Criticism Corner: How to Start Reading Marvel/DC Comics (Patreon)

Here's another first draft of an upcoming video.  I feel like this one is pretty concise and to the points, but I can't help but get the feeling like there's something missing.  What do you guys think?

Hello and welcome to Comic Drake, where I talk about comic books and my name is Drake!  The superheroes of Marvel and DC Comics are some of the most popular characters and franchises in all of global pop culture, but despite their adaptations being insanely well known and successful, the source material is in my opinion, criminally underappreciated.  People ask me ALL THE TIME were to start reading comics from Marvel and/or DC and I totally understand why.  Once upon a time, I was in the exact same boat.  Comics seemed SUPER intimidating and outsider unfriendly which is why I’m still surprised that they have become my all time favorite entertainment medium and literally the basis for my job.  So speaking from experience, here’s my biggest advice.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO KNOW EVERYTHING!  This is HANDS DOWN the biggest thing holding people back from trying out comics and was my largest barrier as well.  It does make sense.  Like I can’t comprehend trying get into a movie or video game franchise on the fourth entry of the series.  It’s an even bigger problem for me since I am a lore sponge and I go out of my way to try and learn every little detail about a franchise.  You are NEVER going to know everything that has ever happened in the Marvel and DC universes.  Get over it.  The best part is that the more books you read, the better they get since you’ll pick up on little details.  This also makes going back and reading the books you started on end up being a lot of fun once you’re more versed in lore since there’s a REALLY good chance that you’ll notice some new details the second time around.

So great, you’ve decided to get over knowing everything, but where do you start?  Generally, I say pick a character that you like and go from there.  There are LOADS AND LOADS of recommended lists all across the internet so those are a good starting point.

Or you can honestly just pick up a book and start reading.  I have a general rule for comics that has proven pretty true.  If you need to know something for a story, even if it’s from decades prior, the book tends to mention it.  After all, even if you’ve been reading comics for years, you’re bound to forget a few things and need a refresher.  If I’m going to be honest, I haven’t read a lot of older comics simply because I have a harder time getting into their writing styles.  Not being as familiar with them has barely affected my normal reading experience.  Plus, if there’s a reference or something that you absolutely think is a call back to an older book and you feel like you NEED to know what it is, just look it up online.  There are tons of databases maintained by nerds that can help you find out about just about anything you want in comics.

But where can you get comics from?  Well there’s multiple places.  Most bookstores and resale stores like Half Price Books tend to have a section for collected volumes of comics.  However, if you’re a fan of digital books, there are websites where you can purchase them, my favorite being Comixology.  Both Marvel and Comixology have digital subscription services that give you unlimited access to A LOT of books so especially when you’re just starting out, that’s a good option.  If you’re working on zero budget though, every single library I have ever been to also has at least a few comics you can check out.

Of course, the number one place to purchase books is the most infamous, your local comic shop.  This ties in nicely to one of the other questions that I get a lot, “Aren’t people going to make fun of me for being new?”.  Seriously, no.  Stereotypical elitist comic snobs are what we like to call “assholes”.  These types of people pop up in every fandom so don’t let a few bad eggs turn you off from the medium as a whole.  In fact, you’d actually be surprised by how many nice comic fans there are out there that just want to help share the medium they love.

“But what about all those reboots and confusing timelines?”  It’s really not as bad as people make them out to be.  Marvel has never once rebooted their main universe and DC has only done it twice with Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint.  Both companies have had smaller continuity restructures and retcons with events like Secret Wars 2015 and Infinite Crisis, but like I said, nothing matters unless it’s brought up.  If you absolutely feel like you need to know more, there are handy guides online and videos that go into more detail… Like here on Comic Drake.  Hint hint.