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I've been seeing a lot of people all over the internet saying that they'd like to start reading comics, but find obstacles that all seems to fall under the same general statement: I don't know where to start, so I thought I'd make this looong post to address this and show you that this is a really easy and fun hobby to get into! (monetary aspect aside)

MARVEL/DC

Whilst not all comics are about superheroes, and I'll get into that later, these are gonna be the main two logos you'll see all over your local comic shop, they're a good starting point since you'll likely already have some knowledge of the characters that are involved, however the real hurdle comes along when we get to continuity.

THE CONTINUITY DILEMMA

With all the universes, crisis events, resets, retcons, plotholes and plot twists, it can be really difficult to find a good starting point with any given character, I can provide one very easy solution to all of these, you don't have to read up on any backstory, at all, obviously if it interests you that's a different matter, but if you just want to read batman, I promise you, you don't have to start reading from issue 1 of detective comics from 1937, you'd be reading for months, and half of it isn't even that good.

There are two great starting points with an existing popular character:

ISSUE #1

Below is an example of a 'soft' reset for a character, marvel does these often and will put that they are 'issue 1' at the top to attract new readers, these will come with new writers, new artists, and a new direction for the character, these are the best places to start, DC does similar but they are more likely to stick more to longer issue numbers

ARCS

If a series is more longstanding with the same writer and same characters, the studios are less likely to reset the character or give them a new writer, this is where you rely on separate story arcs, the characters and storylines that have come before will be more prevalent, and you won't be starting from issue 1, but you'll still be given a new storyline to follow, they'll often write where these arcs start so you know which ones to pick up:

These arcs are compiled into graphic novels quite often, this will make it easier to separate the continuity into each arc if you're wanting to read up on the previous stories of the character.

Alternate series

Often with a popular character like batman or spiderman the studios will create tons of alternate series for the character, this can be an opportunity for the creators to explore a fun, different direction from the character that doesn't detract from the main series, these should be treated as completely separate from the main continuity (unless it is stated that they are directly connected), I'll put some examples of these below:

now for the best part...

INDEPENDENT (IMAGE) COMICS

I cannot overstate how much these companies solve the issues of the comic giants of Marvel and DC, these are the best series to look for in your comic shop, they're stylised, self-contained, original, and can wrap up the entire story in only six issues, the creators range from new and upcoming artists and writers to established names, they're fantastic, and I urge everyone to pick them up.

The longstanding producer of these is Image comics, look out for their logo on any issues:

They're constantly putting out new series and providing unique opportunities to new artists, I'll put some examples below of my favourites, but each series from them is worth a try, just look for any first issues:

Again if you missed the first few arcs of an ongoing series that you're wanting to read, you can get the graphic novels to fill you in.

Welcome to albumtober! Here's a handy calendar, a full list and explanation of the prompts is below the cut!

The aim for this project is for people to share their appreciation for albums - not just as a vessel for artists to release songs in bulk, but an art form in their own right! A good album is more than just a collection of music, but instead a curation and this is how to show off your favorites!