How confused will I be if I start reading comics?

[Mardi Gras Gunslinger]

I'm eager to start reading comics. My favorite characters in related media are those like Deathstroke and Batman. All I really know about western comics is that there are tons of continuities that like to overlap, so I feel like if I start with the wrong one I'm going to be all kinds of lost. Am I right in this assumption? If so, would it be better to start with the recent publications or the earlier ones?

Clarification: Would I be able to follow things if I started with the New 52 comics?

[Fishy Fingers]

Yea just start with the New 52 and dont be afraid to jump on in. Getting into comics takes some effort, but it's totally worth it.

[Vartox]

Mardi Gras Gunslinger

I'm eager to start reading comics. My favorite characters in related media are those like Deathstroke and Batman. All I really know about western comics is that there are tons of continuities that like to overlap, so I feel like if I start with the wrong one I'm going to be all kinds of lost. Am I right in this assumption? If so, would it be better to start with the recent publications or the earlier ones?

Clarification: Would I be able to follow things if I started with the New 52 comics?

You should be able to jump into new 52 stuff without much issue. Don't be afraid to look up older characters or storylines on wiki or ask somebody if you feel confused though. Comics can be a bit challenging to start in on but once you get started it gets much, much easier.

[agger]

The nice thing about New 52 is that all the old continuities have been mostly wiped clean. Which means they can make new ones. This would be a good time to get into it if you have a particular character interest that is in New 52. You could purchase some TPBs to get caught up.

[Mardi Gras Gunslinger]

agger

The nice thing about New 52 is that all the old continuities have been mostly wiped clean. Which means they can make new ones. This would be a good time to get into it if you have a particular character interest that is in New 52. You could purchase some TPBs to get caught up.

......... I um.... don't know what a TPB is emo

[agger]

Well actually after I posted that I realized the term might not be familiar. A trade paper back is a collection of back issues. For example I have some Ghost Rider trade paper backs from one of the recent runs. They comprise 5-6 issues at a time. Of course if your library has them or you can get them on loan you could borrow collections/tpbs to get caught up so you dont have to buy them.

[Urd Tanzanite]

One thing that you have to consider is that Deathstroke from, say, the Teen Titans cartoon is quite a different character than from the ones in the Teen Titans comic (if it were still canon cat_stare ). So what you like about them (in terms of their personality) may not be present.

As for Batman, well, there are several titles out there, even in the new 52. Don't feel as if you need to pick them all up. As a beginner, it would probably drive you nuts (and poor). Sample them and pick up just the ones you want.

Welcome to the hobby. cat_3nodding

[Leonard_Snart]

I believe it was Stan Lee who said, paraphrasing, "Write every comic like it's somebody's first issue."

The way comics are written, with the recaps, contained arcs over a few issues, it is very easy to get into a story. You may have questions about the overarching story but that amount of rehash comics do allows you to pick up on that through an issue, as well.

You don't need to start at number 1, just start somewhere and you'll be able to pick it up.

[Mardi Gras Gunslinger]

agger

Well actually after I posted that I realized the term might not be familiar. A trade paper back is a collection of back issues. For example I have some Ghost Rider trade paper backs from one of the recent runs. They comprise 5-6 issues at a time. Of course if your library has them or you can get them on loan you could borrow collections/tpbs to get caught up so you dont have to buy them.

Ooooh. Okay, I understand what you mean. I've seen a couple of them floating around. Thanks for that =)

[Mardi Gras Gunslinger]

Urd Tanzanite

One thing that you have to consider is that Deathstroke from, say, the Teen Titans cartoon is quite a different character than from the ones in the Teen Titans comic (if it were still canon cat_stare ). So what you like about them (in terms of their personality) may not be present.

As for Batman, well, there are several titles out there, even in the new 52. Don't feel as if you need to pick them all up. As a beginner, it would probably drive you nuts (and poor). Sample them and pick up just the ones you want.

Welcome to the hobby. cat_3nodding

Yeah, that's what makes it appear so daunting from the outside. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'm gonna start off with New 52 Deathstroke and see where it takes me.Thanks for the input everyone =)

Also: Is Teen Titans no longer canon or is that getting too deep for my n00bness?

[Urd Tanzanite]

Mardi Gras Gunslinger

Also: Is Teen Titans no longer canon or is that getting too deep for my n00bness?

I'm going to try not to rant when answering, but I should mention that The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans was my very first comic book. Now, I'm very much attached to the Wolfman-Perez version from the 1980s, so this is where my bias lies. The 1960s, 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s have all had their incarnations of the Teen Titans. The one from 2000s is the one most people are familiar with--the cartoon was based on this one (and my second favorite incarnation). However, none of them are canon in the New 52, because of the whole superhero history going back only five years. So New 52 Teen Titans are canon, the rest aren't.

Adding insult to injury (well, for me, I can't speak for others) is how some members--well, okay, just Starfire--were rebooted. That I have a problem with her current depiction in Red Hood and the Outlaws is putting it mildly. She was the reason I picked up the title. I managed to last two issues then I had to drop it. Now, I'm not going to get all rant-y. If you're interested, you can Google reaction to this Starfire. There are quite a few articles.

But that, in the proverbial nutshell, is your answer. If the new 52 Teen Titans is your first exposure to them, then you won't have a problem. For those that have had experience with prior incarnations, it really depends on their tolerance.

[Mardi Gras Gunslinger]

Urd Tanzanite

Mardi Gras Gunslinger

Also: Is Teen Titans no longer canon or is that getting too deep for my n00bness?

I'm going to try not to rant when answering, but I should mention that The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans was my very first comic book. Now, I'm very much attached to the Wolfman-Perez version from the 1980s, so this is where my bias lies. The 1960s, 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s have all had their incarnations of the Teen Titans. The one from 2000s is the one most people are familiar with--the cartoon was based on this one (and my second favorite incarnation). However, none of them are canon in the New 52, because of the whole superhero history going back only five years. So New 52 Teen Titans are canon, the rest aren't.

Adding insult to injury (well, for me, I can't speak for others) is how some members--well, okay, just Starfire--were rebooted. That I have a problem with her current depiction in Red Hood and the Outlaws is putting it mildly. She was the reason I picked up the title. I managed to last two issues then I had to drop it. Now, I'm not going to get all rant-y. If you're interested, you can Google reaction to this Starfire. There are quite a few articles.

But that, in the proverbial nutshell, is your answer. If the new 52 Teen Titans is your first exposure to them, then you won't have a problem. For those that have had experience with prior incarnations, it really depends on their tolerance.

Interesting. So I guess if I were to read The New Teen Titans first, as was my original plan, I might have some reservations with the new stuff.

[Urd Tanzanite]

Mardi Gras Gunslinger

Urd Tanzanite

Interesting. So I guess if I were to read The New Teen Titans first, as was my original plan, I might have some reservations with the new stuff.

The New 52 Teen Titans have no historical link to the other prior incarnations.

If you've seen the cartoon, that was the Teen Titans from the 2000s (with Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy).

The New 52 lineup is completely different: Red Robin, Wonder Girl, Superboy, Kid Flash, and a few others--I leafed through the first issue; didn't buy it.

Really, just consider them as two different teams (and stories) with the same title. Enjoy them (or not) on their own merits. You'll be much happier that way. For myself, I have decades of comic book issues and memories of those issues (baggage if you will), and I can't set them aside as easily, hence my "issues."

[Slacker Spice]

The main Batman title is in a pretty good place right now for beginners. Zero Year, which is detailing Bruce Wayne's origin story as Batman in the New 52 Universe, began with issue 21 and is currently on issue 26, so there isn't a whole lot to catch up on for that arc. And as mentioned, you can always pick up trade paperbacks to read what happened in previous issues. But this would be a very good place to start if you're interested in keeping up with monthly issues, because you'd have his backstory.

Also, you may want to pick up Detective Comics #27, which is out next month, as it is a mega-sized issue commemorating the first appearance of Batman in the original Detective Comics #27 almost 75 years ago. That issue will feature the first story in the newest Detective Comics arc as well as some bonus stories. Should be a fun issue for new and old fans alike.

Do you have a comic shop near you? Admittedly it's pretty hit-and-miss with shop owners. Some of them can be really nice and helpful; others can be downright assholes. Hopefully you get one of the good ones, and, if so, he or she should be willing to help you get started.

[Max Mercury]

Mardi Gras Gunslinger

agger

The nice thing about New 52 is that all the old continuities have been mostly wiped clean. Which means they can make new ones. This would be a good time to get into it if you have a particular character interest that is in New 52. You could purchase some TPBs to get caught up.

......... I um.... don't know what a TPB is emo

TPB= Trade Paper Back.
Sometimes they are special, stand-alone stories that would not fit in the standard comics.
Usually, they are collections of stories across several issues, a story-arc.
It allows you to read an entire story in one book rather than collect each comic
individually. Often, they reprint stories that were popular a few years ago so you can
read them for yourself.


If you start now, you can follow the post-Flashpoint Nu52 continuity as well as anyone else.
Naturally, now that DC is wiping out the continuity more often than once a decade,
you will be partly lost the NEXT time they do it, and you might just get frustrated and
stop buying.

DC won't care.

What they want now makes the comic books TERTIARY.

Primary: the movies
Secondary: the television shows/cartoons on television
Tertiary: the comics

The toys, technically, come up alongside the movies, but they won't affect the others
that much. DC is about making money (which is not a crime), but they're currently
following the big money- movies, cartoons, television, toys/merchandising-
and the comics are almost an afterthought.
The comics really only exist to give them something to change completely and
remake for the other media and sometimes to drum up customers for the other
products.