Trying to Get into The DC Universe

[kamakavi]

I am seriously sick of the Marvel universe. I absoultely hated Avengers Disassembled, I am starting to dislike Ultimate Spiderman, and basically the fact that they are killing off and bringing back characters like there's no tomorrow. Can somebody please give me a good starting point to jump onto the DC Universe. I'm having a hard time reading some of the graphic novels and comics they are coming out with. I know basic things, like origins, etc., but I was really confused reading Identity Crisis #1 and so on. Thank you.

[Batmanfan]

I feel the same way.

[Jor-El]

Is there anything you'd like to start with? Are you especially interested in one character over another?

[Beyond Batman]

If you're looking to experiment with a variety, I think the last arc of JLA "Pain of the Gods" was a cool run. You get to see some of the core members of the league get spotlight issues.

[Reirden]

If you're looking to get yourself into DC, start with the 'Year One's. Batman: Year One, Superman For All Seasons, JLA: Year One, etc. Then you can go into other things like other Tim Sale/Jeph Loeb novels, and I found 'JLA: Tower of Babel' rather easy to understand if you know the basic characters, and that's a wonderful read.

Another good way to familiarize yourself with the characters is through Animated continuity comics. They're usually one-shots, and it introduces you to characters that don't usually find their way into the spot-light in other comics. Though the animated origins differ from the comic origins, they're usually basically the same.

I hope this helps, and I've got loads of Batman reccomendations if you want to hear 'em.;)

[Jor-El]

If you're looking to experiment with a variety, I think the last arc of JLA "Pain of the Gods" was a cool run. You get to see some of the core members of the league get spotlight issues.No offense to Beyond Batman, but if you're just getting into the DC Universe and its rich and textured history and characters, if you start with "Pain of the Gods" then you will likely never want to come back. Stay clear of this arc until you know what good JLA is (JLA 1-55, all of which are reprinted in trade paperbacks.)

I agree with Reirden about the "Year One's." Read Batman: Year One, Superman: Man of Steel, Superman For All Seasons, Batman: Long Halloween, JLA: Year One, Flash/Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold should get you started and should at least get you some initial exposure to the major players of the modern day DCU. After that, let us know what most interests you and we can come back with some more pointed and specific recommendations based on the characters you like the most.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


I agree with Reirden about the "Year One's." Read Batman: Year One, Superman: Man of Steel, Superman For All Seasons, Batman: Long Halloween, JLA: Year One, Flash/Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold should get you started and should at least get you some initial exposure to the major players of the modern day DCU.

And Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1401201970/qid=1099403502/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books). Again, Diana gets no love. >sigh< ;)

Superman: Birthright (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401202519/qid%3D1099403579/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-4729819-5916828) has also just been released in hardcover, and will probably follow very very soon in trade paperback format. From what I understand, its history now overrules Byrne's Man of Steel comics, which are fun but dated a lot faster than I had expected them to.

The other Year One recommendations are all great, too, although there's a non-trivial gulf between them and current history. None of it is insurmountable, but it may be a shock to go from, say, the Perez reprints straight into Greg Rucka's run on Wonder Woman now. I think picking up Grant Morrison's JLA run from New World Order (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156389369X/qid=1099404477/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books) and progressing forwards is a good way to get great superhero stories that make passing references to the history of other titles.

Ed Brubaker's Catwoman run is a lot of fun, and doesn't rely on a lot of prior continuity to get into. Selina's Big Score (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899221/qid=1099403861/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books) is a good place to start, followed by The Dark End of the Street (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899086/qid=1099403899/sr=1-12/ref=sr_1_12/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books) and Crooked Little Town (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1401200087/qid=1099403888/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books). Mighty dark, though.

Given that it's Avengers Disassembled that's driving you from the Marvel Universe, I'm wondering if now is the best time to dive into DC with the whole Identity Crisis and Green Lantern: Rebirth stuff changing around history in all kinds of ways that are heavily dependent on prior knowledge of the DCU (and, IMO, look suspiciously like the stuff happening in Marvel at the moment). If you want good standalone titles to pick up from DC, I don't think you can go too wrong with Fallen Angel (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/140120225X/qid=1099404088/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books), Y the Last Man (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899809/qid=1099404265/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books), or Fables (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563899426/qid=1099404321/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-4729819-5916828?v=glance&s=books). None of them are superheroes, as such, but they're all fabulously well written, entirely standalone, and creator-owned and operated.

Hope this helps!

-- Ed/Ace

[jadrax]

Next issue will probably a good point to jump on board "Birds of Prey" which is an excellent book.

[kamakavi]

Thanks for all the recommendations but I was kind of trying to get into the newer issues instead of the older graphic novels. But yes, I got The Tower of Babel from a friend and I liked it. How about something with the Green Arrow or Green Lantern? I picked up "Quiver" but couldn't understand it. Lastly, is there anything that would explain major events like the death of Jason Todd, the death of Barry Allen. And I'm really confused about the whole Hal Gordon killing everyone thing.

[The Detective]

Thanks for all the recommendations but I was kind of trying to get into the newer issues instead of the older graphic novels. But yes, I got The Tower of Babel from a friend and I liked it. How about something with the Green Arrow or Green Lantern? I picked up "Quiver" but couldn't understand it. Lastly, is there anything that would explain major events like the death of Jason Todd, the death of Barry Allen. And I'm really confused about the whole Hal Gordon killing everyone thing.See, but here's the thing. It's really going to be somewhat difficult to get into current issues unless you have some of the back knowledge that TPB's give you. If you really are trying to get your feet wet in the DC Universe, then I concur with Reirden and Barry Allen as far as TPBs go. And like Ace said, with all the shake ups going on in the DC Universe right now, you might do better to read some more classic TPBs.

Oh and before I quit.....the death of Barry Allen happened in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" which I know is reprinted in TPB. It's pretty confusing though. Jason Todd died in "A Death in the Family" which I'm pretty sure has been reprinted. And the whole Hal Jordon thing....well it happened in "Zero Hour" but you'll need someone else who knows me than more to give you any more help on that.

I hope my incoherent ramblings have been something close to helpful.

</The Detective>

[kamakavi]

Yes, they have. Thanks again.

[Singularity]

Falala.

Jason Tood- After Dick Grayson grew out of his Robin identity, Batman took care of a boy he found on the streets, and made him into the second Robin. However, this Robin was reckless and not very thoughtful of the consquences. Later on, he sought out his mother; he found her, and, as would luck have it, she was in league with The Joker. Her being completely uncaring for his son helped, as The Joker beat him up with a crowbar, locked both him and his mother inside a building, and blew it up("A Death in the Family").

Barry Allen- He was removed from the 30th century (long, long story) by a powerful villain who wished to remove his time-travelling abilities from the game. Barry was able to free himself and sacrificed his life containing the power of the villain's anti-matter weapon (via running around at absurdly fast speeds) ("Crisis on Infinite Earths").

Hal Jordan- The city he lived in, Coast City, was blown up by Mongul and the Cyborg Superman ("Reign of the Supermen"). He tried to recreate it with his power ring, but was prevented from doing this by the Guardians of the Universe. Appaled by the Guardians' ungrateful behavior (as he believed he had done so much for them) and unwillingness to change things for the better, he headed to thier planet and violently beat up every Green Lantern sent by the Guardians. Once there, he absorbed the energies of the Central Battery (the source of power for the Green Lanterns), this killed the Guardians (as they were connected to the energy) ("Emerald Twilight"). Afterwards, he used the energy to try to restart the universe ("Zero Hour").

That said, do not read "Pain of the Gods" (most especially not #102, but that's other story).

[EJill34]

To follow up on Ace's standalone picks, I'd heartily recommend Preacher. It doesn't get enough love around here. It IS extremely vulgar and might make you want to hurl every few pages, but Garth Ennis crafted a terrific story which was perfectly complemented by Steve Dillon's superlative art.

I'd also recommend the late Batman Adventures, which continues plot threads from Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. Its an incredible 17-issue run that was unfairly cut short. It requires no previous knowledge aside from a line here and there and is probably the best Bat-book to hit stands in the last 10 years. Back issues shouldn't be too difficult to find.

[randomguy]

If you wanna jump straight into the monthly comics (which is a pretty daunting task, but not impossible, and I applaud you for it), a really good idea would be to look into the various encyclopedias DK has brought out. DK Publishing has released Ultimate Guides to Batman, Superman, and the JLA. You can find these cheaply at your local Barnes and Noble or Borders, in the graphic novel section, and they'll bring you up to date on current storylines and characters. They're full of pictures, they're affordable, and they're written in an entertaining prose style that won't bore you to tears. You can read them in-store, if you like... I won't blame you. At any rate, if you read the three of those, you'll be in a position to understand pretty much everything going on in DC comics today.

Another alternative would be the The DC Comics Encyclopedia, which was released only a few weeks ago. It's a thirty dollar hardcover, which might scare you off, but I'd recommend picking it up. It covers everything you need to know about every DC storyline and character ever. Seriously, it's got everything, and it covers all storylines up through this year, including the recent Batman crossover "War Games" and Identity Crisis. It'll set you back a little bit, but it'll tell you everything you'd ever need to know to read DC comics. You'd have to read all three DK guides to really jump right in, but by picking up this one book, you'll be able to follow every DC comic on the racks. Also, it's well-written, and the choice of art is great. Look into it.

[Singularity]

Not to repel what randomguy is saying, but I've taken the time to read the Enycyclopedia, and it has at least one glaring omission: Lucifer doesn't have a entry, despite being a key character in Sandman and having his own Vertigo series. That, and the obvious fact that he's the second or third most powerful fellow in the DC Universe.

[Nick K.]

JLA: Classified and Green Lantern Rebirth are good things to pick up. They just started and look to be great. In fact GL: Rebirth was amazing. ;)

[Jor-El]

JLA: Classified and Green Lantern Rebirth are good things to pick up. They just started and look to be great. In fact GL: Rebirth was amazing. ;)Yes, they are great, but not if you're just getting into the DCU. You need to have extensive background for GL Rebirth to really enjoy it. A newcomer wouldn't be aware of the extensive history and controversy surrounding the GL mythos.


Thanks for all the recommendations but I was kind of trying to get into the newer issues instead of the older graphic novels. But yes, I got The Tower of Babel from a friend and I liked it. How about something with the Green Arrow or Green Lantern? I picked up "Quiver" but couldn't understand it. Lastly, is there anything that would explain major events like the death of Jason Todd, the death of Barry Allen. And I'm really confused about the whole Hal Gordon killing everyone thing.To echo the sentiments of The Detective, how exactly are you planning on getting into the DCU without having the background? "Quiver" is only 3 years old and you didn't understand it because you didn't have any background on the characters involved. You need to go back and do some "research" before you try to hop into these newest issues. The trend lately in comics seems to be do add a lot of continuity issues and back-history for the long-time fans to get issues and points resolved and explained in a modern context, and without at least a working background (especially in books like Flash, GL, JSA,) it's going to be near impossible to follow or understand if you just think you can pick up the next issues of certain books and know what's happening.

[kamakavi]

Right. I have a good idea of what to do now. Thank you guys for all your help.

[Nick K.]

Yes, they are great, but not if you're just getting into the DCU. You need to have extensive background for GL Rebirth to really enjoy it. A newcomer wouldn't be aware of the extensive history and controversy surrounding the GL mythos.

A major point of Rebirth is to reboot the title. It is a jumping on point for new comers who want to get into GL. I didn't know anything about Guy Gardner untill this issue and I understood him just fine in the end. I would get it anyway.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Aaaannnndd....the continuity debate arises again, this time in the context of "how much history do you need to be able to follow a monthly comic?"

On the one hand, history and continuity is the passkey into the world of comics. If you're really in love with the comics, you'll do what it takes to get caught up adequately.

On the other hand, if full and complete history were truly required to pick up a comic, superhero comics would have died a long, long time ago. Chris Claremont's X-Men run took a title on the edge of cancellation and turned it into one of Marvel's top franchises through soap-opera-ish extended and continually evolving storylines. Claremont's X-Men (the early ones, at least) is the one argument that a cool comic will pick up readers no matter HOW messed up the past history is.

I started with the X-Men back with #166. I had no idea what was going on, who these people were, or what they could really do, but by the end of the issue, I needed to have more. Good comics will do that.

I think that there really aren't that many characters where you need much more than the basic origin story to start in on the monthly comic (Hawkman and the X-Men being the two exceptions off the top of my head). If you have a cool enough comic book shop, I'd say to grab an issue or two of the titles people have recommended here off the stands and start reading. If what you see is cool enough for you to 1) cough up for it, and 2) make you WANT to know the past history, I think you'll have a winner.

randomguy's suggestion for the DC Encyclopedia is a good one, too, although DC Comics' "Secret Files" biographies (http://www.dccomics.com/secret_files/) will do in a pinch (and save you $30 or so).

-- Ed/Ace

[Beyond Batman]

No offense to Beyond Batman, but if you're just getting into the DC Universe and its rich and textured history and characters, if you start with "Pain of the Gods" then you will likely never want to come back. Stay clear of this arc until you know what good JLA is (JLA 1-55, all of which are reprinted in trade paperbacks.)
Curious... what didn't you like about the "Pain of the Gods?" I know it's not a pivotal saga, nor was it an origin story, but it was an entertaining read.

[Singularity]

Bad writing (it's written by Austen, for God's sake). General urination on the Flash character may have played a factor for Barry (and me as well).

[Beyond Batman]

Well, I liked it. I liked seeing a more human side to some of the characters, especially J'onn J'onz's take on human life.

What I also liked about it was seeing characters... who in the eyes of the DC general public are infalible... deal with the reality of failure. Of course Superman can't save very human life, Wally can't be everywhere despite his incredible speed, and that even John Stewart can make bad choices even though he holds great power within his grasp.

Singularity, what ever you hated of Austen's past, why did you specifically not like this story? And I'm looking for a real discussion here, not some lame excuse to say "Oh, he sucks... blah blah blah..." And I'm not looking to pick a fight here, I just want a reasonable opinion. Please share.

[randomguy]

I didn't read most of "Pain of the Gods", but I did read the Martian Manhunter chapter. I picked it up mainly because it had the most gorgeous cover I've seen in a while (seriously, one of the finest J'onn images ever), and I thought it was perfectly enjoyable. It had some genuine insight into J'onn's somewhat bizarre identity crisis, and I thought the character work was very strong and even somewhat reminiscent of Ostrander's work on the solo Martian Manhunter title. The other five parts might have been terrible, but at the very least, this one deserves props