We’re continuing our walk down the hallowed halls with this weeks “So You Want To Read Comics”.  This is our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic, then provide two comic book recommendations, great for new readers, based on that topic.  This week, we’re still dissecting the classics.

Let’s be clear about a few things before we get to the recommendations.  There’s no one perfect way to jump into comics, nor are there really any absolutely worst ones to jump in on.  I first got into comics by reading a title that was part of the aftermath of the infamous Death of Superman storyline.  Not exactly a new user friendly era for comics.  But, like any medium, there are some titles that seem to be recommended far more than others and sometimes this is done without people realizing that an avid comic reader is going to have a different perspective than a new one.

So, let’s clear up a little of that haziness.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Byrne
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The rise of superhero movies over the last 20 years, has resulted in many people seeking out some of the “source material” to the movies that they’ve fallen in love with.  The problem with that, is sometimes these filmmakers like to use the names of storylines simply because they have a lot of gravitas among the comic book community.  This two issue story is often cited as some of the best Marvel comics of all time, and definitely up there for X-Men books specifically.  Things get a little hazy though because this story comes smack dab in the middle of a run of X-Men stories that all had major impacts on the story of that team for a very long time.  Days of Future Past comes right after The Dark Phoenix Saga, we see the first appearances of Mystique, Kitty Pryde, and Emma Frost during this period. So there’s a lot going on and some of this seeps into this story.

So, is this good for new readers?  I think it’s alright.  X-Men will always be a tricky title to jump into if it’s your first time reading comics.  But, you could do a whole lot worse than this one and plus if you start here you get to see The New Mutants appear in a dozen or so issues, not to mention another legendary X-Men story God Loves, Man Kills comes not long after this one.

KINGDOM COME

Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Alex Ross
Publisher: DC Comics

One of the things that doesn’t get talked about enough in the world of comics, is how important the covers are.  Starting out as advertisements for the stories inside, they’ve evolved to be pieces of art in their own right, sometimes independent of the story.  Particularly striking covers also make it easier to recommend certain books to people.  That’s often what happens with Kingdom Come.  The recommendation is often cover first, story second.  In Kingdom Come we see familiar faces like Superman, Batman, And Wonder Woman, albeit aged, coming into conflict with a new breed of much more violent and destructive heroes which then spirals into pure catastrophic mayhem and destruction.  This series is sometimes considered a critique of the direction that comics had been going down and is sort of framed as the history of DC versus the possible future of it.  Which means, there’s a lot here that is pulled from the depths of the decades of stories that exist between the 1930s and 2001.

Is this new reader friendly?  No, I don’t believe so.  So many classics are positioned as commentaries on the current events in the industry, at the time of publication.  You can sometimes get away without knowing that context, but in this case, not knowing the context or some of the lesser known characters from DC, makes this a difficult one to penetrate. But not impossible by any means.

Do you agree with these assessments? What do you consider a classic comic book series? Let us know in the comment section below.

---

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.