Over the years that I have been on social media, I have been asked by many interested parties if I could help them get going when it comes to reading comics. Getting started in the world of Marvel can seem like a daunting task when you look at the total number of books, stories, and arcs. While I don’t claim to be a master on every title, I know enough to make recommendations and to provide new readers with a tiny well of comics from which they can draw as they expand their comic knowledge.
This is the first newsletter I am sending out. I am including five stories that I am currently reading, a brief description about those books, and a link to where you can buy them on Marvel’s digital page. It’s not meant to be an exhaustive list, just a short glimpse at some things you should check out if you’re new to the world of comics. So, without further ado, let’s get started on this.
Savage Avengers (2019) — Written by Gerry Duggan, drawn by Mike Deodato Jr., and colored by Frank Martin, this series takes an unlikely set of anti-heroes and puts them on the path toward righteousness, well, sort of. It’s mostly revenge but when the Savage Land is in trouble, there’s no group more likely to get the job done than that of Frank Castle, Elektra, Venom, Conan, Brother Voodoo, and Wolverine as they taken on Kulan Gath, who is a sorcerer from the Hyborian Age. That’s the same age that Conan is from and you can probably guess that they’ve butted heads before.
This story is meant to be an ongoing, so even after the Kulan Gath portion of this tale is wrapped up, Duggan has promised longevity on the book. With so many anti-heroes all cast in one group, there is bound to be changes in the membership as well as some epic in-fighting. I never get tired of Frank Castle, so I am actually hoping that he becomes the Captain America-type de facto leader, but something tells me that they’ll give that task to Wolverine.The Mighty Thor (1998) — The Mighty Thor is an outstanding run that leads into an event called Avengers Disassembled, which is pretty self explanatory but that’s not why you should read this run. Originally written by Dan Jurgens, this story has a little bit of everything. It begins with Thor having to share the body of a dead human and ends with… well, I can’t very well tell you the ending.
This story contains things like Rune King Thor and Thor: Ragnarok, so a healthy number of events from the movies can be found in this run. It’s also written in such a way that it makes Thor’s speech style a bit more tolerable. If you’ve ever read Thor, you know how impossible it can be to understand him at times. But all of that aside, you should read this entire run on Marvel Unlimited.
Ironheart (2018) — Eve Ewing is a rockstar. She could write the phone book and it would be the most interesting phone book you’ve ever read. Ironheart is no exception to this rule. Set in Chicago, Riri Williams struggles with life, being a young, black teenager, lack of friends, fitting in at MIT with a Dean that insists on invading her work space, and foe named Midnight Fire that just won’t leave her alone. This comic is a gem and reminds us that the interpersonal is often the most important aspect of any relationship we have, even if that relationship is nothing more than us connecting with a character in a book.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982) — Written by legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont and illustrated by Brent Anderson, this book served as the inspiration for X2 in theaters. The story follows William Stryker as he attempts to wipe out mutants using Charles Xavier as the tool to do so. This is one of the most famous books written by Claremont that doesn’t involve Phoenix.
This book can be purchased just about anywhere and it doesn’t cost a lot of money. It’s not terribly time consuming, only lasting 64 pages, but the content within the graphic novel is some of the best ever written on the X-Men. If you get the chance, purchase this graphic novel. You won’t regret it.Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) — Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Jemas. Penciled by Mark Bagley, and inked by Art Thibert, Ultimate Spider-Man represents Bill Jemas’ brainchild of another Marvel universe being brought to life in the form of Earth 1610, or the Ultimate Universe. This universe is similar to the one everybody knows and loves, but rebooted so as to imagine the characters in their original forms. For example, Peter Parker in the main Marvel continuity had grown up to run a business, it’s a little hard to get kids interested in a superhero that runs a billion dollar company when he was famous for being a teen going through teen issues.
Thus Marvel created Earth 1610. A place where they could re-imagine some of Marvel’s favorite characters and would eventually do so. The Ultimate Universe gave rise to some of the most popular heroes in comics today and may yet still be around if Bendis’ work on Spider-Men II (2017) is any indication. The Ultimate Universe is a fantastic playground and since there was no prelude to it, this is literally the perfect place to start since it’s the very beginning.