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[Kingsora]

So I bought an iPad a couple of weeks ago and discovered digital comics look amazing on a tablet (surely digital is also for comics the future?). I always wanted to get into comics, but finding all the different issues is quite a hassle so I never really gave it a chance. Anyway, I also a year subscription for Marvel Unlimited. It was only 69,99 for thousands of comics, it even makes me wonder why not everyone is going digital?

However the library is huge, there is so much, I am quite overwhelmed? I have read about 80 comic books right now and the following runs, however I have not a clue what to read next:
- Gwenpool (all of them, loved especially the first run and art design)
- Thanos 2016 run (Amazing, one of the best comics I have read)
- Vision 2015 run (It was ok, not as amazing as everyone seems to think it is)
- The amazing Spider-Man 2018 run (still busy with it, it's nice, not exceptional but not bad)

So here are my questions:

- So what are other comic runs should I really read?
- Where should I start as a beginner?
- Should I read certain Marvel series in a chronological order or are they really standalone versions? Is it also one big universe like the movies?

Maybe I should also note that I am not the biggest fan of really old comics. I have the feeling they haven't aged well and aren't for me. I really want to start with comics or series that have a 'modern' feeling.

As what I like, I like a lot of stuff, loved the sci-fi space stuff from Thanos, things that don't only happen on earth. But I also do like heroes like The Avengers, etc.

 

[Jooxed]

Jonathon Hickmans current X-run is fantastic. Pick up the Dawn of X Powers of X TPB

 

[DESTROYA]

Reading physical comics is far superior , there is just something having the book in front of you that makes it much better that you loose on a digital screen.

 

[VulcanRaven]

I recommend reading Spider-Man. The comics from the 70s are very good. You can also start from the beginning if you want.

 

[Soodanim]

I remember from my trial of MU there being collections of comics that covered a storyline. The one I was reading was Civil War, and instead of just the Civil War titled releases it had every issue of every comic that had some sort of involvement. I thought that was a really good feature, and you might find yourself drawn to a particular comic’s run as you jump between them all.

 

[ManaByte]

 

[SafeOrAlone]

- Grant Morrison's New X-Men and Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force are two of the best X-men runs, if you're interested in that. New X-Men is fresh and inventive, even a couple decades later. Grant Morrison is one of the best writers out there. The run has extreme high's and low's when it comes to the art.
Uncanny X-Force is more consistent and just a really kick-ass book that doesn't skimp on either the action or the character development. Also has a few top-notch artists like Jerome Opena and Esad Ribic.

- Some of my favorite Spider-Man comics to read are Ultimate Spider-Man (Bendis & Bagley) and Kraven's Last Hunt. Spider-Man 2099's original run is also a lot of fun.

- Jonathan Hickman has done some pretty good modern stuff. Looks like everyone else has that covered.

Careful with older recommendations. A lot of the classic stuff is absolutely legendary, but may not suit the tastes of someone looking to get into comics today. I don't like to say modern comics are better, because they aren't nearly as groundbreaking, but they are generally more entertaining, if we're just comparing the "cream of the crop" from each era.

 

[VulcanRaven]

Maybe I should also note that I am not the biggest fan of really old comics. I have the feeling they haven't aged well and aren't for me. I really want to start with comics or series that have a 'modern' feeling.

Ultimate Spider-Man is great. It started in 2000 and is re-imagining of the character.

Ultimate Spider-Man - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[GreyHorace]

I recommend reading the runs of a Marvel comic that was handled by the best creative team at the time. Sometimes a writer and an artist are at the right place and time to elevate a comic and make it a classic. Off the top of my head, here are some of my favorites:

The Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (1961-1971)

The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (1963-1966)

The Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont and John Byrne (1977-1980)

The Mighty Thor by Walt Simonson (1977-1986)

Captain America by Ed Brubaker (2005-2012)

 

[manfestival]

I am a Nova fan so the reboot of Nova from 2007 or whatever as well as Guardians of the Galaxy(which movies lean heavily on) from that time. Dan Abnett is great.

Haven't read anything since the whole God Doom Arc(which was awful imo). Battle planets, destroyed multiverse, all of the subversion, civil war 2, and etc were just all trash.

World War Hulk was fun but dumb
Secret Invasion was interesting
Iron Man Extremis is a favorite of mine plus ADI GRANOV
Annihilation everything was good to me
House of M was top tier
Original Civil War - Steve McNivens artwork is so good
Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis
I am more of a fan of that era of stories despite most of the writers having a hate boner for Tony Stark.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

it even makes me wonder why not everyone is going digital?

Aside from some people preferring physical copy the answer is always the same - fear of change. I don’t understand why people still go out and do their groceries when I can have everything delivered to my door, but there you go.

 

[StormCell]

Aside from some people preferring physical copy the answer is always the same - fear of change. I don’t understand why people still go out and do their groceries when I can have everything delivered to my door, but there you go.

Even with going digital, I find the comics to be woefully behind. It's like the difference between a good manga and its equally good anime adaptation--when given the choice, I'll watch the anime and ignore the manga. I feel the same way about the comic books now, too. As far back as the '90s, we had an excellent cartoon adaptation of the X-Men, Spider-man, and Batman. Marvel studios should be focusing on releasing fully animated content by now, not offering us 20 still frames each month!

 

[Kingsora]

Reading physical comics is far superior , there is just something having the book in front of you that makes it much better that you loose on a digital screen.

I don't necessarily agree. Having a collection of thousands of comics in one app is so convenient. I also like the fact that you can zoom in on pictures or that you have the option to read every panel separately on a big screen.

I recommend reading Spider-Man. The comics from the 70s are very good. You can also start from the beginning if you want.

Like I said, while I love Spider-Man, I do have a lot of keeping my attention for old comic. Especially the drawings are very off putting for me.

I remember from my trial of MU there being collections of comics that covered a storyline. The one I was reading was Civil War, and instead of just the Civil War titled releases it had every issue of every comic that had some sort of involvement. I thought that was a really good feature, and you might find yourself drawn to a particular comic’s run as you jump between them all.

I have to take a look at this. I haven't given the reading lists a chance, but maybe I should try it.

This does make me wonder. Infinity for example looks interesting. Can I jump in without reading any other comics before. And for example this start at Avengers 14. Aren't the Avengers comics from that run before that important to understand the whole story?

- Grant Morrison's New X-Men and Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force are two of the best X-men runs, if you're interested in that. New X-Men is fresh and inventive, even a couple decades later. Grant Morrison is one of the best writers out there. The run has extreme high's and low's when it comes to the art.
Uncanny X-Force is more consistent and just a really kick-ass book that doesn't skimp on either the action or the character development. Also has a few top-notch artists like Jerome Opena and Esad Ribic.

- Some of my favorite Spider-Man comics to read are Ultimate Spider-Man (Bendis & Bagley) and Kraven's Last Hunt. Spider-Man 2099's original run is also a lot of fun.

- Jonathan Hickman has done some pretty good modern stuff. Looks like everyone else has that covered.

Careful with older recommendations. A lot of the classic stuff is absolutely legendary, but may not suit the tastes of someone looking to get into comics today. I don't like to say modern comics are better, because they aren't nearly as groundbreaking, but they are generally more entertaining, if we're just comparing the "cream of the crop" from each era.

I have to say because of the movies I never was a big X-Man fan. Also the main reason why I haven't given the X-men comics a chance.

I am a Nova fan so the reboot of Nova from 2007 or whatever as well as Guardians of the Galaxy(which movies lean heavily on) from that time. Dan Abnett is great.

Haven't read anything since the whole God Doom Arc(which was awful imo). Battle planets, destroyed multiverse, all of the subversion, civil war 2, and etc were just all trash.

World War Hulk was fun but dumb
Secret Invasion was interesting
Iron Man Extremis is a favorite of mine plus ADI GRANOV
Annihilation everything was good to me
House of M was top tier
Original Civil War - Steve McNivens artwork is so good
Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis
I am more of a fan of that era of stories despite most of the writers having a hate boner for Tony Stark.

Already read some fun things about Nova, I should check this out if I like the art.

Secret Invasion sounds interesting but considering Marvel is probably tackling this in a tv series in the next 2 years. I like to hold it back and not get completely spoiled already for the tv series.

Where do I start with Annihilation? There is so much. And can you explain a little bit what it is about?

 

[manfestival]

Already read some fun things about Nova, I should check this out if I like the art.

Secret Invasion sounds interesting but considering Marvel is probably tackling this in a tv series in the next 2 years. I like to hold it back and not get completely spoiled already for the tv series.

Where do I start with Annihilation? There is so much. And can you explain a little bit what it is about?

I would probably start by reading the annihilation arc. It least into the 2007 Nova since that takes off in the aftermath of Annihilation. I think the even itself is worth reading. I know there are a bunch of tie-ins(as with any event) that had praise. I read them a long time ago but everything was so good. Even reading everything out of order. Guardians of the Galaxy also takes place along the same time as that Nova. Basically the space arcs were top tier during this time frame.

Secret Invasion is likely to be what happens in the TV show but... I would've preferred to see this play out on the silver screen. It was really enjoyable to read. Especially since I remember everyone back then freaking out and taking their guesses at who the skrulls were.

 

[teezzy]

Spider-Man Kraven's Last Hunt
Marvel Masterworks Spider-Man vol 1
Spider-Man Big Time
Spider-Island
Superior Spider-Man
Spider-Man Birth of Venom

Mark Waid Daredevil
Frank Miller Daredevil

Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men
Chris Claremont's Wolverine

Doug Moench Moon Knight
Doug Moench Werewolf by Night

Should give you a nice variety both in content and era, in addition to furthering your understanding of the Marvel universe.

Have fun!

 

[Soodanim]

I haven’t read it myself yet but I’ll save someone the trouble:
Punisher Max

 

[sol_bad]

I don't know many comics prior to 2004.
Over the last 2 years though I have read through the entire 60's catalogue (currently alternating between the 70's and 2016) of Marvel comics. I know you said you struggled with older comics but if you were ever going to try any from the start I would recommend Fantastic Four (Stan Lee / Kirby), Amazing Spider-Man (stan Lee / Ditko), Daredevil (various writers / artists) and Avengers. Granted, Avengers starts off a bit average but I think it picks up when Roy Thomas takes over. Avoid the 60's X-Men and Captain America, X-Men is just plain bad and Captain America constantly whinges about Bucky and Sharon Carter.

The 70's Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont is another great older series from what I have heard. I'm waiting to receive my Uncanny X-Men Omnibus 2, 3 and 4 and then I'll start reading it myself.

As for newer titles.
As mentioned already you can try Grant Morrison's New X-Men and Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men. Both books are good "jumping on points" for the X-books to try out. I also liked the return of Chris Claremont's Uncanny X-Men and New X-Men: Academy X by Nunzio DeFilippis in 2004. Academy X is very much a teen drama and is about younger characters, not the older well known characters.

I don't have time to write much more but other runs that I think are great, most are more recent.
Avengers by Jonathan Hickman
Avengers Arena by Dennis Hopeless - story about younger Avengers, think Battle Royale and Hunger Games.
Captain America by Ed Brubaker
Captain America by Rick Remender
Daredevil by Mark Waid
Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman
Hawkeye by Matt Fraction
Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing
Loki: Journey into Mystery by Keiron Gillen
Ms Marvel by G Willow Wilson
Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott - it's about a 30 issue run and is really good, all I'll say is that Spider-Man is not Peter Parker in this
Thor by Jason Aaron - some people might try and say this book is SJW and they'll point out a page or a panel or 2, it's really not. You can't judge a roughly 100 issue story on 1 or 2 pages/panels.
Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender
Wolverine and the X-Men by Jason Aaron

And if you are interested in Star Wars you should check out.
Star Wars by Jason Aaron
Darth Vader by Keiron Gillen
Doctor Aphra by Keiron Gillen and Simon Spurrier

 

[SirTerry-T]

Don't be too quick to dismiss the older stuff.
Roy Thomas' Conan and the Steve Engleheart Doctor Strange stories are some great reads. Both those guys knocked out some terrific stuff back in the Seventies and Eighties.

 

[Dacon]

Don't be too quick to dismiss the older stuff.
Roy Thomas' Conan and the Steve Engleheart Doctor Strange stories are some great reads. Both those guys knocked out some terrific stuff back in the Seventies and Eighties.

The older stuff is vastly superior to most of what gets published these days, DC and Marvel.

 

[sol_bad]

The older stuff is vastly superior to most of what gets published these days, DC and Marvel.

There really isn't any point in starting this sort of argument or train of conversation. OP already stated that he doesn't like the older comics.
Just give your suggestions on what Kingsora should try if you think there are any older comics you think he'll like.

*EDIT*
Kingsora regarding your Infinity question, you want to read the Avengers and New Avengers books by Jonathan Hickman. You'll see in my post above that I recommended the Hickman Avengers books. You can use the read order that Manabyte suggested, just start at New Avengers 1-3 and read all the way through to the end of Secret Wars. It's a great read.

 

[macfoshizzle]

 

[Kingsora]

Even with going digital, I find the comics to be woefully behind. It's like the difference between a good manga and its equally good anime adaptation--when given the choice, I'll watch the anime and ignore the manga. I feel the same way about the comic books now, too. As far back as the '90s, we had an excellent cartoon adaptation of the X-Men, Spider-man, and Batman. Marvel studios should be focusing on releasing fully animated content by now, not offering us 20 still frames each month!

Expecting fully animated cartoons that are good enough for todays standard is not realistic to compare comics with. A comic can be made in 2 months with only a handful of people. The cost for making a cartoon isn't even comparable.

Don't be too quick to dismiss the older stuff.
Roy Thomas' Conan and the Steve Engleheart Doctor Strange stories are some great reads. Both those guys knocked out some terrific stuff back in the Seventies and Eighties.

I just can't get over the art, it feels so outdated. Stuff like this is something I don't find very interesting nowadays.

There really isn't any point in starting this sort of argument or train of conversation. OP already stated that he doesn't like the older comics.
Just give your suggestions on what Kingsora should try if you think there are any older comics you think he'll like.

*EDIT*
Kingsora regarding your Infinity question, you want to read the Avengers and New Avengers books by Jonathan Hickman. You'll see in my post above that I recommended the Hickman Avengers books. You can use the read order that Manabyte suggested, just start at New Avengers 1-3 and read all the way through to the end of Secret Wars. It's a great read.

Yes, I am absolutely putting Infinity on my reading list. I am really curious also at Secret Wars but I have a feeling the whole MCU in the next five years is gonna be based on Secret Wars. So not sure I am already gonna read that. I love to be surprised by the MCU when it comes to stories.

 

[VulcanRaven]

I just can't get over the art, it feels so outdated. Stuff like this is something I don't find very interesting nowadays.

Those are from the 1960s I think and they look dated. The art improved a lot in the 70s.

 

[quickwhips]

Anything spiderman. Clone saga. Todd mcfarlane run. I lik series two of ghost rider and the midnight sons books. Dark hawk is pretty great. I liked civil war. Xcution saga for x-men was cool. Xfactor is always good also.

 

[sol_bad]

Yes, I am absolutely putting Infinity on my reading list. I am really curious also at Secret Wars but I have a feeling the whole MCU in the next five years is gonna be based on Secret Wars. So not sure I am already gonna read that. I love to be surprised by the MCU when it comes to stories.

You need not worry about that. The MCU generally changes things up from the comics. Kevin Feige likes to surprise comic book readers.

 

[Kingsora]

Those are from the 1960s I think and they look dated. The art improved a lot in the 70s.

Well I think the difference with modern comics is still huge. I often find it strange even. It's like people nowadays draw better as 50 years ago which doesn't make much sense to me.

Anything spiderman. Clone saga. Todd mcfarlane run. I lik series two of ghost rider and the midnight sons books. Dark hawk is pretty great. I liked civil war. Xcution saga for x-men was cool. Xfactor is always good also.

Well I did really like the Ghost Rider character in the Thanos run, maybe I should check that out. Good tip.

You need not worry about that. The MCU generally changes things up from the comics. Kevin Feige likes to surprise comic book readers.

Is it really that different? Wasn't for example Infinity Ward and End Game pretty much the same in the comics or was it quite different?

 

[DESTROYA]

My question to the OP is how did you get that tag ?

Is it really that different? Wasn't for example Infinity Ward and End Game pretty much the same in the comics or was it quite different?

Characters and premise might be the same but entirely different story and ending.

 

[sol_bad]

Is it really that different? Wasn't for example Infinity Ward and End Game pretty much the same in the comics or was it quite different?

It is quite different in many ways, the movie just followed a couple of the story beats from the comics.
Thanos' motivations are completely different between the comic and the movie for example. The way the characters interact with Thanos and how they die is different too.

And curious how old you are? Most people when they are younger don't care about the older comics and as we get older they start to interest us. Obviously not true for every single person out there but it is a common thing with comics. Start with the new and eventually back track to the old.

 

[VulcanRaven]

Well I think the difference with modern comics is still huge. I often find it strange even. It's like people nowadays draw better as 50 years ago which doesn't make much sense to me.

It depends on the artist a lot. I really like the art in the late 60s/70s Spider-Man comics:

 

[sol_bad]

Can I just gloat ands say how happy I am that I have the Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade, Annihilation, New X-Men, Uncanny X-Force, Astonishing X-Men and Wolverine omnibu?

 

[Kingsora]

My question to the OP is how did you get that tag ?


Characters and premise might be the same but entirely different story and ending.

It's a funny story. Summarized: about 10 years ago I had a small accident after having sex and made a topic about it.

It is quite different in many ways, the movie just followed a couple of the story beats from the comics.
Thanos' motivations are completely different between the comic and the movie for example. The way the characters interact with Thanos and how they die is different too.

And curious how old you are? Most people when they are younger don't care about the older comics and as we get older they start to interest us. Obviously not true for every single person out there but it is a common thing with comics. Start with the new and eventually back track to the old.

I am 31, don't know if that's young or old for you?

 

[Dazrael]

Can I just gloat ands say how happy I am that I have the Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade, Annihilation, New X-Men, Uncanny X-Force, Astonishing X-Men and Wolverine omnibu?

That’s an impressive amount of cellophane, none of them are open. Retirement fund perhaps? That’s a lot of reading time.

 

[sol_bad]

I am 31, don't know if that's young or old for you?

It's different for different people. I'm 38 but I've always been into the silver age stuff. Some people get interested by their late 20s, early 30s, late 30s. I like the art even from the 60s and 70s, it's the writing that is sometimes really bad.

That’s an impressive amount of cellophane, none of them are open. Retirement fund perhaps? That’s a lot of reading time.

I got these omnis over the last 2 months, not a retirement fund, just haven't got to them yet. Currently reading Black Science.