(Part 2) Best superhero graphic novels according to redditors
We found 25,732 Reddit comments discussing the best superhero graphic novels. We ranked the 3,630 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
The BEST Deadpool Marketing
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Other Videos and Links
^^Buy ^^It ^^Here ^^and ^^Also ^^Read ^^Deadpool ^^Killustrated ^^and ^^Deadpool ^^Kills ^^Deadpool ^^Since ^^They're ^^a ^^Trilogy
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EDIT: THANK YOU REDDIT FOR TAKING MY GOLD VIRIGINITY :D
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ALL OF YOU WHO WANT TO WATCH THE FILM IN THE UNITED STATES OR CANANDA, USE PROMO CODE DEADPOOLUSA (In US) or DEADPOOLCA (In Canada) HERE WHEN AT CHECKOUT FOR A FREE HD RENTAL!
^You ^have ^to ^use ^this ^link ^from ^/r/freebies
This page is part of a Punisher comic called Born which can be found here or here (includes an extra story)
http://www.amazon.com/Flashpoint-World-Of-Batman-TP/dp/1401234054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375640790&sr=8-1&keywords=batman+flashpoint
Batman: Year One is a fantastic way to begin. It introduces the major elements, tells a solid story, and the art work is fantastic.
The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are my next two suggestions. They're also my personal favorites (and Christian Bales!).
Others of note:
The Killing Joke
Arkham Asylum
Batman: Absolution
Batman: The Cult
A Death in the Family
Batman: Hush
I've got a few more but they're a bit scattered in terms of story line or canon. I'm also an outlier but I didn't care for "The Dark Knight Returns."
That movie is based on the main event. The storyline about that version of Batman and the Joker happened in the tie in issues to the event that weren't included in the movie.
You can buy that here.
Dude! Ultimate Spider-Man! It's one of the best books Marvel's putting out right now.
Note, this one with Miles Morales. Not this one, or this one which takes place before it and stars Peter Parker.
If they like it and get to the end, then get them this one., which is the next series that focuses on him.
There's also this one with Miles Morales where he meets mainstream Spider-Man that is really great too.
Yes. Attilan is a kingdom. Black Bolt is their king. His whisper can level cities and a scream can destroy a planet. He has a royal family: Medusa, Black Bolt's queen, who can control her almost indestructible hair. Crystal, Medusa's sister, who can control the four elements. Black Bolt's cousins Gorgon, Triton, and Karnak who each have their own unique powers. And Lockjaw, the giant bulldog who teleports and can teleport other objects or beings.
There is also Black Bolt's brother, Maximus the Mad, who is completely insane and wants to rule Attilan. Attilan has many dark secrets. They created a slave-race called Alpha Primitives to be their labor-force and many of the time, the Terrigen mists will ruin a person. The rest of the world treats the Inhumans much like they treat the X-Men. Humans are scared and don't understand the Inhumans and have attacked in certain stories. Much of the time, Maximus uses this to his advantage. Onto to mists.
When an Inhuman is growing up, they are just like any normal non-powered being. When an Inhuman comes of age (I think it's around 18), they go into these chambers that release a substance called "the Terrigen Mist", which takes the genetic code that makes you unique and mutates it so you become superhuman. Some people are luckier than others. Some get the ability to fly and others if you look at their faces you go blind.
There's really so much to these characters and it's hard to explain it all. A great start is the 1998 Jenkins/Lee run on the characters.
TLDR: George RR Martin would be proud
EDIT - Added a link to the book.
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
http://www.amazon.com/Flashpoint-World-Featuring-Batman/dp/1401234054
You're in luck. It was a print book before a movie.
The biggest runs are Miller, Bendis/Brubaker and Waid. I've listed all four runs in both their Deluxe/Omnibus formats and their standard paperback versions. I imagine they're all available digitally, as well.
Frank Miller (1980-1982, 1986)
Brian Michael Bendis (2001-2006)
Ed Brubaker (2006-2009)
Mark Waid (2011-2014)
Mark Waid (2014+)
No dumb questions when it comes to comics! Here's the first trade, or collection of issues. That has issues 1-6 of this run, and you can buy almost all the trades up until now, with the latest (20-28 I believe) coming out in August. Just search "Daredevil Mark Waid Volume (1-5) on Amazon.
If this sort of thinking interests you, I'd recommend checking out Red Son by Mark Millar.
It's an 'Elseworlds' story in which baby Kal-El's ship crashes in the Ukraine instead of Kansas. Superman is taken in by the Soviets and grows up with all the same powers but a Socialist ideology. It shows a whole alternate version of the 20th century and how the rest of the DC Universe changes.
It's clear that a lot of thought went into it and it's one of my absolute favorite Superman stories.
I think Frank Cho's latest hissy fit is hilariously timed.
For those who haven't read Rucka's earlier Wonder Woman run, reprints just went on sale yesterday, and in literally the first issue (#195) Diana's publishing a book, a collection of essays and articles on topics like philosophy and gender politics.
The publisher has a rather provocative first cover that the embassy staff vetoes.
I just find it funny that that scenario is almost playing out in real life now, as soon as Greg gets back on the title.
Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force Omnibus comes out at the end of this month. It's hard to express just how amazing and awesome his run on that title was! Definitely worth checking out!
Also, if you really enjoyed Morrison's Animal Man run I'd highly recommend checking out the New X-Men Omnibus. It's top-notch!
Here
Marvel has had a lot of stuff happen over the last decade. The Scarlet Witch had a mental breakdown, some Avengers died, a bunch of mutants lost their powers, Jean Grey died again, there was a superhero civil war over whether the government ought to register heroes, Captain America died, the Hulk destroyed Manhattan once, Spider-Man's history got changed so he and Mary Jane never got married, Skrulls invaded, Norman Osborn got put in charge of SHIELD for a while, Captain America came back, the X-Men moved to San Francisco, Wolverine is in charge of the old Xavier school, the Phoenix was going to destroy the world or maybe it wasn't and there was a lot of fighting about it.
Here are, I think, the most important story arcs to catch up on the status quo and a lot of different characters' story arcs:
X-Man is around, though he's not in any books right now at this moment, unfortunately. He was in New Mutants volume 3 from issue #25 until issue #50, when it was canceled. So he's just kind of out there at the moment. Oh, but if you were an Age of Apocalypse fan, you should check out the Age of Apocalypse series that ran for a while recently. It only lasted 14 issues, but it was pretty good. The first volume is here: http://amzn.com/0785163026. I'd also really recommend checking out Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force, which was really, really good, and also tied into the Age of Apocalypse in its Dark Angel Saga storyline. The first volume of that is here: http://amzn.com/0785148558
Which one comic series would I recommend reading first? Hawkeye. Definitely Hawkeye. It is a really well written, beautifully illustrated, low key book that absolutely does not require reading anything else.
The Planet Hulk omnibus is pretty overpriced imo - at only 650 pages.
The Hulk: Planet Hulk and Hulk: Planet Hulk Prelude TPBs cover pretty much the same content for half the price.
The only added content you get in the omnibus is a what-if story, a guidebook, and material from a one-shot.
The World War Hulk omnibus (the follow-up story to Planet Hulk), on the other hand, is a whopping 1300 pages, and has a lot of cross-over material not included in the regular TPB.
My top recommendations (I'm not including the Rebirth stuff but I absolutely recommend it!):
– Wonder Woman by George Perez, Vol. 1
– Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka, Vol. 1
– The Legend of Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Origins
– Wonder Woman: Earth One, Vol. 1
One of my favorite graphic novels/comic books with an awesome perspective.
For anyone interested; Superman: Red Son
What if baby Superman had crashed on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain and grew up to become Stalin's right-hand man?
Inhumans by Paul Jenkins & Jae Lee.
It's Flashpoint: Knight of Vengeance, collected here.
Panthers Rage - This might be my favorite Panther story. Don Mcgregor, Rich Buckler and Billy Graham did a great job telling this epic story
Black Panther by Christopher Priest - This is his defining run, Christopher Priest established Wakanda as we know it today. The complete collections just started coming out. Vol 1 is out and Vol 2 just came out this weeks in comic shops
Secret Invasion: Black Panther - T'challa fighting Skrulls and written by Jason Aaron. This should sell itself
His last series written by David Liss with Francavilla art was also a good read
I think that the event is awesome. It has a fairly interesting story and a lot of the Spider-Men featured are awesome and are all unique. They are all really memorable.
If you want to start reading it, then I suggest you start with The Parker Luck trade as it gives you some background on what has happened with Parker recently which will help you understand Spiderverse easier. Then you should get this Spiderverse trade (or find a cheaper one). Alternatively, you can get this. It does not come with any of the Spiderverse tie-ins although they aren't really needed to understand the whole story.
You can also get Edge of the Spiderverse which contains backstories of some of the characters featured in the event.
I second the Greg Rucka suggestion.
[This is the volume I started with.] (https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Greg-Rucka-Vol/dp/1401263321/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496175713&sr=1-15&keywords=wonder+woman) It's really lovely.
The Rucka WW trade that comes out in two weeks has it.
A lot of 'I'm not a fan of Superman but it was good' folks here.
Might I suggest some really good Superman comics?
Superman - Action Comics Vol. 1 - Part of DC's New 52 reboot, these comics are by Grant Morrison (who is a great writer and something of an expert on comics, especially Superman) and shows a young Superman at the very beginnings of his superheroics.
All-Star Superman - Another Grant Morrison work, All-Star Superman is an Elseworlds (set outside main canon) that is by and large considered one of the definitive works of Superman stories. A little camp with lots of love given to the Golden and Silver Ages but played straight and fantastic story.
Kingdom Come - Another Elseworlds set in a dark, alternate future, where Clark has given up being Superman and the world pretty much standing on the edge. Amazing art by Alex Ross.
Superman: Red Son - An Elseworlds in which Superman landed in Communist Russia as an infant and raised by the state. The concept is silly but it's honestly a great read.
Superman: Birthright - A retelling and modernization of Superman's origin, it's a pretty good read and probably what Man of Steel is drawing a lot of inspiration from.
Superman Annual #11: "For the Man Who Has Everything" - It's a Superman story written by Alan Moore. I don't want to say anymore due to potential spoilers.
Rubix89 also said "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" which is pretty much a response to the question of 'What's so great about the big blue boyscout in this day and age?'
All Star Superman by Morrison and Quietly is a great arc that captures a lot of what makes Superman well, Superman.
Red Son looks at how things might have gone if instead of ending up in Kansas, he landed in Soviet Russia.
/r/comicbooks can help too!
There are a few different places you can start:
If you HAVE to start from the beginning just read the first 24 issues, you can then skip over to Claremont's era
My recommendation would be to either start with Chris Claremont's 1st era (aka 70's) & 2nd era (aka 80's) on Uncanny X-Men or from 2001-ish (aka modern X-Men) time period onwards onwards. Either way just skip the 90s for now, you can alway go back to that later.
If you want to start with Modern X-Men...
From there you can get caught up pretty easily if you follow this list in order:
From there I would move on to the current All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men titles:
Great, now you're all caught up!
PS, the great thing about X-Men is there is a ton of content to explore aside from the main storyline!
...and much more!
Happy reading! :)
It's based on a limited series from the early eighties, by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. You can find it collected here
Inhumans by Paul Jenkins (1998-1999)
That is all you need to read.
And then when you watch the show, you will probably be disappointed.
I was going to create my own list but you have almost everything I would have listed, good job.
Ex Machina Vol 1 $5.49 in place of Chew
Walking Dead Vol 1 $5.79 for Fables (good but I think walking dead is more addictive.)American Jesus $5.99 for Fables
Magneto Testament $10.99 in place of Strange Talent of Luther Strode (good but I think Magneto Testament is a better read)
New Total: $100.29New Total: $100.49
EDIT: Changed Walking Dead since already on the list
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Not Part of my list but any way:
If you can find Superman Secret Identity read it (out of print) but it looks like they may be re-releasing it in April 2013
Superman: Red Son $10.37 from amazon
For Marvel Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite stories/characters from TV, movies, games, books, etc. Do you seek quality storytelling or encyclopedic Marvel knowledge? Plan to collect? What time/resources are available i.e. how many comics could/should be read before burning out?
Don’t try to read everything—there’s too much. Forget about “catching up”, continuity, universes, and timelines; it's all very confusing, even to creators/fans. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so first appearances/early origins may not be the best starting points. Creative teams change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told (e.g. I never cared for Hawkeye until Matt Fractions’ run).
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their “greatest hits”. Don’t get stuck “preparing”, just start reading. Focus on well-received, relatively self-contained, and complete stories. You may encounter the occasional unexplained reference/character/event—just ride along (Wiki if necessary). Remember, there are so many other great characters and publishers to explore, and not all comics are about superheroes.
Where to buy (US):
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.
Joe Kelly's Run
Cable and Deadpool
If you like a wackier Deadpool then Daniel Way's Run (1of4)
Remender's Uncanny X-Force
For an Alternate Universe Deadpool but a great read check out Killology by Cullen Bunn Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, Deadpool Killustrated, Deadpool Kills Deadpool.
Deadpool's Current Marvel Now
Also go check out /r/Deadpool. There's lots of reading lists on there as well.
X-Men (1975 - 1981)
Giant Size X-Men #1
Uncanny X-Men #94 - #124
Uncanny X-Men Annual #3
Uncanny X-Men #125 - #138
Uncanny X-Men Annual #4
Uncanny X-Men #139 - #143
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 1
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 2
Maybe better ways to get this that are more cost effective but this is one option (goes for all the links in this post).
If you know you can't get into comics from the late 70's and early 80's because the writing style bothers you then I would look at either Grant Morrison's New X-Men or Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men.
X-Men (2001 - 2004)
New X-Men #114 - #117
New X-Men Annual 2001
New X-Men #118 - #154
New X-Men Omnibus
X-Men (2004 - 2006)
Astonishing X-Men #1 - #24
Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1
Astonishing X-Men Ultimate Collection 1
Astonishing X-Men Ultimate Collection 2
IMO the Claremont, Cockrum, and Byrne stuff is much better then the others and holds up to this day however it was written in a time when you did have to read the comics there are lots of words compared to a modern comic, this bothers some people.
The World of Flashpoint ft. Batman or something?
http://www.amazon.com/Flashpoint-World-Batman-TP/dp/1401234054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457446484&sr=8-1&keywords=flashpoint+batman
Inhumans Volume 2 is amazing. Definitely worth the purchase.
After getting some reading under your belt, I'd also suggest checking out some of the books in the side bar.
Hope this helps :)
As was said, 616 is the main universe, which allows for cross-title character interactions. It's pretty messy, full of inconsistencies etc., but on an individual comic level it works so people don't generally notice that much.
The best way to get into comics is to read completed trade paperbacks, at least in my experience. These are generally story arcs by a specific creative team, and are usually very consistent and don't require too much background knowledge. An example of this might be Superior Spider Man. Generally, series are released as issues and then storylines of these issues are combined into TPBs.
Additionally, if you like consistency, this guy makes a case that early Marvel books were the Golden age of consistency Even though they're dated, the storylines progressed characters in real time, having them age, develop, and refer to previous storylines in appropriate situations. Compare this to modern times, when storylines end and general ideas aren't really built upon by subsequent books.
Warning! Long-as-shit recommendation post incoming!
Halo:
There are several ones published by Marvel, haven't read any but my friend, whose a big Halo fan liked Halo: Blood line by Fred Van Lente
Mass Effect:
These are all written by Mac Walters, the lead writer of Mass Effect 3
Star Wars:
They have 25$ omnibii for most of the series they've made, except for the new Legacy, Star Wars by Brian Wood and Dawn of the Jedi.
Lighthearted books:
Sci-Fi:
There are also several Firefly/Serenity comics if that your thing, they are all good.
The best place to start is the current Superior Spider-man, Which stars a slightly different Peter Parker
Stuff with Vikings:
Other Recommendations:
Also Check out the sidebar's ''Where to Start reading'' section -------------->
EDIT: cleaned up a bit.
EDIT 2: Links, added links to digital version where I couldn't find floppies or HC/TPB that had come out yet. Reading Digital comics on a Tablet is recommended. Dark Horse has their own app, and Comixology has most publishers except Dark Horse and some smaller ones.
Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee's Inhumans
http://www.amazon.com/Inhumans-Paul-Jenkins-Jae-Lee/dp/0785184740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421159588&sr=8-1&keywords=inhumans
Hands down
Have you tried Amazon?
DC
Marvel
So you're gonna want to start with Hickman's Avengers Vol 1 and then you're gonna want to read Hickman's New Avengers Vol 1 then Vol 2 of Avengers then Infinity
Here is a full reading order with everything you need
I don't claim to be an expert here, but this is my favorite Quicksilver story, hands down:
Son of M
A word of warning, however: This story builds heavily off the Events of House of M in the X-men universe (which I highly recommend). House of M is one of the last great "event" comics before they started to all be major disappointments for Marvel (IHO).
There's my two cents! Happy reading!
If you want more Grant Morrison, I would say you go for his "New X-men" run. It was my first X-men book and doesn't really need any background knowledge.
Mark Waid's Daredevil. I recently started as well, and i just finished reading volume 2. It looks like this. It is really awesome, storywise and art.
It started in like 2011 and had about 30 issues. Then it was re-numbered in 2014 and put back to #1, hence why we're currently on about #12. Although you can start with the 2014 #1, I would suggest starting at the very start, since its such a great series and you'd be missing out.
Here's the trade for the very beginning, and here's the trade for the re-numbered beginning that started last year.
> As for why he doesn't enslave humanity, well that wouldn't make for a very good story.
It can and has. It's called Superman: Red Son.
If you like it, you should check out Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and drawn by Dave McKean. The game of the same name is loosely based on it. A lot of Batman fans don't care for McKean's art because it is too abstract for a story and he should stick to covers. Personally, I think the comic is awesome and would love to see McKean collaborate with Morrison more.
Never read it myself so I can't speak to the quality, but the Flashpoint event had plenty of tie-ins including Batman stories.
Oh nice, looks like a lot of story at a good price. I'll start there.
https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Greg-Rucka-Vol/dp/1401263321
http://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Of-TPB-Graphic-Novel/dp/0785117210
There we go my friend. That's on the UK Amazon but that'll be the one you want.
There are a LOAD of other tie ins but don't worry about any of them
X-Men!
Go to you library and see if they have these (if they don't, get the ISBN numbers from their Amazon page and give those to your librarian. They can get the books on inter-library loan).
The list covers stories from 2001 onward (in order) ;)
Any of the first six bullet points would be good starting points, and then after that Extraordinary X-Men would be the starting point nearest to the current comics.
Or, if you don't want a bunch of back issues check out current issues of X-Men Gold and X-Men Blue!
What you read was the Planet Hulk miniseries during Secret Wars which takes place on Battleworld. I believe what you are looking for is the Planet Hulk event, as /u/PhotonCommander10 said, Incredible Hulk 92-105. It exists as a TPB too here is a link on Amazon. I recommend World War Hulk also. It's an immediate follow-up to Planet Hulk and my personal all-time favorite story.
Kings Comics in Sydney have it available on their website. It says it ships in 10-14 days, which normally means it's either in their warehouse or they'll have to order it in from the distributor, but it probably means it wasn't banned.
The trade's nearly a decade old - it's possible it's just sold out. I believe this volume of the Complete Collection contains the first two trades, and came out earlier last year so it should be much easier to find.
> Collecting PUNISHER (2000) #1-12, PUNISHER (2001) #1-7 and #13-37, PUNISHER KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE, and material from MARVEL KNIGHTS DOUBLE SHOT #1.
This doesn't have MAX.
This one seems to be the start of the series you are looking for. It starts with the Born prequel, then goes on to have the "current day" stories. This one up to the one marked as Vol. 4 should complete the Ennis Max run.
For the most part, you can pick up any Batman graphic novel or trade that doesn't have a Vol # on it, and just start reading. Most Batman stories are just loosely connected to one another, even if they are part of the same continuity. Here are a few "essential" (and newbie-friendly) stories, in rough chronological order:
Batman: Year One
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: Dark Victory
Batgirl/Robin Year One
Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: The Black Mirror (this one, I highly recommend for a modern Bat story)
 
Others to check out (in no particular order):
Batman: No Man's Land (an epic Bat family story collected in 4 volumes)
Batman: A Serious House on Serious Earth
Batman: Gates of Gotham
Batman: Hush (this is generally considered a convenient way to visit the greater Bat family)
Grant Morrison's Batman run (the essentials are Batman: Batman and Son, Batman RIP, Batman and Robin Vols. 1-3, and the three Batman Inc vols)
Chuck Dixon's Nightwing run (here mainly because a lot of Batman fans also read the Nightwing series)
 
New 52:
Scott Snyder's Batman run
Peter J. Tomasi's Batman and Robin run
Kyle Higgins' Nightwing run (ties into Snyder's Batman for a while)
I'm going to list what I think are important, or perhaps emblematic, Batman graphic novels with links to their
wikiamazon page, because the wiki pages were surprisingly unhelpful, so you can check them out. Hopefully you find something that interests you.The Dark Knight Returns: The book that revitalized the genre in the 80s. An important Batman read; however, I think there are better reads.
Year One: Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy borrows from Year One, and a lot of others I've listed, in some pretty cool ways. As the title suggests this comic tells the story of the beginning of Bruce Wayne's career as Batman.
The Killing Joke: The quintessential Joker story told by one of the most important men in comics, Alan Moore. The story is short, especially for a graphic novel, but fantastic.
The Long Halloween: One of my personal favorites. TLH highlights Batman's detective roots following him on a year long hunt for a serial killer. Much of the rouge gallery makes an appearance and the murder mystery elements are classic Batman at his best.
Hush: A good example of a newer Batman comic; it was first published serially during 2002 and 2003. Very good read, definitely take a look.
Arkham Asylum: A newer comic that I have yet to read but thought I would add it to the list because it usually comes up in conversations like this one. I'm hoping to read it soon.
Great start! If you enjoyed Flashpoint and are digging Batman, I'd highly recommend Knight of Vengeance. It's a great one-shot!
Superman: Red Son, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Flashpoint (and the world of, especially Batman ) are three obvious and good ones
edit: also, Batman: Year 100
edit 2: I can't believe I forgot one of the most important examples! Definitely check out DC:The New Frontier
Congratulations! That's awesome! :D
In this moment I'm thankful for all the love in my life that at one point, I didn't think I was worthy of. I didn't believe that I was worthy of love, and that it was impossible for someone else to love me. Like that way of thinking took me to some awful places that still haunt me.
And yet, today I feel so much love. I have a wonderful boyfriend, and even though now and again we have our hiccups, we love each other equally and deeply. He's my best friend, my partner, and a person I never get sick of; in previous relationships we've both wanted space from SOs, but this time it's different. We still wake up all giddy that the other is lying there beside us, we still love to spend so much time together. On the 18th it'll have been 2 years since we first kissed, and agreed we loved each other, and started going out. That day changed my life, and if anything I love him more than I did then if that's even possible.
I have love from my family who have of course always been there but sometimes when you're going through stuff it gets hard to remember. Especially my sister. I'm so thankful for our relationship; most siblings are amicable or don't get on, but this kid is my best friend. I can't stand not seeing her every week, we mostly eat junk food and watch anime or korean drama but that's our thing! I tell her everything, I talk to her every day, and when I was deciding if I wanted to move out, she was the person I thought of most. The first time I thought of moving out, I couldn't do it because I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her.
I'm thankful for my friends. After Lewis and I got together, a lot of people from high school who I thought were my friends caused drama and didn't talk to me. But in the end I was okay, I got to know other people and now I have some of the best friends in the world.
And I'm thankful for you guys. I've some had some really tough times this year that I never expected to go through, but you were all here for me supporting me. Some of you were even here for me when it was this place that was my problem! Through it all, you guys have been here, proving that we're not just random strangers on the internet, we're a community. I care so deeply about some of the people here, and did not expect I would! I cherish them, and I love them.
All the people I've mentioned above make me who I am, and encourage me to be the best I can be. And now the girl who thought she didn't deserve love and didn't think she was strong enough to cope with life, has so much love in her life and has the support to know she can take on the world. And I'm thankful for that c:
I won't risk the international shipping if it's a bother to you, which is understandable, but I can't decide what to put as my wishlist thing! So I'll let you choose, if I have the fortune to win!, between something for Lewis, something for Dannielle (or any hama beads from the under £5 list), or anything else off the various wishlists you think is pretty cool xD <3<3
DAREDEVIL, the current run by mark waid has been consistently fun and enjoyable http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0785152385?pc_redir=1404449872&amp;robot_redir=1
For the most part, Miles has really only appeared in his own book, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. There's only been 27 issues, so you could probably just start at the beginning of that if you want, with Bendis/Pichelli's Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Vol. 1 and then just go forward from there. To learn about Miles in general, that's probably the best place to start.
Miles also appeared in the Spider-Men mini-series, which had him meet the Peter Parker of the mainstream Marvel Universe. You could check that out also, but it's not really necessary.
Link?
I saw one on Amazon, but I'm not sure if it's official or not...
edit: Link
This is going to be easy to dismiss, but the Planet Hulk collection involves absolutely no humans after the first few pages (you don't even see Banner), takes place on an alien world, and is slightly ahead of (laser guns) and behind (gladiator coliseums) our Earthly level of development.
Yes, it's a graphic novel, but it's in print and it's science fiction (this particular volume isn't normal superhero comic stuff, believe me) so I hope you enjoy it.
Note: I'd skip the World War Hulk stuff. Planet Hulk is the good bit.
The Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus.
The size of this thing is impressive!
Amazing Spider-Man starting with Spider-Island is really fun (Amazing Spider-Man #666 - 673) and you can just keep reading from there. I am deeply enjoying Superior Spider-Man as well, although it is definitely not for everyone. If you like something a little more a more naive tone, I highly recommend Ultimate Spider-Man, even though it has it's own continuity.
The Incredible Hulk # 1-6 by Jason Aaron is pretty good, but the series quickly starts pattering out. Indestructible Hulk by Mark Waid is decent, but nothing great.
Ant-Man has many incarnations. He stared in FF by Matt Fraction, which was highly under rated and cancelled too soon. Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, is tearing it up in Avengers A.I. but that book is incredibly out there and crazy. It deals with some pretty lofty ideas and crazy expectations. Definitely an acquired taste.
The Avengers seem to be doing decently for the first few arc's in Marvel NOW! leading up to Infinity. Their past arc's shine as well. While it is mostly mutant focused, House of M is one of my all time favorites, and let's not forget the deeply loved Civil War as well. And if you enjoy the characters from the Avenger's film, I highly recommend without a doubt Hawkeye. If there is any book that always brings a smile to my face it is Hawkeye.
He hasn't been around for that long, and his stuff is mostly self contained (even when the rest of the ultimate universe is mired in a whole civil war thing, he's doing his own thing).
Best place to start for Miles would just be Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Vol 2 #1, collected here.
If you're trying to get caught up on Ultimate Spider-Man, I recommend going back to the very start, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Vol. 1 (http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Comics-Spider-Man-Vol-1/dp/0785157131). If you're wondering what's currently going on, here's a brief mostly spoiler-free overview; Miles and Spider-Woman are going through some turbulent times after a traumatic battle with Venom that ended with one of Miles's family dead. However they've gained an unexpected ally when it's revealed that Peter Parker has somehow apparently come back from the dead (or possibly never died to begin with). Unfortunately Green Goblin has also returned to New York and is trying to capture Miles due to a twisted belief that Miles is his property, since Miles gained his powers from a mutated spider that Oscorp created. Not only that but HYDRA has agents in New York and seems to have gained interest in Miles and his allies, with some of their agents claiming that Miles family has ties to HYDRA. So Miles and his fellow heroes are trying to not only stop Goblin, but to figure out why HYDRA is after him and how Peter has seemingly returned from the grave.
Start here.
sincerely,
Richard Nixon
The original Claremont/Miller limited series, collected here. The definitive Wolverine story.
It's already a complete run (35 issues).
The first trade is this one.
If you start liking it and you like omnibuses, you can also pick the recently released omnibus.
As I tell everyone. BUY TRADES FROM AMAZON!
That hardcover on amazon in 13.59 or 3.40 an issue
http://www.amazon.com/Uncanny-X-Force-Apocalypse-Rick-Remender/dp/078514854X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1310880532&amp;sr=8-1
Or do as I am doing and wait for the trade at 10.87 or 2.72 an issue.
http://www.amazon.com/Uncanny-X-Force-Vol-Apocalypse-Solution/dp/0785148558/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1310880532&amp;sr=8-4
Uncanny X-Force, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Solution (UNCANNY X-FORCE #1-4) by Rick Remender, Jerome Opena, and Leonardo Manco
For Avengers I'd recommend Avengers Disassembled and New Avengers and you can just keep going with New Avengers if you want.
For Black Panther - Christopher Priest's work.
For Captain America/Winter Soldier - Ed Brubaker's work.
For Daredevil I'd recommend starting with Bendis' work.
For the Hulk - Planet Hulk.
Jessica Jones - Alias
Thor - start here and read everything that comes out afterwards with the name Aaron on it
It's actually the first 5 issues of Superior Spider-man.
Heads up this is when Doc Ock has freaky Friday body swapped with Spider-man and killed him. It sounds dumb but Superior Spider-man actually turned out to be a really amazing run, about 32 issues.
Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Spider-Man-Vol-Worst-Enemy/dp/0785167048
I think a lot of these recommendations are unfortunately not addressing the fact that you know little or nothing about comics, so I'm afraid they still leave you unsure of what to look for.
First things first: Does she want something older, or modern? How old is her grandson?
Now, something you might not know is that these days most comics don't finish the story in one issue. They go through story arcs, the same way a lot of modern TV shows do. And those arcs are usually collected together in something called a "trade paperback" or just a "trade" for short. Hardcovers are also available. For a new reader, a trade would probably make a much more complete reading experience. If she just goes to the comic shop and buys the latest issue for 3 different books, she's likely going to get part 2 of one story, part 4 of another story, and part 1 of a third story. Not so great. These issues would cost around $4 each.
I might suggest something like this instead. It collects the first 17 issues of that particular series, which began in 1998. He could then decide if he wanted to continue. There are 4 volumes like this which collect this writer's entire stint writing the character. As a bonus, there's a Black Panther movie coming out soon, which should up the cool factor.
Or maybe I'm totally off base and she wants some older stuff for him to collect? Or something very up-to-date and modern?
Hit me up with any questions-- there's a lingo around comics that's easy for us regulars to take for granted.
From /u/centipededamascus
I would recommend reading these, in this order:
Well the best Inhuman story (imo) is the one by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee.
Titled simply "Inhumans" it introduces you to the main cast and is a fantastic book of it's own.
And it's just been re-released too.
While there exist many pre-New 52 Wonder Woman trades, sadly most of them are out of print these days. But here are a few suggestions of things that are still easy to find:
The Greatest Wonder Woman Stories Ever Told - This trade collects a wide variety of Wonder Woman stories from different eras, from her second appearance (All Star Comics #08 isn't collected) through an issue from 2001. Collected here are: Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth OGN (from Paul Dini and Alex Ross), Sensation Comics #1, Wonder Woman volume 01 issues #028, 099, 108, 163, 178, 214, and 286, and Wonder Woman volume 02 issues #020 and 170. While I don't necessarily agree that these are the greatest stories, it is a nice introduction to many different eras of Diana's career.
Chronicles - These trades are inexpensive, full color collections of the original Golden Age runs of Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics. Though DC never collecting all of Marston's original run in this format, these three books are a great, fun read, and a nice time-capsule view of what Wonder Woman was like when she first came into being. These three volumes collect All-Star Comics #08, Wonder Woman v1 issues #01-05, Sensation Comics #01-18, and Comic Cavalcade #01-02.
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman - Silver Age stories. Diana gives up her powers as the Amazons retreat from the Earthly dimension. Diana stays behind on Earth. Though there is some controversy about this run, and a lot of people really dislike it, I love it. I think it's a lot of fun, and it shows that Diana is just as caring, and willing and able to help people even without her powers. My only issue with the run is that it ends abruptly. These four volumes collect Wonder Woman v1 #179-204 (issues 197-198 were reprints of earlier issues in this run, so only their covers are collected), The Brave and the Bold (1955) #87, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane (1958) #93, World's Finest Comics (1941) #204, and The Brave and the Bold (1955) #105.
George Perez Omnibus - This omnibus collects the beginning of Wonder Woman volume 02. After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman was rebooted. Her origin was stream lined, her villains and supporting cast were given make overs, and she was introduced to the world. The omnibus collects v2 issues #01-24 and Annual 01.
A lot of people complain about the level of exposition and general wordiness of Perez's run. I for one think it's a terrific, fun read. However, if you'd rather check the book out without shelling out the money for the omnibus, you can get the awesome Gods and Mortals HC, which collects issues 01-07, as well as the Wonder Woman animated movie from 2009 (which is well worth watching).
Odyssey - This was the final Wonder Woman story arc before the New 52 started. While I have railed against this story in the past, time has softened my view of it. It's not great, but it's an interesting elseworld's style take on the character, which for some reason was shoved into the main continuity. I find that the less a person has read of Wonder Woman, the easier it is to enjoy Odyssey. These two books collect Wonder Woman issues 600-614.
This is just a few suggestions based on what is still available. Most other runs out there, unfortunately, are collected in trades are that out of print (not entirely, usually just one or two books are out of print). Luckily, DC seems to be recollecting some of the more popular runs.
Later in March, Wonder Woman: War of the Gods is set to be released. This trade will collect the four issue War of the Gods mini-series and Wonder Woman v2 issues 58-62 for the first time. This story arc was the crafted by George Perez to celebrate Diana's 50th Anniversary. It also served as the final chapter of his run on Wonder Woman.
In May, the Wonder Woman by Mike Deodato TPB is coming out, featuring the story arc where Artemis takes over as Wonder Woman. Though the Amazon page says it's only collecting volume 02, issues 85, 0, and 90-93, it's actually set to collect all of Deodato's run, 85, 0, and 90-100.
In July, a new Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka TPB is coming out, with one more to follow collecting Rucka's entire run.
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.
Agreed on everything. But for the sake of walter7mm (who seems to be a newbie comic book reader), here is links to the amazon product page for each suggestion:
The trade is titled something like "Batman: Flashpoint" or thereabouts.
Found the amazon link.
Hi!
For starters, we got a big ol' recommended reading list that should suit most of your needs. Most of these characters have also had some kind of reboot/relaunch in recent years, so looking around for anything with their name attached and "Volume 1" is a pretty good way to get started if you're so inclined. For example...
Batman (note that this story is about 12 issues, so you'd want volume 2 to go along with it)
Deadpool
Spider-Man
Thor
Black Panther hasn't had anything major recently, I don't think, but he has a new series starting soon. Also please note that except for Batman and Thor, I cannot personally attest to the quality of the comics I've linked. There's also some even more recent stuff, but it's not collected yet like these are.
Invincible
If you're looking to get into WW, try this! I just finished this entire run and LOVED it!
Marvel is currently in the midst of a big crossover event called 'Avengers Vs. X-Men' and it is taking over many of the books right now, so you may want to wait until that is over for some books.
That said, You can get caught up on Mark Waid's current run on Daredevil. volumes 1 and 2 on Amazon.
Hawkeye #1 and Gambit #1 just came out this month. Other books you may want to check out Uncanny X-Force, Secret Avengers, Venom.
If you're into DC at all, I suggest Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Demon Knights. All are part of the New 52 relaunch that happened last September.
It should also be noted that Marvel is doing a relaunch called Marvel NOW, which will start in October, so there will be plenty of new jumping on points then.
Good luck!
Vol. 1 and Vol.2 of Mark Millar's the Ultimates are straight up classic Avengers stories. Just don't read Vol. 3, it is terrible.
Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men is easily one of my favorite X-Men stories and one I recommend to everyone.
I haven't read too much Hulk, buy Planet Hulk by Greg Pak is AWESOME. It really cast a whole new light on the character for me. Before I always thought of him as this gigantic, dumb monster, but this book really changed that. The follow up World War Hulk is decent, just not as good at PLANET, but you will probably want to read it anyways to see how the plot wraps up.
Other classics like Secret Wars, Infinity Gauntlet, Age of Apocalypse and many more are always great to read.
as far as on goings, I am currently reading X-MEN (the all girl team, only 2 issues in, easy to catch up) and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (4 issues in) but I have been hearing great things about the 2 Daredevil series, Hawkeye and X-Force.
You could hold out/save up for The Infinity Gauntlet omnibus. It will be massive and will get you familiar with a lot of classic cosmic Marvel and the scale is universal. I only read the main event books through Marvel Digital Unlimited, and liked it a lot.
Edit: y'know, I'd recommend Annihilation too, which I always see recommended in cosmic Marvel threads but not necessarily big event threads. I think a lot/most of it can be read on MCU and they are releasing an omnibus and the Abnett/Lanning Guardians of the Galaxy trades too, right before the movie release.
There are a bunch of tie-ins, but I've found that Thanos Quest and Infinity Gauntlet are sufficient. Unfortunately the omnibus, which collects all the tie-ins, is a bit pricy. However, both Thanos Quest and Infinity Gauntlet are on Marvel Unlimited.
Also, I would recommend watching [Marvel Explained's](Infinity Gauntlet Leadup: One Above All: http://youtu.be/GqgrZWwMvy4) videos. They'll give some more background on the obscure characters.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man the series is where his story starts. I think this is the first volume
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Comics-Spider-Man-Vol-1/dp/0785157131/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1541528044&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Ultimate+Comics%3A+Spider-Man&amp;dpID=517vb4gAGML&amp;preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&amp;dpSrc=srch
Hmm. These are my recommendations:
Superior Spider-Man Vol 1: Doc Ock puts his mind in Spider-Mans body and becomes Spider-Man.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man: This is an alternate universe where Spider-Man is dead and a new kid takes up the mantle.
Here are my recommendations:
1) If you have a last-gen console, pick up the Deadpool game - it's completely faithful to the character. It was my first lengthy exposure to Deadpool, and it's fucking hilarious. I'd suggest the PC version for the best experience, but some deal with the publisher being bought or whatnot caused them to remove all of the online sales of it. It's cheap on last gen consoles.
2) Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and Deadpool Killustrated.
3) A good intro to the character is this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzcuh118f2s
Hope this helps.
Seriously. Get the game. It's fucking hilarious, and chopping people up is a lot of fun.
My total is $18.27!!!!
[$12.27 Deadpool Kills the MArvel Universe] (http://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Kills-Marvel-Universe-Cullen/dp/0785164030/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&amp;colid=1NU045XNN7Y43&amp;coliid=I3BO77ID1Q63XM) plus this $6.00 prime used copy of the book
haha..I've been looking forever for a $6 item to go with the .27 item I found...relief at last!
Yeah. Such a bad and unfunny idea that made a whole comic dedicated to it...
https://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Kills-Marvel-Universe-Cullen/dp/0785164030/ref=nodl_
Twice.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1302908340/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_WTCRDb1NKA9KE
> I loved what I read of Astonishing X-Men but even it started off with a lot of missing information for a new reader. Why is Professor X not at school? Why is Emma Frost now on the X-men's side? I was able to roll with the punches on most of it but I wouldn't mind finding the previous books that cover stuff like this.
Grant Morrison's New X-Men is what came before. It covers why Emma is at the school and why Xavier isn't, as well as quite a few other things. Astonishing X-Men was one of my first X-Men books as well and I remember being very confused as to why there was no Jean Grey, and why there was such a small team.
Astonishing X-Men is still an ongoing series. I'm assuming you've read Joss Weadon's run. Warren Ellis' run on the book is great too, and has awesome art by Simone Bianchi.
Also, if you enjoyed Astonishing X-Men, you probably would also enjoy Grant Morrison's New X-Men books, which were the predecessor to Astonishing X-Men.
They just recently re-released an Omnibus of his run. Here's a link to it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/New-X-Men-Omnibus-Grant-Morrison/dp/0785165053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1344346561&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=grant+morrison+x+men
Also, they sell trade paperbacks that are a little cheaper too.
Coming from a Marvel Cinematic background, I would recommend:
In addition, since you've already read Whedon's Astonishing, I have to recommend Morrison's New X-Men, the storyline that Astonishing builds heavily from. Claremont's Dark Phoenix Saga is a great classic story, if you're unfamiliar.
As for Wolverine, a recent favorite of many is Old Man Logan. This is a self-contained 'future' story, so it's not canonical, but it's good. The Claremont/Miller Wolverine is always a classic, and heavily influenced The Wolverine.
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0785184236/ref=mp_s_a_1_2
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0785120122/ref=mp_s_a_1_1
---
^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly&nbsp;bot
here
It's a tricky question, actually. Which X-Force tie-ins have you read? There are a lot of incarnations of X-Force over the years (and a lot of tie ins). For an overview, I would go see Crushing Krisis Collecting X-Force
Personally, I would start with the Kyle & Yost helmed 3rd series (2008). See X-Force Vol 1 This is a modern, edgy, and hard hitting X-Force. It is directly responsible for developing the X-Force into what it has become.
If, however, You want to start a little more recently Uncanny X-Force is awesome. It spins directly out of the X-Force mentioned above. So I would still start above.
Finally the new Uncanny X-Force is also great. It is a bit of a departure from the Remender/Yost series. So if you want to hit the ground running with the current series, I would start here.
Here you go
the prompt says straight up "gadgets/standard equipment," not the armored suit that lives on the moon and lets him beat up God. there's nothing to clarify, homie.
even so, most of the typical Bat-arsenal is pretty reliably counteracted by the BP Vibranium mesh suit, the one that's impenetrable and has mask filters and he's always wearing because he can reprogram it to look like a sharp business suit, because he's the king of Secret African Hypertech Narnia and that's kind of his thing.
seriously, read these comics I'm referencing. modern Black Panther in the Illuminati's part of an ensemble that was doomed to fail from the start. Priest/Hudlin Black Panther, the stories that are influencing the upcoming movie, is a force of goddamn nature. you can buy them on Comixology cheap as free.
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Christopher-Priest-Collection/dp/0785192670/ref=la_B00LM2T7V8_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1499716286&amp;sr=1-1
Here's Doc Ock as Spiderman (Superior Spider-Man). [Digital Version]
And here's the lead in to that story (Spider-Man: Dying Wish) [Digital Version]
I'd recommend the digital versions. Much cheaper, and easier to get more issues if you decide you like it.
----
For Ultimate Spider-Man...
This [Link] is technically the book you want, but I can't recommend it. Reading this would be like watching the final three episodes of Breaking Bad without having seen anything before it. Ultimate Spider-Man is a epic masterpiece, and I use those words without hyperbole. Bendis and Bagley broke the Lee/Kirby record for longest run on a single book, Bendis himself put 11 years of his life into the title. The final issues are the culmination of a dedicated and intricate storytelling effort that is universally respected as a treasure of the Modern Age of comics. Please don't diminish your enjoyment by starting at the end.
I only recently just got into comics so I can understand that it's an overwhelming experience.
> How important is it to read comics in order?
You should read story arcs and issues in order but don't be overly concerned with starting at the very very beginning for every character. One, because a lot of popular characters (including Spider-Man) go back decades and decades, and, two, not everything from the beginning is good reading or good for a newbie. Go back to the very start if you're curious but I don't think that's a good jumping on point. What's considered good comic writing now is very different from what was considered standard back in the 30s or 60s.
>Are there any that would be especially good for "newbie" readers?
This is kind of tough to say.
Talking about monthly comics: DC recently rebooted their whole line of comics a few years ago with The New 52, one of the reasons being to allow for new fans to jump on easier. Marvel hasn't rebooted but they did launch Marvel NOW whose goal was to make it easier for fans to jump on, so anything that says Marvel NOW might be a good place to start.
Here's what I did though. I've been reading comics for about two years and only just started reading monthly issues this May. Up until then I was reading trade paperbacks (TPBs), which are just collections of individual issues.
Basically all I did was pick a character I like, google "best [character] trade paperbacks", and pick up a few that looked interesting. While I was reading TPBs I would be on subreddits like /r/comicbooks, /r/Marvel, or /r/DCcomics, to see what people liked and when new series were starting to find good jumping on points. I found the first good jumping-on point with The Amazing Spider-Man #1 which launched in May.
So that's what I'd recommend.
As for individual books, Spider-Man is only on its fourth issue right now so it's pretty easy to get caught up and jump on board.
My personal favorite Spider-Man TPBs are Superior Spider-Man (this actually stars Doc Ock in Spidey's body; some people don't like it, I think it's great, just be warned), Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt, Amazing Spider-Man Ultimate Collection (a huge collection of J. Michael Straczynski's popular run of the book in the early 2000s; I don't love the art but it's still a good read) and Spider-Man: Dying Wish (which sets up Superior Spider-Man).
I also read Spider-Man: Birth of Venom and The Death of the Stacys to catch up on some important Spidey history.
Do some research before diving into a book or character and pay attention to stories and art that you like so you can follow creators.
Hope that helps. I'd be glad to answer questions if you have any.
Sorry, my confusion with the Marvel Now stuff is that when I looked into buying the SSM graphic novels on Amazon, they had two different sets, both starting with volume one. But maybe they're the same stories, just with different covers?
Example: reg. SSM:http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Spider-Man-Vol-Graphic-Novels/dp/0785167048/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1397696468&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=superior+spiderman
and Marvel Now SSM: http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Spider-Man-Vol-Marvel-Now/dp/0785185216/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1397696468&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=superior+spiderman
[Newest series by Dan Slott] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazing-Spider-Man-1-Parker-Luck/dp/0785166769/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1426956787&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Amazing+Spider-man+volume+1) is pretty good. It follows on immediately from last year's Superior Spider-man but it is pretty self contained and a fun read.
Preist's run
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Christopher-Priest-Collection/dp/0785192670
You know, you should check out Christopher Priest's Black Panther comics run. He created Ross and reading that run will give you a good idea of what to expect from him in the movies.
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Christopher-Priest-Collection/dp/0785192670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1465829378&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=christopher+priest+black+panther
Anyway in this movie, he's just a government agent who's kind of a dick. Think Coulson, if run through the Dennis Leary blender.
Someday he shall meet up with Black Panther and probably be a dick to him too, but become allies. Ross gets his ass kicked a lot, I mean the opening in that run is him not wearing any pants and accidentally selling his soul to Memphisto for a pair. Which BP solves by knocking Memphisto out.
Black Panther Required Reading
(In my humble opinion, of course)
That's the rough order I'd read them in. If you need more, AvX Avengers vs. X-Men fits in between Doomwar and New Avengers, but it's not really required reading - New Avengers covers everything you really need to know with regards to Black Panther and the events of AvX.
If you truly love Panther and want more classic stories, check out Don McGregor's stuff from the 70's and 80's, if you can find it. It's extremely dated, but his representation of T'Challa and Wakanda are still respected.
Hope this helps!
It's fairly standard practice for comic book releases to be collected in paberbacks and hardcovers. The book in question is available in a single volume as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Inhumans-Paul-Jenkins-Jae-Lee/dp/0785184740
It's the first result you get in Amazon searching for "Inhumans."
yes- looks like they've released at least 3 so far: http://www.amazon.com/Superior-Spider-Man-Vol-Graphic-Novels/dp/0785167048
good choices!
May I also recommend Arkham Asylum, Long Halloween and Killing Joke for some more quality Bat-reading!
I did mean that book. Here's the current edition.
Just search on Amazon for the Flashpoint comics, or google Flashpoint reading order (but that's a massive list of 60+ comics).
Flashpoint
Flashpoint: World of Flashpoint: Batman
Punisher Max might be a little hardcore but I loved reading through it around his age.
Other good suggestions would be Hellboy, The walking dead, Eat of West, or Omega Men. Those are some of my 18 yo brother's faves.
Well, that's a pretty tall order, as you're talking about approximately 8 years worth of major Marvel crossovers. These involve at least 6-plus core book issues, with possibly 30+ "tie in" issues for each storyline (sometimes even more with major events like Civil War). That being said, from Secret War onward, a lot of the major Marvel Universe storylines usually set the stage for, or led into, the next major storyline - providing a slight linear narrative.
However, to add to your friend's upcoming reading juggernaut, Avengers vs. X-Men is more the culmination of several years of X-Men stories and crossovers spinning out of House of M - almost completely diverged from the major Marvel plots. But to help you out, I'll give you as complete a list as possible (up until Avengers vs X-Men), including links to the core storyline trade paperbacks. Do be aware that there are many MANY tie-in TPBs as well.
MARVEL STORYLINES & CROSSOVERS (IN ORDER)
I'll continue in a response post with a list of X-Men storylines that led directly to Avengers vs. X-Men.
Hope this helps!
I'd recommend starting with Brian Bendis' Avengers work, he was very solid for a long time on his various Avengers titles. [This collection will introduce you to an event called Avengers Disassembled](https://www.amazon.com/New-Avengers-Brian-Michael-Bendis/dp/1302903624/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1524720917&sr=8-4&keywords=avengers+brian+michael+bendis), it was a big turning point in the Marvel Universe that many future events share some DNA with.
After that collection [I'd recommend House of M](https://www.amazon.com/House-M-Brian-Michael-Bendis/dp/0785117210/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0785117210&pd_rd_r=KEZ2VF9TXA5B281VRGA0&pd_rd_w=FawCu&pd_rd_wg=6bhjT&psc=1&refRID=KEZ2VF9TXA5B281VRGA0), it's a story that is very much a sequel to Avengers Disassembled and is one of the better Marvel events imo.
If you want to continue with events, [Civil War feels like the next step](https://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Mark-Millar/dp/078512179X/ref=pd_sim_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=078512179X&pd_rd_r=2JF6NEKVXWVQ6SKMR422&pd_rd_w=qI7Ct&pd_rd_wg=JO7Ag&psc=1&refRID=2JF6NEKVXWVQ6SKMR422) from there so I'd recommend that in case you haven't read it.
[And Planet Hulk is great](https://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Hulk-Planet-Greg-Pak/dp/0785120122/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524721200&sr=1-1&keywords=planet+hulk), you're in for a treat, I wish I could re-read it again for the first time.
If you continue with the Brian Bendis New Avengers Complete Collections then you're in for a good time, but if you want to stick with events after that initial volume then this is a good way to go.
You want to start with Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers: https://www.amazon.com/New-Avengers-Omnibus-Vol-1/dp/0785164898
and House of M: https://www.amazon.com/House-M-Brian-Michael-Bendis/dp/0785117210/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1524074098&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=house+of+m
From there, you can follow the reading order through Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Siege. Then there's some other random stuff, til Bendis leaves that book. Then Hickman takes over. You'll want to do Hickman's Fantastic Four run (collected in two omnibuses), and his Avengers run through Time Runs Out and Secret Wars.
SEPARATE FROM ALL THAT is the Cosmic side of things, which I love. You'll start with Annihilation, then Annihilation Conquest. Then Abnett and Lannings Guardians of the Galaxy Omnibus, which will tie in with War of Kings and Realm of Kings.
I went by this reading order pretty religiously: https://www.comicbookherald.com/the-complete-marvel-reading-order-guide/ and have loved it. Some of it is skippable-- feel free to reach out with any questions!
You can get the House of M TPB, which is a great book, and the House of M: Spider-Man TPB for about £27 (around $41, though comics are generally cheaper in the US) in total.