#14 in Children books
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Reddit mentions of Marvels
Sentiment score: 14
Reddit mentions: 26
We found 26 Reddit mentions of Marvels. Here are the top ones.
or
Marvel
Specs:
| Height | 10.188 Inches |
| Length | 6.563 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | January 2010 |
| Weight | 0.95680621708 Pounds |
| Width | 0.375 Inches |
Marvel's by Kurk Busiek and Alex Ross
Forget about continuity, universes, timelines, etc; it's all very confusing, even to creators/fans. The best way to jump in is to just start reading.
How much time do you have for comics? The answer determines how expansive recommendations are. Regardless, don’t try to read everything. First appearances & early origins are not always good starting points—older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences. Remember, there are so many other great characters/stories/publishers to explore (and not all comics are about superheroes).
Think about your favorite stories from other media. What you might like to read in a comic? Are you more interested in good storytelling or becoming a Marvel knowledge nerd?
Creative teams change often and characters get re-worked e.g. I never cared for Hawkeye until Matt Fraction’s run. Focus on well-received and relatively self-contained stories. Pick an interesting character/team and seek their “greatest hits”. You may encounter the occasional unexplained reference/character/event—just ride along (Wiki if necessary).
Marvel Unlimited / Comixology for digital. instocktrades for physical (US). ISBNS for price aggregate.
Modern Marvel characters/teams:
Title | Writer | Note
---|---|---
Alias (Jessica Jones) | Bendis
Ultimates 1 & 2 (Avengers) | Mark Millar | Ultimate
Avengers / New Avengers | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 2
Captain America | Ed Brubaker
Captain Marvel | Kelly Sue DeConnick
Daredevil (1979) | Frank Miller | Daredevil 1
Daredevil | Bendis | Daredevil 2
Doctor Strange: The Oath | Brian K. Vaughn
Fantastic Four / FF | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 1
Hawkeye | Matt Fraction
Immortal Iron Fist | Brubaker & Fraction
Inhumans | Paul Jenkins
Iron Man: Extremis | Warren Ellis | Iron Man 1
Invincible Iron Man | Matt Fraction | Iron Man 2
Marvels (Marvel History) | Kurt Busiek
Moon Knight | Warren Ellis
Ms. Marvel | G. Willow Wilson
Planet Hulk | Greg Pack | Hulk 1
Punisher Max | Garth Ennis
Thor | Jason Aaron
Ultimate Spider-man | Bendis | Ultimate
Vision | Tom King
New X-Men | Grant Morrison | X-Men 1
Astonishing X-Men | Joss Whedon | X-Men 2
Uncanny X-Force | Rick Remender | X-Men 6
Events/crossovers can be fun and/or tedious. They are most appreciated by readers well-versed in relevant continuity. Generally, the best non-event comics integrate these seamlessly or avoid them entirely (notwithstanding editorial/executive mandates). Regardless, you may want to familiarize with major plot points.
Modern Marvel events/crossovers:
Title | Writer | Note
---|---|---
Avengers Disassembled | Bendis |
Secret War | Bendis |
House of M | Bendis | X-Men 2.5
Annihilation | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen | Cosmic
Civil War | Mark Millar |
World War Hulk | Greg Pak | Hulk 2
Annihilation: Conquest | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen | Cosmic
Messiah Complex | Brubaker, Kyle, Yost, et al. | X-Men 3
Secret Invasion | Bendis | Dark Reign
War of Kings | Abnett, Lanning, et al. | Cosmic
Messiah War | Kyle, Yost, Swierczynski | X-Men 4
Dark Avengers / Utopia | Bendis, Fraction, et al. | Dark Reign
Siege | Bendis | Dark Reign
Realm of Kings | Abnett, Lanning, Reed | Cosmic
Second Coming | Kyle, Yost, Fraction, et al. | X-Men 5
Fear Itself | Matt Fraction |
Schism | Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen | X-Men 7
Avengers vs. X-Men | Bendis, Brubaker, et al. | X-Men 8
Infinity | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 2.5
Secret Wars | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 3
Discover your preferences and let them inform your next comic selection. Do you like older/newer comics? Weird concepts? Super-smart meta-analysis and social commentary? Family-friendly content? Hyper-violence? Male/female protagonists? Humor? Horror? Have you noticed that a specific artist, writer, and/or creative team consistently produces content you like? Follow these instincts.
Suggestions to improve the list are welcome.
Here you go.. It's a great introduction to the Marvel Universe from the perspective of a normal citizen in New York
For Marvel Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite stories/characters from TV, movies, games, books, etc. Do you seek quality storytelling or encyclopedic Marvel knowledge? Plan to collect? What time/resources are available i.e. how many comics could/should be read before burning out?
Don’t try to read everything—there’s too much. Forget about “catching up”, continuity, universes, and timelines; it's all very confusing, even to creators/fans. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so first appearances/early origins may not be the best starting points. Creative teams change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told (e.g. I never cared for Hawkeye until Matt Fractions’ run).
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their “greatest hits”. Don’t get stuck “preparing”, just start reading. Focus on well-received, relatively self-contained, and complete stories. You may encounter the occasional unexplained reference/character/event—just ride along (Wiki if necessary). Remember, there are so many other great characters and publishers to explore, and not all comics are about superheroes.
Where to buy (US):
Modern Marvel characters/teams:
/r/Marvel sidebar for more info.
Events/crossovers can be fun and/or tedious. They are most appreciated by readers well-versed in relevant continuity. Generally, the best non-event comics integrate these seamlessly or avoid them entirely (notwithstanding editorial/executive mandates). Regardless, you may want to familiarize with major plot points.
Modern Marvel events/crossovers:
Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Do you like: old/new comics? Specific genres? Literary/natural narratives? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? Social/political commentary? Family-friendly/explicit content? Optimism/pessimism? Have you noticed that a specific artist/writer consistently makes comics you like? Follow these instincts.
Suggestions to improve this guide are welcome.
The first one I've read, that I still recommend is Marvels, it follows a street photographer and journalist as he grows up from a young up-and-comer in the 1940s during WW2 through into the 1970s, and watching the super heroes rise and fall. From Captain America in WW2 to the Xmen and the people who fear the Mutants in the 1960s. It does a great job of following both the superheros of Marvel fame in a more human atmosphere, while superposing it over actual history to varying degrees at the same time. It's been a long time since I've read it, but now I need to find a copy again and reread it.
Hey, welcome to /r/comicbooks! This is definitely the place to ask any questions you have about comics!
I think you've got a pretty good list there. Here's a few more of my personal favorites that I think would fit in well with the kind of comics you want:
And these are some books that I think will be good for people who have liked the various comic book movies of the last decade:
If you're doing a paper on the history of the Marvel universe, then you have to read Marvels. It's a comic about the history of the Marvel Universe from World War II to the death of Gwen Stacy from the point of view of Phil Sheldon, a photographer working for the Daily Bugle. .
Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex ross was amazing.
A very long list that I believe is full of gems:
Preacher, Volume 1 by Ennis
Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Gaiman
Invincible: Family Matters by Kirkman
Southern Bastards
Kingdom Come
Marvels
Watchmen
Saga
Mind MGMT
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Batman: The Long Halloween
Pride of Baghdad
All Star Superman
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye
Thor: God of Thunder
Annihilation (read it digitally on Marvel Unlimited, finding it in print is costly)
Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Volume 1 (by far, my favorite take on the characters. Hickman writes them to perfection.)
Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt
'Marvels' is a fun place to start on your comic journey. https://www.amazon.com/Marvels-Kurt-Busiek/dp/078514286X
For a crash course on the history of Marvel, you can't do better than Marvels - Busick and Ross are amazing - http://www.amazon.com/Marvels-Kurt-Busiek/dp/078514286X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462114390&sr=1-1&keywords=marvels
For me it was Marvels, I think its perfect because it is the Marvel universe through the eyes of an everyman.
Introduction to Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite shows, movies, books, etc. Reading primarily for enjoyment or encyclopedic knowledge? Collecting? Have the time/resources to read 50 or 500 comics per character?
Don’t try to read everything at once. There’s too much. Forget about catching up, continuity, universes, etc. for now. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so they aren’t necessarily ideal starting points. Writers change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told. Remember, there are many great characters, creators, publishers, etc. to explore.
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their most popular/acclaimed stories. Focus on self-contained, complete stories in one corner of the universe. There will be unexplained references/characters, just persevere or Wiki. Don’t let the tangled web of shared-universe comics overwhelm you. Think of it like solving a jigsaw puzzle one small piece at a time until you finally see the big picture.
Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Don’t get stuck preparing/over-analyzing, just start reading. Do you like/dislike old/new comics? Specific writers/genres? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? All-ages/mature content? Follow these instincts. Didn’t understand a reference? Maybe read that next.
Acquire/Buy comics:
Marvel
DC
You can skip to the 2016 re-launch with DC Universe: Rebirth and then any Rebirth series #1.
Other
The hands down best collection is the Marvel Color series by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.
There is also Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross.
If you want something more modern, Superior Spider-Man was a pretty fun one, it starts with Amazing Spider-Man Dying Wish. Also check out Marvel Unlimited, Netflix of Marvel comics.
Characters origin stories are often either retold every so many years, or recapped at the beginning of a comic run so that you know the gist of what that character is about. For Captain Marvel check out Kelley Sue Deconnick's run, for Deadpool check out Gerry Duggan's run. Unfortunately I haven't read the Infinity Gauntlet story line myself, so I'm not too sure on the reading order /how newbie friendly it is.
A couple other random recommendations: Captain America by Ed Brubaker, Iron Man by Matt Fraction, Hawkeye by Matt Fraction, and Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross.
If you would rather read digitally (on a PC, phone, tablet, etc) there's also a service called Marvel Unlimited which is kind of like Netflix for Marvel comics. You pay a monthly fee, and you can read as much as you like. It's a great way of trying a variety of things, and seeing what you're tastes are as a new reader I think.
it is an Alex Ross, the cover for the trade paperback of Marvels http://amzn.com/078514286X
Batman; Year One
Daredevil, vol 1
Daredevil; Born Again
Walt Simonson's Thor
Watchmen
All Star Superman
Marvels
Kingdom Come
V for Vendetta
X-Men; Dark Phoenix Saga
don't go talking too loud you'll cause a landslide, Mr. Jones
I honestly think that you should go with the $25 gift for one. We don't see many huge gifts like that and its nice to have a change! Thank you for the contest :)
Also, if I am the/a winner... Feel free to pick anything from my list, I prefer a surprise! Thanks again :)
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
Alias (Jessica Jones)
Avengers
The Ultimates 1-2 (Avengers)
New Avengers
Avengers
New Avengers
Black Panther
Captain America
Captain Marvel
Daredevil
Daredevil
Daredevil
Deadpool
Doctor Strange: The Oath
Fantastic Four / FF
Guardians of the Galaxy
Hawkeye
Immortal Iron Fist
Inhumans
Iron Man: Extremis
Invincible Iron Man
Marvels
Moon Knight
Ms. Marvel
Planet Hulk
Punisher Max
Thor
Ultimate Spider-man
Vision
New X-Men
Astonishing X-Men
Uncanny X-Force
Avengers Disassembled
Secret War
House of M
Annihilation
Civil War
World War Hulk
Annihilation: Conquest
Messiah Complex
Secret Invasion
War
Kings
Messiah War
Dark Avengers
Utopia
Siege
Realm of Kings
Second Coming
Fear Itself
Schism
Avengers vs. X-Men
Infinity
Secret Wars
---
^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot
It's not really in continuity (I think), but Marvels is an incredible look into the origins of the Marvel Universe.
Here's a primer:
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Marvel_Universe_Timeline
This is also a great reference:
Essential Marvel Saga
A couple great series:
The Marvels Project
Marvels
Yo
It may not be Batman/DC, but Marvels is exactly that, set in the Marvel universe. The Alex Ross art is legendary, too.
I understand why you are weary to ask for specific books, but there are some books that are important to the marvel universe or comics in general which would be pretty safe bets.
For Instance:
Even if these arn't your absolute favorite books, they are relevant to the history and there is a pretty high chance that you will want to read them at some point.
Batman: Hush is fantastic, though not technically a stand-alone graphic novel, just a trade, but well worth the read regardless.
If you want a very real and raw vision of the Batman villains I highly recommend Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
Also, like others have suggested, Kingdom Come is great and I also found Marvels to be very very good.
Hope you find some good reads!
If you're looking for standalone Spider-Man check out Spider-Man Blue. Great story that remasters the Silver Age tales of young Pete and his classic crew, but framed with the tradegy of future Pete recounting this tale.
Other Marvel recommendations:
Truth: Red, White, Black - Haunting tale of the history of the Super Solider formula. Robert Morales draws a lot on the real-life history of experimentation on black soldiers; the references he gives at the end of the volume are good reads themselves.
Marvels - An Alex Ross classic that explores the history of the Marvel Universe as seen by an ordinary photographer, right up until the end of the Silver Age. Gorgeous art and spectacular writing that pays homage to all the big Marvel beats.
X-Men Legacy (Marvel NOW) - 4 volume series that follows David Haller aka Legion, as he struggles to maintain a grip on his chaotic powers while finding his legacy in the wake of his father's death (dad being Charles Xavier). Great exploration of someone dealing with mental illness, touching first love, awesome action and humor. Great series that does not get bogged down in X-Men continuity.
Honorable Mention: Mini Marvels - Small gag comics that occasionally ran in Marvel comics some time ago. Cute art with beats that poked fun at the the current state of the Marvel U.