Ok, so everyone knows what comic books are. They’ve been around for an insanely long time and are very popular. It’s because of comic books that we have quite a few pop culture icons like Superman, Captain America, Batman and Spider-Man, just to name a few. Comics are also responsible for some of the most popular shows on TV right now, like The Walking Dead, Arrow, Preacher and more. And, of course, comics are to blame for the whole superhero movie craze that’s been going on for over a decade.
So maybe that’s why you want to start reading. You enjoy a movie/TV show so much that you want to go right down to the roots and start getting into the source material. Or maybe you just want something new, or your friends have been talking about said movies and TV shows and you want to just read the source material so you could spoil your friends’ favorite show that’s a comic book adaptation. Well, whatever the case, I am here to help.
Now, I’m going to be 100% honest with you – I’m not a comic expert. I have not read every single issue of Batman or any single issue of really anything, yet. (well, Y The Last Man and a few limited series) But I do know a whole lot that makes me worthy to actually make this. So, without further ado, let’s start off with step 1.
Step 1 – What Do You Want To Read? #
A simple question, really. What do you want to read? Which character(s) interest you? If unsure on what you want to read, starting out with team books, like Justice League, Avengers, X-men, etc. is a good way to figure out who fits your interest. Towards the end of this, I will have a list on where to start reading with mainstream heroes and teams, but for now, if you know who interests you, carry on. If you don’t know who interests you yet, pick a team that might interest you and carry on. If you can’t pick a team, that’s ok, the list will still be here.
Step 2 – How Much Do You Know About Your Character/Team? #
Now, this is an important step and I will explain why – Let’s say you’re a fan of the Flash TV show on The CW. You’re familiar with Barry Allen as the Flash, have a good sense of knowledge of Earth-2 and the multiverse and also know a bit about his rogues gallery. So, if you read the Flash, you shouldn’t be super confused, but I’m going to be completely honest with you – You WILL get confused eventually. Maybe a character will appear that’s not in your favorite show/movie or maybe a reference will be made and you won’t understand it. Well, to continue with this, let’s go into step 3.
Step 3 – Where Do You Want To Start Reading? #
Let’s do a reverse of what we did in step 2 – You know absolutely nothing about The Flash except the fact that he can run really fast and he has a really cool scarlet red suit. Well, if you go and pick up say, The Flash #1 apart of DC Rebirth, you’ll be confused because you no NOTHING about these characters. So, one of two things will happen – you’ll either go waaaaaayyy back to 1940 and read Flash Comics #1 (You’ll still be confused because that’s a completely different Flash) or maybe you can just go online and read Wikis.
Wikis are seriously a saving grace for a lot of people and, most of the time, provide lots of helpful information and even clear up some confusing plots. They’re also really in-depth, too. Providing a bunch of little unnecessary info on characters such as their weight, height, and even some unconventional things like favorite food or even shoe size.
But if reading is not your thing, then don’t worry! (or read comics for that matter smh) There are tons of YouTube channels out there that are dedicated to posting content related to nothing but comics. My recommended comic book YouTube channels are ComicHistorian, ComicsExplained and Variant. Like I said, there are THOUSANDS of comic YT channels, but those 3 I listed are the ones that I like a lot.
But before pressing on, if you actually don’t know hardly ANYTHING about a character or team, sometimes a different form of media is actually a better way to learn about certain characters. For example, if you want to get a good sense on what Spider-Man is all about, I would actually recommend you watch some of the animated series that Spidey’s had over the years. Yes, the cartoon adaptations are actually good ways to learn about the comic books without having to actually read the comics because most shows are so true to their source material, like Spider-Man or Batman The Animated Series, some episodes are actually based on certain issues of that characters comic.
So, to end this step, I just want to say that where a good starting point is pretty much up to you and how much you know about superheroes. To read non-superhero titles (and even some that are about superheroes) I will talk about that in a bit below at the recommended reading section. Now, onward to step 4!
Step 4 – How Do You Want To Read? #
Digital or physical? Lots of people love digital because you have access to hundreds of thousands of comic books at your fingertips and with cheap subscription services like Comixology Unlimited that’s only $10 a month, digital is definitely the cheapest outlet and the most convenient because you can read them off of your phone or tablet, which is most likely with you 24/7.
Or maybe you just prefer the look and feel of a traditional book. Yes, reading by hardcover and trade (That’s what softcover books are called in the comic-verse) is a bit more pricey, but if you’re like me, then you probably won’t care about taking the more expensive route because you want to be satisfied and enjoy the book the way you want.
At retail, the average trade paperback, which usually contains about 6 issues of a comic series, is about $15. Some are cheaper, some are more. But, I will tell you right now – DON’T BUY RETAIL. Yes, I’m all about supporting your local comic shops, but buying hardcover or paperback editions of books at a retail price isn’t something you need to do. If you don’t mind a little bit of waiting, you can order comics online from websites like Instocktrades and cheapgraphicnovels. No, this isn’t a plug, I swear. I order from these sites occasionally and they have most of their stuff 45% off or more. That’s almost half off and you can easily buy 2 for the price of one. It’s super nice and a lot better to get more bang for your buck.
Okay, so I think that just about covers the questions portion of this article. So, I think I can start the reading list. That cool?
Most of these are ripped from the comic book subreddit on Reddit because, like I said at the beginning, I haven’t read everything. So, with that in mind, let’s get into the recommended reading
NON-SUPERHEROES #
To start with any of these, just pick up the first volumes or start reading from the start digitally. Here are the essentials:
VERTIGO #
- 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
- Fables by Bill Willingham
- Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
- Sandman by Neil Gaiman
- V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
- Y: The Last Man by Bryan K. Vaughan
IMAGE #
- Chew by John Layman
- East of West by Jonathan Hickman
- The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
- Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
- Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
- The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
THE REST #
- From Hell by Alan Moore
- Hellboy by Mike Mignola
- Kick Ass by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
- Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke
- Sin City by Frank Miller
SUPERHEROES #
Ok, so this is where it gets complex, so stay with me here.
DC/Vertigo #
I’m more familiar with DC than the other guys on this list, so a good chunk of these starting points will be from ME!
Essential DC/Vertigo #
The following, in my opinion (and others, via reddit), are must reads. Some of them are listed below, some are not.
- Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (Duh)
- Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
- Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison
- The Multiversity by Grant Morrison
- The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
- Batman Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
- The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke
- Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
- All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
- Batman: Endgame by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
Aquaman #
- Aquaman: The Atlantis Chronicles by Peter David
- Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis by Kurt Busiek
- Aquaman (New 52) #1-25 by Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis
Batman #
*cracks knuckles*
This… This is my specialty!
For Beginners:
- Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
- Batman: The Man Who Laughs by Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke
- Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
- Batman: Dark Victory by Loeb and Sale
- Batman: Zero Year by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (New 52 Origin)
Essential Reads
- Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
- Batman: Arkham Asylum – A Serious House On Serious Earth by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
- Batman: Knightfall by various
- The Entire Grant Morrison run
- The Entire Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo run
- Batman: A Death In The Family by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo
Elseworlds: Alternate universes
- Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola
- Batman: Earth One Vols. 1&2 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank
- Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope
- Batman: Vampire Trilogy by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones
The Flash #
JAY GARRICK
- Golden Age Flash Archives by various
- JSA: The Golden Age by Geoff Johns
BARRY ALLEN
- The Flash: Silver Age vol. 1 by various
- The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver
- The Flash Vol. 1: Move Forward by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
WALLY WEST
Barry Allen died during the 1985-1986 limited crossover series, Crisis On Infinite Earths. So, Wally West took the mantle as the Flash and stayed as the Flash for over 20 years, until DC’s New 52 Reboot, where Barry was the only Flash on the main earth. The original Wally West didn’t return until early 2016, apart of DC’s “Rebirth” initiative.
- The Flash by Mark Waid
- The Flash by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar
- The Flash by Geoff Johns
- DC Universe: Rebirth by Geoff Johns and various artists
- Titans by Dan Abnett and Brett Booth (currently ongoing/3 issues in)
Green Arrow #
- Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle and Jock
- Green Lantern/Green Arrow by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams
- Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunter by Mike Grell
- Green Arrow: Hunters Moon by Mike Grell, Ed Hannigan, and Dick Giordano (a direct continuation from The Longbow Hunter story)
- Green Arrow: Quiver by Kevin Smith and Phil Hester
- Green Arrow, Vols. 4-6 (The New 52) by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino
Green Lantern #
- Green Lantern: Rebirth by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Scriver
- The Sinestro Corps War by Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons and Peter J. Tomasi
- Blackest Night by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis
- Green Lantern: Emerald Twilight & New Dawn by Ron Marz
- Ion by Ron Marz (Ion #1-12)
- The Omega Men by Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda
Justice League #
- Justice League: The Silver Age vol. 1 by various
- Justice League International by various
- JLA by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid and more
- Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes
- Justice League by Geoff Johns
- The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke (Alt. Reality)
- Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross (Alt Reality)
Superman #
For beginners:
- Superman: Secret Origin by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank
- Superman: For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
- Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid
Other reads:
- All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
- Superman Unchained by Scott Snyder and Jim Lee
- Superman: For The Man Who Has Everything by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
- Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson
Wonder Woman #
- Sensation Comics/Wonder Woman by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter (Vol. 1, Collected in Chronicles and Archive Editions)
- Wonder Woman by George Pérez (Vol. 2 #1, 3, 13, 15–62, 168–169, Annual #1–2) (Now Available in giant paperback collections)
- Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia by Greg Rucka and J.G. Jones (Graphic Novel)
- Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka and Drew Johnson/Rags Morales/Others (Vol. 2 #195-#226)
- The last two are most likely collected in the new Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka volumes that are coming out. Vol. 1 out now.
- Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang (Vol. 4 #1-35, Secret Origins #6)
- Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman by Various Authors/Artists (#1-Ongoing)
Other DC/Vertigo characters/teams #
- Nightwing Vol. 1 by Chuck Dixon
- Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison
- Booster Gold by Geoff Johns
- New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez
- Suicide Squad (New 52) by Adam Glass
Also, great starting points for DC have been with the new Rebirth relaunch. Most series, to me, have been very new reader friendly. The issues are fairly recent, so they shouldn’t cost too much or be too hard to track down. But if they are, there’s always digital!
MARVEL #
Essentials #
- Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
- Captain America: Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker
- X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont
- Avengers Disassembled by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch
- House of M by Bendis
- Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
#
Avengers #
- Avengers: The Kree/Skrull War by Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Neal Adams, John Buscema – A classic Avengers story from 1971.
- Avengers by Kurt Busiek and George Perez – In 1998, Kurt Busiek took over the Avengers book and wrote many of what are considered the best Avengers stories of all time, from Ultron Unlimited to the Kang Dynasty.
- The Ultimates 1 and 2 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch – An alternate universe, modern retelling of the Avengers story that started in 2002, the Ultimates has had a lot of influence on later Avengers stories and Marvel’s films as well.
- Avengers/New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman
Black Widow #
- Black Widow (All-New Marvel Now) by Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto
- Black Widow: Deadly Origin by Paul Cornell, Tom Raney, John Paul Leon
- Black Widow: The Name of the Rose by Marjorie Liu, Daniel Acuña
- Black Widow: Kiss or Kill by Duane Swierczynski, Manuel Garcia
Captain America #
- Captain America, Vol. 1 (Marvel Masterworks) by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
- “The Strange Death of Captain America” by Stan Lee, Jim Steranko (Captain America #110, #111, #113)
- “Secret Empire” by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema (Captain America #169-175)
- Captain America: Man Out of Time by Mark Waid, Jorge Molina
- Captain America: Operation Rebirth by Mark Waid, Ron Garney
- Captain America: To Serve & Protect by Mark Waid, Ron Garney
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting
- Captain America: White by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Daredevil #
For beginners
- Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.
- Daredevil: Yellow by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
- Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
- Daredevil: Guardian Devil by Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada
Best runs
- Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
- Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev
- Daredevil by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark
- Daredevil by Mark Waid
Current run (Takes place after Secret Wars)
- Daredevil: Back In Black Vol. 1: Chinatown by Charles Soule and Ron Garney
Deadpool #
- Deadpool Classic by various (Eventually the Joe Kelly run, definitive ‘pool)
- Cable and Deadpool by Fabian Nicieza
- Deadpool by Daniel Way
- Deadpool Killogy by Cullen Bunn – Deadpool Kills The Marvl Universe, Deadpool Killustrated and Deadpool Kills Deadpool
- Deadpool by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn
Doctor Doom #
- Books of Doom by Ed Brubaker and Pablo Raimondi
- Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola
- Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman
Doctor Strange #
- The original Doctor Strange comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Strange Tales #110-146)
- Doctor Strange: Season One by Greg Pak and Emma Rios
- Doctor Strange: The Oath by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin
- Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola
Fantastic Four #
- The Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (vol. 1 #1-102, Fantastic Four Annual #1-6)
- The Fantastic Four by John Byrne (vol. 1 #232–295)
- Fantastic Four by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo (vol. 3 #60-70, #500-524)
- Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman
- FF by Matt Fraction
Guardians of the Galaxy #
Classic
- The Korvac Saga by Jim Shooter, Roger Stern and George Perez
- Guardians 3000 by Dan Abnett and Gerardo Sandoval
Modern
- Marvel Cosmic by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Keith Giffen and others
- Guardians of the Galaxy MARVEL NOW! series
Hawkeye #
- Hawkeye by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Matt Holingsworth
- Hawkeye: Blind Spot by Jim McCann, Paco Diaz Luque
- Avengers: Hawkeye (Marvel Premiere Classic) by Stan Lee, Mark Gruenwald
- Ultimate Comics Hawkeye by Jonathan Hickman, Rafa Sandoval
- Avengers: Hawkeye: Earth’s Mightiest Marksman by Chuck Dixon, Tom DeFalco
- West Coast Avengers: Assemble (Marvel Premiere Classic) by Roger Stern, Roy Thomas
- Avengers: West Coast Avengers: Family Ties by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom, Richard Howell
Hulk
- Incredible Hulk, Vol. 1 (Marvel Masterworks) by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
- Incredible Hulk Visionaries: Peter David, Vol. 1 by Peter David
- Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk by Greg Pak, and it’s sequel World War Hulk (written by same author)
- Incredible Hulk: The End by Peter David
- Indestructible Hulk by Mark Waid
- Hulk by Jeph Loeb
Iron Fist #
- Iron Fist by Chris Claremont and John Byrne (#1-15)
- Power Man & Iron Fist Epic Collection: Heroes for Hire (Power Man #48-49, Power Man & Iron Fist #50-70)
- The Immortal Iron Fist by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and David Aja (#1-16, Annual #1)
- The Immortal Iron Fist by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman (#17-27)
Iron Man #
- Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle by David Michelinie, Bob Layton
- Iron Man: Armor Wars by David Michelinie, Bob Layton
- Iron Man: Extremis by Warren Ellis, Adi Granov
- Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: The Five Nightmares by Matt Fraction, Salvador Larroca
Nick Fury #
- Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD by Jim Steranko
- Secret War by Brian Michael Bendis, Gabriele Dell’Otto
- Secret Warriors, Vol. 1: Nick Fury, Agent of Nothing by Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Stefano Caselli
- Fury MAX by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov
The Punisher #
- Punisher: Born by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
- Punisher: Circle of Blood by Steven Grant, Mike Zeck, and Mike Vosburg
- Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon (vol. 3 #1-12)
- Punisher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon (vol. 4 #1-6, 13-37)
- The Punisher MAX by Garth Ennis
- PunisherMAX by Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon
- Punisher by Rick Remender
- The Punisher by Greg Rucka
Spider-Man #
*thwip*
- Original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko run
- Death of the Stacy’s by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Gerry Conway and Gil Kane
- Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga by various
- Kraven’s Last Hunt by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck
- Spider-Man Blue by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
- Spider-Man: The Clone Saga (It’s stupid, but hey, you may like it)
chronological reading order
- Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Strazynski
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day by various
- Big Time Spider-Man by Dan Slott and others
- Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott (Doc Ock is Spidey… smh)
- Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel NOW!) by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos
- Spider-Verse by Dan Slott
- Amazing Spider-Man (All-New, All Different) by, you guessed it – Dan Slott
Other Spidey’s
- Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
- Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis
- Spider-Man 2099 by Peter David
- Spider-Man (All-New, All Different), series stars Miles Morales who’s now in the main Marvel Universe with Peter Parker
Thor #
- The Mighty Thor, Vol. 1 (Marvel Masterworks) by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
- Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus by Walter Simonson
- Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge, Chris Samnee
- Thor, Vol. 1 by J. Michael Staczynski, Olivier Coipel
- Thor by Kieron Gillen
- Thor: Ages of Thunder by Matt Fraction, Patrick Zircher
- Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron
- Ultimate Thor by Jonathan Hickman
Wolverine #
- Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller
- Old Man Logan by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
- Weapon X by Barry Windsor-Smith
X-Men #
- The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont and John Byrne
- X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson
- New X-Men by Grant Morrison
- X-Force/X-Statix by Peter Milligan and Michael Allred
- Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
- New Mutants by Zeb Wells
- Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender
- X-Factor by Peter David
- X-Men Legacy by Mike Carey
- All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Marte Gracia
Other Marvel Heroes #
- Jessica Jones by Bendis
- Moon Knight by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey
- Silver Surfer by Dan Slott and Mike Allred
- Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan
Alright, well like I said at the beginning of this, I am NOT an expert. I probably missed a lot of stuff, but what I missed you can let me know on twitter (at)AgentPigeon182!
I honestly hope that this helps you out on your journey to reading comics. Thanks for taking the time to read this and if you found it helpful, share it with your friends!
Thanks once again!