>I'm interested in reading the avengers or the guardians of the Galaxy, as they were my favorite marvel movies, but I get that I might want to start with the individual character's stories rather than jumping straight to the team up. Is there any series in marvel's line up that are must reads?

If you've seen the movies, I don't think you need to read individual stuff before you read a team-up book. There are some things different between the comics and the movies, but they're much more similar than they are different. The Avengers series by Jonathan Hickman that's currently ongoing is really good, here's the first collection: Avengers by Jonathan Hickman vol. 1: Avengers World. For the Guardians, the 2008-2011 series by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning is considered the best. Start here: Guardians of the Galaxy by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning: The Complete Collection, vol. 1.

>I love the x-men movies, although Even the little I've read about the comics on other sites has got me confused, since there are some that can hold goddesses or something, does that have something to do with their mutation?

There are no X-Men that hold goddesses. Storm was worshipped as a goddess when she was younger, but she's not actually divine. There are a few mutants who also have supernatural gifts/abilities, like Magik and Pixie, but they are not a result of their mutations.

>Some mutations I get like ice powers and fire, but then there are some that can bend reality? Can a mutation allow that?

Mutations can allow anything the writers decide to allow. Storm controls the weather. Nightcrawler teleports. Mutations have nothing to do with reality.

If you want to read some good X-Men stuff, I recommend starting X-Men with Grant Morrison's New X-Men. It's good stuff, and it's easy to get into. There's three volumes, starting with this one: New X-Men vol. 1. After that, you should pick up Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon, which is really good and picks right up where New X-Men leaves off. There's four volumes, starting with this one: Astonishing X-Men vol. 1.

>Captain america certainly appeals to me, since I am, well, american, and Thor also seems like a badass, but I'd really read anything from marvel, as all their superheroes seem great.

>Also, all the dead pool panels I've seen here are hilarious, but I don't know much about the character.

Here's some good starting points I recommend for Marvel heroes:

• Captain America by Ed Brubaker vol. 1: The Winter Soldier
  
• [Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron vol. 1: The God Butcher](http://amzn.com/1846535336
  )
  
• Deadpool by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn vol. 1: Dead Presidents
  
• Iron Man by Matt Fraction vol. 1: The Five Nightmares
  
• Indestructible Hulk by Mark Waid vol. 1: Agent of SHIELD
  
• Hawkeye by Matt Fraction vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon
  
• Black Widow by Nathan Edmonson vol. 1: The Finely Woven Thread
  
  Now, I would recommend checking your local library first, they may have a lot of these available to check out. I'd also want to let you know that Marvel has a digital subscription service called Marvel Unlimited which has every comic I just mentioned available to read for $10/month or $70/year. It's a real good deal.

> Is the "All New, All Different" Series still considered a good starting point for beginners? Bisides ANAD theres Marvel NOW! and Marvel Legacy (which confuses me even more)

• 2012—2015 Marvel NOW! is a relaunch initiative for some ongoing titles (not all). There were multiple "waves" with renumbers, new stories, etc.
  
• 2015 Secret Wars (event comic that [SPOILERS?] creates a new universe with parts of Earth-616 "main" universe and parts of Earth-1610 "Ultimate" universe)
  
• 2015—present All-New, All-Different Marvel involved renumbering every ongoing title, but there was still a mix of new stories and continuations.
  
• October 2016—present Marvel NOW! 2.0 is a continuation of most Marvel NOW! stories with some new ones.
  
• September 2017 Marvel Legacy begins with a special 50-page one-shot comic (like DC Universe: Rebirth) after the current Secret Empire event concludes. Instead of annoyingly restarting at #1 again, most titles are reverting to "legacy" numbering (e.g. The Amazing Spider-Man #789). There will likely be a mix of new stories and continuations of ANAD Marvel stories.
  
  IMO, it's all needlessly convoluted, confusing, and, despite having the intention of drawing in new readers, it sometimes does the exact opposite.
  
  > Do I need to read all the past runs/entries of a series to understand whats going on? Or should I just pick the most recent Run for a series. And do newer Runs explain what happend in past Runs?
  
  Good writers will always refresh/recap important events, but the occasional unexplained reference might slip by. Some stories are more self-contained than others, but then you have less connections to the larger shared universe that so many love. The traditional beginning-middle-end story structure is more familiar (i.e. feeling compelled to read every character's origin first), but it's not required to enjoy a story. You've likely seen movies with non-linear narratives or the sequel movie is actually a prequel. We didn't know Darth Vader's origin until WAY AFTER his first appearance.
  
  Unfortunately, not all comics are high-quality productions, but they might contain the important plot points needed to understand other comics. I don't recommend reading a bunch of poor-to-mediocre comics just to "complete" the larger story. It's almost always never worth it considering how many other great comics there are that you could be reading instead. In this case, I'd just Wiki the bad stuff.
  
  > Is Ms. Marvel 2015 a continuation to the 2014 series?
  
  Yes. The renumbers (#19 --> #1) are just annoying publisher practices to draw in new readers.
  
  All that said, here's my usual copy/pasta for new readers:
  
  MARVEL STARTER GUIDE
  --
  ---
  
  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):
  
  
• Digital: Marvel Unlimited, Comixology, e-library (e.g. Hoopla - free), webcomics (free)
  
• Print (collected editions): instocktrades, ISBNS, library (free)
  
• Print (singles): midtowncomics, mycomicshop, DCBS
  
  Modern Marvel characters/teams:
  
  
• Alias (Jessica Jones) | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Avengers | Kurt Busiek
  
• The Ultimates 1-2 (Avengers) | Mark Millar
  
• New Avengers | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Avengers / New Avengers | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 2
  
• Black Panther | Christopher Priest
  
• Captain America | Ed Brubaker
  
• Captain Marvel | Kelly Sue DeConnick
  
• Daredevil | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Daredevil | Ed Brubaker
  
• Daredevil | Mark Waid
  
• Deadpool | Joe Kelly
  
• Doctor Strange: The Oath | Brian K. Vaughan
  
• Fantastic Four / FF | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 1
  
• Guardians of the Galaxy | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen, et al. | Cosmic
  
• Hawkeye | Matt Fraction
  
• Immortal Iron Fist | Brubaker & Fraction
  
• Inhumans | Paul Jenkins
  
• Iron Man: Extremis | Warren Ellis
  
• Invincible Iron Man | Matt Fraction
  
• Marvels | 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 | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• 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
  
  /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:
  
  
• Avengers Disassembled | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Secret War | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• House of M | Brian Michael Bendis | X-Men 2.5
  
• Annihilation | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen | Cosmic 1
  
• Civil War | Mark Millar
  
• World War Hulk | Greg Pak | Hulk 2
  
• Annihilation: Conquest | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen | Cosmic 2
  
• Messiah Complex | Brubaker, Kyle, Yost, et al. | X-Men 3
  
• Secret Invasion | Brian Michael Bendis | Dark Reign 1
  
• War of Kings | Abnett, Lanning, et al. | Cosmic 3
  
• Messiah War | Kyle, Yost, Swierczynski | X-Men 4
  
• Dark Avengers / Utopia | Bendis, Fraction, et al. | Dark Reign 2
  
• Siege | Brian Michael Bendis | Dark Reign 3
  
• Realm of Kings | Abnett, Lanning, Reed | Cosmic 4
  
• 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 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.
  
  
  

Simply recommending "Hickman" seems to be a popular answer here, but I don't know if that's necessarily helpful for someone who requested a story arc. The guy did close to 30 issues, with a different writer in the middle of those 30. Maybe the recommendation is based on the fact that Fantastic Four #570-588 and #600-611 are easily accessible on Unlimited. I don't know.

I simply have to recommend the earlier stuff. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby stayed with FF for much longer than the other comics that they created together, so the cohesiveness of the storylines is really top-notch. They really shaped the Marvel Universe in ways that other writers didn't fathom at the time. #45 introduced the Inhumans, and #52 introduced the Black Panther, but guess what happened in-between?

The Galactus Trilogy from 1966's Fantastic Four #48-50 gets my vote for the best of the Lee-Kirby stories. It's also one of the first pure "story arcs" that Marvel ever produced. These three issues featured the Watcher and introduced new characters Galactus and the Silver Surfer to the Marvel Universe. Plus, the Ultimate Nullifier. Can't go wrong with that.

If you've seen the second FF movie, The Rise of the Silver Surfer, please try to forget it. The comic version is SO much better.

Finally, I want to suggest another storyline for you when you've finished the above. Check out John Byrne's most famous storyline, The Trial of Galactus, an arc that ran sporadically through FF #242-262. Ironically, this storyline is almost a sequel of sorts to the storyline in #48-50, even though the two stories were published twenty years apart. In the penultimate chapter, Reed Richards must ultimately face grave consequences for his past actions regarding Galactus. The Avengers, Dr. Strange, and many notable "cosmic" Marvel characters appear in this arc, making it a fun "crossover" of sorts (before crossovers were convoluted, expensive events that frustrated creators and fans alike).

This collected edition of The Trial of Galactus is the best way to read the story without purchasing all twenty-one comic books individually. You could also probably just read #261-262 and you would get a pretty good idea of the scope of the story.

So, there you go. At least five comics for you to read that will enhance your knowledge and appreciation of Marvel's First Family (and their rogue's gallery) immensely.

Amalgam Comics
---

For those who haven't heard of this and are wondering what the hell OP means by Amalgam Comics: firstly, stop making me feel old, and secondly, here's a quick primer ;)

>Amalgam Comics was a publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones (e.g., DC Comics' Batman and Marvel Comics' Wolverine became the Amalgam character Dark Claw). These characters first appeared in a series of twelve comic books which were published in 1996, between the third and fourth issues of the DC vs. Marvel miniseries. A second set of twelve comic books followed one year later.

So for the question, this is a good list of what you'll find in both waves of the Amalgam Comics. I couldn't find them digitally through Comixology or on Kindle, sadly, so your best bet is probably buying the physical trade collections if you're super keen.

You might be able to find these cheaper elsewhere but I've linked to the Amazon listings so it's clear. There are four of them, with DC publishing half of each run and Marvel the other half:

1996 Series

• The Amalgam Age of Comics (The DC Comics Collection)
  
• The Amalgam Age of Comics: The Marvel Comics Collection
  
  1997 Series
  
  
• Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics: The DC Comics Collection
  
• Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics: The Marvel Comics Collection
  
  If this stuff interests you you might also want to checkout the DC vs. Marvel series which preceded it and created the Amalgam Universe. It was a four issue run and it was also collected in a trade paperback, although it's worth noting there are two versions:
  
  >The series was collected into a trade paperback titled DC versus Marvel Comics (collects mini-series and Doctor Strangefate #1; 163 pages; September 1996; ISBN 1-56389-294-4). Two versions of this paperback exist with one edition having DC winning three of the five fan voted battles and another version of the trade paperback with Marvel winning three of the fan voted battles. In both editions only Superboy and Lobo lose their respective bouts.
  
  Also of note:
  
  
• JLA/Avengers (2003) - a more recent crossover from the early 2000s
  
• Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century (1976) - the first modern superhero crossover
  
  ---
  
  52
  ---
  
  The series references lots of stuff and so the more you know about the more obscure characters of that time the better (like, it's cool if you know who The Question is before he starts harassing Renee Montoya) but it also does a really good job getting you up to speed on all that so I'd say the only prerequisite would be reading Infinite Crisis so you understand the world.
  
  Actually, for all the stuff with Ralph Dibny it might also be a good idea to Identity Crisis too which I recommend anyway as I'm a big fan of it anyway. :) Others might want to chime in if there are threads I'm forgetting that are set up elsewhere - I read way too much so sometimes remember where it's all from is hard :P
  
  ---
  
  | ^(Like my answer? You can) ^(check out my blog where I collect them all here!) ^(If you have a question on a character's history, the multiverse or some obscure DC mythology that's not answered there, feel free to ask me, either by reply, PM or through the blog! You can also) ^(vote on upcoming posts and suggest new topics for me to write about here!) ^:)
  ---|---

I used to work at a comic book store and love comics! Here are my recommendations:

For Marvel:
New Silver Surfer Comics (Although I might be partial because he is my favorite superhero.)
New Ms. Marvel They do a great job of making the comic very relevant for today. No idea why it is this much on Amazon, but you can find it for cheap elsewhere.
Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men. Supposed to be hilarious because Joss Whedon.

Great if you like Post-Apocalyptic Stuff:
Saga is great for beginners. My housemate had no interest in graphic novels and now she is hooked because she started with Saga.
Y: the Last Man has such a compelling storyline, can't stop reading the series!
Rover Red Charlie because I love animals and apocalypses! I always can't wait for the next one! (Also find it cheaper elsewhere)
We3 Your heart will die, but you will wish you had more to read!

Two I haven't read yet but are supposed to be Apocalyptic:
Sweet Tooth Look weird but cool.
Prophet Looks intense but worth the read.

For myself Blacksad because he is a cat detective. Need I say more?

And check out the Humble Bundle Image comic sale because you can buy some for one cent or the others for way cheap if you want some digital copies to interest you.

Edit: Added missing links and comments below for one super comment!

Mogworld by Yahtzee Crowshaw is a hilarious book about a sentient NPC in a fantasy MMORPG.

Mechanical Failure by Joe Zieja is the first book in space based comedy series. It's great fun.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore is possibly the best book I've ever read. It is about Christ, but it walks the fine line of being respectful, without being worshipful and hilarious, without being mocking. Absolutely brilliant. He wrote another book involving the main angel, called The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror is also hilarious and Christmas themed, if that appeals.

David Brin has written a lot of great stuff. The Practice Effect is a short novel about a guy visiting and trying to understand a very strange planet. It's not as pure humor as the others, but has funny parts. His other books are more serious, but his Uplift series is excellent (you can skip the first book if it doesn't grab you... it's his worst book and just a prelude to the other books), and Kiln People and Glory Season are others that are also great.

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):

• Digital: Marvel Unlimited, Comixology, e-library (e.g. Hoopla - free), webcomics (free)
  
• Print (collected editions): instocktrades, ISBNS, library (free)
  
• Print (singles): midtowncomics, mycomicshop, DCBS
  
  Modern Marvel characters/teams:
  
  
• Alias (Jessica Jones) | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Avengers | Kurt Busiek
  
• The Ultimates 1-2 (Avengers) | Mark Millar
  
• New Avengers | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Avengers / New Avengers | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 2
  
• Black Panther | Christopher Priest
  
• Captain America | Ed Brubaker
  
• Captain Marvel | Kelly Sue DeConnick
  
• Daredevil | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Daredevil | Ed Brubaker
  
• Daredevil | Mark Waid
  
• Deadpool | Joe Kelly
  
• Doctor Strange: The Oath | Brian K. Vaughan
  
• Fantastic Four / FF | Jonathan Hickman | Hickman 1
  
• Guardians of the Galaxy | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen, et al. | Cosmic
  
• Hawkeye | Matt Fraction
  
• Immortal Iron Fist | Brubaker & Fraction
  
• Inhumans | Paul Jenkins
  
• Iron Man: Extremis | Warren Ellis
  
• Invincible Iron Man | Matt Fraction
  
• Marvels | 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 | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• 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
  
  /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:
  
  
• Avengers Disassembled | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• Secret War | Brian Michael Bendis
  
• House of M | Brian Michael Bendis | X-Men 2.5
  
• Annihilation | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen | Cosmic 1
  
• Civil War | Mark Millar
  
• World War Hulk | Greg Pak | Hulk 2
  
• Annihilation: Conquest | Abnett, Lanning, Giffen | Cosmic 2
  
• Messiah Complex | Brubaker, Kyle, Yost, et al. | X-Men 3
  
• Secret Invasion | Brian Michael Bendis | Dark Reign 1
  
• War of Kings | Abnett, Lanning, et al. | Cosmic 3
  
• Messiah War | Kyle, Yost, Swierczynski | X-Men 4
  
• Dark Avengers / Utopia | Bendis, Fraction, et al. | Dark Reign 2
  
• Siege | Brian Michael Bendis | Dark Reign 3
  
• Realm of Kings | Abnett, Lanning, Reed | Cosmic 4
  
• 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 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.
  

Sorry I couldn't find a better picture, but here's a link to the comic containing Venom's first appearance. Eddie Brock was fucking huge compared to Peter Parker and Spider-Man. The fourth pic shows him pretty well.

They didn't really need to make him huge, but they could of at least picked someone bigger than Spider Man. I think someone about the size of the guy that played the Sand Man would have worked.

Now that I think about it though, the script was indeed a bigger issue than any of the casting decisions.

What I would really like to see for the future is a script written by Frank Miller doing a storyline on Carnage, and then directed by Christopher Nolan. Not sure who could play Carnage well. Has to be someone that plays a pretty good psycho.

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Spider-Man-300-Venom-print/dp/B000PT1JE2