Over the years comics have reached a new level of popularity. As these books have progressed, however, its become an ever more daunting task for new readers to jump in. So whether you are a veteran reader who fell off for a few years, or a fresh reader looking to start a journey, this article will provide you the best starting point for reading DC Comics.
Now if you were to ask one of the “old-guard” comic readers where to start reading “Batman”, you’d probably get mixed answers at best. Most of them haven’t been a new reader in so long, they have forgotten the woes of finding a good starting point. For the most part they would probably point you to iconic story runs like “The Dark Knight Returns”, “Court Of The Owls” or a number of other great stories. However that’s about where you’ll also be ending your journey if that is your only guidance. These are stories that, while once part of continuity, for the most part aren’t even referenced in main-line continuity.
So then your next question you might have is, “well where should I start if I want to read something meaningful to the current universe?”, and for that I point you to DC’s “Rebirth”. Whether it be “Batman”, “The Flash” or even “Green Arrow”, Rebirth is the perfect place to jump in. The main Rebirth event that kicked off current comic continuity back in 2016 is not only the beginning of our story, it also features most of DC’s main lineup of heroes. While this wasn’t a complete reboot of the timeline established in “The New 52” comic run that went from 2011 to 2016, it was a good “soft Retcon” event that allowed for DC to combine all the best parts of the comics and throw out the confusing or disliked plots fans had been asking them to drop.
So pick up “Rebirth” and go from there. If you like a character in that run, go jump into that character’s comic run. Rebirth still remains the current continuity, though the comics have adopted the name “DC Universe” instead of “DC Rebirth”, and this allows you to read through the stories knowing that when you get caught up, you’ll actually be caught up. The issue with going back to comic runs like silver age or the New 52 is that, while they may have been great times for comics, they simply don’t matter anymore. You won’t get a good sense of the personality a character has now if you read older comics, as most characters have progressed or changed completely through different reboots and events.
The best part is once you start reading through a character run, they will often have crossovers with others that you may find interesting. Start “Flash-2016” comic run and you are almost immediately introduced to the story of the old Wally West, one that you can follow over to “Titans-2016” and continue there which is a great way to get involved in other heroes. If you start here you will be given over 60 issues for most heroes before you are caught up with the current releases. This is great as it gives you a good backlog to read through and enjoy in one run without the wait, but it isn’t so many issues you’ll feel as if you just cannot ever get through it all.
So long story short, don’t go searching for those iconic stories until you’ve gotten a grasp for how DC comic runs work and know your characters. Stick to current runs and jump in at the beginning of it all. Rebirth is your go-to for comics that actively matter in the grand scheme of things. And above all, just have fun with it. These stories are an escape and no matter what hero you start with, you’ll be in for a long adventure.
The Hero Watch 