That moment when you realize you've suddenly become an Archie Comics fan. I'm trying to decide how many Betty & Veronica variants I want to bother tracking down, and if everything came out more regularly I would have 4 of their comics in my monthly pull list. I never saw this coming.
Okay Rainy, trying to stay new reader friendly here so I'm skipping some good ones, get your toes wet before you get into heavy continuity imho
Ongoing
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, while all the titles I'm listing do stand on their own as of this writing, the entire Marvel universe is about to get sucked into the vortex that is Civil War II. Most of these books have crossover issues in their future, but you can probably just skip them or read them out of context and do just fine, assuming you don't want to try to manage a huge event comic right as you're getting into cape comics
All-New Wolverine
When Wolverine died recently, X-23, his female clone took up his tights and started going by Wolverine. This book started with ANAD so you only have a few issues to catch up on. The art is visceral and the story is quite emotionally involving. Easy to get into, and one of the best X-comics on the market at the moment.
Black Widow (2016)
The new Black Widow book is only three issues in but it's damn good. Samnee and Waid are clearly playing the long game with a tale of intrigue and espionage, just what a Black Widow book should be. The action scenes are gripping and cool.
Captain Marvel (2016)
Now, a lot of people don't like Carol, but I love this book. It has a very sci-fi lean to it, so if you dig that genre this one is for you. There are some obscure characters here but you don't need to know who they are going in. Basically Captain Marvel is the boss of Earth's intergalactic defense system. It's more of an ensemble book than a true Captain Marvel solo. The art is kinda cartoony and very unique so you're either gonna love it or hate it...
Gwenpool
This book just started and so far it's a gas. Some people didn't really go for it but I love the cartoony style, the nods to Deadpool's classic traits (lots of 4th-wall breaking here), and it seems to be headed in a fun direction. Buy if you like silly hijinx.
Mockingbird
Only two issues in and should be pretty easy to jump into. I can't say much about the story without giving anything away, so I'll just say what we've seen so far is cool and compelling, and the book has just the right amount of humor. It also happens to be another lovely book with dynamic art.
Ms. Marvel (2014/2016)
Ms. Marvel is indeed one of the best-written superheroines on the shelf right now, but this is probably the hardest book to get into on this list. You should really start at the beginning, which happened before the All-New All-Different launch, ran for 19 issues and includes a minor Secret Wars crossover story, and then jump into the 2016 book. The first series laid a lot of the groundwork for the new book...I suppose you could just get the new one, but I wouldn't recommend it. You'd lose a lot of the depth.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015/2016)
First, let's talk about the art. Erica Henderson is a very divisive artist, and the art on this book has always been love/hate. If you love it, or if you can at least get past it, hoo boy are you in for a treat. This is a hilarious book filled with heart. I should note the book is also filled with references to obscure Marvel characters but you don't need to know who they are to get the most out of the book; Ryan North has come up with a clever mechanism to make sure everyone is always up to speed. You can certainly just jump into the 2016 series, but I highly recommend starting with the 2015 series, it's all just so good. Where else can you find pages like this?
Batgirl: Year One
Simply the best Babs Batgirl story ever told, hands down. Great origin story that really gets you into the head of the character and the various complications that come along with her being Batgirl.
Hawkeye: The Fraction Run
Since you're just getting into Western comics, you might not know this, but there are two Hawkeyes. The superior Hawkeye is Kate Bishop, formerly a Young Avenger and currently a total badass. This book is about both of them. It has its ups and downs, but it's a modern classic. Can't recommend it enough.
Copperhead
This is a great, criminally under-read sci-fi play on the "new sheriff in town" motif. There is some cool, understated worldbuilding happening here, and the protagonist feels very authentic (she's a single mom just doing what she does best), as does much of the supporting class.
I Hate Fairyland
Do you like fun cartoon art? Do you like insane amounts of violence and gore in whimsical situations? If so this book has your name on it. It's about a little girl who gets trapped in an unbearably saccharine dimension and will do anything to get back home. It's light, bright, and blood fucking red.
Lazarus
Meet Forever, the Lazarus of the Carlyle family. A Lazarus is an unstoppable super soldier created to enforce the will of the family in a future where North America has been carved up into chunks controlled by all-powerful family-owned corporations. Greg Rucka has created an incredibly deep world here - the backmatter is often packed with extra essays if you want to dig into it more deeply - and Michael Lark expresses it perfectly, in both action and quiet scenes. One of my very favorite books. It's a little slow to start but it becomes completely engrossing.
She's very attached to her sword.
Rachel Rising (complete run)
This book is just about to wrap up so I'm calling it a complete run. Beautifully written and drawn by Terry Moore, this starts out as a simple tale of a murdered woman coming back from the dead, but quickly expands into a tale of witchcraft, crazy powers, lots of batshit crazy people, all while constantly circling the theme of death and what it means to people. I won't say more as I don't want to give anything away. Another of my favorite books. A good one to buy in trade format as it can be a little hard to follow if you read it in single issue snips here and there.
Velvet
Ed Brubaker has written a lot of great books about criminals, spies, espionage, etc. and they are pretty much all fantastic. I consider Criminal to be one of the greatest comics ever made. That said, Velvet could end up topping it. It's about an ex-spy who gets exposed and has to go on the run while trying to pin down who set her up, and that's all I'm gonna tell you about it.
I'm not gonna post a page for this one, nope. CLASSIFIED.
Also I'm sure everyone is going to sell you on Saga so I'm not going to bother. It's more of an ensemble book than a female-lead book but there are some terrific female characters there.
Nobody mentioned The Fuse or They're Not Like Us on the female lead pile. They're both good books (I know the Fuse is more of a male/female pairing but having an older female joint lead is notable).
If I understand correctly it says that Attilan was moved to Atlantis, which in turn had risen from the sea. Is Namor and co (never anything of him) from Atlantis? Is there more than one Atlantis? Some retcon?
The latest solicitations also show Captain Marvel front and center on the GOTG cover. I don't know why they keep trying to "ground" GOTG with a connection to Earth. Tony Stark. Kitty Pride. Captain Marvel.
The latest solicitations also show Captain Marvel front and center on the GOTG cover. I don't know why they keep trying to "ground" GOTG with a connection to Earth. Tony Stark. Kitty Pride. Captain Marvel.
That moment when you realize you've suddenly become an Archie Comics fan. I'm trying to decide how many Betty & Veronica variants I want to bother tracking down, and if everything came out more regularly I would have 4 of their comics in my monthly pull list. I never saw this coming.
The latest solicitations also show Captain Marvel front and center on the GOTG cover. I don't know why they keep trying to "ground" GOTG with a connection to Earth. Tony Stark. Kitty Pride. Captain Marvel.
Because they don't get why the book had a positive rep to begin with. The Abnett run was the product of this epic storyline that they'll never be able to replicate. Ever since the Guardians of The Galaxy film became a thing, they've tried to instill this sense of familiarity to casual fans so they pick up the book. There has to be an earth character because we are from earth.
The latest solicitations also show Captain Marvel front and center on the GOTG cover. I don't know why they keep trying to "ground" GOTG with a connection to Earth. Tony Stark. Kitty Pride. Captain Marvel.
I bought a statue on ebay.....Zatanna Cover Girl Adam Hughes, probably the first one i wanted long ago and chose Catwoman instead ( which is great even with a black splotch on her goggle).
I bought a statue on ebay.....Zatanna Cover Girl Adam Hughes, probably the first one i wanted long ago and chose Catwoman instead ( which is great even with a black splotch on her goggle).
I really like Spider-Gwen's costume haha, that's the main reason I wanna read it.
As for characters, I guess I'll be boring and say Spider-man, I read alot of Spider-man comics growing up. I'm kind of intimidated by comics that have like giant backlogs I'd have to read. But really anything you'd all recommend would be welcome.
If you're up for anything, check out the past few pages here. Lots of great Marvel suggestions thrown around!
Some things I'd recommend that require zero prior knowledge to get into:
-Daredevil by Mark Waid
-The Superior Foes of Spider-Man
-X-Force #116-129 and X-Statix #1-26 (just read this and adored it FWIW)
For Spider-Man, you could always try out Superior Spider-Man on MU which serves as a good starting point for modern Spidey. If you want to go a little earlier, checkout JC's posts that I linked in the OP. He talks about the Brand New Day period of Amazing Spider-Man which had a bunch of different things going on so you can just pick out arcs from the list and easily follow them IMO. Some really good stuff in there. You may also want to look into the recent Scarlet Spider series which was pretty damn fun for what it was.
I'm not into Star Wars myself, but everyone seems to enjoy Star Wars and Vader as far as their series go.
Lots of great suggestions already posted, but I wanted to give a shout out to Power Girl: Power Trip. It's one of my absolute favorite DC comics. Short run but it's incredibly fun to read and the art is just fantastic. It's just a single book so it's pretty easy to grab. Very easy to just jump into.
Okay Rainy, trying to stay new reader friendly here so I'm skipping some good ones, get your toes wet before you get into heavy continuity imho
Ongoing
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, while all the titles I'm listing do stand on their own as of this writing, the entire Marvel universe is about to get sucked into the vortex that is Civil War II. Most of these books have crossover issues in their future, but you can probably just skip them or read them out of context and do just fine, assuming you don't want to try to manage a huge event comic right as you're getting into cape comics
All-New Wolverine
When Wolverine died recently, X-23, his female clone took up his tights and started going by Wolverine. This book started with ANAD so you only have a few issues to catch up on. The art is visceral and the story is quite emotionally involving. Easy to get into, and one of the best X-comics on the market at the moment.
Black Widow (2016)
The new Black Widow book is only three issues in but it's damn good. Samnee and Waid are clearly playing the long game with a tale of intrigue and espionage, just what a Black Widow book should be. The action scenes are gripping and cool.
Captain Marvel (2016)
Now, a lot of people don't like Carol, but I love this book. It has a very sci-fi lean to it, so if you dig that genre this one is for you. There are some obscure characters here but you don't need to know who they are going in. Basically Captain Marvel is the boss of Earth's intergalactic defense system. It's more of an ensemble book than a true Captain Marvel solo. The art is kinda cartoony and very unique so you're either gonna love it or hate it...
Gwenpool
This book just started and so far it's a gas. Some people didn't really go for it but I love the cartoony style, the nods to Deadpool's classic traits (lots of 4th-wall breaking here), and it seems to be headed in a fun direction. Buy if you like silly hijinx.
Better than Deadpool's current book imho
Mockingbird
Only two issues in and should be pretty easy to jump into. I can't say much about the story without giving anything away, so I'll just say what we've seen so far is cool and compelling, and the book has just the right amount of humor. It also happens to be another lovely book with dynamic art.
Ms. Marvel (2014/2016)
Ms. Marvel is indeed one of the best-written superheroines on the shelf right now, but this is probably the hardest book to get into on this list. You should really start at the beginning, which happened before the All-New All-Different launch, ran for 19 issues and includes a minor Secret Wars crossover story, and then jump into the 2016 book. The first series laid a lot of the groundwork for the new book...I suppose you could just get the new one, but I wouldn't recommend it. You'd lose a lot of the depth.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015/2016)
First, let's talk about the art. Erica Henderson is a very divisive artist, and the art on this book has always been love/hate. If you love it, or if you can at least get past it, hoo boy are you in for a treat. This is a hilarious book filled with heart. I should note the book is also filled with references to obscure Marvel characters but you don't need to know who they are to get the most out of the book; Ryan North has come up with a clever mechanism to make sure everyone is always up to speed. You can certainly just jump into the 2016 series, but I highly recommend starting with the 2015 series, it's all just so good. Where else can you find pages like this?
Complete Runs
Batgirl: Year One
Simply the best Babs Batgirl story ever told, hands down. Great origin story that really gets you into the head of the character and the various complications that come along with her being Batgirl.
Hawkeye: The Fraction Run
Since you're just getting into Western comics, you might not know this, but there are two Hawkeyes. The superior Hawkeye is Kate Bishop, formerly a Young Avenger and currently a total badass. This book is about both of them. It has its ups and downs, but it's a modern classic. Can't recommend it enough.
Not Capes Buuuuut
Copperhead
This is a great, criminally under-read sci-fi play on the "new sheriff in town" motif. There is some cool, understated worldbuilding happening here, and the protagonist feels very authentic (she's a single mom just doing what she does best), as does much of the supporting class.
I Hate Fairyland
Do you like fun cartoon art? Do you like insane amounts of violence and gore in whimsical situations? If so this book has your name on it. It's about a little girl who gets trapped in an unbearably saccharine dimension and will do anything to get back home. It's light, bright, and blood fucking red.
Lazarus
Meet Forever, the Lazarus of the Carlyle family. A Lazarus is an unstoppable super soldier created to enforce the will of the family in a future where North America has been carved up into chunks controlled by all-powerful family-owned corporations. Greg Rucka has created an incredibly deep world here - the backmatter is often packed with extra essays if you want to dig into it more deeply - and Michael Lark expresses it perfectly, in both action and quiet scenes. One of my very favorite books. It's a little slow to start but it becomes completely engrossing.
She's very attached to her sword.
Rachel Rising (complete run)
This book is just about to wrap up so I'm calling it a complete run. Beautifully written and drawn by Terry Moore, this starts out as a simple tale of a murdered woman coming back from the dead, but quickly expands into a tale of witchcraft, crazy powers, lots of batshit crazy people, all while constantly circling the theme of death and what it means to people. I won't say more as I don't want to give anything away. Another of my favorite books. A good one to buy in trade format as it can be a little hard to follow if you read it in single issue snips here and there.
Velvet
Ed Brubaker has written a lot of great books about criminals, spies, espionage, etc. and they are pretty much all fantastic. I consider Criminal to be one of the greatest comics ever made. That said, Velvet could end up topping it. It's about an ex-spy who gets exposed and has to go on the run while trying to pin down who set her up, and that's all I'm gonna tell you about it.
I'm not gonna post a page for this one, nope. CLASSIFIED.
Also I'm sure everyone is going to sell you on Saga so I'm not going to bother. It's more of an ensemble book than a female-lead book but there are some terrific female characters there.
Hey Lunchpod, I ordered the second volume of Doctor Mirage with my IST order this seek, so I'll read the whole series in one go when I get it. If I like it I may try another Valiant book.
Hey Lunchpod, I ordered the second volume of Doctor Mirage with my IST order this seek, so I'll read the whole series in one go when I get it. If I like it I may try another Valiant book.
For new readers, I always suggest Marvel Unlimited. Get a month's subscription and try the first few issues of as many books as you can. It'l' give you an idea of what kind of superhero comics you might enjoy.
My starting recommendations would be the links I've put below. Fairly self-contained and you won't need too much knowledge of the rest of the Marvel comics.
