(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best mystery graphic novels

The suggestions to read Marvel Unlimited and Hoopla are great suggestions, definitely follow up on them.

You mentioned comics available on Google Play. You'll find stuff there, but I think you'll find people here would recommend using the Comixology service instead. They are the biggest digital comics store, and you'll find what you are looking for 99% of the time. Comixology is owned by Amazon and uses your Amazon account and purchasing information to buy digital comics. The Comixology app on tablets and phones is great and very flexible, allowing you to read pretty much however you want. You can also read on a computer, but I don't know how many people do that. I get the sense you're reading on a tablet or phone if you're asking about Google Play.

However, my favorite thing about Comixology is the constant sales. They have multiple sales every week, and there are always sales linking up with the big movies coming out. There's a Spider-Man sale this week, for example. Even more exciting is that because Amazon owns Comixology, it links with the Kindle system Amazon has built over the years, and typically, trades are cheaper through Kindle than on Comixology. When you buy an issue or a trade through Kindle, it immediately syncs to Comixology, as if you'd bought it through them. So any Kindle sales on digital trades and issues can be treated as Comixology books. Sometimes, they even email out coupon codes to readers for even more fun.

There's always an SDCC sale on Comixology, and that'll be coming up soon, so I'd recommend keeping an eye out for that. It'll probably be a sale across the big three publishers, probably even more.

TLDR: Use Comixology, it's the best digital comics service with tons of great sales.

___

As for actual recommendations of comics to read... You mentioned Injustice, that's a good, fun series. It's easy to follow, so just start with Injustice: Gods Among Us Year 1, read through Year 5, then there's Injustice: Ground Zero, then it goes into Injustice 2, which is currently being published. The first volume of Injustice 2 should be coming in the next few months, but you can read each issue digitally for $.99 a piece, every week.

For Batman, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's New 52 Batman series is a great place to start. It ran for 10 consecutive volumes, and it's a blast all the way. It starts with Vol 1, Court of Owls.

Since you didn't call for other characters, it's hard to make super solid recommendations. Here are a few authors and graphic novels to look for: Geoff Johns on Green Lantern, Grant Morrison on All-Star Superman (if you think you don't like Superman, you are basically legally required to read this one. It'll change your mind), The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar, Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb... That's a lot to seek out. You can always ask for more targeted recommendations once you get into comics more. And this doesn't even count Marvel, which is a wonderful, rich history. Give some of those books a shot too.

"Essential" Batman stories (in suggested reading order):
--

• Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
  
• Batman: The Man Who Laughs by Ed Brubaker
  
• Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb
  
• Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb
  
• Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin & Marv Wolfman
  
• Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
  
• Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison
  
• Batman: Knightfall by Doug Moenchm Chuck Dixon, et al.
  
• Batman: No Man's Land by Bob Gale, Greg Rucka, et al.
  
• Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb
  
• Batman: Under the Red Hood by Judd Winick
  
• Batman: Battle for the Cowl by Tony S. Daniel
  
• Batman (run) by Grant Morrison
  
• Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder
  
• Batman (run) by Scott Snyder
  
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
  
  There are plenty more good Batman stories, but at least this will give you some direction.
  
  General new-reader advice:
  --
  
  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. Check out the /r/DCcomics sidebar.
  
  How much time do you have for comics? More time = more comprehensive recommendations. 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 DC knowledge nerd?
  
  Creative teams change often and characters get re-worked e.g. I never cared for Aquaman until Geoff Johns’ 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).
  
  Comixology for digital. instocktrades for physical (US). ISBNS for price aggregate.
  
  Modern DC characters/teams:
  
  Title | Writer
  ---|---
  Animal Man | Grant Morrison
  Animal Man | Jeff Lemire
  Aquaman | Geoff Johns
  Batman: Year One | Frank Miller
  Batman: Dark Knight Returns | Frank Miller
  Batman: The Long Halloween | Jeph Loeb
  Batman: Hush | Jeph Loeb
  Batman | Grant Morrison
  Batman | Scott Snyder
  Batwoman: Elegy | Greg Rucka
  Birds of Prey | Gail Simone
  Flash | Mark Waid
  Flash | Geoff Johns
  Gotham Central | Brubaker & Rucka
  Green Arrow | Kevin Smith
  Green Arrow | Jeff Lemire
  Green Lantern| Geoff Johns
  JLA (Justice League) | Morrison & Waid
  Kingdom Come | Mark Waid
  Omega Men | Tom King
  Suicide Squad | John Ostrander
  Secret Six (Suicide Squad) | Gail Simone
  Superman: Birthright | Mark Waid
  Superman: American Alien | Max Landis
  Superman: All-Star Superman | Grant Morrison
  Swamp Thing | Alan Moore
  Swamp Thing | Scott Snyder
  New Teen Titans | Marv Wolfman
  Wonder Woman | Greg Rucka
  Wonder Woman | Brian Azzarello
  
  Alternatively, if you want to skip to the newest stuff, read the Rebirth event (2016) and then any series’ Rebirth #1.
  
  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 DC events/crossovers:
  
  Title | Writer
  ---|---
  Crisis on Infinite Earths | Marv Wolfman
  Identity Crisis | Brad Meltzer
  Infinite Crisis | Geoff Johns
  52 | Geoff Johns, et al.
  Final Crisis | Grant Morrison
  Blackest Night | Geoff Johns
  Flashpoint | Geoff Johns
  Forever Evil | Geoff Johns
  Multiversity, The | Grant Morrison
  Darkseid War | Geoff Johns
  Rebirth | Geoff Johns
  
  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.
  

Woah. Did not see this. Sort of late comment.

Okay. I am a huge comic book fan. I am not sure what you would be in to, but my strong point is superheros so I will recommend you some.


Batman Vol. 1 of the New 52 series (DC's remake on 52 comic series) is a great one, mostly because the story line is pretty amazing and batman is one of the most popular series.

Another good starter is Nightwing Vol. 1. This story follows Dick Grayson, a former robin who is now a solo hero (nightwing.) Batman Vol. 1 and Nightwing Vol. 1 are sort of tied together so if you get this, although it would be optional and you would still understand the storyline, I highly recommend you also get Batman.

Other batman issues I recommend picking up are the new 52 issues 21-29 (Zero Year) and also batman #30 (Zero Year - Ravage City) I picked up #30 yesterday and it was superb. One of my favorite issues ever. I was also recently recommended Batman Death of the Family, which is inbetween the Court of Owls (1-12) and Zero Year (21-29)

Other than that, you could try starting on another New 52, such as the Flash, Aquaman, Batman & Robin, Action Comics, Detective Comics, or Green Arrow, just to name a few.


Have fun :)



Edit: Just noticed you like dark and intense storylines, which makes this even better because thats basically all batman is (lol).


Edit 2: I would also recommend looking into some comic book subreddits, such as /r/comicbooks /r/batman /r/marvel /r/DCcomics

Edit 3: Saw this below, but The Walking Dead would be great if you like zombies, although it would be quite hard to catch up to.

Edit 4 (SO MANY EDITS): If you would like to know some other NEW 52s, I have some on my wishlist here (shameless plug)

These are all the modern Barry Allen Books in the order they occur. If you want to read the best of the best Flash stories The Flash by Mark Waid volume 1 is out and The Flash by Geoff Johns volumes 1-3 but these feature Wally West as the Flash who (in most people on this sub's opinion) is the best Flash. Wally is also my personal favorite comics character. So here's my Barry Allen reading order with brief explanations:

•Flash Rebirth brings Bary up to speed with the world and shows him dealing with being a man out of time. This story kind of demeans Wally as character in my opinion, it makes him seem incapable of doing much and shows Barry doing things Wally can't do in this story despite Wally showing he's convincingly surpassed his mentor. I'd talk more about this but this isn't he post for that.

•The Flash Dastardly Death of The Rogues is the best Barry Allen story, it is a must read

•Flash: Road to Flashpoint. This story is pretty alright, the collected version has a lot of interesting one shots and such and it directly leads into Flashpoint. This doesn't get recommended often, but I enjoyed it and I think it should be at least mentioned

•Flashpoint kicks off the New 52 and is a very well written Barry Allen story. This leads into the New 52 series

•The Flash New 52 Vol 1-4 Collected in this omnibus. This has absolutely stunning art and it's the same art team that did Dastardly Death of the Rogues, the artists also double as the writers and they capture a good Barry Allen in my opinion. This run is great but everything after is pretty mediocre. This easily my favorite run on the character and it's very beginner friendly. If you want to just get one thing on this list, get this.

•DC Universe Rebirth is a great story and Barry and a certain other speedster are very relevant to the story

•The Flash Rebirth (2016) is the current ongoing, you can digitally purchase it or buy the issues individually from Midtown Comics (The website) or your LCBS. I'm linking the first volume of this run.

I like it. The comic is obviously a variant and not an exclusive, based on the "#1" it has on it. It looks like it's probably the first book from this: http://www.amazon.com/Harley-Quinn-Vol-City-Numbered/dp/1401254152 Anyone know more about this? I checked Amazon's preview, the comic looked really entertaining. There was even a huge reference to the original Harley Quinn from the old Batman cartoon, and I absolutely loved it. If this IS what we're getting, it seems like a great stand-alone issue, not a cliff-hanger that just sets up future stories. Has anyone here read this? It seems the "intro" on Amazon is comic #0, and what we're getting in Lootcrate is #1.

Either way, all of the "wants" are satisfied here for me:

Something valuable enough to justify spending money: All of the crate actually. Nothing is junk this time.

Something to show off: The shirt is ok (not really a Star Trek fan) but I love the beanie concept. That Punisher-half beanie is definitely getting worn.

Something useful: Two clothes items, and that wallet will be useful if Mighty Wallets are as good as they claim. I like how the design of the wallet is nerdy but not really gaudy, the colors are muted and the design is serious enough.

Something displayable: That AvP figure is cool. The comic will probably look nice on a shelf, the cover design is pretty.

Something random (not everyone gets the exact same stuff): The AvP figure is randomly one or the other, apparently.

Something I can nerd out over: Damn that comic looks neat. I love Harley Quinn, and even if I don't like comics I've gotta read through this one.

Really I can't see anything to complain about. I wish the punisher beanie had a bigger skull emblem on it, and I wish the shirt was different (ugly colors, and a series I don't really care about), but even with that this is a great crate. Even the pin looks great, I didn't like the ugly pin last month and this one seems better than the 1st pin from January, which I really liked.

Congratulations on the weight loss! I've been working on that myself, but in an incredibly long and altogether fruitless way. As for Catwoman books:

I agree that the New 52 series is not good. It's honestly so horrible that I would rather Catwoman be cancelled than have these be her stories. Frustrates me to no end. I'll go ahead and give you my list, based solely on what is available in trades.

First, have you read Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory? If so, I'd highly suggest Catwoman: When in Rome. It's set during Dark Victory, in the period where Catwoman has gone. And it's done by the same writer and artist. It's a pretty solid book on it's own, but I just think it reads better if you've read the other two. Long Halloween features some great moments with Selina.

I'd suggest Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale, but it seems like it may be out of print. I still see it in comic stores sometimes, so check your local stores. This is a solid collection of Catwoman stories from many different eras, basically focusing on one story per costume.

DC released a couple new edition trade collections of Catwoman (2002)'s early issues. Volume 01: Trail of the Catwoman features the entire Selina's Big Score OGN, the backup stories from Detective Comics 759-762, and Catwoman (2002) issues 01-09. This was the Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker era of Catwoman, and it really ushered in a renaissance of her character. She was awesome before this run, but this is the run that really made her an incredible, well-rounded, interesting character.

Volume 02: No Easy Way Down features Catwoman (2002) issues 10-24 and Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1. Volume 03: Under Pressure is set to be released in just a week or two and will collect issues 25-37. I really hope they continue releasing the rest of Catwoman (2002) in these new larger trade collections. Most of the previous trades are out of print these days.

If you can find copies of The Replacements, It's Only a Movie, Catwoman Dies, Crime Pays, and The Long Road Home for cheap, they're a great read as well. But these are mostly out of print right now (though sometimes still easily available). These are the issues that I am hoping DC decides to reprint.

Batman: Heart of Hush is also a phenomenal read. Though Selina is... incapacitated for much of the book, it's still a fantastic Catwoman story. It leads into Batman: Streets of Gotham, Vol. 01 - Hush Money, which only has a little bit of Catwoman in it, but set up what would have been an awesome rivalry if DC hadn't reset the universe. Heart of Hush also leads into Gotham City Sirens. Many people really loved this series; I thought it was only okay. It's starring Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman, but Catwoman absolutely takes a huge back-seat to the other two. It's unfortunate, but not a bad read. It's coming back in print in October. I suggest waiting until then to get it.

Unfortunately, beyond that, there is not a huge selection of Catwoman trades available. At that point, you may have to be willing to dive into individual issues.

Well, the thing about getting into Big 2 comics is that it's really easier than it sounds, especially since both companies have gone through major "reboots" a few years ago, with DC launching The New 52 (which reset or compressed several decades of continuity) and Marvel launching Marvel NOW!, both of which reset several titles to #1. You can pick up trades (or collected volumes of issues) from Amazon or read digitally on Comixology. Many local libraries may also have trades and graphic novels available to check out.

With DC, you can start off with #1 of almost any New 52 series. However, you don't always have to start with #1. Some series don't get good until a new creative team takes over and establishes a new status quo. In which case, you can start reading from where the new writers began, and not worry about what happened in the previous issues. Here is a list of DC New 52 recommendations I've made before:

> For Batman and Batman-related books, I recommend the following:
Batman (#1 - ongoing) Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls - The flagship title, by Scott Snyder.
Batman: The Black Mirror - This is actually just before The New 52, but I recommend this mainly because it's a very well-loved modern story that turned Scott Snyder (the current Batman writer) into DC's golden boy. It's also fairly accessible to new readers.
Grayson (#1 - ongoing) - Launched this year, and one of DC's best books in quite some time. Dick Grayson is an undercover spy. Very fun and character-driven.
Batman and Robin (#1 - ongoing) Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill - Character-driven title that focuses on the Bat family.
Catwoman (#35 - ongoing) - Selina Kyle as a mob boss. Very intricate plot.
Detective Comics (#30 - ongoing) - Manapul/Buccellato run. Fantastic art.
Nightwing (#1 - 30) Nightwing, Vol. 1: Traps and Trapezes - Makes a good complement to the Batman and Batman & Robin titles.
 

>For other characters, I would recommend:
Wonder Woman (#1 - 35) Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Blood - Brian Azzarello's 35-part epic of gods and mortals. Great story, great art.
Green Arrow (#17 - 34) Green Arrow, Vol. 4: The Kill Machine
The Flash (#1 - 29) The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward
Earth 2 (#1 - 26) Earth 2, Vol. 1: The Gathering - The James Robinson run (#1-16) is quite good, though Tom Taylor's run (#17-26) is still decent.
Red Lanterns (#21 - 37) Red Lanterns, Vol 4: Blood Brothers - A general understanding of the Green Lantern universe might be needed to fully appreciate this.
 

Marvel tends to reset a series whenever a new creative team takes over, or when a new status quo is put into place, so it's even easier to find a jump-in point. Just start with #1 of any series. Marvel also has a subscription service that allows you to digitally read any comic older than six months. Here are some recent series that I would recommend:

Matt Fraction's Hawkeye
Mark Waid's Daredevil
Superior Foes of Spider-Man
Nathan Edmondson's Black Widow
Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man
Cullen Bunn's Magneto
Tom Taylor's Superior Iron Man

You can look up these titles on Comixology and see previews for each issue. Just pick whatever sounds interesting to you, and start reading.

I’m assuming you probably heard or read a lot of these already but their worth repeating on the chance that you haven’t.

• The first four volumes of Superman/Batman are probably the best stand alone team up stories those two characters probably ever had. Between the four they deal with the kind of stories that only superhero books have done well. Things like multiple universe, massive crossovers, time travel, and introductions of legacy characters. They are also just damn good reads.
  
  
• Kingdom Come is another story that really could only be done well in a superhero book. If you haven’t read it then you really need too.
  
  
• Volume One and Volume Two of DC: The new Frontier are timeless superhero stories that really exhibits what makes them so special.
  
  
• All Star Superman shows what a modern version of a Silver Age story would like. This has the special sauce that made comics good back in the 60s and 70s and its one of the best Superman stories ever told.
  
  
• Superman: Red Son best example of an Elseword or Alternate universe story. Really good.
  
  
• Marvel’s Secret Wars should be required reading. Kind of like how Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird is in public schools. It’s a corner stone for comics.
  
  
• Crisis On Infinite Earths: If Secret Wars is Catcher in the Rye then Crisis is War and Peace. It is a tuff read for a new reader but it is masterpiece in terms of craft, storytelling, and the weaving of continuity.
  
  
• Identity Crisis was mentioned before but I’ll repeat it because it is the superhero story the deals with issues typically never addressed in superhero books. It is controversial for some of the things that happen but ultimately very good book.
  
  
• Superman: Our Worlds at War is probably a bit difficult to find at the point but it is a massive phone book size trade that show what a good multi author/artist collaborative crossover event can be like.
  
  
• The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are two timeless Batman stories. I don’t care for Batman comics but these books are so good that even I like them.
  
  
• Astro City just started back up again so a new printing of the first story should be just around the corner. It is a celebration of everything that make superhero comics great. Keep an eye out for this one.
  

Since it seems like you're mostly interested in DC characters I'd recommend checking out the current Rebirth Series. Now I'm only familiar with Batman and Flash, so I can't speak to the quality of the other series but I've enjoyed both of them so far.

Here's some links to the first volume of the Rebirth Series of all the characters (plus the Flash) you mentioned:

Aquaman

Batman

Green Arrow

Flash

Superman

As for the best place to buy comics I recommend Amazon and Barnes & Noble as they are generally pretty cheap and run good sales fairly often (especially Barnes & Noble).

Now for some of my personal recommendations:

Batman New 52 Vol. 1 Court of Owls, it's Batman at his best investigating an old Gotham conspiracy.

Hawkeye Vol. 1 My Life as a Weapon, it's about what Hawkeye does when he's not an Avenger. It has some really amazing art.

Hope this was helpful! Feel free to message me with any questions you might have!

So this may not be the most up to date, but DC has previously released their full list of publications which may help you. Another great resource which should be able to help you is Comic Book DB, which I believe should specifically answer your questions, with information on what trades collect what single issues, and what single issue are or aren't collected, and the different collections they have been a part of.

As for your Knightfall question, I have made a previous post on the matter, listing what single issues made up the saga, and what formats they have been collected in. So, if you wanted the "breaking of the bat", that would be Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1 (25th Anniversary Edition), which ends on the physical confrontation of the two. Batman: Knightfall Vol. 2 (25th Anniversary Edition) would be the aftermath of the breaking, and shows the priming of JPV as Batman. The later bits of Azrael taking full ownership of the Batman mantle would be Batman: Knightquest: The Crusade Vol. 1 and Batman: Knightquest: The Crusade Vol. 2. Batman taking the mantle back would be in Batman: Knightsend . Hopefully from my post above, you will be able to see that there are equivalent versions with the same information, depending on what format you prefer, for example, I got all of the same information (plus Dick's arc as Batman in Prodigal) in the 2012 softcover omnibus collections. The remaining material you would be missing is the initial meeting of and recruitment of JPV in Sword of Azrael (actually explains a lot of the detail of JPV as a character here, I felt lost in Knigthsquest without reading this one), Prelude to Knightfall, which has the set up of e.g. some villains and encounters leading up to Knightfall, but not yet, I believe, any of Bane's gauntlet, Knightsquest: The Search, which shows Bruce's recovery, and then Prodigal (Dick's time as batman) or Troika (which I don't believe is really related, yet is sometimes packaged as though a part of it). I hope this information helps.

Next for the Al Ghul's. There are a few different collections featuring their most prominent stories that have "___ of the Demon" in the title. So, there is the Batman: Birth of the Demon trade collection, which contains the Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon stories. The most prominent story of theirs would probably be the Batman: Tales of the Demon. Other's include Bane of the Demon, which is collected in the Batman: Legacy part 2 trade, which follows Knightfall (and Legacy part one, obviously), and precedes No Man's Land (with a few other titles in between. It actually goes Knightfall, Prodigal, Troika, Contagion, Legacy 1 and 2, Cataclysm, Road to No Man's Land 1 and 2, then No Man's Land 1-4. With maybe New Gotham 1 and 2 afterwards. Don't feel you have to read all though, you would probably tire yourself out). I haven't read these comics as listed previously in this paragraph, but I have looked into them, as they are each of interest to me, but I don't have as much experience with these titles as I do with Knightfall. As for Damian, you are right in that most information on him starts with the Morrison run. But, he is introduced in like the first arc of his run, which also explains a lot from him, so if you did just want to read about Damian, and dip your toes into Morrison's run without having to invest into the whole thing, you could start with the Batman and Son (New Edition), which comes with Damian's introductory arc with Batman and Talia, and also collects Batman in Bethlehem, which also gives a good background of Damian. It also includes The Black Glove, which sets up the rest of Morrison's run, but is also a good stand alone mystery arc, at least I feel so. Between the Batman and Son and Black Glove arcs however was the cross-title event The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, which I haven't read, but as the title suggests, has Ra's Al Ghul, so you may be interested to read it.

Lastly, I can't help you much with Harley, sorry, as I only have the Harley Quinn TPB and Mad Love and other Stories TPB. For Under the Red Hood, I personally feel if you already know you have to read A Death in the Family first, then you probably have all the background information you need (I joke that all you need is the front cover of ADitF, before reading UtRH). It also comes from a place of me believing that neither A Death in the Family not A Lonely PLace of Dying are good stories at all, yet are often recommend for their "importance" to the canon. At least you should know that modern printings of A Death in the Family come with A Lonely Place of Dying packaged with it, so yo wouldn't have to buy them together if you do choose to do so. That's at least my two cents on the topic though.

Anyway, I hope this all makes sense. If there was anything else you would like to know, or seek clarification on, let me know, I would be happy to help. I hope you enjoy reading!