(Part 2) Top products from r/DCcomics

Okay, man, I got you. First of all, I'd like to direct you to http://comraderecs.tumblr.com/ which is basically tumblr-hosted recommendation lists recommended by /co/ (comic book board on 4chan). They have recommendations for every Marvel and DC character/team you could think of. They have recommendations from other publishers as well. You'll also find plenty of guides and reading order lists, which can really come in handy. Start navigating from that column on the right. You'll find recommended readings for the vast majority of the characters you named.

I'd also like to point you to crisis2crisis.com, which is a list of important tie-ins to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis. The goal is to give readers a list and order of books to read that will give them the whole story and still fit nicely on one shelf. Note that this doesn't include every major event in DC history that happened between the Crises, just those that somehow tie in to the Crises themselves. For example, it has info about 52, but makes no mention of Flashpoint.

Also, for the publication history of all crossovers and major events, the Wikipedia article does a really neat job.

Also, I'd recommend checking out the sidebars of /r/Batman and /r/WonderWoman. Also, even though you're apparently not very interested in them at the moment, you can check out the sidebars for /r/theFlash and /r/Superman when you feel like it. For other characters you can't go wrong with /r/DCcomics' sidebar.

However, I understand that, sometimes, one likes to have some interaction with the recommenders. For that, I'd point you to /r/comicbooksuggest. Unfortunately, the sub has too few recommenders, but each and every one of them is extremely helpful.

Nonetheless, I'm not telling you this as a cop out, and I'll still do my best to provide with recommendations along with their respective Amazon links. With that said...

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> Also theres a group I'm interested in with MMH, Catwoman, Green Latern, Katana, Stargirl, and Hawkman. Not sure what the name of the group is though.

As /u/Aqualac said, that was the Justice League of America of Prime Earth (the main earth in the new 52). Now, they have a slightly different roster, and are called Justice League Canada. They star in the all-new monthly series Justice League United, written by Jeff Lemire. The first volume trade comes out March 10^th. Now, as for the adventures of the Justice League of America, they were collected in 2 trades. The first one, Justice League of America Vol. 1: World's Most Dangerous (The New 52), is written by Geoff Johns. The second one, Justice League of America Vol. 2: Survivors of Evil (The New 52). If I were you, I'd get the first trade (you can never go wrong with Geoff Johns) and get the second one if you find yourself still interested. I haven't read either of them, though, to be completely frank.

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Now, before you try to "get into" any individual character, I'd really recommend reading Kingdom Come by Mark Waid, and also Watchmen by Alan Moore. They are both outstanding graphic novels, written by 2 of the best comic writers in history. They don't follow the "comic book formula" and every character is multi-dimentional and complex. Both graphic novels have superb art as well. You'll most definitely love them.

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There's also the 52 Omnibus, which is unlike anything you'll ever read. If you're willing to splash some cash, don't hesitate; it's absolutely fantastic. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid. Those are, like, 4 of the best comic book writers of all time. The series consists of 52 issues, published weekly for one year, each issue detailing an actual week chronicling the events that took place during the missing year after the end of Infinite Crisis. As you see, after Infinite Crisis, the DC Universe skipped ahead one year, and 52 was the story of what happened in that missing year. The year following Infinite Crisis was a year without Superman, a year without Batman, a year without Wonder Woman, but not a year without heroes, of course. In this unique series, the lives of the inhabitants of the DC universe are chronicled in a weekly "real-time" basis, where each chapter represents one week of these characters' lives. 52 stars nearly the entire cast of the DC Universe, most notably: The Question, Steel, Ralph Dibney, Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Lobo, Starfire, Animal Man, Lex Luthor, Adam Strange, and Black Adam.

You can read 52 without Infinite Crisis and still understand completely, I wouldn't say it's required reading. But reading Infinite Crisis first would definitely enhance the experience, and it gives you a good idea of where Ralph is coming from during 52. Not to mention that Infinite Crisis is excellent in its own right. Still, the 52 Omnibus costs a lot, so it's understandable if you don't want to buy anything along with it. Which is why I'm letting you know that you don't really need to read Infinite Crisis to understand 52, just by reading the 1-page recap included at the beginning of the 52 Omnibus you will be okay to enjoy this Omnibus. Also, note that this series has nothing to do with the new 52, it ran from May 2006 to May 2007.

I linked you to the Infinite Crisis trade paperback, which collects Infinite Crisis #1-7. Which is the main series, which contains the core story. However, if you really have the money, you'd want to check out Infinite Crisis Omnibus. It collects the main series, and also tons of lead-ups, tie-ins, and spin-offs. It have over 1400 pages in it! And the best part is how is collected. All the content is collected in chronological order. These 2 Amazon reviews were extremely helpful. Here's one, and here's the other.

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I'm not done, by the way. It's just everything I wanted to say won't fit in one comment, so I'll have to split it into 2. Reddit has a 10,000 character limit per comment. To be continued in another comment in reply to this one.

> I’ve read like 7 issues of All-Star Superman and don’t get it

He's the pinnacle of optimism, inspiration, idealism, hope, and probably the most memorable character of all time in western culture. You shouldn't turn to Superman comics if you're in the mood for grit, crime, edgy, dark, etc. You read Superman when life seems tough, when drug cartel torture videos make you angry, when your worldviews are failing you, or when you just want some wholesome superhero fun. Like watching a Pixar film to cleanse your palette after Requiem for a Dream. A character that feels comfortable and safe like home. When you explore further, you'll discover even more depth and variety, but I wouldn't worry about that when getting acquainted for the first time.

All-Star Superman is about solidifying the character's historical/mythological significance, just as we still believe in/tell stories about gods like Hercules carrying out 12 labors. It can also simply be an amazing hero that accomplishes amazing feats. It incorporates many different "versions" of the character and his adventures into one book in creative ways like his interactions with Bizzaro. In this sense, it's the definitive "tribute" story to Superman, which is admittedly appreciated more by fans of everything that came before.

> I’m not sure why I should care if Superman dies

I can see why you'd feel that way if this one story was your only exposure to this character. You should know, however, that Superman rarely "dies". Like most of his stories, it has less to do with the danger of death than it does with how he lives. How does he handle having those powers? How does that create problems/solutions for his environment? What decisions does he make, being aware of his own limitations? What does this character do, even when he knows he's dying? Does that inspire you? Or, do you just think it's still totally unrelatable because he has freeze breath? Is it meant to be relatable? Are ideals attainable or do they just provide purpose/direction/meaning to keep us moving forward?

> I see people recommending All-Star to people who already don’t like Superman thinking that it would change their mind, does it?

YMMV

> Art is nice, but face and the back of hands look kind of weird.

Agreed. Quitely isn't my favorite character artist (wrinkles!). There's a lot of solid color, flat, low-detail backgrounds in All-Star Superman too. He can be pretty great in other aspects, though.

I think All-Star Superman is a story that new readers CAN enjoy, but is also definitely enhanced with more appreciation/knowledge/experience with the character. If you're approaching comics from the perspective that these stories follow traditional 3-act structures (beginning, middle, end), then you'll find that not all the context you feel you need is included in every story. Comics are perpetually stuck in act 2—the beginning happened decades ago and there is no end in sight. Morrison writes All-Star Superman as a monument—a single work that focuses on a well-known character to be appreciated/celebrated/remembered. It does not aim to introduce, explain, deconstruct, twist, experiment, etc. like you'd expect from a more "traditional" or long-form story.

Here are my usual Superman "modern essentials":

• The Man of Steel | #1-6 | 1986 | John Byrne
  
• Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, For the Man Who Has Everything | Superman #423, Action Comics #583, Superman Annual #11 | 1984-1986 | Moore
  
• The Death and Return of Superman | Death, Return | 1992-1993 | Jurgens, Stern, et al.
  
• Kingdom Come | #1-4 | 1996 | Waid
  
• For All Seasons | #1-4 | 1998 | Loeb
  
• Action Comics: What's so Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way? | #775 | 2001 | Kelly
  
• Red Son | #1-3 | 2003 | Millar
  
• Birthright | #1-12 | 2003-2004 | Waid
  
• Secret Identity | #1-4 | 2004 | Busiek
  
• All-Star Superman | #1-12 | 2005-2008 | Morrison
  
• Up, Up, and Away! | Superman #650-653, Action Comics #837-840 | 2006 | Busiek, Johns
  
• Kryptonite | Superman Confidential #1-5, 11 | 2006-2008 | Darwyn Cooke
  
• Action Comics: Superman and the Legion of Superheroes | #858-863 | 2007-2008 | Johns
  
• Action Comics: Brainiac | #866-870 | 2008 | Johns
  
• Action Comics (New 52) | #1-18 | 2011-2013 | Morrison
  
• American Alien | #1-7 | 2015-2016 | Max Landis
  
• Action Comics (Rebirth) | #957-ongoing | 2016-2017 | Dan Jurgens
  
• Superman (Rebirth) | #1-ongoing | 2016-2017 | Peter Tomasi
  
  Birthright and American Alien are self-contained, modern, limited series that focus on his early days. Secret Identity is a much more grounded/realistic approach about a boy that gains superpowers in a world where Superman comics exist. If you don't want to commit to the whole list, I'd recommend these to start.
  
  

For Flash:

Barry Allen started his carrier in the comics in 1959 until 1985 and then he was absent on until 2009. His modern-age series called The Flash: Rebirth when he returned. After that 2 trades came (In comics, a trade paperback (often shortened to trade) is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme.) called The Flash Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues and The Flash Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint.

After these, a HUGE event came that changed everything called Flashpont that "reset" the continuity and started the New 52 age and it's first story-line called The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward . This series (New52) lasted till Spring 2016 and collected 9 trades (the show you watched is based on this era). In early 2016 DC Rebirth came (only name change, everything is continued from New52) but a huge exception: a long missing character came back to the grand scene who was missing for so long. Rebirth's first trade is The Flash Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice

So if you are interested in Barry (overall) start with The Flash: Rebirth and move onward to Flashpont, but you can just start with The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward or DC Rebirth and The Flash Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice, then read everything up to today. (there was a Flash event called Flash War which ended a few months ago)

(there is an omnibus on sale at the moment (a collection of multiple trades) called The Flash By Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato Omnibus that collects the first 4 trades of the New 52 era.





For Superman:


His New 52 story wasn't that great (if you ask 10 people, almost 9 of them will tell you that you should skip that era), but there are 3 "essential" TPBs in that period of time:

Superman: The Men of Tomorrow by Geoff Johns

Lois Lane and Clark

Superman: The Final Days of Superman


After these, you can start with Superman Vol. 1: Son Of Superman and move forward with the volumes until a strange storyline called Superman:Reborn that ends the Final Days of Superman story. Rebirth's final TPB called Superman Vol. 7: Bizarroverse (not out yet), which is followed by a fresh new start called The Man of Steel that kicks out Superman #1 (remember, we started from New 52, yet Superman: Reborn came along)

(but if you want a full reading, you can easily start with Superman Vol. 1: What Price Tomorrow? New 52 TPB.)

About Action Comics: compared to Superman solo series, Action Comics is more about Metropolis and things happening NOT JUST with Superman, but with his friends and family etc. The first 3 volumes of New 52 were fantastic, written by Grant Morrison (starting with [Action Comics Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel] (https://www.amazon.com/Superman-Action-Comics-Vol-Steel/dp/1401235476/ ) but overall the whole New 52 was a decent run.

After New 52, Rebirth's first volume's called Action Comics Vol. 1: Path Of Doom



For Aquaman:

I highly recommend starting with New 52 and move forward to Rebirth and more, as it is a great adventure seeing Aquaman in action during that period of time, lots of fun and interesting stories.

New 52 first volume/TPB called Aquaman Vol. 1: The Trench

Rebirth first volume called Aquaman Vol. 1: The Drowning

Also have to mention that the new movie coming out soon is LOOSLY (not entirely, but still) based on the story-line called Aquaman Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (new52)


For Batman:

There is a new kind of book format coming out just now called "Essential Edition" which is basically pack of 2 (or more) volumes/TPBs in 1 book.

Batman's story starts WAY before New 52 (his and Green Lantern's history wasn't "deleted", so everything happened in the past, is still here with us), so it is advisable to start at least Year One, then jump into New 52 via Batman: The Court of Owls Saga (DC Essential Edition) , which is followed by a great arc called Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family and others as well. It is highly recommend to read through the whole New 52 series, as it is a MASTERPIECE!

Rebirth starts with Batman Vol. 1: I Am Gotham

Just like Action Comics is connected to Superman, here Detective Comics connected with Batman. Detective Comics is about the Bat-family operating in Gotham City, solving mysteries etc.

New 52 first TPB Detective Comics Vol. 1: Faces of Death

Rebirth first TPB Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen


For Green Lantern:

Just like Batman, Green Lantern's story wasn't deleted prior New 52, everything that happened BEFORE, is still here with is (even today). Yet you don't have to start at the very beginning, there is a really respectable writer called Geoff Johns (mentioned earlier) who started to write Green Lantern back in 2005 (long time ago) and his work laid down the basics of the mythos around the Lantern Corps, the different rings, lot of intergalactic battles etc.

His first work was Green Lantern: Rebirth, followed by many over the years. I mentioned the Omnibus format back at The Flash, for Green Lantern it is highly recommended to get through his story (as it is a HUGE connected story from the Green Lantern Rebirth) via those books

Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 1

Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 2


Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 3

After these, the overall story continues in the Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army and Green Lantern: The Wrath of the First Lantern TPBs.

Just like Action Comics and Detective Comics, there is a companion series for the "main" Green Lantern books, called Green Lantern Corps. Before New 52, the old TPBs weren't reprinted, so it is hard to collect that era (starts with Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1: To Be a Lantern ) but the New 52 books are much more widely available. The first one is Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1: Fearsome.

After New 52, the "main" Green Lantern book becomes Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1: Sinestro's Law and the Green Lantern Corps to Green Lanterns Vol. 1: Rage Planet.


Wow it is a huge list and lot of stuff. I missed a few things, but even if you start reading these, you won't be disappointed for a while. (and when you're not sure how/where to next, just ask me or anyone here on Reddit). For the buying process: there are a few options: local comic shop (LCS), amazon, ebay, https://www.speedyhen.com/ (if you are UK based), http://bookdepository.com/, https://www.instocktrades.com/ for starters.

Hope this helps!

If you want the best Flash stories read The Flash by these writers in this order:

The Flash by Mark Waid
The Flash by Morrison/Millar (This takes place in the middle of Waid's run)
The Flash by Geoff Johns

These books do not have Barry as the Flash, they feature Wally West as the Flash. Barry was dead at this time due to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Wally West was the Flash at this time. The Flash by Mark Waid and the Flash by Morrison and Millar all feature the introduction of the Speed Force and use evil speedsters the most. Geoff Johns uses the Rogues more than evil speedsters but the stories are still great. Mark Waid's run has 2 books out (With a third coming out later this year) and will be around 7 or 8 books long, Morrison's run is 1 book long and Johns has 3 books out but it will be about 5 or 6 books. Reading in the right order is not essential. I read Johns run before Morrison/Millar and Waid and understood everything.

For Barry Allen all I can recommend is

Flash Rebirth (2009) by Geoff Johns

Flash Dastardly Death of the Rogues by Geoff Johns

[Flashpoint by Geoff Johns] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1401233384/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480633753&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=flashpoint&dpPl=1&dpID=61e0-Dt31zL&ref=plSrch)

New 52 Flash volumes 1-4 by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccelato

The rest of the New 52 is really bad, do not get it. Flash Rebirth (2016) has been pretty fun, but a bit disappointing at the start, but it's gotten a lot better. But still, I heavily recommend getting the Wally West volumes above.

Bart Allen

Impulse by various authors is a great series from what I hear. Personally I haven’t read it but various well informed Flash redditors have said it’s great. Just don’t read Flash Fastest Man Alive. It’s not good.

A few miscellaneous stories include

The Brave and The Bold by Mark Waid a story about Barry Allen and Hal Jordan for 6 issues at different points in their life. I haven’t been able to find a physical copy.

This whole series is a team book that features Wally as the Flash

The current Titans by Dan Abnett heavily features Wally. Especially this first trade.

Green Lantern v3 issues 66-67 a short arc between Kyle Rayner Green Lantern and Wally West. It’s their first one on one team up and it’s a cool story that ignites their rivalry.

All-Flash #1 sets up Wally as the Flash after Bart’s tenure as the Flash (Do not read it) and is a cool, cool story that shows Wally at one of his lowest points.

The Wild Wests by Mark Waid (Flash vol 2 #231-237) is a story that isn’t close to as good as Waid’s initial run but it’s still good in my opinion. First story with Wally as a dad and it tries to establish a new status quo for the Flash. Then Waid leaves DC. Also, it has cool art.

Both Young Justice by Peter David and Teen Titans by Geoff Johns feature Bart in a main role

Here's a list of books that I've recommended in the past. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

> For Batman and Batman-related books, I recommend the following:
Batman (#1 - ongoing) Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls - The flagship title, by Scott Snyder.
Batman: The Black Mirror - This is actually just before The New 52, but I recommend this mainly because it's a very well-loved modern story that turned Scott Snyder (the current Batman writer) into DC's golden boy. It's also fairly accessible to new readers.
Grayson (#1 - ongoing) - Launched this year, and one of DC's best books in quite some time. Dick Grayson is an undercover spy. Very fun and character-driven.
Batman and Robin (#1 - ongoing) Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill - Character-driven title that focuses on the Bat family.
Catwoman (#35 - ongoing) - Selina Kyle as a mob boss. Very intricate plot.
Detective Comics (#30 - ongoing) - Manapul/Buccellato run. Fantastic art.
Nightwing (#1 - 30) Nightwing, Vol. 1: Traps and Trapezes - Makes a good complement to the Batman and Batman & Robin titles.
 

>For other characters, I would recommend:
Wonder Woman (#1 - 35) Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Blood - Brian Azzarello's 35-part epic of gods and mortals. Great story, great art.
Green Arrow (#17 - 34) Green Arrow, Vol. 4: The Kill Machine - Jeff Lemire's run.
The Flash (#1 - 29) The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward - Manapul/Buccellato run. Fantastic art.
Earth 2 (#1 - 26) Earth 2, Vol. 1: The Gathering - The James Robinson run (#1-16) is quite good, though Tom Taylor's run (#17-26) is still decent.
Red Lanterns (#21 - 37) Red Lanterns, Vol 4: Blood Brothers - Charles Soule's run is generally considered the best New 52 Lantern run, since Geoff Johns' run actually started before The New 52, and was never really rebooted.
 

Probably the best thing to set yourself up would be either Comixology Unlimited, or go for the DCUniverse App* since they are adding more and more comics there. Just understand it's hard to specifically suggest 1 or 2 since there is so much. You could honestly start anywhere, but it's good to know a few authors that do stand out. One thing that I will argue that DC does better than Marvel is different takes on heroes and villains. You can read almost any Elseworlds, or "what if" tale, and have a great time. Even the Earth One titles.

For Shazam! specifically, I highly suggest what the movie was based off of. The movie changed the main villain, but added a bit more to Billy Batson that I wasn't expecting. Overall, I was pretty content with Shazam! that I wanted to re-read this again. Which brings me to...

...Almost anything by Geoff Johns, especially Aquaman (new 52), JSA, The Flash, and even Superman. His stuff before the New 52 relaunch was quite good. Reading almost everything of his Green Lantern run and even stuff before Flashpoint is worth your time. Check out Batman: Earth One.

I'm personally more of a fan of Grant Morrison since his stuff is getting highlighted more than ever in live action* now. I keep this amazon link handy for anybody who wants to read the arguably best Batman run ever created. His JLA run helped get JL out of the typical 90s. Animal Man and All-Star Superman are freaking legendary. And if somehow you are invested, I personally think understanding Final Crisis and going into Multiversity* was a mind blowing experience.

For both Morrison and Johns, 52 is literally one of the best comic book series I've ever read, though you might need to understand a few events that happened prior (this is why Wikipedia or youtube is great). What it did great was highlight some B-C list superheroes & villains wonderfully where I would love a live action series based on this.

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*So far the Doom Patrol TV series is killing it. It's even better if you actually read Morrison's run of Doom Patrol for the references and jokes.