(Part 2) Best products from r/DCcomics
We found 1,832 comments on r/DCcomics discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 1,544 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Okay, man, I got you. First of all, I'd like to direct you to http://comraderecs.tumblr.com/ which is basically tumblr-hosted recommendation lists recommended by /co/ (comic book board on 4chan). They have recommendations for every Marvel and DC character/team you could think of. They have recommendations from other publishers as well. You'll also find plenty of guides and reading order lists, which can really come in handy. Start navigating from that column on the right. You'll find recommended readings for the vast majority of the characters you named.
I'd also like to point you to crisis2crisis.com, which is a list of important tie-ins to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis. The goal is to give readers a list and order of books to read that will give them the whole story and still fit nicely on one shelf. Note that this doesn't include every major event in DC history that happened between the Crises, just those that somehow tie in to the Crises themselves. For example, it has info about 52, but makes no mention of Flashpoint.
Also, for the publication history of all crossovers and major events, the Wikipedia article does a really neat job.
Also, I'd recommend checking out the sidebars of /r/Batman and /r/WonderWoman. Also, even though you're apparently not very interested in them at the moment, you can check out the sidebars for /r/theFlash and /r/Superman when you feel like it. For other characters you can't go wrong with /r/DCcomics' sidebar.
However, I understand that, sometimes, one likes to have some interaction with the recommenders. For that, I'd point you to /r/comicbooksuggest. Unfortunately, the sub has too few recommenders, but each and every one of them is extremely helpful.
Nonetheless, I'm not telling you this as a cop out, and I'll still do my best to provide with recommendations along with their respective Amazon links. With that said...
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> Also theres a group I'm interested in with MMH, Catwoman, Green Latern, Katana, Stargirl, and Hawkman. Not sure what the name of the group is though.
As /u/Aqualac said, that was the Justice League of America of Prime Earth (the main earth in the new 52). Now, they have a slightly different roster, and are called Justice League Canada. They star in the all-new monthly series Justice League United, written by Jeff Lemire. The first volume trade comes out March 10^th. Now, as for the adventures of the Justice League of America, they were collected in 2 trades. The first one, Justice League of America Vol. 1: World's Most Dangerous (The New 52), is written by Geoff Johns. The second one, Justice League of America Vol. 2: Survivors of Evil (The New 52). If I were you, I'd get the first trade (you can never go wrong with Geoff Johns) and get the second one if you find yourself still interested. I haven't read either of them, though, to be completely frank.
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Now, before you try to "get into" any individual character, I'd really recommend reading Kingdom Come by Mark Waid, and also Watchmen by Alan Moore. They are both outstanding graphic novels, written by 2 of the best comic writers in history. They don't follow the "comic book formula" and every character is multi-dimentional and complex. Both graphic novels have superb art as well. You'll most definitely love them.
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There's also the 52 Omnibus, which is unlike anything you'll ever read. If you're willing to splash some cash, don't hesitate; it's absolutely fantastic. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid. Those are, like, 4 of the best comic book writers of all time. The series consists of 52 issues, published weekly for one year, each issue detailing an actual week chronicling the events that took place during the missing year after the end of Infinite Crisis. As you see, after Infinite Crisis, the DC Universe skipped ahead one year, and 52 was the story of what happened in that missing year. The year following Infinite Crisis was a year without Superman, a year without Batman, a year without Wonder Woman, but not a year without heroes, of course. In this unique series, the lives of the inhabitants of the DC universe are chronicled in a weekly "real-time" basis, where each chapter represents one week of these characters' lives. 52 stars nearly the entire cast of the DC Universe, most notably: The Question, Steel, Ralph Dibney, Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Lobo, Starfire, Animal Man, Lex Luthor, Adam Strange, and Black Adam.
You can read 52 without Infinite Crisis and still understand completely, I wouldn't say it's required reading. But reading Infinite Crisis first would definitely enhance the experience, and it gives you a good idea of where Ralph is coming from during 52. Not to mention that Infinite Crisis is excellent in its own right. Still, the 52 Omnibus costs a lot, so it's understandable if you don't want to buy anything along with it. Which is why I'm letting you know that you don't really need to read Infinite Crisis to understand 52, just by reading the 1-page recap included at the beginning of the 52 Omnibus you will be okay to enjoy this Omnibus. Also, note that this series has nothing to do with the new 52, it ran from May 2006 to May 2007.
I linked you to the Infinite Crisis trade paperback, which collects Infinite Crisis #1-7. Which is the main series, which contains the core story. However, if you really have the money, you'd want to check out Infinite Crisis Omnibus. It collects the main series, and also tons of lead-ups, tie-ins, and spin-offs. It have over 1400 pages in it! And the best part is how is collected. All the content is collected in chronological order. These 2 Amazon reviews were extremely helpful. Here's one, and here's the other.
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I'm not done, by the way. It's just everything I wanted to say won't fit in one comment, so I'll have to split it into 2. Reddit has a 10,000 character limit per comment. To be continued in another comment in reply to this one.
> I’ve read like 7 issues of All-Star Superman and don’t get it
He's the pinnacle of optimism, inspiration, idealism, hope, and probably the most memorable character of all time in western culture. You shouldn't turn to Superman comics if you're in the mood for grit, crime, edgy, dark, etc. You read Superman when life seems tough, when drug cartel torture videos make you angry, when your worldviews are failing you, or when you just want some wholesome superhero fun. Like watching a Pixar film to cleanse your palette after Requiem for a Dream. A character that feels comfortable and safe like home. When you explore further, you'll discover even more depth and variety, but I wouldn't worry about that when getting acquainted for the first time.
All-Star Superman is about solidifying the character's historical/mythological significance, just as we still believe in/tell stories about gods like Hercules carrying out 12 labors. It can also simply be an amazing hero that accomplishes amazing feats. It incorporates many different "versions" of the character and his adventures into one book in creative ways like his interactions with Bizzaro. In this sense, it's the definitive "tribute" story to Superman, which is admittedly appreciated more by fans of everything that came before.
> I’m not sure why I should care if Superman dies
I can see why you'd feel that way if this one story was your only exposure to this character. You should know, however, that Superman rarely "dies". Like most of his stories, it has less to do with the danger of death than it does with how he lives. How does he handle having those powers? How does that create problems/solutions for his environment? What decisions does he make, being aware of his own limitations? What does this character do, even when he knows he's dying? Does that inspire you? Or, do you just think it's still totally unrelatable because he has freeze breath? Is it meant to be relatable? Are ideals attainable or do they just provide purpose/direction/meaning to keep us moving forward?
> I see people recommending All-Star to people who already don’t like Superman thinking that it would change their mind, does it?
YMMV
> Art is nice, but face and the back of hands look kind of weird.
Agreed. Quitely isn't my favorite character artist (wrinkles!). There's a lot of solid color, flat, low-detail backgrounds in All-Star Superman too. He can be pretty great in other aspects, though.
I think All-Star Superman is a story that new readers CAN enjoy, but is also definitely enhanced with more appreciation/knowledge/experience with the character. If you're approaching comics from the perspective that these stories follow traditional 3-act structures (beginning, middle, end), then you'll find that not all the context you feel you need is included in every story. Comics are perpetually stuck in act 2—the beginning happened decades ago and there is no end in sight. Morrison writes All-Star Superman as a monument—a single work that focuses on a well-known character to be appreciated/celebrated/remembered. It does not aim to introduce, explain, deconstruct, twist, experiment, etc. like you'd expect from a more "traditional" or long-form story.
Here are my usual Superman "modern essentials":
Birthright and American Alien are self-contained, modern, limited series that focus on his early days. Secret Identity is a much more grounded/realistic approach about a boy that gains superpowers in a world where Superman comics exist. If you don't want to commit to the whole list, I'd recommend these to start.