump into a DC comic w/ out being confused w/ what's going on. any truth to this?

anyways, to give you an idea of what i like, my favorite characters are Silver Surfer and Black Bolt. i'm definitely into the characters w/ a lot of depth, having cool powers is just a bonus.

any suggestions? i really like team books if done well, but for the most part i read mostly solo's. i'm a huge fan of trades...i prefer having the entire story and not having to wait a few weeks, i'm impatient i guess haha.

i hear a lot of good things about Booster Gold, but i also hear it's mostly a 'fun' book. don't get me wrong, i enjoy a fun/humorous book as much as anyone else, but if it's nothing BUT that i may get tired of it haha. i've also heard good things about Blue Beetle.

well, any suggestions would be much appreciated. i read Watchmen a few months ago and was completely blown away....that's some greaat writing.

thanks!

[Karl O'Neill]

Try some of my favourites.

You will love booster gold, very fun book and really well written, vol 1 is out in stores now,
you like cool powers and cosmic characters? 52 vol 1,2,3,4. seven soldiers vol 1 to 4 as well, Grant morrison wrote both of these, 52 with geoff johns, mark waid, and rucka and ketih giffen.


batman
The Dark knight Returns
The Killing Joke
Batman year one
Batman Hush vol 1 and 2.
Batman face the face
Batman and son
Batman: The Black glove
Batman RIP

Green Lantern
Green lantern Rebirth
The Sinestro corps war vol 1 and 2.
Green Lantern No fear
Green Lantern Corps Recharge
Green Lantern Corps Ringquest

wonder woman
Wonder woman The Hiketia
wonder woman the circle

superman
Superman Last son
Superman escape from Bizarro world
superman and the Legion of superheroes
whatever happened to the man of Tommorw
All star superman vol 1 and 2.

Teen Titans-A Kids Game
Teen Titans- The Judas Contact

[jackdaw53]

I read a grand total of 2 current DC comics (Jonah Hex and Manhunter).... so I feel the value of my advice is limited. Anyway here goes.

Because its lead character is unsympathetic, and because its a western, my guess is that Jonah Hex would not be to your taste. But I think given what you say you like I can recommend Manhunter without reservation. It does use a fair number of past and present DC characters, but can be read with enjoyment without reading any other DC stuff. (Well that's exactly what I do.) Kate.. the lead character... is abrasive and feisty, but darn like-able, and well supported by other regular characters. There's plenty of serious action, and intelligent plotting.... there is fun, but it comes at appropriate times, and it always seems to spring from the characters themselves. First trade is Street Justice.

Other than that, I'd say don't forget that DC has a wondrous back catalogue... and not all of it appears in trade.... some back issues represent superb value. (e.g. Mike Grell run on Green Arrow, John Ostrander run on Suicide Squad, Peter David on Fallen Angel or Young Justice.) If you don't mind black and white then some Showcases are wonderful.... take a look at the Neal Adams and Jim Aparo artwork in the Brave and Bold Showcases for example.

Color trades of past series?? Hard to go wrong with "classics" such as the James Robinson Starman, Alan Moore Swamp Thing, or Neil Gaiman Sandman... though Sandman is not a super hero comic, of course. (Is Alan Moore's Swamp Thing???)

[Karl O'Neill]

so I feel the value of my advice is limited. Anyway here goes.


very very limited, but at least you are being honest. Those two books are fun.

[newscott]

What sort of books are you digging from Marvel?

I'd recommend All-Star Superman. It's fun, but not campy. It's very pretty, and just great story telling.

Also, the Grant Morrison JLA, it's all in trades, and if you like big action, its got that in spades. Fun stuff there.

[HaroldAllnut]

...Anyways, to give you an idea of what i like, my favorite characters are Silver Surfer and Black Bolt. i'm definitely into the characters w/ a lot of depth, having cool powers is just a bonus.

You seem to enjoy space-based/heavily-sci-fi characters, so I'd strongly recommend Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. They're two spac-faring, sci-fi adventure titles. The most recent storyarc, entitled "Secret Origins," should be coming out in hardcover format before the year is out. If you don't want to wait for it, I'm sure your local shop should have all the issues. If you still want individual issues and your local shop doesn't have them, I'd recommend opening an account at MyComicShop.com. I go there for all my back-issue needs, corny as that sounds.

Also, give All-Star Superman a try. Even if you're not a Super-fan, it's an excellently written and drawn series. It's just plain magic. Check it out.

[JumpingJupiter]

I'll second the Manhunter rec. It's available in trades.

I like the street level stuff myself. If you're into that I recommend No Man's Land. A good intro to the Batman / Gotham world.

If you want to go back and read some classic stuff. I'm currently reading Dennis O'neil's run on The Question and it's great street level classic superhero stuff done the right way.

[the4thpip]

Brave & the Bold is a very high quality book, and it will introduce you to tons of DC characters in an accessible way. But keep that Wikipedia close by just in case.

[marc andreyko]

mata-leao-

send me your mailing address and name and i'll send you a free Manhunter sampler pak! and i'll sign 'em if you so desire!

regards,
marc andreyko
writer, "manhunter"

[Pixie_Solanas]

mata-leao-

send me your mailing address and name and i'll send you a free Manhunter sampler pak! and i'll sign 'em if you so desire!

regards,
marc andreyko
writer, "manhunter"

Yeah, I can vouch for Mr. Andreyko here. Solid dude, got a pack of comics from him a few months ago. Awesome.

[mata-leao]

What sort of books are you digging from Marvel?

i thought Annihilation was awesome, pretty much all the silver surfer books are a good read imo, nova, guardians of the galaxy (i guess i really do like the cosmic stuff haha), inhumans, astonishing x-men, moon knight, thunderbolts etc etc planet hulk was great, the current hulk is horrible.

the DC character i'm most interested in is Green Lantern...i picked up the "rebirth" trade, haven't read it yet though.

i really appreciate all the suggestions, to the comic book store i go.

[JumpingJupiter]

i thought Annihilation was awesome, pretty much all the silver surfer books are a good read imo, nova, guardians of the galaxy (i guess i really do like the cosmic stuff haha), inhumans, astonishing x-men, moon knight, thunderbolts etc etc planet hulk was great, the current hulk is horrible.

the DC character i'm most interested in is Green Lantern...i picked up the "rebirth" trade, haven't read it yet though.

i really appreciate all the suggestions, to the comic book store i go.

Remember to take Andreyko up on his offer to send you his comics. He's a good writer.

[TStrong]

Marc sent the love o' my life his MANHUNTER pack -- and created a fan for life. She'd completely wandered away from comics because they offered nothing new. But, for free and at my request, she tried ONE issue. Then another. Then all of 'em.

We both love the 'Hunter.

[Karl O'Neill]

Once you read the sinestro corps war you will never stop reading green lantern and getting back issues. you should love the sinestro war.

it's the first event in years, where people are not saying DC versus Marvel, you read the sinestro corps because you love comics.

[JumpingJupiter]

Huntress Cry For Blood and Year One are great too!

[mata-leao]

Remember to take Andreyko up on his offer to send you his comics. He's a good writer.

oh definitely...pm'd him right when i saw his post.

really excited to get the sampler, i've nothing but great things about manhunter.

[mata-leao]

oh, i also wanted to ask which specific characters i should be looking out for?

which characters are typically well-written and have an interesting orgin.

there's a few characters i'm not familiar with at all, just wondering if they're worthing checking out...

red tornado?

red arrow? is this just the green arrow, why'd he go red ha?

fire storm?

black lightning?

thanks!

[the4thpip]

red arrow? is this just the green arrow, why'd he go red ha?


He's actually Green Arrow's former sidekick, Roy Harper.
http://www.comictreadmill.com/CTMBlogarchives/2006images/Adv%20222%20GA-thumb.jpg


His first superhero name was Speedy, but he gave that up after too many jokes about his drug using past.

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/2718/400/2718_4_5.jpg

He then went by the name Arsenal, but the British heroes kept making fun of the word "arse" in it.

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/5952/400/5952_4_2.jpg

So now he is Red Arrow.

[jackdaw53]

Mr Pip... strong contender for post of the year. I'll enter you for annual comicbook resources thread awards... if such exist.

[milosimpkin]

Everyone seems to be talking about Manhunter on here and recommending it. I did a quick wiki, as I'm used to Manhunters being the robots from Sinestro Corps Wars. Am I right in presuming this Manuhunter is the Kate Spencer that's mentioned on the wiki? The one that had the campaign to stop cancellation?

Is there a TPB of the early stuff out and is there anything I should read up about her before diving in and testing the waters. I like to try and get into things early as i get confused by a lot of backstory that's refereced when I don't know what it is. Not that I hate backstory and continuity, I love it, just I like to understand it. :)

[jackdaw53]

Yes, lead character in present Manhunter series is Kate Spencer. Trade collecting first issues of current series is Street Justice. It can easily be read with enjoyment without doing background research... that's exactly what I did.

However, later parts of the series do bring in a fair range of DC characters... and at times you might feel inclined to do a quick wiki research to find out a bit more about somebody or other. (I never have, and continue to enjoy the series. Mind you, I must admit I was "inspired" to go out and buy... at an amazingly cheap price.. the old John Ostrander/ Kim Yale Manhunter series featuring Mark Shaw. Really good stuff... but "beware" Mark S has been retconned a bit from that old series. )

[milosimpkin]

Thanks a lot. I'll pop into Forbidden Planet tomorrow and see if they have a cope of Street Justice in then. :) I will also prepare my wiki-fu in case I go further :)