There’s no wrong way to start reading comics. If you’ve ever been told that you need to read 50 back issues of Batman to enjoy the newest series, or pick up a rare $300 omnibus to enjoy the newest X-Men, then unfortunately they’re just plain wrong. Heck, you can start with your grandpa's dusty old collection or hit your local comic shop and grab a new 1st issue.
If you read comics as a kid and now you’re an adult with adult money, welcome back friend! This is the best hobby in the world.
This guide is for two people: the person who has never read a comic, and the person who read them years ago and wants back in. Good news is that the advice is almost identical.
Start with what you already love
Don't start with what's "important." Start with what sounds fun. Comics are not a vegetable you eat before dessert. They're the dessert!
- Love a movie or show? There's a comic behind it, and usually a clearly-marked starting point. Loved The Boys, Invincible, or One Piece? The source material is right there.
- Love a genre? Comics aren't just superheroes. Horror, crime, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, memoir, cooking manga: if a genre exists in prose or film, it exists in comics, and it's often weirder and better.
- Love a character? Ask for that character's best standalone story. Every major character has two or three books that you can jump into with zero prior knowledge. (Browse the DC and Marvel shelves and see who jumps out.)
Pick your format: single issues or books
Comics come two main ways and neither is more "correct" than the other.
Single issues (also called "floppies") are the thin, stapled chapters. Most release monthly, some twice a month, and others once per year. They're how you follow a story as it happens, and they're the heartbeat of a comic shop. New comics arrive on "New Comic Book Day" which is every Wednesday.
Collected editions (trade paperbacks, hardcovers, compendiums, omnibuses) are the book-shaped versions that collect a chunk of issues in one book. Collected editions usually contain one or more "arcs", which are typically 6 or so issues that complete one part of the storyline. Some collected editions contain one arc and introduce you to a story, others contain many arcs and complete an entire saga.
Plenty of readers never buy a single issue and plenty never buy a trade. Both are reading comics correctly. (We break the formats down fully in our trade paperback vs. omnibus vs. hardcover guide.)
Ignore continuity. Seriously.
The number one thing that scares new readers off superhero comics is the idea that they need to understand decades of backstory. You don't. Comics are written so that big stories restart constantly. New #1 issues often have fresh creative teams and jumping-on points. It's the industry's whole business model.
A good rule: if a book says "Volume 1," "Book One," or has a brand-new #1 on the cover, you can start there. If you're unsure, that's what we're here for. Telling people where to start is most of the job, and our reading order guide covers the rest.
Coming back after years away?
If you read comics in the '90s or 2000s and drifted off, you don't need to catch up on what you missed. You just need a new starting point, same as a first-timer. A few tips for returning readers:
- Don't try to catch up. Whatever event you missed has already been rebooted twice, probably. Jump to a current #1 or a recent Vol. 1 and move forward.
- Your old favorites still exist. Characters you loved have modern runs, and some of the best comics ever made came out while you were gone.
- The medium got wider. Indie publishers and manga exploded. If superheroes were the reason you left, they absolutely don't need to be the reason you come back.
Set a budget and relax
Comics can be an expensive hobby but they don't have to be. A single issue runs about the price of a fancy coffee; a trade paperback is about the price of a movie ticket. Start with one or two books, see what sticks, and grow from there. You do not need to buy a long box of back issues in week one. (If anyone tells you comics are a great investment, read our take on that first.)
The actual step-by-step
- Think of one thing you love: a character, a show, a genre.
- Find (or ask us for) a Vol. 1 or standalone book that matches it.
- Read it.
- Liked it? Grab Vol. 2, or try the monthly issues.
- Liked those? Find a character in the story that you also liked and check out their books.
- Repeat until your shelf is full. (It happens faster than you think.)
That's it. Everything else (pull lists, grading, con culture, buying/selling/trading) is stuff you can pick up as you go.
Ready to browse? Start with our graphic novels, see this week's new comics, or dig into manga Vol. 1s and series starters. Or just walk in and ask us. Recommending first comics is our favorite part of the job.
