Reddit mentions: The best science fiction graphic novels
We found 4,821 Reddit comments discussing the best science fiction graphic novels. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 921 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Del Rey
Features:
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 6.86 Inches |
Length | 4.18 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | September 1995 |
Weight | 0.2625 Pounds |
Width | 0.59 Inches |
2. Kingdom Come
DC Comics
Specs:
Height | 10.2 Inches |
Length | 6.64 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | September 2008 |
Size | One Size |
Weight | 0.89507678372 Pounds |
Width | 0.34 Inches |
3. Infinity Gauntlet
- Marvel
Features:
Specs:
Color | black |
Height | 10.25 Inches |
Length | 6.875 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | September 2011 |
Weight | 0.87523518014 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
4. Green Lantern: Rebirth
DC Comics
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 10.2 Inches |
Length | 6.7 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 2010 |
Weight | 0.7495716908 Pounds |
Width | 0.3 Inches |
5. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Specs:
Height | 10.2 Inches |
Length | 6.7 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 1997 |
Weight | 0.86421206704 Pounds |
Width | 0.4 Inches |
6. Secret Invasion
Specs:
Height | 10.15 Inches |
Length | 6.65 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2009 |
Weight | 0.88846291586 Pounds |
Width | 0.8 Inches |
7. World War Hulk
- Marvel Comics Group
Features:
Specs:
Height | 10.25 Inches |
Length | 6.75 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 2008 |
Weight | 0.86421206704 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049
Specs:
Color | Silver |
Height | 8.26 Inches |
Length | 5.51 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 1996 |
Weight | 0.45 Pounds |
Width | 0.51 Inches |
9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Volume 1 (TMNT IDW Collection)
- Prevents Damaged to Teeth Caused by Grinding and Clenching
- STRONGER THAN COMPETITION. A mouth guard to stop teeth grinding has to be strong. These SleepRight Select dental guards have a bite pad tensile strength designed to last longer than a leading competitor and flex slightly to match the individual bite angle. These SleepRight Select dental guards have a 9,100 psi bite pad tensile strength and fully articulate to match the bite angle.
- SAFE TO USE. SleepRight Dental Guards have the best FDA safety record in their class – with no FDA adverse events in 21 years. They are non-leaching and non-toxic – with no BPA, latex, silicone, or phthalate.
- FOUR POSITIONS. SleepRight Dura-Comfort Dental Guards’ bite pads are designed to adjust forward and backward into four positions for a custom fit.
- Free of BPA and Latex
Features:
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 11.13 Inches |
Length | 7.38 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | June 2015 |
Weight | 3.28709232642 Pounds |
Width | 1.11 Inches |
10. Saga, Vol. 1 (Saga (Comic Series))
- IMAGE COMICS
Features:
Specs:
Height | 10.1 Inches |
Length | 6.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | One Size |
Weight | 0.78043640748 Pounds |
Width | 0.7 Inches |
11. Crisis On Infinite Earths
DC Comics
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 10.15 Inches |
Length | 6.64 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2001 |
Weight | 1.34922904344 Pounds |
Width | 0.61 Inches |
12. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned
Used Book in Good Condition
Specs:
Height | 10.17 Inches |
Length | 6.61 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2003 |
Weight | 0.4299014109 pounds |
Width | 0.28 Inches |
13. Superman: Red Son (New Edition)
- New Superman
Features:
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 10.1 Inches |
Length | 6.6 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | April 2014 |
Weight | 0.63713593718 Pounds |
Width | 0.3 Inches |
14. X-Force/Cable: Messiah War
NewMint ConditionDispatch same day for order received before 12 noonGuaranteed packagingNo quibbles returns
Specs:
Height | 10.125 Inches |
Length | 6.625 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2010 |
Weight | 1.42859545776 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
15. The Amory Wars 3: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: Ultimate Edition
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
Specs:
Height | 10 Inches |
Length | 7 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 2012 |
Weight | 2.25091969502 pounds |
Width | 0.8 Inches |
16. Y: The Last Man, Book 1, Deluxe Edition
suggested for mature readers
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 11.14 Inches |
Length | 7.35 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2008 |
Weight | 1.71078715312 Pounds |
Width | 0.88 Inches |
17. Absolute Blackest Night
- Note: Titanfall is multiplayer only
Features:
Specs:
Height | 15.6 Inches |
Length | 8.8 Inches |
Release date | July 2013 |
Weight | 7.29289162696 pounds |
Width | 2.25 Inches |
18. The Planetary Omnibus
The Planetary Omnibus
Specs:
Color | Sky/Pale blue |
Height | 11.17 Inches |
Length | 7.63 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2014 |
Weight | 5.56226287026 Pounds |
Width | 2.02 Inches |
19. Saga Book One (Saga DLX Ed Hc)
- Image Comics
Features:
Specs:
Height | 11 Inches |
Length | 7.25 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | November 2014 |
Weight | 3.47889449436 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
20. Annihilation Book 1 (Bk. 1)
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
Specs:
Height | 10.25 Inches |
Length | 6.75 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 0.92814612302 Pounds |
Width | 0.375 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on science fiction graphic novels
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where science fiction graphic novels are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
I take it from Harry Potter and Divergent he likes strong, morally-white protagonists on journeys to save the world. I don't know his exact reading level or interests, so I will make the following suggestions by category. I ranked books in each category by difficulty.
 
Teen Fantasy:
 
Dealing with Dragons: Funny, easy to read, dragons, magic, and sarcasm.
The Lioness Series, Immortal Series, or The Magic Circle Series: Strong female leads and interesting to read with great stories (Think Mulan). My brother loved them.
Artemis Fowl: Strong, morally ambiguous but ultimately altruistic, sarcastic, and smart protagonist against the world.
User Unfriendly: Dudes get sucked into a video/rpg and try to get out without dying. Like Tron, but less sci-fi and more fantasy.
Halo: One of my brothers who HATES reading -- or at least is incredibly picky actually stayed up all night to finish four of Halo books. He also really likes the games. I don't know which one is the first or the best but this one had the best reviews. I dunno if it is dark either -- I haven't read it :'(.
The Dark Elf Trilogy: Darker than anything else I have on here (or can be) hero vs world type fantasy. Drizzit = my brothers' hero growing up. Kinda WOW-esque? Having played both, I understand how much of WOW is inspired by DnD. I personally didn't like this.
Redwall: Harder to read, talking animals save the world from other talking animals. I personally hated this series, but my brothers read every single book in the series at the time.
 
Adult Fantasy:
 
Magician: Magic, totally badass protagonist, BORING first couple chapters, but ultimately the most OP hero I have ever read. Amazing, truly amazing. I think it is two-three books in the first series.
Harper Hall: Dragons, music, strong, but lost protagonist. Deals with sexism and gender biased. The other books in the cycle range from sci-fi to political fantasy.
Dragonbone Chair: Strong, badass hero vs a dragon. What happens? He becomes more badass. It is a lighter verison of LOTR/Sword of Shanara (which is probably too much politics/genetics/enviromental commentary -- generally boring-- for him right now) --
An even lighter alternative, more teen book is Eragon. That being said, I absolutely DETESTED these books. I don't care if he was 16, he didn't coming up with any of his own material. But -- a lot of people really like it, so your brother might!
 
Sci-fi:
 
Ender's game: Amazing ending, especially if he likes videogames. I haven't seen the movie, but my Dad said it was "loosely inspired" from the book. All I know is the book was world-changing. It has some legitimately dark points (like gouging out a giants eye or drowning puppies).
Johnny Maxwell Trilogy: This dude is cool. I didn't know until I linked it that it is hard to get a copy >.<.
Dune: This, like LOTR, is VERY political and can be very easily boring. It might also be too adult or hard for him. There is mental illness and just crazy people in the later books.
&nbsp;
Mature Humor:
&nbsp;
He should be ready for some British humor, which is a little more mature than American humor (sorry) and much more sarcastic. You also have to be in the mood for it, especially if you aren't expecting it.
Sourcery: Really, really funny.
Hitchhiker's Guide: Also funny.
Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold: American. Funny take on fantasy books.
&nbsp;
I kept away from darker books where the protagonist is morally grey (Artemis fowl and Drizzit being exceptions -- though they are both still definitely heros), sex, questionable themes, or general mental derangement.
I also stayed away from more modern books, which I have read a lot of if you would like recommendations for those instead. I read a lot in general, so if you have a questions about a book in particular, I can try to help.
Edit: Links
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...
---
> 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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
absolutely. (though my recommendations will probably be pretty cliche/entry level in the world of comics)
If you want to stick to recent marvel, but want an "everyman" story, check out Matt Fraction's run on Hawkeye, where it basically just explores his everyday life. it's comedic and fun and Aja's art is wonderfully simple.
Another current series that is great (and will be constantly recommended) is Saga. Brian K. Vaughan's writing is great and Fiona Staples is one of the best digital artists in comics. The story is like star wars on acid, but with a wholesome focus, at it's core, on family. it's weird, funny, progressive, and quite graphic. interesting, sympathetic characters. Highly recommend it.
Another classic Brian K Vaughan series is Y: The Last Man. All men on earth simultaneously die, barring the protagonist, Yorick. Vaughan's writing is great in this as well.
One of my favorite series from all time is Neil Gaiman's famous Sandman. the series is basically stories about storytelling, with the (occasional) main character being Morpheus, "god" of dreams (though he has many other names/titles/definitions). it is often surreal and appropriately dreamlike. Gaimain loves his deities and mythologies and the world of Sandman simultaneously creates its own mythology while including/alluding to all those that humans have created IRL. Sandman's depiction of "reality" changes as drastically and frequently as the constantly shifting roster of illustrators involved.
Around that same time was Grant Morrison's Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth. while this was just a one-shot novel, it was very dark and directly focused on the psychological aspects of batman as a character. the idea that batman is as crazy as his enemies is nothing new, but this book epitomized it. like Sandman, very late 80's/early 90's feel.
another trippy comic i love is Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing. Moore reworked swamp thing as a sympathetic monster with themes focusing on identity and memory, while still being within the horror genre. Alan Moore is probably a literal genius and he's known for his many other famous classics, like Watchmen (probably the most classic/important comic, which is also about comics), V for Vendetta, and From Hell. Anything by Moore is a safe bet and he sets the bar for writing in the comic medium.
If you are more interested in art than story, my biggest reccomendation would be literally anything drawn by Jean Giraud, aka "Mœbius." He is probably a national hero in france and he was one of the most celebrated comic artists of all time. he made masterful linework look easy and he has a genius understanding of simple composition and color.
there are tons of smaller, fun books/series, many of which i have yet to read, but the ones i listed are all pretty standard, accessible recommendations. definitely check out a few! Edit: typos
first off dam, you are pretty freaking awesome for doing this!
Item one on the list: Zoom H1MB Handheld Recorder
this one is a long shot but is £79 from 3rd party, or 120 from direct. Essentialy have you ever wanted to do a podcast with your friends? or do any sort of audio recording that is of freaking awesome quality? this is a great entry level. i currently am starting podcasts up and have a home recording but have no way to take a decent mic out the house. i would love to be able to record with several friends at their house for the audio. this is SO good to help, and literaly its all you need to do a podcast. you could put this on your living room table, with a little help from some editing software (id be happy to do for you!) you can have a rocking piece of audio for a podcast!
Item Two: Essentials Audio Recording Portable Vocal Booth
ok if you cant tell by now i love doing home recording. this is something i REALLY want to get for my home recording settup, as it just.... well. essentialy what it does it gives you soundproofing all around your microphone. its SUPER good if you dont want to have to soundproof an entire room or sit with a towl over your head and mic. its amazing. as a person who uses his bedroom as his studio, its literaly a one stop alternative to having to take down all my frames and such and build soundproof walls.
Item Three: Leatherman Multi-Tool Wingman
Instead of more audio equipment i thought i would offer something universaly useful. lethermens are some of the best multi tools on the planet. so good they come with a 25 year guarantee. seriously, if it fucks up you can just send it back. this is an intro level one that ive wanted for months since my dad got one, and its just super useful. a lot of the higher level lethermans either have less tools, or are more specific. my dad uses the skeleton model that is much better if you want a lot of screwdriver heads and such in it. however this one is far more general and offers a large number of useful tools. a letherman is the only multi tool your ever going to need, and its going to last
Item Four: Saga: Deluxe edition Vol 1
when im not recording podcasts about comics, im generaly reading them. Saga was a series that got me so hard into comics its untrue. its an epic space fantasy opera, that is currently number 1 in most the charts for things. if you want to get into comics and want to read something truely that will make you go "holy crap. i didnt know comics were like THIS." then saga is for you. saga is doing for sci fi comics what the walking dead did. only its up to issue 30 as apposed to 150, and because of the nature and size of the book cant be made into a tv show. ive got every issue as singles but dam, it would be good to have a way to read it without taking them all out of their sleeves.
God dam i realise how much stuff i like! have a great day buddy!
Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...
Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.
Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D
Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!
Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!
Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)
Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.
Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!
I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!
Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).
> 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)
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):
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.
100% good decision. Too many people spend a lot of time on superheroes and never get around to what the rest of the medium has to offer. I mean superheroes are cool but there is so much out there
Ultimate Spider-Man is definitely a great place to start. Digital and print
If you like fantasy and are ok with nudity, read Saga. Digital and print
>Is there a difference between Marvel and DC except for the different superheroes?
Less than some would like you to think. Honestly its hard to say there's any meaningful difference between them because its hard to make a statement that is true about all of their comics from all periods, because they put out so. many. books.
Generally, Marvel centres around concepts and characters made by Stan Lee (Spider-Man, Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Daredevil), Steve Ditko (Spider-Man, Dr Strange), or Jack Kirby (Captain America, Fantastic Four, Avengers, X-Men and most importantly the Machine Man), or a combination of those three. DC characters have been created by a lot of different people over a much longer timespan. But even that isn't really true since 80% of the street level Marvel characters like Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones were created over a very long time, and the best X-Men were created in the 70s/80s by Len Wein and Claremont
Also, over the last decade Marvel's stuff tends to be much more intertwined thanks to shitty line-wide events, while DC's is, generally, more separate. But even that isn't true since in the New 52 DC's continuity was quite close together, even without events
The biggest difference between them is that at any one time one of them is in the shit, while the other one is doing well. Generally. Sometimes they're both shit. Sometimes they're both ok
edit: also what country do you live in? if you're buying print books I could try and give recommendations for websites to use
Obligatory wiki links: Dystopian Literature. Although, some of the titles listed don't seem to fit (The Dispossessed?). Nuclear holocaust fiction, and your general apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.
Some of the better/more popular ones:
Zombies: World War Z, Raise the Dead, Marvel Zombies, Zombie Survival Guide, Day By Day Armageddon, I Am Legend.
Also, just for kicks, some of my favorite dystopian movies:
Brazil, Soylent Green, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner, Akira, Children of Men, Dark City, A Boy and His Dog, Logan's Run, Idiocracy, Equillibrium.
Hello and I'm glad to see you're showing interest in comics. Let me be the first to say that I'm not some seasoned veteran with limitless knowledge of the "ins" and "outs" regarding to comics. The first time I picked up a DC Comic and read it was a 2 years ago, I picked up Batman Under The Red Hood. Why? I had seen the animated movie and LOVED it. I wanted to see what the graphic novel had to offer. At the time I didn't have access to comics and that was the only DC Comic I read. A year ago, I was on vacation in NYC and I picked up Justice League Vol. 1 Origins. Why? I was browsing through the store for something to jump out at me. I had no idea who Geoff Johns or Jim Lee was. At the time I didn't care, I just wanted to pick up a book, read it, and enjoy it. When I picked up Justice League Vol. 1, I was like "OH SHIIIIIIII", I felt like I had been transported into another reality. Reading about Green Lantern meeting Batman for the first time, it was great.
Then this past year I went to my first Comic Con. DC was pushing a lot of comics and they had all these artists and writers and panels, but I had no idea who these people were or why they were important. I remember sitting there at the Batman panel and they showed a slide of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, as they were describing the story behind and what Bruce was going through, I was thinking, "I need to read this."
After NYCC was over I went to my local comic book store and picked up TDKR, and fucking LOVED it. It's not New 52. It's not new, it's older. But here's the thing. It's fucking awesome. Go buy it and read it and you'll see.
I'm just going to cut this short and say, there isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to read comics. Just go to the store, and see what jumps out at you. I mean, who cares if you happen to like the current Batgirl, while I may hate it. You are paying for the comic and if you enjoy it, why does it matter if it's "right" or "wrong"?
If you're lost, I'm sure you can find some help from everyone on here, the staff at your local comic store, can surely help if you just take the mindset of, "Hey I'm new can you at least point in me in some sort of direction for starting out?"
That's all I have to say about that. Good luck and hope you enjoy your time in comics (whether it be DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, etc)
If I had to supply a "here's a good place to start list", I'd say start with the following.
-Batman [Court of Owls] (http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Vol-Court-Owls-New/dp/1401235425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1422342173&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=batman+court+of+owls)
-Batgirl [Darkest Reflection] (http://www.amazon.com/Batgirl-Vol-Darkest-Reflection-New/dp/1401238149/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1422342206&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=batgirl+vol+1)
-The Flash [Move Forward] (http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Vol-Move-Forward-New/dp/1401235549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1422342234&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=flash+move+forward)
This isn't New 52 but it's still good [The Dark Knight Returns] (http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Knight-Returns-Frank-Miller/dp/1563893428/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1422342259&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=frank+miller+the+dark+knight+returns&amp;pebp=1422342259313&amp;peasin=1563893428)
For Flash:
Barry Allen started his carrier in the comics in 1959 until 1985 and then he was absent on until 2009. His modern-age series called The Flash: Rebirth when he returned. After that 2 trades came (In comics, a trade paperback (often shortened to trade) is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme.) called The Flash Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues and The Flash Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint.
After these, a HUGE event came that changed everything called Flashpont that "reset" the continuity and started the New 52 age and it's first story-line called The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward . This series (New52) lasted till Spring 2016 and collected 9 trades (the show you watched is based on this era). In early 2016 DC Rebirth came (only name change, everything is continued from New52) but a huge exception: a long missing character came back to the grand scene who was missing for so long. Rebirth's first trade is The Flash Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice
So if you are interested in Barry (overall) start with The Flash: Rebirth and move onward to Flashpont, but you can just start with The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward or DC Rebirth and The Flash Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice, then read everything up to today. (there was a Flash event called Flash War which ended a few months ago)
(there is an omnibus on sale at the moment (a collection of multiple trades) called The Flash By Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato Omnibus that collects the first 4 trades of the New 52 era.
For Superman:
His New 52 story wasn't that great (if you ask 10 people, almost 9 of them will tell you that you should skip that era), but there are 3 "essential" TPBs in that period of time:
Superman: The Men of Tomorrow by Geoff Johns
Lois Lane and Clark
Superman: The Final Days of Superman
After these, you can start with Superman Vol. 1: Son Of Superman and move forward with the volumes until a strange storyline called Superman:Reborn that ends the Final Days of Superman story. Rebirth's final TPB called Superman Vol. 7: Bizarroverse (not out yet), which is followed by a fresh new start called The Man of Steel that kicks out Superman #1 (remember, we started from New 52, yet Superman: Reborn came along)
(but if you want a full reading, you can easily start with Superman Vol. 1: What Price Tomorrow? New 52 TPB.)
About Action Comics: compared to Superman solo series, Action Comics is more about Metropolis and things happening NOT JUST with Superman, but with his friends and family etc. The first 3 volumes of New 52 were fantastic, written by Grant Morrison (starting with [Action Comics Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel] (https://www.amazon.com/Superman-Action-Comics-Vol-Steel/dp/1401235476/ ) but overall the whole New 52 was a decent run.
After New 52, Rebirth's first volume's called Action Comics Vol. 1: Path Of Doom
For Aquaman:
I highly recommend starting with New 52 and move forward to Rebirth and more, as it is a great adventure seeing Aquaman in action during that period of time, lots of fun and interesting stories.
New 52 first volume/TPB called Aquaman Vol. 1: The Trench
Rebirth first volume called Aquaman Vol. 1: The Drowning
Also have to mention that the new movie coming out soon is LOOSLY (not entirely, but still) based on the story-line called Aquaman Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (new52)
For Batman:
There is a new kind of book format coming out just now called "Essential Edition" which is basically pack of 2 (or more) volumes/TPBs in 1 book.
Batman's story starts WAY before New 52 (his and Green Lantern's history wasn't "deleted", so everything happened in the past, is still here with us), so it is advisable to start at least Year One, then jump into New 52 via Batman: The Court of Owls Saga (DC Essential Edition) , which is followed by a great arc called Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family and others as well. It is highly recommend to read through the whole New 52 series, as it is a MASTERPIECE!
Rebirth starts with Batman Vol. 1: I Am Gotham
Just like Action Comics is connected to Superman, here Detective Comics connected with Batman. Detective Comics is about the Bat-family operating in Gotham City, solving mysteries etc.
New 52 first TPB Detective Comics Vol. 1: Faces of Death
Rebirth first TPB Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen
For Green Lantern:
Just like Batman, Green Lantern's story wasn't deleted prior New 52, everything that happened BEFORE, is still here with is (even today). Yet you don't have to start at the very beginning, there is a really respectable writer called Geoff Johns (mentioned earlier) who started to write Green Lantern back in 2005 (long time ago) and his work laid down the basics of the mythos around the Lantern Corps, the different rings, lot of intergalactic battles etc.
His first work was Green Lantern: Rebirth, followed by many over the years. I mentioned the Omnibus format back at The Flash, for Green Lantern it is highly recommended to get through his story (as it is a HUGE connected story from the Green Lantern Rebirth) via those books
Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 1
Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 2
Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 3
After these, the overall story continues in the Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army and Green Lantern: The Wrath of the First Lantern TPBs.
Just like Action Comics and Detective Comics, there is a companion series for the "main" Green Lantern books, called Green Lantern Corps. Before New 52, the old TPBs weren't reprinted, so it is hard to collect that era (starts with Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1: To Be a Lantern ) but the New 52 books are much more widely available. The first one is Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1: Fearsome.
After New 52, the "main" Green Lantern book becomes Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1: Sinestro's Law and the Green Lantern Corps to Green Lanterns Vol. 1: Rage Planet.
Wow it is a huge list and lot of stuff. I missed a few things, but even if you start reading these, you won't be disappointed for a while. (and when you're not sure how/where to next, just ask me or anyone here on Reddit). For the buying process: there are a few options: local comic shop (LCS), amazon, ebay, https://www.speedyhen.com/ (if you are UK based), http://bookdepository.com/, https://www.instocktrades.com/ for starters.
Hope this helps!
I'm not sure about "seasons", but I can help some:
Green Lanterns are a Corps group devoted to protecting the Galaxy. Much like Police; they have "sectors", that each member (sometimes with a partner) are assigned to protect. Now I'm going to assume he means Hal Jordan;Green Lantern of Sector 2814. The series focusing on him, is just called "(The) Green Lantern".
As for which comics to get, I think you should go with trades of GL. If you don't know, trades are a collection of single issues (usually about 6-8 issues in one), in the form of a book. A popular way to go, and my personal favorite; is by starting with Green Lantern: Rebirth; written by Geoff Johns. I can help with the reading order, or what comes next; as its a series that still carries on in the New 52.
Also, i t may be out of place for me to say; but I would also suggest getting them a GL Ring. A Green Lantern is capable of overcoming great fear; which in the case of their friend, might be a cool thing to have around to always be brave.
Anyway, hope this helps. Id be more than happy to explain anything more/ help with any further questions :)
I think the best way is to suggest a few that got me into reading. One or two are YA, but well-written enough that I find it as worthwhile a read at 28 as it did at 14.
Ender's Game - Earth Has made contact with an alien species, and... It didn't go well. A program is started to teach a new generation of soldiers how to fight this alien threat. Children are not allowed to be children for long when the future of mankind is on the line. Also, it's being adapted into what is shaping up to be a pretty badass movie.
Snow Crash - Written in the 90's, but it essentially pioneered the concept of the online avatar, and predicted the rise of the MMO. Also, pizza-delivering ninjas. Trust me on this. It's good stuff.
Neuromancer Classic cyber-punk. Most sci-fi is like you see in star trek. Clean and sterile. Cyberpunk is the dirtier side of sci-fi. Organized crime, computer hacking, and a heist on a space station. And Molly. This book is the reason I have a thing for dangerous redheads.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Considered by most to be the very best in sci-fi humor. Lighthearted, hilarious, and I find I can read it in the course of about two days. It is absolutely, completely, and utterly amazing.
American Gods - What happens to the old gods when we start worshiping the new ones? Can the likes of Odin or Anubis compete with our new objects of worship. like television or internet? Remember, Gods only exist as long as folks believe in them. The old Gods aren't going down without a fight, though...
Hope some of these strike your fancy. It's admittedly more sci-fi than anything, but it's all soft sci-fi (Where the science isn't as important as the fiction, so story comes first), and nothing too out there. Please let me know if you decide to try any of these, and especially let me know if you enjoy them. I always like to hear if I help someone find a book they love.
Nah, I honestly can't stand superhero comics unless there's something really special about them. That said, sry, but one of my first recommendations is a marvel comic called [Runaways] (https://www.comixology.com/Runaways-Vol-1/comics-series/1029)
'Six couples meet up every year for a party and each year each couple brings their child. This year, the children decide to find out what is so special about this annual party, only to find the parents committing murder!'
Maybe it's just because I grew up with the series, but the characters and their development just feels really sincere and organic.
Now, onto stuff you might like a little better:
'DAYTRIPPER follows the life of one man, Bras de Olivias Dominguez. Every chapter features an important period in Bras’ life in exotic Brazil, and each story ends the same way: with his death. And then, the following story starts up at a different point in his life, oblivious to his death in the previous issue – and then also ends with him dying again. In every chapter, Bras dies at different moments in his life, as the story follows him through his entire existence – one filled with possibilities of happiness and sorrow, good and bad, love and loneliness.' It's down to earth and realistic, while still having enough room for imagination and beauty to keep it interesting.
Hopefully that's a wide enough spread to where something might look interesting. Most libraries carry at least one of these books.
I’m assuming you probably heard or read a lot of these already but their worth repeating on the chance that you haven’t.
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.
The Raiders.
They're just so cool. The uniforms, logo, and name are badass. I don't know what it is, but the fact their colours are silver and black just really sticks with me. I remember watching one of the NFL Super Bowl champ rundown and they mentioned Al Davis always checking the uniforms to make sure they were silver, not grey.
On the topic, Al Davis was such a badass.
> He remains the only executive in NFL history to be an assistant coach, head coach, general manager, commissioner and owner.
> refusing to allow the Raiders to play in any city where black and white players had to stay in separate hotels. He was the first NFL owner to hire an African American head coach and a female chief executive. He was also the second NFL owner to hire a Latino head coach.
---
^^I ^^also ^^think ^^the ^^ ^^49ers ^^are ^^cool.
---
EDIT: For those interested, John Maddens book is called 'One Knee Equals Two Feet'. Here's a link for it on Amazon. It's quite old, but still a stonking great read.
Also that word reminded me of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Buy it as well.
EDIT 2: "If you're buying any of the books mentioned in these comments, Amazon has a physical book sale today. 30% off, use promo code HOLIDAY30" - thanks to /u/Mandarinez.
EDIT 3: If you're interested in some Raider history check out Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders by Peter Richmond. - thanks to /u/Imaygetyelledat.
Honestly, just in order of release! It's interesting to see the music journey they went on and how they got to where they are now. I wish I could be where you are now hearing all these things for the first time.
I can't really comment much on the story, but what I did was get a copy of the SSTB Book and a copy of the IKSSE:3 Book (keep in mind you might want to wait until this one is rereleased, like the SSTB Book was recently, hence why it's much cheaper). I just read those and got a subscription to the Good Apollo 1 comics which are currently being released. As far as the Afterman and YotBR books go, it's worth getting the physical copy of Afterman for the art alone, and there was a smaller CD version that has the book with it, and YotBR had a physical release... Buuut if you have a kindle it's worth getting the e version to save your wallet from becoming significantly lighter.
After you've listened to the albums, go onto YouTube and watch every live video you can find and then fall in love with Coheed all over again. Seriously. Delirium Trigger is a great song, but once you hear the live version, it becomes an amazing one. I highly recommend a good binge session for the Neverender live videos, and the Starland Ballroom videos are great, too.
Once you've become a bit more familiar with the music, watch this. It will blow your mind and catapult you further into the love of this band. It did with me, at least.
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!
This site has a lot of really great info, especially for your boyfriend when deciding what to read and make sense of it all. I've used it a fair amount. This wikipedia article might help if he's into the big crossover stuff.
As far as another big one, Civil War is always a popular choice. It's one of the better comics of the last couple decades. He'll have heard all about it and seen the movie, so it might be neat to see what he's missing.
As far as other good stuff, a sort of out there one is the Authority. It's in a completely other comic universe with people he probably won't know, but it's really great. It was one of the first to show the gritty, flawed heroes, plus it supposedly inspired how a lot of the movies were shot. It's also by my favorite writer, Warren Ellis. I typically choose comics by writer.
Speaking of great writers, you could pick up the first volume of either Y: the Last Man or Saga, which are both pretty ubiquitous in the comic world.
And here's the link to Secret War. I included the links for clarity, but do please go to a local comic book store if you can. It's great to support them and they will typically give solid recommendations. Or be assholes. Or both.
It depends on what characters or genres you're interested in. The New 52 is a solid starting point for many books, but that doesn't mean you should stay away from pre-N52 trades, as many of them are still accessible with a limited background knowledge. Here's a giant list of recommendations that I've made in the past (and that I keep adding to for some reason). Just take a look at what might interest you, and jump in.
> For New 52 Batman and Batman-related books, I recommend the following:
&nbsp;
>For other New 52, I would recommend:
&nbsp;
>And here are some good pre-N52 that you should definitely check out:
I really enjoyed the Kingdom Come graphic novel as well as Superman: Peace On Earth. Although Peace on Earth is a Christmas story it is still really well done, and anything done by Alex Ross is worth picking up. Both show Superman pitted against his greatest enemy: the darker aspects of human nature.
Superman: Red Son is an interesting twist on the Superman story line, where Superman is raised in Russia instead of on the Kent farm.
The Superman: Man of Steel volume set by John Byrne is a nice introduction, but I personally feel it is really short and lacking in a lot of detail.
The Death of Superman is quite good too, and I would highly recommend picking it up; the final pages are really hard for me to get through, but that might just be me.
Superman: Secret Identity isn't technically about Superman, since it takes place on Earth-prime (a world where superheroes exist only in comics, kind of like our world), but I love how this graphic novel portrays humanity...
I hope that helps. If I can think of any more graphic novels I'll be sure to list them in an edit. Good choice on Birthright though, you won't be disappointed.
Also, I know you had mentioned that you wanted to steer away from the new 52 for now, but they are going to be coming out with volume sets here soon, so if you wanted to you could start off with Action Comics Volume 1. This way you could experience Superman as he becomes the greatest hero the world has ever known.
Saga - If you like stuff like Star Wars you'll love this.
Deadly Class - This is probably my favorite book being put out right now.
Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis - I'm currently rereading this run and it is even better than I remember. One of the definitive runs for one of the best characters the big 2 have produced.
The Walking Dead - I don't know about you, but I love zombies and this probably the best zombie story I have ever read.
Batman: Black Mirror - This actually has Dick Greyson as Batman instead of Bruce Wayne, but it is a great read.
Batman Court of the Owl - This is where you want to start if you want to read New 52 Batman Snyder, who also wrote Black Mirror, has had a great run on the series.
Annihilation - Starts a truly epic run of stories on the cosmic side of the Marvel universe. Unfortunately the physical copies are stupidly expensive, but if you don't mind reading digitally you should check it out.
This is just off the top of my head and I'm sure others, with more knowledge, can help more. Are there any characters or geners you particularly enjoy?