At some point reading comics you get asked a question, “Hey you’re into comics any suggestions on what to read?” Most of the times you get this question around free comic book day or when a big action flick comes out like the Avengers, Spider-man and so on. I shall try to take a crack at answering that question. It comes down to what you like: superhero, horror, cult classics; comics cover everything and can be overwhelming when you enter a comic store. I know I was. It also doesn’t always help asking the guy at the counter because he may hit you with too much at once.  I would make a suggestion to start on new book day. First of all they come out Wednesday and second that way you may get some advice from patrons of the store you walk into. Also don’t be afraid of getting into comic that are a few weeks old either. One question that’s help full is what could be starting a new story arc or may only be one issue in? Real quick a story arc is usually 6-12 issues telling one part of the whole story.

This helps because you don’t want to jump into the middle of something and be lost. For example it would be hard to jump on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because we are in the heart of the “City Fall” arc, but some are just starting an arc like The Walking Dead # 115 which begins “All Out War” or Archer and Armstrong #14 which is the start of “Sect Civil War”.   Asking the counter will help there. Your best advice is from a friend that’s into comics they will tell you there favorite or could steer you in the right direction.

Focusing on the story arc instead of number will help you because then you can actually get into an ongoing series and some of the best stories don’t start at number one. Plus they do make trade paperbacks that carry whole story arcs if you want to go backwards from where you started. When you focus on the number you could end up taking months to find a book to get into it has happened to me. The other problem is you can get stuck up into the miniseries trap where a run will only be 4-6 issues. But sometimes a miniseries will get picked up as an ongoing like Todd the Ugliest Kid on Earth.

When you walk into that comic shop remember what you like, try to make it new comic book day and don’t be afraid to ask for some help from other comic shoppers.  Getting into comics can be a very enjoyable experience and it’s a very unique way of storytelling out there.  Another resource is the site here; take a look at some reviews and previews to help you make some choices.  Now go enjoy some comics.