I'm new to this - can I ask for some advice? New 52

[DarkestTimeline]

Hello,

I was hoping that you could help me. I haven't been reading comics since I was in middle school. The last story arc I remember buying was Knightfall. My favorites were The Flash and Punisher, but I was also a big fan of Superman, Batman and X-Men (Blue Team). I just recently got back into it, after hearing so much buzz about The New 52, specifically Action Comics. I was also really drawn to the digital experience (iPhone), with it being so much easier to buy, and mostly, because I was never much of a collector. I didn't really enjoy that aspect of comics - I always just wanted to read them, enjoy them. I used to feel guilty for wanting to open my black or white bagged Death/Return of Superman issues, and I didn't really have the money to buy and extra reading copy! I like that I can now enjoy READING them in this way, and it doesn't end up taking up space in my home - I have a hard time throwing things away!

So far, I've really been enjoying what I've read. I LOVE Aquaman, and I'm also really enjoying Wonder Woman. I've been disappointed by The Flash - only 6 issues in, but it's just a lot of talking about the EMP. I really love the artwork, but I feel like it's been lacking the joy and whimsy that I used to love about the character. I hope it gets better! (Does it?) I've never read Green Lantern before, and I felt lost - I didn't know who Sinestro was, and what the significance was of him getting the ring. I've since done some backstory research (Secret Origin) and I may try it again, but it still doesn't feel like a new series to me. I feel intimidated by the amount of back-catologue reading I'd have to do, though I've heard nothing but praises for Brightest Day and Darkest Night.

I'm almost all caught up on all of the Superman books, reading the issues in the order they were released. I read Action Comics, then Superboy, then Supergirl, then Superman. I really like the way the latter three series work together. I like how a lot of the events and themes seem to carry on and cross over. I feel like I'm getting more out of it by reading it like this, rather than first catching up on all of Superman, then reading all of Superboy, then Supergirl. I realize now that I didn't really need to read Action Comics at the same time as those other series in order to enjoy it as much. I'm not crazy about Superboy - it's kind of boring at times. But I LOVE the art for Supergirl!

So, I here's where I need some advice from you. First of all, what else do you recommend? I intend on reading Justice League next. I love Geoff Johns's writing - Superman: Secret Origin was the book I read that rekindled my love of comics. I enjoyed Teen Titans from the Superboy cross over, but I'm not sure, and Legion Lost and The Ravagers didn't much appeal to me, but I could be convinced. I've heard good things about Demon Knights and Swamp Thing. So, that's my first request: what else should I be reading? Do you recommend any of the ones I've listed above? Are there any others I haven't thought of?

Next, and more importantly, I've been saving the Batman series until I'm all caught up with Superman, as I get the sense that it's another set of books that will be better if I read them concurrently. What do you think about that?
I know there are MANY titles, and I certainly don't intend to read them all, except for issues that are specifically part of a story arc like Night of the Owls or Death of the Family. The ones I had my eye on are Detective Comics, Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl and Batwing. Is that a good selection? I get the sense that Batwing is the most removed from the rest of them. Is that true? What about Detective Comics? Do I need to read that at the same time as Batman, or is it like Action Comics, where I'll enjoy it as much or even more if I see it as a stand-alone series? And what about the ones I didn't mention, like Batwoman, Batman & Robin and Dark Knight? Would I be missing something if I didn't read those (outside of major story arcs)? And in what order should I read these books?
I just want to make sure that I enjoy the Batman experience as much as I am the Superman books.

I'm sorry my question is so long - I tend to meander. It's a lot more enticing to get into comics when there are forums like this for noobs to ask stupid questions.


Thanks in advance!

[MajorHoy]

Suggestion: break things down into smaller chunks . . . ask one question at a time.
What you posted is a lot for people with limited attention spans to wade through.

Second, I'm glad you're finding stuff you like. It's good for comic books to gain new / returning readers, especially since the change to the New 52 did wind up alienating some of the long-time readers who don't feel a majority of the new stuff compares favorably with what they read and enjoyed in the past.

As for your other points . . . I'm not going to be much help there. I had read about seven issues of Aquaman, but I've given up on that title because I don't like Geoff Johns as a writer. From my standpoint, he starts things well, but then treads water for too long, stretching things out for an unreasonable length, then can't tie everything up into a decent ending. I also gave up Justice League because it was a mediocre book (though the pictures were pretty), and have no plans to buy his coming Justice League of America series.

Wonder Woman is good, and Flash can be uneven for me. I don't like any of the Superman-starring books, but Supergirl has been quite pleasantly enjoyable. (It did get a slow start, but that makes a bit of sense when they're read together.)

As for some other books you've asked about, many people seem to enjoy The Dark line. Swamp Thing and Animal get a lot of praise, but they seem a bit . . . too dark for me. I read the tpb collection of Demon Knights (Vol. 1) and enjoyed that, and both I, Vampire and Justice League Dark are also books that many people around here enjoy. (Maybe check this thread http://forums.comicbookresources.com...do=showresults for more opinions.) Sword of Sorcery is another book that seems like it may have potential; it just recently started and is at issue #2 this month.

As for Batman (not including his other titles like Detective Comics, etc.), saving those and reading them together does make sense since almost the entire first year involves one long story arc.