Getting into comic books is not easy.

Some of our favorite TV shows and movies are most likely adaptations of the source material, mainly regular books and comic books. It’s easier to start reading the Bridgerton novels or read the Witcher books but grabbing a comic book is different. Superhero comics, specifically Marvel or DC, has had storylines that span decades with different writers, editors, and artists. 

Results will always vary, but the TV shows, movies and video games have made it easier for anyone to be a fan of their favorite versions of their favorite characters. It’s to the point where you virtually don’t ever need to pick up a comic book to know who the X-Men, Batman, or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a mega-franchise that has adapted some of their most iconic storylines in comic book history. DC Comics also has a giant catalog of movies and television projects, some of which have grown to become definitive versions of their beloved characters in the eyes of pop culture. You’d think that comic book moviegoers would obviously transform into comic book readers, but that’s not always the case.

Reading comics is a great hobby, but it’s a tough barrier-to-entry because of how many comic books are there. 

The first thing that comes to mind when reading a superhero comic: where do I start? Next thing that comes to mind: where does it end? 
 
As much as people love to have a near infinite treasure trove of stories just waiting to be read, it can be often seen as an enduring task. For example, Batman has been around for over several decades, but he’s had roughly four restarts to his main book. 

No one is expecting an average person to read back to the first issue. And you don’t have to. But the toughest part is to just start reading. Some people want a road map, a guide, a path. And that’s what I hope this will be: a key to other worlds to explore.

FIRST: Take a deep breath and let your curiosity take over.

Got someone in mind? Did they have a good TV show? Do they have a tragic backstory?  You see a random panel of them online and wanted to know where it came from? You watched the new Superman movie and want to read about the DC Universe? Or did you just finished seeing Fantastic Four: First Steps and want to start reading their adventures? 

There are tons of characters from Marvel and DC. Whether it’s Ms. Marvel, Rogue from the X-Men, or Green Lantern, chances are your favorite character is going to have a comic that you'd want to start reading on. 

When I was a kid, I came across a comic book about one of my favorite superhero teams, the Teen Titans. At that time, I only heard about them through the hit TV show that was airing on Cartoon Network at the time. The book was Teen Titans Volume 1: A Kids Game by Geoff Johns. What got me was the cover, featuring all five characters from the TV show, including other characters that I didn't know anything about. 

That actually got me even more hyped because it felt like I was getting something that was not from the tv show. 

I didn't know the context of what I was reading, but I was hooked on every page. It also helped keep me focused before and after school.

The bus rides from home to school were very long. All I could do is look out the window seeing the gas stations, fast food joints, strip malls, etc. It's way easier to keep our minds occupied by scrolling through Twitter or watching TikTok videos. But back in 2008, if you had no one to talk to, or didn't have a cellphone, or a Harry Potter book on hand, commutes to or from school were abysmal. 

I will say, diving into a book with the same characters, but different backstories, motivations, and relationships were a bit jarring, as you'll probably go through your first time reading a comic with the only knowledge is through another medium. 

For starters, in that specific book, it was part of a major relaunch for DC Comics in 2003. The five characters that would be prominent in the TV show vary in ages and affiliations. One change that threw me for a loop was that the identity of the comics' Robin was Tim Drake, as opposed to Dick Grayson, who was the Robin from the TV show. That's when I found out that Robin was more of a codename for Batman's sidekicks, and that four people took on the mantle, with a fifth one, Damian Wanye, being brought in 2006. I picked up the Teen Titans book in 2007. I learned about the relaunch ten years after.  

Another hurdle that people have a hard time following is when you pick up a book, you expect a beginning, middle, and end, not a beginning with two other books to explain the context of the end. Sure, many book series have additional installments, like the Hunger Games books or the Percy Jackson series, having multiple books to tell the larger story. Same thing for manga, or Japanese comics that read from right to left rather than left to right, have weekly chapters that adds to the larger and longer story. But one of the major things about superhero comics is that you have to go in a little blind and hope that the writers will explain why we should care about the characters in the first place.  

The Marvel or DC universes, or any long running superhero universe, will always require the reader to have some knowledge of what happened before you start reading. It can be a very daunting task to jump in and start reading, hoping that you'll be able to catch up. If the character you like isn't active around the comic book universes, your experience can come to a screeching halt. Or your favorite character doesn't appear in any current books being published. Those are possible turn-offs for a newcomer. 

But the thing about superhero universes is that things tend to loop back around to your favorite character in some shape or form. 

For example, Jessica Cruz, one of the newer Green Lanterns, has an amazing character arc that delves into serious topics such as anxiety, PTSD, and trauma. She's a well-beloved character that you hope will eventually get her own book, but that day hasn't come yet (at the time of this post). But the coolest part is reading all you can about the character and learning about their wants, dreams, dislikes, aspirations, etc. When you read enough, you slowly come to the realization that you have become an avid comic book reader. 

The character can be your entry point. Or a setting like the Watchtower, the Justice League headquarters. Or just worldbuilding, like the Source Wall. Or even from different standalone titles that require just the basic knowledge of characters, like DC Black Label, an DC comics imprint that takes regular characters from the DC Universe and gives them a mature twist.  

Okay. I'm going a bit off topic. What I'm hoping that I pointed out is that our minds love to explore new things, to soak up new ideas. It all starts with one path that opens up multiple roads ahead. Which leads to the next point. 

SECOND: Take a second deep breath and realize that you are not going to know everything. 

If you read enough comic books or watch enough shows pertaining different versions of the same IP, you tend to recognize more similarities than differences. For example, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has had multiple iterations over the past 50 years. But no matter the changes or alterations, the most essential barebones are the same: Four turtles, trained ninjas, loves pizza, fights The Shredder, etc. 

Same thing applies for long running characters:

• Superman: last son of Krypton, Ma and Pa Kent, The Daily Planet, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor.
• Batman: parents die in a mugging, Alfred, Ra's al Ghul, Gotham, "I am vengeance".
• Spider-Man: bit by a radioactive spider, Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Mary Jane, "With Great Power, Come Great Responsibility."
• X-Men: mutant, racism, bigotry, Xavier Institute, "Magneto is Right". 

I could go on and on. 

But what I want you to remember is that you will never truly know the characters you read about.

Characters change and, to some extent, evolve over time, but the core aspects of a character will always remain intact. And if not, they tend to go back to basics. Not everything is the same, but their core aspects are familiar enough that it can serve as a jumping on point for one reader and a next chapter to read for the other. That's not to say that the stories don't matter or that they don't have any major stakes or lasting consequences.

Think of it less of an illusion to change and more of a series of highs, lows, and plateaus. Much like life, we go through a sense of familiarity, a drastic turn of events, and then a new sense of familiarity with lessons learned. In that case, in a superhero universe, each of the characters goes through their own personal hero's journey. 

A hero's journey is a common pattern for stories: hero goes on adventure, hero goes through trials and tribulations, hero comes out change or transformed.

We see it time and time again, that it might seem like it's a never-ending story. And that's because it is. Batman will never stop avenging his parents' death. The X-Men will always face persecution and vitriol for just existing. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will always be teenagers, mutants, ninjas, and turtles. And Spider-Man will never catch a break on his love life to save his life. 

See, I can be a bitter comic book fan too. And I guess comic book fans will always have a bit of bitterness to them. It's basically a pre-requisite at this point. But if you can recognize that, you start thinking less about when this storyline is going to end and more how is it going to end.

It becomes less about the destination but about the journey. 

THIRD: Take one last deep breath and read.          

Find the character you like and find what book you want to start reading from. That's it. That's all there is too it. The pictures guide you to the next panel while the words guide along side. 

So why the heck did I spend (x) amount of minutes explaining something you probably already know? Because I wanted to. 

But really, I just wanted to give a long-winded excuse to talk about my experience in comics and how I got into them. 

The internet is a great resource, particularly dedicated fans with reading guides to follow.

• Reading Guides for DC Comics is a Tumblr blog (I know but hear me out). It's the best start for people that wants to start with a character and willing to reading multiple issues to start. It's also fun for a near infinite scrolling session if you choose to sift through everything like that.
• Continuity Guide is a website that gives you a broad overview of the essential storylines over the years. Highly recommended for Marvel fans. Unlike most reading orders, this site provides links that redirects to the Marvel Unlimited and DC Infinite apps, comic book subscription services that have thousands of issues from Marvel and DC respectively.
• The Comicstorian YouTube Channel is for the busy fellows, the multitaskers, the ones who wants a CliffsNotes version, but read dramatically back to you. This channel's purpose is to give people the latest happenings in the Marvel and DC universe. They've covered a multitude of events and storylines that I truly believe is essential for any comic reader to subscribe too.  

If you still don't want to dive into heroic worlds, independent comic book publishers like Boom Studios, IDW, and Image have tons of comics that are more linear when it comes to where to start and were to finish. Manga, particularly when adapting to anime, are often easier to jump in due their adaptations being almost page-to-page.

Remember, if you read a comic book, even if it's just one, and you like it, you are a comic book fan. 

FOURTH: Don't make your wallet cry while reading.

Reading comics is one thing, buying those comics to read can lead you to a lot of buyer's remorse, especially if you are buying single issue comics monthly. Now, comic book stores would usually have discounts if you reserve monthly comics or buy back issues, comics that are published a month or so prior. But, in my personal opinion, that doesn't help a lot if you buy comics by the stacks. It particularly becomes an issue if you live in a small apartment with little to know room for the comics you collect over time. In that case, you'll probably have to decide what needs to be read now and what can be read at a later time.

But remember, you are not going to know everything. The sooner you realize that, the less effect FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) has on you.    

For me, what I usually search for current comic book runs that have a few trade paperbacks already published then check them out at my library. If they have a digital version, that's better since I can just download them and read them during my commutes to work. 

The Nashville Public Library has thousands of comic books and manga from sites like Hoopla, Libby, and Comics Plus. Best part is that they're free. All you need is a library card and you get access to as much as you want to read. Both apps have plenty of books from independent comic publishers and a lot of great manga. 

I'll give you few of my favorites for any beginner reader to get started. 

Something is Killing the Children is a dark tale about a young monster hunter fighting monsters that only kids can see. Any fans of small-town dramas like Twin Peaks and Mare of Easttown will love the characters and any fans of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer will love the amazing art and fights. It has also spun off into several other books, but you don't have to read all of them to get the full context of why you should love this book. You'll love it in the first issue. I guarantee it.  

If you watched the Daredevil TV show, these series of books written by Chip Zdarsky is right up your alley. If you want to get into the Marvel comic universe, but feel overwhelmed by everything it has to offer, Daredevil, written by Zdarsky, plunges you deep into a pocket of the universe. In it, Matt Murdock faces the repercussions of violence, struggles with his Catholic faith, and contemplates continuing his superhero career. Meanwhile, a threat to the superhero community comes in the form of Matt's arch enemy, Wilson Fisk, a.k.a., the King Pin, as he continues his political rise to power. It's a gripping character study that brings out the best Marvel has to offer in superhero storytelling, and you can check them all out and binge-read this stunning superhero drama. 

GIANT DAYS is the funniest comic I've read to this day. Set in UK, it's about three college girls navigating love, life, and every weird thing in between. With over 54 issues, this series will leave you nostalgic and busting a gut. Comics are a medium that can take what's in your mind and present them in page. But whenever someone mention comic books, it's always about superheroes. Giant Days is the absolute antithesis of that as it brings out the best traits of a television sitcom in every issue. It's cartoonish style blends well with the mature and immature tones that John Allison brings out. And if that isn't enough, allow me to present to you this panel.

FIVE: If you decided that you don't like it, at least you tried. 

The world we live in is scary, frightening, confusing, and it can make you throw the last sense you have right out the window. Despite that, it's also bright, colorful, and beautiful. The art we consume is how we can reflect on ourselves. Much like how writers are able to use language to convey the images from their mind, artists are able to using their drawings to convey what can't be express in words. You think the last image above can elicit the same quick feeling if it was written? A talented writer might, but not to this degree. That's the beauty of the comic medium. It draws what can't be explained in words alone.

I wasn't an avid reader growing up. I'm still not. It's not that I can't read books with no pictures. I just had a harder time than others. I never discovered my love reading by picking up a Harry Potter book and reading changed my life.

All I ever watched was TV. I would watch endless marathons to various of TV channels. Honestly, I'm glad that I got way more into reading after college because I don't think I would've pass with all of the comics that were being published around the 2010s.

Also, book clubs are a great way to get into reading comics. We have tons around the different branches, like the one at the Hadley Park Branch Library. We also serve coffee and treats. Had to add one shameless plug here.

But if you don't think comics are the best for you, that's okay. What I wanted to show you was a way that you can get into comics, because that's how I mostly got into reading in general. But that only one way, not the only way because there is no wrong way to read comics. 

Except in a bathtub, why would you do that?

Or while driving, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? 

I'VE SEEN PEOPLE HAVE A SHOW OR A MOVIE PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND WHILE DRIVING ON I-24! 

NOTHING IS THAT GOOD. Except for Invincible, but you can read that!