Had I seen the show beforehand?

No, nor had I previously seen or read any of the other associated works.

What did I think of the episode?

I thought the first episode felt incomplete. In an effort to give the show a fair chance, I therefore watched the first two episodes. I'm still ruminating on what I think of Death Note on the limited basis of these two episodes alone, but here are some thoughts. (Oh: and to the extent it matters, I watched a subtitled version of these episodes rather than a dubbed version.)

1. Death Note has an promising premise.
   
   The idea of a human having literally godlike powers can be a source of comedy or of [creepy drama](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734580/ "Huh: TIL Cloris Leachman was on this episode of 'The Twilight Zone'..."), though it's clear Death Note is aiming more towards the latter. There's certainly something seductive about the idea of you having nearly unlimited power, though it's a cause for panic that anyone else might have such power.
   
   There are a number of themes such a premise could fruitfully explore, too: the corruption of absolute power, the social isolation inherent to having the power to pass judgment upon others, and the toll of keeping a dangerous secret.
   
   
2. Watching the second episode gave me a much clearer picture of what Death Note wants to do with its premise.
   
   On the basis of "Shinsei"/"Rebirth" alone, here's where I speculated Death Note might have going with its premise: a young man acquires godlike powers, and the show explores how seductive such power is, as well as the morality of his inevitable abuse of them. Ryuk, the death god who dropped this death note into the human world in the first place, would be looking over his shoulder, simultaneously a devil on Light's shoulder encouraging him to do more and possibly the only entity that could understand and enjoy Light's inevitable crash as he begins to make mistakes.
   
   Based on the second episode, "Taiketsu"/"Confrontation", the series is set to proceed in a very different direction. For all I know, the series will still explore some of what I anticipated on the basis of "Rebirth" alone. In trying to avoid possible spoilers, I'll just say that Death Note reminds me as much of past Weekly Watch Hannibal as of, say, past Weekly Watch Legion.
   
   
3. The artwork for the death gods is wonderfully creepy.
   
   Not only are the death gods sharp, angular, and enormous, but the incongruity of Light being the only one able to see or hear Ryuk results in some interesting visual juxtapositions of Ryuk with very mundane settings. (Ryuk is the funniest character so far, too.) For that matter, more of the artwork for the show is in black-and-white than I'd have expected, but this makes sense as a choice for depicting the Realm of the Death Gods. The fact that Ryuk is so imposing but hasn't—yet—been overtly threatening is also an interesting choice.
   
   There are some other visual touches I appreciated, too. For example, when Light realizes that the Death Note actually works, the background in his bedroom fades to black. The montage where Light kills off a number of criminals is wonderfully kinetic, especially given that all he's really doing is writing.
   
   
4. "Rebirth" focuses primarily on a single character, Light Yagami, but it doesn't provide much characterization for him. The second episode improves on this... only to introduce a second main character who has no real characterization other than "mysterious badass".
   
   Consider some other characters motivated to rid the world of crime in comparably dramatic ways. Batman, Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, and Rorschach from Watchmen, among others, come to mind. Each has a discernible personality and motivation for doing so: revenge, family legacy, disgust, a traumatic childhood, etc. Someone who wants to pursue this, especially outside the law, typically has some character-based explanation for why he—and it is nearly always a "he"—would seek to mete out justice unilaterally. With that in mind, what do we actually learn about who Light Yagami is as a character?
   
   In "Rebirth" alone, I'd argue we don't learn much at all. Light's allegedly incredibly smart, but we see minimal evidence of Light being smart in "Rebirth". He's a stereotypically sullen, jaded teenage boy, like some Japanese Holden Caulfield, but with nothing that distinguishes Light's personality or psychology from that of any other smart, gloomy adolescent. (Unless you exclude Light's boundless arrogance and megalomania, I suppose.)
   
   "Rebirth" tells us how smart Light is rather than showing us, which is doubly frustrating. First, "show, don't tell" is basic to good storytelling. Second, the very next episode demonstrates that the show is capable of showing rather than telling, so not having done so in "Rebirth" feels like a missed opportunity. In "Confrontation", the false-bottom drawer and mechanism to burn up the Death Note are creative solutions for Light's security issues (though Light seems disproportionately self-satisfied with his own cleverness).
   
   Exacerbating this is that Light is the series' protagonist, and giving your single most important character such thin characterization is a baffling choice. Maybe the show's point is that every teenage boy has these impulses, that Light just happens to be the one who discovered the Death Note, and he also happens to be particularly smart for his age.
   
   Of course, with the introduction of the otherwise unnamed character "L" in "Confrontation", some of the characterization of Light gets undermined. However smart Light is, it's clear that L can readily outsmart him. Much like Light, though, L indulges in self-congratulation (and publicly, too!) that seems dangerously counterproductive to his desire to identify and apprehend an international mass murderer.
   
   I get why the writers of Death Note would want this, since it sets up a mutual cat-and-mouse pursuit between Light and L. But at this point in the story, I have a minimal understanding of who Light Yagami is as a character, and I have virtually no understanding of who L is as a character. As a result, I can't see how their decision follow from a character-based explanation—at least not based on what's provided in the first two episodes. I expect (or at least hope) that future episodes help us understand these characters' motivations beyond "teenage boy acquires godlike powers, becomes supernatural fascist". At this point, though, the storytelling feels far too much like "and then..." rather than "therefore/but/meanwhile".
   
   
5. I was surprised how much of the story of Death Note felt western.
   
   I say this, in full disclosure, as someone who has minimal knowledge of Japanese culture or history. The following, though, struck me as story elements that seemed out of place, at least relative to what little I do know about Japan:
   

• Most stories involving vigilantes like this are in very high-crime settings, like Batman's Gotham. Modern Japan has a reputation for being one of the safest countries in the world, so it felt odd to have this story set there, especially if there's no portrayal of life there as especially dystopian. (To make things more concrete, Japan has a population of roughly 127 million people, and in 2014 it had a total of 395 homicides. Its per capita homicide rate is less than a third of that of the safest US state, New Hampshire. Moreover, both South Carolina and Louisiana have fewer than 5 million residents each, but each has more homicides than this entire country over 25 times more populous.)
  
• The religious imagery was remarkably western. The death gods are definitely from Japanese culture, but the other religious imagery, music (including Gregorian chants), and themes of Old Testament wrath are very recognizably western. This is a bit of a reversal, but in Death Note a human gives apples to a god, too, and the apple imagery at a minimum rhymes with the story of the temptation of Eve.
  
  None of this is a complaint, to be clear. But I found it interesting that much of the story would make just as much sense if it were set in New York or Rome or many other western cities, especially at their most crime-ridden.
  
  Will you keep watching? Why/why not?
  
  I don't know. I'd be more inclined to do so if I had a more reliable access to future episodes, but for now such access is intermittent.
  
  [W]hich episode would you recommend to those unsure if they will continue?
  
  Watching "Taiketsu"/"Confrontation" (season 1, episode 2) is, I expect, necessary to understanding Death Note enough to decide whether one would want to continue. This isn't to say that "Confrontation" will be sufficient to convert everyone, but I'd definitely recommend continuing with episode 2 before jumping ahead to any other episodes.

https://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250

> What can I watch or read that will give me a solid background on Watchmen?

Watchmen.

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

You can get the original 12-issue comic series in a collection here, it is all you'll need to understand the Watchmen world, every other work is just supplementary. The graphic novel is very highly-regarded and popular in the comicbook community so DC obviously wants the world to keep on going in one way or the other.

But it's honestly one of my favorite books, and very thought-provoking too. Would highly recommend.

• Watchmen | Alan Moore
  
• Kingdom Come | Mark Waid
  
• Superman: All-Star Superman | Grant Morrison
  
• The Dark Knight Returns | Frank Miller
  
• Green Lantern | Geoff Johns
  
• Batman: Year One | Frank Miller
  
• Batman | Grant Morrison
  
• Batman | Scott Snyder
  
• Animal Man | Grant Morrison
  
• Batman: The Black Mirror | Scott Snyder
  
• Gotham Central | Brubaker & Rucka
  
• JLA (Justice League) | Morrison & Waid
  
• Green Arrow | Jeff Lemire
  
• Superman: Birthright | Mark Waid
  
• Superman: American Alien | Max Landis
  
• Omega Men | Tom King
  
• Animal Man | Jeff Lemire
  
  If DC imprints count:
  
  
• Daytripper | Fabio Moon
  
• Hellblazer (Constantine) | Delano, Ennis, et al.
  
• Planetary | Warren Ellis
  
• Preacher | Garth Ennis
  
• Saga of the Swamp Thing | Alan Moore
  
• Sandman | Neil Gaiman
  
• Scalped | Jason Aaron
  
• Sleeper | Ed Brubaker
  
• Transmetropolitan | Warren Ellis
  
• Y: The Last Man | Brian K Vaughan
  
  
  
  

By now you've had millions of "read the graphic novel" responses... but please let me explain why.

Don't get me wrong, I honestly despise this response when I'm trying to have a discussion about a movie. Be it Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or even Twilight, people often start with "OMG the book is sooo much better." This is often true, but their movies are still good representations of the stories and usually capture the essence of the books well.

I honestly don't feel like this is the case with The Watchmen. The movie is fun, and I almost never read, but the original graphic novel is such an incredibly deep story that the movie doesn't even hold a candle to it. If you feel strongly enough about how brilliant the movie is, just wait until you read the source material. I think that's the reason why you aren't getting much actual discussion about the story, everybody that wants to talk about The Watchmen wants to talk about the sheer brilliance of the graphic novel, which in almost every aspect, the movie falls short. Here are some examples:

• The character development (for both the old Watchmen crew and the new one) is vastly superior in the graphic novel. I won't spoil anything or go into detail, but not only did the movie get the characters wrong as other comments have stated, but the ones they do get right don't get anything near the spotlight they deserve.
  
  
• The relationship between Rorschach and the psychologist. Again, I don't want to give spoilers, but this is so shallow in the movie and is possibly one of my favorite stories in the novel. We actually learn about the psychologist's life and marriage, and more importantly, how speaking to Rorschach (over several sessions, not just one) changes his entire life. If you think Rorschach is a well-developed character in the movie, just you wait.
  
  
• The ending, as u/Flamma_Man pretty much said perfectly, is ultimately flawed. The entire point of the plot is basically lost on the movie, and if not lost, definitely cheapened.
  
  
• The scene on Mars between Dr. Manhattan and Laurie. The conversation they have in the novel is so eloquently worded and also shows more of Dr. Manhattan's character, particularly what's left of his humanity. It shows that even a 4th dimensional super-being can be vulnerable, and even more importantly, realize they are incorrect and change their mind. It's done in such a genius way that it made me re-read the section a few times just to truly understand what was going on... but the movie made it as basic as possible to get the point across. It focused more on CG and "ooh look at this cool structure" than the actual conversation between the two of them and what the structure actually symbolized.
  
  
• The backstory between chapters. In the novel, there are several full-page sections that delve into the back story and explain more of the Watchmen universe. It adds an incredible amount of depth to the story that the movie didn't even touch on. In the same vein, Tales of the Black Freighter was almost completely cut from the movie, save for a small reference to it at the newsstand at (what I remember) the end of the film.
  
  I'll stop there. The ridiculous thing is that I could go on. This is why you aren't getting much discussion about the movie, because compared to the novel there isn't much to talk about. Again, I despise people telling me to read the story when I just want to talk about it. However, this story is truly an exception, and at a price of less than $20, you seriously need to read it. Just think about this: My reasoning for why you should read the graphic novel is longer than your original post. I tried to be as concise as possible, but the differences between the novel and the movie go deeper than "oh it was this character that actually said that in the books blah blah blah." The entire narrative is different and brilliantly executed, while the movie feels like the product of a director that didn't truly understand the story and wanted to make a movie that sold tickets. Maybe you won't find the novel as stunning now because it's been over-hyped to you and you'll naturally want to defend your love of the movie, but I implore you to let go of those inhibitions and truly enjoy the novel.
  
  In summation, and I truly feel like a jerk for saying this, read the graphic novel.
  

Watchmen and that's it. The additional stuff is completely optional and nowhere near as good.

Here you go:

https://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1551202634&sr=8-2&keywords=watchmen+graphic+novel

It's an amazing book!

Here https://www.amazon.ca/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250

A very long list that I believe is full of gems:

Preacher, Volume 1 by Ennis

Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Gaiman

Invincible: Family Matters by Kirkman

Southern Bastards

Kingdom Come

Marvels

Watchmen

Saga

Mind MGMT

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Batman: The Long Halloween

Pride of Baghdad

All Star Superman

The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye

Thor: God of Thunder

Annihilation (read it digitally on Marvel Unlimited, finding it in print is costly)

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Volume 1 (by far, my favorite take on the characters. Hickman writes them to perfection.)

Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt

Thanks. Probably going with this one then.

It's not a long series. The book compiling all of Moore's comics is 450 pages and less than $20: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401245250/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_379WzbJKVHNNT

There's also the prequels, but no one really seems to like those, so I wouldn't bother.

1. The Great Gatsby ‐ F. Scott Fitzgerald
   
2. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
   
3. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
   
4. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
   
5. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinback
   
6. East of Eden - John Steinback
   
7. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
   
8. Behind The Beautiful Forevers
   
9. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
   
10. The Republic - Plato
    
11. Civilization and its Discontents - Sigmund Freud
    
12. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    
13. 'Salem's Lot - Stephen King
    
14. Cujo - Stephen King
    
15. Different Seasons - Stephen King
    
16. On Writing - Stephen King
    
17. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
    
18. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
    
19. God Is Not Great - Christopher Hitchens
    
20. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
    
21. The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
    
22. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
    
23. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
    
24. And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie
    
25. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything - Chris Hadfield
    
26. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
    
27. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
    
    11/22/63 ; Slaughterhouse-Five ; Cosmos by Carl Sagan ; The Selfish Gene ; Confessions of an Advertising Man ; Letters to a Young Contrarian ; Watchmen (graphic novel); On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director ; The Catcher in the Rye ; Meditations by Marcus Aurelius ; Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman ; The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt ; Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking ; Thinking, Fast and Slow ; The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ; Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum ; War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy ; Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare ; 2001: A Space Odyssey ; Ender's Game ; The Man in the High Castle ; Dune by Frank Herbert ; Mastery by Robert Greene ; Brave New World by Aldous Huxley ; The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt ; Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie ; Gravity's Rainbow ; Inherent Vice ; American Psycho ; Fight Club ; Essays by George Orwell ; Mindset by Carol Dweck ; Breakfast at Tiffany's ; In Cold Blood ; A Farewell to Arms ; For Whom the Bell Tolls ; A Moveable Feast ; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass : An American Slave, Written by Himself
    
    
    I haven't read some of the books listed here yet. Plus so many more to read not included here.

https://www.amazon.ca/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=watchmen&qid=1571856308&sr=8-5

Thats the version I got. Great overall quality and the colors are just right.

The standalone story is all you need. There are prequel stories, but those are unnecessary. The movie was decent, but it doesn't quite communicate the story's message quite as well as the book.

Does the Watchmen Deluxe edition have the same exact contents as the 2014 paperback? Talking about these two: Deluxe vs 2014 paperback. I know Amazon lists them having the same amount of pages, but those aren't always accurate..

Introduction to Comics

How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems

Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite shows, movies, books, etc. Reading primarily for enjoyment or encyclopedic knowledge? Collecting? Have the time/resources to read 50 or 500 comics per character?

Don’t try to read everything at once. There’s too much. Forget about catching up, continuity, universes, etc. for now. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so they aren’t necessarily ideal starting points. Writers change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told. Remember, there are many great characters, creators, publishers, etc. to explore.

Pick an interesting character/team and seek their most popular/acclaimed stories. Focus on self-contained, complete stories in one corner of the universe. There will be unexplained references/characters, just persevere or Wiki. Don’t let the tangled web of shared-universe comics overwhelm you. Think of it like solving a jigsaw puzzle one small piece at a time until you finally see the big picture.

Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Don’t get stuck preparing/over-analyzing, just start reading. Do you like/dislike old/new comics? Specific writers/genres? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? All-ages/mature content? Follow these instincts. Didn’t understand a reference? Maybe read that next.

Acquire/Buy comics:

• Digital: Marvel Unlimited ($10/mo or $70/yr for all but new releases), Comixology, e-library (free), webcomic (free)
  
• Print (collected editions): instocktrades, ISBNS, library (free)
  
• Print (singles): midtowncomics, mycomicshop, DCBS, local store
  
  

  Marvel
  

  
  

• Alias (Jessica Jones) | Bendis
  
• Ultimates 1-2 (Avengers) | Millar
  
• New Avengers | Bendis | Reading order
  
• Avengers / New Avengers | Hickman | Reading Order
  
• Black Panther | Priest
  
• Captain America | Brubaker
  
• Captain Marvel | DeConnick
  
• Daredevil | Bendis
  
• Daredevil | Waid
  
• Deadpool | Kelly
  
• Doctor Strange: The Oath | Vaughan
  
• Fantastic Four | Hickman
  
• Guardians of the Galaxy | Abnett, Lanning, et al. | Reading Order
  
• Hawkeye | Fraction
  
• Immortal Iron Fist | Brubaker, Fraction
  
• Inhumans | Jenkins
  
• Iron Man: Extremis | Ellis
  
• Invincible Iron Man | Fraction
  
• Marvels | Busiek | START HERE if indecisive
  
• Moon Knight | Ellis
  
• Ms. Marvel | Wilson
  
• Planet Hulk | Pack
  
• Punisher Max | Ennis
  
• Thor | Aaron
  
• Ultimate Spider-Man | Bendis
  
• Vision | King
  
• New X-Men | Morrison
  
• Astonishing X-Men | Whedon
  
• Uncanny X-Force | Remender
  
  

  DC
  

  
  

• Animal Man | Morrison
  
• Animal Man | Lemire
  
• Aquaman | Johns, Parker
  
• Batman: Year One | Miller
  
• Batman: Long Halloween | Loeb
  
• Batman | Snyder
  
• Birds of Prey | Simone
  
• DC: New Frontier | Cooke
  
• Flash | Waid
  
• Flash | Johns
  
• Gotham Central | Brubaker, Rucka
  
• Green Arrow: Year One | Diggle
  
• Green Arrow | Lemire
  
• Green Lantern | Johns
  
• JLA (Justice League) | Morrison, Waid
  
• Justice League | Johns
  
• Justice League: The World's Greatest Superheroes | Dini | START HERE if indecisive
  
• Kingdom Come | Waid
  
• Omega Men | King
  
• Suicide Squad | Ostrander
  
• Secret Six (Suicide Squad) | Simone
  
• Superman: Birthright | Waid
  
• Superman: All-Star Superman | Morrison
  
• Swamp Thing | Snyder, Soule
  
• New Teen Titans | Wolfman
  
• Watchmen | Moore
  
• Wonder Woman | Rucka
  
• Wonder Woman | Azzarello
  
  You can skip to the 2016 re-launch with DC Universe: Rebirth and then any Rebirth series #1.
  
  
• Daytripper | Moon
  
• Fables | Willingham
  
• Hellblazer | Delano, Ennis, et al.
  
• Planetary | Ellis
  
• Preacher | Ennis
  
• Saga of the Swamp Thing | Moore
  
• Sandman | Gaiman
  
• Scalped | [Aaron
  
• Sleeper | Brubaker
  
• Transmetropolitan | Ellis
  
• Y: The Last Man | Vaughan
  
• WE3 | Morrison
  
  

  Other
  

  
  

• Asterios Polyp | Mazzuchelli | drama, romance, snobby architect, artsy
  
• Black Science | Remender | sci-fi, adventure, dimension travel, family
  
• Blacksad | Canales | crime, noir, anthropomorphic, 5 stories
  
• Deadly Class | Remender | drama, crime, thriller, assassin school
  
• Descender | Lemire | sci-fi, space opera, survival, man vs machine
  
• East of West | Hickman | sci-fi, western, post-apocalypse, factions
  
• Fear Agent | Remender | sci-fi, space janitor, comedy, adventure
  
• Harbinger | Dysart | superhero team, renegades, like X-Men
  
• Hellboy | Mignola | horror, fantasy, mystery, adventure
  
• Invincible | Kirkman | superhero, aliens, action, drama, family
  
• Lazarus | Rucka | sci-fi, military, politics, factions, spy, war
  
• Locke & Key | Hill | fantasy, horror, school, magical keys
  
• Mind MGMT | Kindt | sci-fi, conspiracy, psychological, spy, mind control
  
• Nailbiter | Williamson | horror, crime, serial killer, supernatural
  
• Outcast | Kirkman | horror, supernatural, rural
  
• Paper Girls | Vaughan | sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, time, friends
  
• Rachel Rising | Moore | horror, comedy, drama, supernatural, undead
  
• Rat Queens | Weibe | fantasy, adventure, sword & sorcery, comedy
  
• Saga | Vaughan | sci-fi, fantasy, war, aliens, family, comedy
  
• Southern Bastards | Aaron | crime, drama, sports, rural
  
• The Incal | Jodorowsky | sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, surreal, psychedelic
  
• The Nao of Brown | Dillon | drama, slice of life, tragedy, OCD, hafu, romance
  
• The Sculptor | McCloud | drama, romance, special power, artsy
  
• The Wicked + The Divine | Gillen | fantasy, music culture, mythology
  
• Velvet | Brubaker | spy, thriller, action, noir, femme fatale
  
• Wytches | Snyder | horror, family, supernatural, woods
  

It’s paperback, the front is just a close up of the blood splatter on the comedian’s button, nothing else.

Edit: this is the one.

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.

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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.

>What's the difference (if any) between a comic book and a graphic novel?

Comic Book: A "book" that tells a story in comic form. Now the book part varies and can mean a number of things.

It could refer to:

Single Issue: A comic story that is smaller than a graphic novel. Typically ~32 to 48 pages. These are also called floppies and are those books that you see in a Comic Book Store.

Graphic Novel: Usually, refers to a story told in comic form which is contained in a single book. For example, Watchmen or Maus are graphic novels.

Trade Paperbacks: Also called trades are books that have collected several single issues into 1 book. For example, New52 Batman Vol 1: The Court of Owls contains Issues #1 to #7 of New52 Batman.

Trades are different from Graphic Novels in that they don't have the complete story in them. Going back to the Batman example it's only "Volume 1" of 10 Volumes.

Note The words trade and graphic novel are usually interchangeable and people aren't gonna rage at you for using one or the other but the biggest difference is if it's a self contained story in a single book then it's a graphic novel.


>What's an omnibus?

An Omnibus is a larger collection of Single Issues into a single book.

Usually a Trade collects 6 or 7 Issues of a comicbook while an Omnibus would collect ~25 to 30 Issues of a comicbook.

>In DC, what are New 52 and Rebirth (without spoiling anything plot related if that's possible)?

New 52: Was a complete reboot of the DC Universe in an attempt to attract newer readers. It was met with mostly mixed results as it made things simpler for newer readers but in some cases drastically changed elements of certain characters that people liked.

Rebirth: Directly follows the New52 era. It was a, pretty successful, attempt by DC to rectify the mistakes of the New52 and bring back elements that long time readers had missed from their favorite characters. It was basically merging the elements of the pre-New52 and New52 universe. Leaving what works and changing what didn't.

>How do New 52 and Rebirth compare? I believe New 52 is older, but is it still relatively easy to get your hands on? Is there anything even worth going for, or should I just check out Rebirth stuff?

For the most part Rebirth was more well liked by fans than New52 overall. However there are certain New52 story arcs and series that people really enjoyed as well.

For New52 I recommend the following:
Aquaman Vol 1 to Vol 6 + Vol 8 (Skip 7)
Green Arrow Vol. 4 to Vol. 6
Batman and Robin Vol. 1 to Vol. 7
The Flash Vol. 1 to Vol. 4
Batman Vol. 1 to Vol. 10
Batwoman Vol. 1 to Vol. 4
Animal Man Vol. 1 to Vol. 5
Gotham Academy Vol. 1 to Vol. 2

>Who are a few of your favorite modern writers? I see Geoff Johns name coming up on a lot of stuff, is he actually good or just popular?

Geoff Johns is liked and popular. But his claim to fame wasn't writing a groundbreaking and award winning new series. It came from being consistently good over years and years of writing comics. He's reliable and knows what the majority of readers want.

For other writers I'd say that /u/holymoloid provided a really good list.

>My favorite characters are Batman, Flash, and Green Lantern. If you could only have one book or arc for each, what would you get?

Over at /r/DCcomics they have a wiki with a bunch of helpful suggestions I'd reccomend reading that.

But for a quick summary:

Green Lantern: Geoff Johns is the main guy to go to for Green Lantern. He worked on the book for ~9 years and built the foundation for the modern mythos.

The Flash: Mark Waid's run is considered the best read that first. Geoff Johns' run is considered the 2nd best, it follows Waid's run.

Batman: Start with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's run from the New52. It's in the suggestion list I gave you above. (Vol 1 to Vol 10 of the New52)

Watchmen is one of my favorite books because of the various perspectives. Each character has a unique personality and you get to see multiple sides of them and you learn about the events that made them the way that they are. I can't recommend it enough.

Just Watchmen is sufficient according to Geoff Johns. DClock may pick up threads from DC Universe: Rebirth, Flashpoint, and, maybe, Oz Effect (in Action Comics). But as I mentioned above, Johns has said that the only prerequisite for DClock is Watchmen.

Just order this.

Batman; Year One

Daredevil, vol 1

Daredevil; Born Again

Walt Simonson's Thor

Watchmen

All Star Superman

Marvels

Kingdom Come

V for Vendetta

X-Men; Dark Phoenix Saga

Paperback option on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401245250/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UfvUzbGYTHRG0) The current hardcover option is kinda lame I think.

Here’s a link:
https://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=watchmen&qid=1569774346&sr=8-4

It had some stuff written after the fact but the original story can (and i personally would recommend) be read completely stand alone without any of that. It is it's own universe and has it's own characters but it's one book. 12 issues, it's sold as a single TPB. Check it out!

This is the one I have and for someone who isn't a die-hard fan, this is the way to go. It has recolored pages (superior in my opinion) and has a bit of bonus stuff included. If you're looking for a really nice "collectible" copy, you want the Absolute Edition for sure. Also, I hope you watched The Ultimate Cut...

if you want a simple but really good story try 'the killing joke' by alan moore. That comic is pretty much universally loved and alan moore is a complete genius. Another amazing piece by Alan Moore is watchmen. (im sure youve heard of it or seen the movie, if not, what?) but it is amazingly written and illustrated. Those are both dc. if you want something not marvel or DC i would highly recommend the walking dead. if your interested dont get the single issues are anything. get the compendium because it is more bang for your buck. compendium is 60 in stores and 35 on amazon.

another really fun and well put together series is scott pilgram. there are 6 volumes that range around 10 dollars each for the paper back. altogether a great story. the art work isnt my favorite but it is a little better in the colored version AKA the hard cover version. if you saw the movie and thought "meh it wasnt the best so i wont read the comics." 1) the movie is freaking great and 2) the movie doesnt really follow the books considering that volume 6 was written after the movie was made.

But yeah those are my thoughts. i could go into alot more but the ones i gave are quite a lot!! hope this is helpful!!

[The killing joke] (http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Killing-Deluxe-Alan-Moore/dp/1401216676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459314552&sr=8-1&keywords=the+killing+joke)

[watchmen] (http://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1459314576&sr=8-2)

[the walking dead compendium] (http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Dead-Compendium-One/dp/1607060760/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1459314630&sr=8-11&keywords=the+walking+dead)

[scott pilgram boxset] (http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Pilgrims-Precious-Little-Boxset/dp/1934964573/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459314670&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=scott+pilgram+boxset)

After reading the comments, I ordered it from amazon. Can't wait until it gets here!

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:

• Marvels, which is the history of the marvel universe through the eyes of a reporter for the Daily Bugel. Shows events from the Namor and the original Human Torch, to Captain America, to the X-Men, to Spiderman, to Galactus. Really cool depiction of the marvel universe.
  
• The Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos tries to take over the universe. Very well recieved event that the 3rd and 4th Avengers movies will be "based" on.
  
• Secret Wars, much older than the other books so much campier style, but it was (I believe) the first big crossover book from any publisher. Its also where spiderman gets the black suit that turns into venom and great moments throughout.
  
• Annihilation (All three books), Was a relaunch of Marvel's Cosmic line and sets up for all of the cosmic books for many years to come. Very cool book. Can read with no prior knowledge whatsoever.
  
• Watchmen, Good book, very important to the comic medium itself. Published by DC but not set in that universe.
  
• The Dark Knight Returns, Again published by DC but very important to Batman and comics in general. And who doesn't love Batman.
  
• Any charcter has at least one trade that is good standalone and is important to the character, but without knowing your preferences I can't recommend specifics
  
  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.

Honestly, if you liked the movie the Graphic Novel is worth a read

Is this the comic I should get?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401245250/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_MGwGDbTK4SGMX

Superman: Red Son

All Star Superman

Superman: American Alien

Batman and Superman Number One

Throne of Atlantis from Justice League and Aquaman

If you haven't yet Watchmen is a must for any reader, comics or not

Anything Geoff Johns wrote for Green Lantern (Frankly anything he's written for DC). He has 3 Omnibuses (Very Large Collections with MANY stories). Particularly look for:

Green Lantern Rebirth

Flash Rebirth

Flashpoint


Blackest Night

In Brightest Day

Geoff Johns Omnibuses

Or always Peruse other Trades/Omnibuses to see what piques your interest

Also, I know it's a DC sub, but if you're okay with adult themes: Saga

I was thinking about the modern trend of superhero/superpower deconstruction stories. While superhero stories go back a long ways, I'm not looking at anything by Marvel or DC that plays the tropes straight (actually, I probably should mention Watchmen, though it's not really part of this trend). I should add Megamind as a supervillain deconstruction to the list as well. I included Steelheart because it does deconstruct (and subvert) the superpower tropes.