Comic Books: Where do I start?

Not long ago, when I wanted to start reading comics, the hardest thing for me was not knowing where to start. There were things I was interested in and things I wanted to read but didn't know where to begin reading. I remember going to the comic book store and just staring at the wall of comics not knowing what to pick up or look at first. Heck, I didn't even know there was a section set aside for the new comics that came out that week or that Wednesday was new comic book day. For me, someone who didn't grow up around comics at all, this was a little overwhelming and like most people I'm sure, I didn't want to waste money by buying just random comics.

When I first started reading, I was really interested in Captain America, so after researching online I found an old story arc that sounded interesting and bought the trade paper back or hard back. I started off with "The Death of Captain America" story arc by Ed Brubaker. I loved it! I loved the way it was written and the art, the characters, and everything. Being my first comics read, I loved so much about the experience. This experience helped me to learn so much about comic books and helped me become more comfortable with comics. I had to do a lot of research on the internet to learn about characters, numbering, and even terms used in comics. I wanted to learn so much about comics and the more I read and researched the more I enjoyed.

So, after almost a year of reading just back issues of mostly Captain America,  I wanted to pick-up the weekly books but still didn't know where to start. Here are some things I found helpful in picking out what to read and where to start:

1. Figure out a character or team you want to read about. Who or what are you interested in?

2. Is there a style you like? Team ups or Solo? Darker, grittier styles? Comedy? Spy? Space? etc.... 

3. Are there any spacific books or writers you've heard good things about?

4. Don't be shy. Talk to friends or people at your local comic book store and find out what people may suggest. 

5. Look on the internet. There are a plethora of comic book websites out there that talk about comic books. This was my biggest help. Look at their reviews and look at their forums to see what people are saying about some of the books you are thinking about.  Some websites I'll suggest are: Comicvine.com Comicbookresources.com ifanboy.com

One of my biggest concerns before starting to read was I wanted to start at the beginning of a story arc and didn't want to be lost or confused about the story. My advice to anyone with the same concerns is, if you know what book a story arc starts on then buy the back issues to get caught up. otherwise just jump in. You can usually get caught up pretty quick but if you do find yourself lost in the story, go online and read up on past issues. 

I started by picking up a few I really wanted to read and slowly built up my pull list by learning what writers were getting a lot of praise and which characters I found myself enjoying more. I remember when I wanted to start reading a Batman comic I started noticing all the different titles they had. This was very confusing and I had no idea how to pick one. After reading a few reviews online and hearing how great Scott Snyder was doing with the Batman book I started picking it up each month. I started reading towards the end of a major story arc but it didn't seem to matter. I quickly caught up on the story and soon the book moved on to a new story arc. Now I've got a pull list of 10 and holding but each time I picked up a new title, I took time to evaluate what I wanted and where to start. When it comes down to it, I just have to start reading. So far I've enjoyed most things I've picked up.

What started as a little interest in comic books has turned into a major hobby of mine. I look forward to going each week by the comic book store and getting new books. I hope you share my same enthusiasm and if not I hope you will soon.