Any recommendations for a N00B?

[Ella McLoughlin]

Hi there!

I'm Ella, I'm thirteen, and I really want to get into comics. Does anyone have any recommendations for me to get started with? 

I like Sci-Fi and fantasy, so any recommendations are welcome!

DFTBA!

[Rachel Kadushin]

 Do you want to draw them, paint them, write them? I can give you more specific advice for writing, but can give you some general advice if you want to draw or paint.

[Jonathan Trenary]

There are a lot of different ways you can go with this. Even knowing that you like Sci-Fi and Fantasy, it can be hard to recommend due to what you're looking for in a story, characters, etc. Also there are some really good comics that also happen to be really edgy at the same time. I don't know how you feel about bad language, sex, violence, etc. so I'll keep it to mostly stuff that's good for all ages.

Here are what I believe to be must reads.

Bone by Jeff Smith is always a good place to start. It's very very good and it's appropriate for anyone of any age. It's funny, heartfelt and really easy to get copies of, as I feel like I see it in just about every major book store in the comics section. This is definitely the first comic you should read because I can guarantee you will like love it. Every person on the planet should read Bone.

I'd also be willing to bet that you'd like Fables by Bill Willingham. It's also pretty easy to get at major bookstores. It basically takes all the fairy tales like Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, Pinnochio and Red Riding Hood and puts them in a modern setting where they've been exiled from their homelands. It's definitely one of the best titles out there, and while a little more mature than Bone, I think its a great read for most.

If you really want deeper stuff that probes into mythology, philosophy, history, ethics and the like, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is a must read. It follows Morpheus, the lord of dreams as he frees himself from capture and reestablishes his dominion over the dream world. Definitely slower to get through that Bone or Fables but also more stimulating.

Lastly, if you are okay with slightly edgier stuff, Chew is a great series that's out now and is still being released. You can get the first four collections in just about any comic book shop. The story takes place in the future where the US Food and Drug Administration has taken a role similar to today's FBI. Illegal sale of chicken is a big no-no. Chew follows FDA agent Tony Chu as he gets sucked into a food-related conspiracy. The cool part? Chu's a cibopath, which means he is psychically linked to anything he eats. Interesting ad kind of gross implications for murder investigations.

If you just wanna read super hero comics, I'd suggest Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns by Frank MIller, any of the Green Lantern stuff by Geoff Johns, X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont or the Kevin Smith run of Daredevil.They're all super good. Pun intended.

Good luck and happy reading, Ella!

[Ella McLoughlin]

Thanks a million! 

I'll see what I get my hands on down at Forbidden Planet. I really want to give X-Men, Fables, Bone and Sandman a go. I'll let you know how it all goes!

DFTBA,

Ella :D

[Alex Gaston]

A good starting point in X-Men comics is the new Wolverine and the X-Men series. It's only four issues in and its proving to be a great read! You may have to read back a little to understand why the other X-Men aren't around post-Schism, but it doesn't really take away from the story. :)

Also, as Jonathan said, God Loves, Man Kills is an AMAZING story, and was the inspiration for the second (and best) X-Men movie.

[Ella McLoughlin]

Thanks! I really want to give X-Men a go, I've had a few reccomendations for it now :D

DFTBA!

-Ella x

[Desperado (Adam)]

GREEN ARROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you will love that series, and with DC relaunching with the new 52, there are only about 10 issues you need to worry about. You can find 'em online, just go to google, go to shopping, and type in Green Arrow New 52.

The reason I recommend it so highly is because fewer people think about DC than they do Marvel (understandable with the goody-goody communist that is Super Man) but DC does have some good stuff to offer as well, especially in some of their lesser publicized titles like Green Arrow and Birds of Prey.

[Noor Hassan Sherazi]

Despite Green Arrow being my favorite hero, I think that that DC's new 52 Green Arrow wasn't that good.

[Tin Tin Abin]

I think recommend Sonic the Hedgehog comic great simple and fun. Mouse Guard is also worth looking into.

[Kopernicus]

What I did was pick a comic that I thought looked cool then got all of the ones from that comic story from the new 52 (dc and marvel are redoing all their comics, its called the new 52) onto my computer.