Comics!

SunDragon

So, as I was sitting watching Iron Man on TV last night, I turned to my wife and said: "I wonder, if its possible to just walk into a comic store, pick up an Iron Man, or Spider-Man comic and actually know what the hell is going on with the story". We ended up comparing it to TV Soap Operas and how unless you have watched them on and off for awhile, you likely wouldn't have a clue what was going on.

I think in my entire life, I might have read 2-3 comics, and I sure never bought any of them, just whatever might have been laying around a friends house when I was a kid. I know the general idea's behind most of the more common characters from TV cartoons and movies, but again, have never read any of their comics. This lead to me wanting to maybe pick up a few and give a go at reading or getting into one or two of the more main stream characters.

So, can anyone enlighten a rather clueless person on any good starting points for comics?

As a related side question, my 6 year old son is a really good reader and loves to read anything. Are there any particular line of comics that might be good for him to start reading as well?

mugginns

Marvel just had their .1 event happen which was basically a huge jumping-on point for some of their flagship titles. I'd suggest that if you're a Marvel man.

If you like DC too, Flash will be doing a big event this summer then a reboot (I think?) sometime this year. Flash is my favorite

For your 6 year old, Super Dinosaur just started and from reading the notes in it it seems like it is a younger-audience book (mostly just a lack of ultra-gore and swearing, I believe) so you might want to check that out. I enjoyed it.

Sentry

comics used to be completely inaccessable, but now that's to a nifty site called Wikipedia, there's no reason not to just go in and grab one. I did the same thing ten years ago and, despite having felt a little lost a time or two, have not looked back. For me my favorites are as follows:

DC:
Batman
Green Lantern
Teen Titans

Marvel:
Spider-Man
Uncanny X-Men
Ultimate Spider-Man (the best comic printed now, by the way)

If you ever get confused, two seconds on Wikipedia will clear it right up. But it's like with everything else, you never know until you try.

admanb

I went through the same thing not six months ago, and what I've found is that it's not as bad as it seems. Amazing Spider-Man and Invincible Iron Man are the core stories for those two characters, and they're both really good right now.

finral

If you grab a trade paperback, they usually have one complete story arc that is pretty easy to jump on with. While some of the background might not make sense, it will be a full and complete story.

Tomanta

I would start with a few trades, because they do tend to be self contained story arcs. The Graphic Violence subforum has a thread where you can get specific recommendations if there is a specific character/team you are interested in.

Marvel has a line of comics geared towards younger readers. The branding on it is Marvel Adventures, not sure if that has changed recently or not. I believe those are self contained stories.

Esh

An easy way to get into this are the "Ultimate" reboots of the various teams and heroes from Marvel. Great art, great stories, and all available in graphic novel/trade paperback/hardback format.

flowerhoney

and if you still feel hesitant about getting into comics, there's always the DC animated universe! My personal favorites are Batman and Justice League

I'm a huge huge huge huge fan DC AU, and while they don't exactly match up with DC comics, the cartoons tell some amazing stories and are really entertaining even for a total newbie like me who really is more into manga! Now I'm way more into western comics and I have a basic handle on lots of characters
(also the flash is the best! I love wally west!)

rockmonkey

I'll also recommend starting by picking up some trade paperbacks, specifically starting with Ultimate Spider-man #1. If you like Marvel, any of the Ultimate storylines are good, also if you don't mind straying from main stream heroes and/or Marvel/DC then there are a lot of comics from Vertigo, Image and others that can be found in trade paperback that are great reads, and haven't gone on forever and ever or at least didn't start 30+ years ago and so there start of the series is easier to find (especially in TPB) and it's been around long enough to have plenty to read before you hit the end or catch up with current issues.

The Walking Dead, Y: The Last Man, Preacher, Fables, Sword, Echo, Invincible, etc.

Also another route are trade paperbacks that contain off shoots/ alternate storylines. Like Superman: Red Son or DC: New Frontier

LadyM

I recommend either picking up comic books aimed specifically at kids and only kids for your 6 year old son, or else making sure to read all issues yourself before handing them over to him. Adults make up the primary audience of comics these days, which means some of them, including mainstream comics, can have material that isn't suitable for little kids. For example, Sue Dibny (Elongated Man's wife) getting raped, Ant Man performing oral sex on Wasp, or simply embarrassingly over-the-top cheesecake images.

That's not to say every issue is like that, but that's the rub--a comic can be "clean" enough for all ages for years, then some guest writer or special event comes along and suddenly you have an issue that's inappropriate for little kids. You, the parent, have to keep on top of it because the comic company isn't going to.