We’re losing the specifics with this week’s “So You Want to Read Comics”.  This is our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic or genre, then give you two comic book recommendations, perfect for new readers, based on that topic or genre.  This week we’re keeping it open and looking at the best all-around good comic books for new readers.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve written So You Want To Read Comics as a way for people to find the joys of comic book reading through things that they would be familiar with, in hopes that this would help ease some of the intimidation factor that can come with jumping into comic books.  This was simply an extension of my belief that the best way to connect with people is to meet them where they are. But sometimes there just isn’t a specific thing that you can grab onto and use when it comes to giving someone a recommendation.  In these situations, all you can do is choose something that represents a big net and hope you can pull them in.  These are the movies like Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, and The Godfather, or books and plays like The Count of Monte Cristo, and Romeo and Juliet, ones that somehow have something for everyone and have earned their place in pop culture history through quality and mass appeal.

So, with all that being said, here are the two comic book titles that I think are the all-around best for introducing new readers to comic books.

SAGA

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Artist: Fiona Staples

Publisher: Image Comics

When I say that Saga has a little bit of everything in it, I mean it.  There’s sex, drugs, violence, humor, tragedy, family drama, spaceships, galactic war, magic, robots, spider people, a talking cat, dragons, ghosts, pro wrestling, romance, and so much more.  Most importantly though, Saga is a title that’s full of heart.  Saga at its most basic is the ongoing story of a child born to parents who come from opposing sides of a long-running feud.  From this single thread comes a whole tapestry of tales as more and more characters are pulled into this story, each one complex and fully realized. While there are certainly “good guys” and “bad guys”, no character in Saga is one-note and each has at least some reason to be interested in them beyond their role in the main plot.  Essentially, if you know someone with even a passing interest in reading comic books, this is the one I would recommend they check out.  Not only is it completely self-contained, but there’s also a whole lot of it to read, 11 volumes at the time of writing this.

MS. MARVEL

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Artist: Adrian Alphona

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Over the last 20 years, both of the two big comic book publishers, Marvel and DC, have introduced a plethora of new characters for readers both new and old to latch onto.  Characters like Miles Morales, Riri Williams, and Jonathan Kent, have all given readers new perspectives and avenues to experience the vast fictional universes they inhabit.  But I would argue that the most important and impactful character has been Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel.  Kamala is a bright-eyed, optimistic daughter of Pakistani immigrants living in Jersey City, who adores The Avengers, especially Captain Marvel.  Then one day, she discovers she has superpowers and is then thrust into the crazy world of superheroes and supervillains.  Since her arrival in 2013, Kamala has become a mainstay in the Marvel Universe and has had a role in nearly all the major events that have happened which gives her character the unique ability to act as a guide for any new comic reader, at least on the Marvel side of things.  By reading titles featuring Kamala, you can get a pretty good idea of everything that’s happened in the last 10 years.  Also, just by the sheer number of other characters that she has either teamed up with or has had other connections with, Ms. Marvel also is a great gateway to checking out other books featuring those characters.

So, there you have it, all the comic book recommendations you’ll ever need if you want to get someone into comics, or you yourself want to jump in.  What are your go-to comic recommendations?  What did you think of these suggestions? Let us know in the comments section below.

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