Confused

[trex412]

Im new to comics, and I would like some direction one where to start. I have a few issues of batman and detective comics (new 52), and green lantern (new 52 as well). I just seems like they are in the middle of a story line dispite them being issue #1 and so on. Is there a starting point so I can catch up.

thanks

[MartinNL]

Batman #1 starts pretty new I think. You won't see a whole new universe start up or anything, but it introduces the main characters pretty good. If you want to go back a bit further I suggest you take a look at the excellent sticky post in the Batman forum.

As for GL, I agree it is a little confusing. I started reading GL too with the new #1. I went back to where Geoff Johns started and am slowly catching up. I suggest you go this route (of all excellent stories):

Secret Origin
Green Lantern Rebirth
Sinestro Corps War
Blackest Night (and Blackest Night: Green Lantern)
Brightest Day: Green Lantern
War of the Green Lanterns

There are a couple of other trades in between, but they are skippable (though good nonetheless). Also check this thread.

[MajorHoy]

Your caught in the "we want this to be new-reader friendly" part and the "we don't want to bore readers with their origins for the umpteenth time" thought process.

Batman and GL are the worst examples to consider, because they two of the more popular franchises pre-DCnU, and DC wanted to keep some of that in this changeover so they didn't totally alienate those readers (and possibly not to piss-off important writers of those franchises in the recent past like Geoff Johns, who's a bigwig with the crew in charge, and Grant Morrison, who wrote much of the popular Batman arcs and is now focusing on attempting to refresh the all-important Superman franchise in Action Comics).

DC also didn't want to call this a "full reboot", so they supposedly kept some past history of DC intact during a "five year" period for the DCnU backstory, but they've been very bad about clarifying for readers (and even some writers) what past stories have suppposedly included during that five year window.

Other than Batman and Green Lantern-related titles, what else have you tried, and were those books as confusing as to what's now going on?

[Raye]

As said above, the Batman and GL books didn't get rebooted nearly to the same degree as many other books. However, I think that Batman has been handled in such a way that as long as you know the broad strokes, (Bruce was orphaned, vengeance, justice blah blah) you should be fine. Green Lantern will be a bit harder to get into.

There are some other characters that got rebooted completely which may be easier to get into. Of the big characters, Action Comics shows the very beginning of Superman's career as a superhero. Though it will be moving to present day shortly, I think it will remain fairly easy to follow for a new reader. Wonder Woman and Aquaman are also fairly new reader friendly, though it does not show their origins.

While I can totally understand being drawn to the big guns, there are a number of lesser known characters/teams that are getting rebooted or at least a strong jumping on point, as well. Supergirl and Superboy both got rebooted completely, Batgirl kept her past history, but has a good jumping on point. Batwing is a brand new character being added to the Batman family of characters. Green Arrow just had a new writer start with issue 7, and it looks promising and easily accessible. If you are not dead set on pure superheroes, there are things like Animal Man, I, Vampire, Frankenstein or Demon Knights which are unusual looks at the DCU, but are easily accessible because the characters are either brand new or not very well known. There's more, but... Also, DC is integrating the Wildstorm universe into the DCU, and all the characters being brought over are by necessity getting new origins. These books are Grifter, Voodoo and Stormwatch. all of which are getting (or recently got) a new writer, which ought to provide a good jump on point if you don't want to get the first few issues. Voodoo got a new writer beginning in issue 5, Stormwatch got a fillin for 7 and 8, and will get a new full-time writer starting with issue 9, Grifter will also be getting a new writer/artist with issue 9.

[MajorHoy]

. . . While I can totally understand being drawn to the big guns, there are a number of lesser known characters/teams that are getting rebooted or at least a strong jumping on point, as well. Supergirl and Superboy both got rebooted completely, Batgirl kept her past history, but has a good jumping on point. . .

Batgirl didn't really "keep her past history" . . . she was de-aged; the question of her birth parents seems like it may have reverted back to the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths status where she looks like she's Jim Gordon's daughter with his original wife again (post-CoIE she was his niece who became his daughter after the death of her parents, and possibly his birth daughter as a result of an affair with his sister-in-law?); and right now it's unclear what sort of job background (if any?) she had prior to being shot by the Joker. And her "voice" doesn't seem anything like it was pre-Flashpoint.