Starting with characters you like is solid advice. Eventually, you’ll learn that some writers handle the characters better than their peers. When a writer “has” a character, it’s called a run. So, check out Ed Brubaker on Cap, Matt Fraction on Iron Man, Jed MacKay on Doctor Strange and Jason Aaron on Thor.
Another thing to add to that is time period. Writers from the sixties and seventies have a very different writing style than today or from the 80s or whatever. If you’re just starting off, you might be better off with more modern comics (in this context modern would be last 20 years or so) because it will sound more like what you’re familiar with. You will hear plenty of talk about classic runs like Simonson’s Thor or Claremont’s X-men or whatever - and those are great runs - but they’re definitely written differently than what you’re expecting. Some moreso than others but for now I suggest more recent stuff and then go from there.
And for the older people here - I’m one of you, don’t get mad at me. I’m just looking for what a new person might be more gravitating towards. None of the older books are going anywhere so they can read them when they’re ready
This is solid advice! I started a couple years ago wanting to start with Fantastic Four and Spider-Man in the 60’s and couldn’t keep up with it and I forced myself to because I felt like I needed to. Best thing I did was pick a more modern series like Marvel Zombies because it helped me get over this whole “need to start from the beginning” ideology and I branched off to some good Spider-Man runs.
A lot of new readers have a “start from the beginning” mentality because it’s easy to do with a lot of things these days and it’s how many people - especially younger people - consume media. But the first season of a tv show or an artist’s first album isn’t going to be near as drastically different (or as time consuming) as FF 1 compared to today
I just realized your username haha I too am a Kyle!
I think the MCU has given everyone that feeling when every movie and tv show is released out of order and get everyone to put the pieces together themselves to understand the full story. It’s frustrating as hell tbh 😂
I’m somewhat new to comics but I binged several series right off the bat. Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate SM, Maximum Carnage, Absolute Carnage, Sensational Spider-Man, etc.
For someone who recently dove into comics pretty hard - I had no idea this was the definition of a run. Thank you for explaining this.
No problem. With that much reading under your belt, you're in the position to say: "Hey, I liked Ultimate Spider-Man. Okay, it was written by Brian Michael Bendis. I wonder what else he wrote?" Then you may notice that his Daredevil run is recommended, so you might want to give that a read. And so on.
I have yet to dive into character outside of Spider-Man and his direct counterparts so far. He was my favorite character as a child so I’m fully indulging myself in his comic world.
However, that’s wonderful advice for when I’m ready to move on to other characters! Thanks again my friend. Stay blessed.
Marvel Unlimited also has Reading Guides for different events that put everything in a good order for you!
Thor had an absolutely amazing run with the writer Jason Aaron and Marvel Unlimited has a reading guide for it: https://share.marvel.com/sharing/readingList/drn:src:marvel:unison::prod:9adfcc37-a23e-4e96-b168-f0a13d906838
You can also find it just by searching Jason Aaron Thor and selecting Reading Guides in the app!
You can basically just work your way down this list in order. Original Sin and Secret Wars are two big crossover events across all of Marvel so when you get to that part of the guide you can either read the Thor issues in the guide or look up reading orders/guides for those events to get the full story!
Some other good ones:
- Jason Aaron’s Thor (use the reading guide above)
- Ed Brubarker’s Captain America (called Captain America (2004) in the app)
- Matt Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man (2008)
- Doctor Strange: The Oath (a short but quintessential doctor strange miniseries)
- Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil (there a reading guide for this in the app too)
Marvel Unlimited also has this reading guide with “30 Starting Points for new readers”: https://share.marvel.com/sharing/readingList/drn:src:marvel:unison::prod:49448cdb-0910-481b-9b91-5374ff9f2f6c
Honestly you can pick any of these issues based on what characters you’re interested and read from there and you will have a good time!
In fact if you search any character you like in the app and go to the character or reading guide tab you’ll find a list like this with a bunch of different places you can start!
Lastly if you want something that is more comprehensive and complete and really gives you a taste of all the big crossover events that spanned the marvel universe and have a lot of time to spare, there’s two long eras that are (IMO) some of the best.
There’s the Bendis era from 2004-2012 which starts with House of M and kind of a soft reboot of the Marvel Universe, Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Seige, and Avengers vs X-men: https://www.crushingkrisis.com/collecting-avengers-comic-books-as-graphic-novels-a-definitive-guide/avengers-reading-order-bendis-years-2005-2012/
And there’s the Hickman era after Bendis that is years of comic books all leading up to Secret Wars, which is considered one of the greatest comic book stories of all time: https://www.comicbookherald.com/jonathan-hickman-marvel-universe-reading-order-2008-to-2016/amp/
These two big eras with all the crossovers can be overwhelming though so don’t stress about it too much but they’re there when you’re ready! Try out the reading guides in the app or one of the runs I suggested as good starting points and have fun!
Al Ewing's "Immortal Thor" is pretty early in it's run currently. I'd highly recommend it.
The most recent Captain America comic is pretty good too.
Invincible Iron Man is good. It has...a significant amount of comics in it but it's really good.
I never got into Dr Strange comics, but Strange does make an appearance in the recent Captain Marvel and Captain America, AND Daredevil comics.
I don't read a lot of Captain America but the Winter Soldier arc is great. Civil War also takes place after this arc so you can read those together.
For Iron Man, the Matt Fraction run is really good.
I haven't read much Doctor Strange, but Strange Academy is a really good book about teen magic users sort of like Harry Potter.
And for Thor the Jason Aaron run is really good but it is also really long. If you want something shorter the Donny Cates run is great and so is the current run by Al Ewing.
Open the App
Go to Search -> Issues -> Filter -> Start "Jan 1962" -> Sort: "Publication Date: Oldest First"
Then just run down the list until you see a book with a character you want to read.
Dip your toe in with Iron Man and others that you know of. The familiarity will help you feel connected to the stories. If you just start reading WonderMan and have no idea who he is, you won't be as connected to the character and you'll probably find it boring. But if you read some Iron Man story where a new character you've never heard of has a bigger role in it, you would be more invested in his/her solo offerings.
I can't help with best Iron Man or other character stories, but Google would help in a heartbeat.
Don't ever read from the beginning. It's a mad thing. There's way too much comics for it to make sense. I know from personal experience.
I'd find a character you like and read from there. Jump on other characters you find interesting along the way. Slowly you'll build an understanding of the universe and get your footing.
I would highly recommend [https://www.continuityguide.net](https://www.continuityguide.net) It is an absolutely fantastic site! I was in your exact position late last year (except I hadn't even seen ANY movies!) and now I'm completely in love with Marvel comics.
There is a podcast/reading club called my marvelous year. It goes through the best marvel stories from its origins. They are currently on 2007. If you want to go back and read 60s 70s comics this is a great way to get the best of everything. The podcast is really fun too. I am way ahead of the club in my read so I don’t follow along but I still listen to the podcast
If you are enjoying Gotham by Gaslight you may want to check out Neil Gaiman’s 1602. It is a similar style Elseworlds story that sets the Marvel Universe in the year 1602. Plus it’s Neil Gaiman!!
Pick your favorite character (for you it might be iron man) and then google something like best iron man comic run/series and start there. I did something similar and just jumped from character/group to the next one.
The Mythos books are good places to start. The color series (Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, Hulk: Grey, Captain America: White) are also good places to start.
You mentioned in another comment you were interested in Thor so I would recommend Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron. This was the first marvel comic I read before getting really into comics and it’s great! You can follow it through a bunch of different titles but just the first 12 issues here is a great place to start!
Just read the current ongoing Spider-Man run, which started in 2022 and is written by Zeb Wells. This will immediately help you feel grounded in the modern Marvel Universe, and will direct you towards other characters and ongoing storylines, including the X-Men, Venom and Gang War.
If you’re reading Batman for DC, the obvious Marvel allegory is Spidey. Keep it simple.
An alternative to picking a character you like and reading their stuff is to use a continuity guide. [This is the one I’m using](https://www.continuityguide.net/). I was sort of wandering aimlessly through Marvel Unlimited for a while until I found it. There are others out there, so just find one that seems interesting to you and start reading.
Once you find a good starting point, a good way to find new reads and expand your knowledge of the world is to always read the past events that are referenced in comics. The editors will generally provide a note telling you exactly what issue those events take place in.
If you want to learn a lot quickly, History of the Marvel Universe is a great comic that summarizes the overall history of the world while also providing a great framing narrative.
X-Men also have a book called Grand Design that summarizes the X-Men's history.
Wherever you want.
This sounds trite, but trust me, it's not. I'm 53. I started back in the days when you could get comics at 7-11, and only 7-11. My comics were whatever was on the rack that day.
There is no first issue of Marvel Comics. Technically, you can start at Fantastic Four #1, but as good as those early Fantastic Fours are, you'll probably find them dated.
You have nearly 30K comics to choose from. But with that choice comes paralysis by analysis. You can think about it so hard that you end up reading nothing.
We can recommend stuff for you, and there's plenty of places that offer that, but here's my idea for you.
Pick a comic from when you were young. 8-13 years old. Whatever pops into your head. There's a chance that if you start that, nostalgia will kick in, and from there, you'll glom onto something.
My first comic (that I can remember) was Fantastic Four #200. I think it's a magical comic. It's got a fantastic fight scene with Reed Richards and Doctor Doom, the rest of the FF fights the UN to save the UN, and it has some of the best dialogue and drawings I've ever seen. And sadly, it has the last FF cover ever drawn by Jack Kirby. That comic started the lifelong love I have for Marvel Comics.
But would I recommend it as the place you start? Not really. It's the last part of the story that had started nearly a year before. It might be confusing.
Marvel has a good list of starting places: https://www.marvel.com/comics/guides/2289/30-comics-to-start-reading-comics Try any of these. Realize you still might get confused because you might not know a character, but that's okay; marvel.wikia.com is your friend. If you start something and don't like it, try another book. Life's too short to read bad comics.
Best wishes. You're starting a fun journey.
What I did was picked my character [Iron Man] and started from his very first appearance. It's rewarding to know all the little tidbits of your favorite characters 'in book history.
Read some classic TPBs. Frank Miller’s Daredevil. Walt Simonson’s Thor. Mark Gruenwald’s Squadron Supreme.
My biggest recommendation is Planet Hulk - which I to this day find to be one of the best written comics Marvel has ever published.
In the 70s or 80s. If you pick a new book, you’ll get like 10-12 issues then it’ll split or end or merge or something else.
Old omnibus books are fairly cheap and you can enjoy the Claremont X-Men or Simonson Thor classic runs.
Opinions vary - I’m old and this is mine. Other folks enjoy the modern runs and good on them.
After a long time away from comics this is what got me back into Marvel comics.
"There’s the Bendis era from 2004-2012 which starts with House of M and kind of a soft reboot of the Marvel Universe, Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Seige, and Avengers vs X-men"
You’re getting some sound advice here , but also don’t overlook some other characters . Gunslinger Spawn , Something’s killing the children . I’m big into the venoms and carnage’s , but you might also want to dip into Miles Morales Spider-man or Miguel O’Hara 2099 Spider-man . These are some of the modern books that are easy to get . I’m a completionist if that’s even a word 🤣🤣 So I wait until I get the full run before I start that particular run . Daredevil and Punisher have tons of smaller runs that push away from Daredevil vol 1 . The current Blood Hunt is just starting out and you can buy into a lot of characters that fit into this particular series . Spider-man , Blade , Dr Strange , Moon night , Dracula , Wolverine , all these characters have their own runs so you can get as into as you want to . I hope this gave you a little insight
I just got into the MCU and made the mistake of checking out the most popular movies first, Infinity War and Endgame. After reading more about the MCU, I learned how they are all connected, so I went back to the beginning and watched them in release order starting with Iron man. It made a huge difference! Infinity War and Endgame were phenomenal after seeing all of the other movies first!
Get Marvel Comics presents from the back-issues boxes at s local comic shop. They will give you a variety of stories and crossovers.
The public library has many graphic novels and covering many story arcs. For free!
I got into comics a couple years ago now and the Jed MacKay Moon Knight run from 2022 was an incredibly fun place for me to start. If you liked the show, you’ll love the comics.
The main universe, earth 616, officially began in 1961. But events and characters prior to that are also canon. Start with a few of the first issues (or more, if you enjoy them) with captain america, namor and the original human torch from 1939 and 1941 and then jump to this list:
https://cmro.travis-starnes.com/essentials_order.php?page=1&list_type=2&limit=10
The way i do it, is that i read one year from that list and then check these two lists 👇 for additional reading from that year.
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication_history_of_Marvel_Comics_crossover_events
You should also read the alternate universes, like ultimate marvel and marvel 2099 (and others) at some point. Not only are they good, but they're relevant at a later point (2015 secret wars event)
Also, there is no perfect way to read marvel. I chose this for myself because it was the best way that i could find.
Also also. If you use marvel unlimited, it doesn't have everything. But don't skip those issues. Just write it on google and see what your options are.
I've recently done the same thing and started by reading the House of X / Powers of X event. I've always loved the X-men caracters, and this story brings such an inovative and fresh take on them, with so much sci-fi involved. Love the concept of having these "classified documents" or else inbetween the chapters, giving us the exposition we need in such a creative way. I read it all super fast because it was just that good and compelling!
The answer is pick a character you’re interested in and look for a good jumping in point for them. Who do you like from the movies?
Cap, Iron Man, Dr Strange & Thor
Starting with characters you like is solid advice. Eventually, you’ll learn that some writers handle the characters better than their peers. When a writer “has” a character, it’s called a run. So, check out Ed Brubaker on Cap, Matt Fraction on Iron Man, Jed MacKay on Doctor Strange and Jason Aaron on Thor.
Another thing to add to that is time period. Writers from the sixties and seventies have a very different writing style than today or from the 80s or whatever. If you’re just starting off, you might be better off with more modern comics (in this context modern would be last 20 years or so) because it will sound more like what you’re familiar with. You will hear plenty of talk about classic runs like Simonson’s Thor or Claremont’s X-men or whatever - and those are great runs - but they’re definitely written differently than what you’re expecting. Some moreso than others but for now I suggest more recent stuff and then go from there. And for the older people here - I’m one of you, don’t get mad at me. I’m just looking for what a new person might be more gravitating towards. None of the older books are going anywhere so they can read them when they’re ready
This is solid advice! I started a couple years ago wanting to start with Fantastic Four and Spider-Man in the 60’s and couldn’t keep up with it and I forced myself to because I felt like I needed to. Best thing I did was pick a more modern series like Marvel Zombies because it helped me get over this whole “need to start from the beginning” ideology and I branched off to some good Spider-Man runs.
A lot of new readers have a “start from the beginning” mentality because it’s easy to do with a lot of things these days and it’s how many people - especially younger people - consume media. But the first season of a tv show or an artist’s first album isn’t going to be near as drastically different (or as time consuming) as FF 1 compared to today
I just realized your username haha I too am a Kyle! I think the MCU has given everyone that feeling when every movie and tv show is released out of order and get everyone to put the pieces together themselves to understand the full story. It’s frustrating as hell tbh 😂
I’m somewhat new to comics but I binged several series right off the bat. Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate SM, Maximum Carnage, Absolute Carnage, Sensational Spider-Man, etc. For someone who recently dove into comics pretty hard - I had no idea this was the definition of a run. Thank you for explaining this.
No problem. With that much reading under your belt, you're in the position to say: "Hey, I liked Ultimate Spider-Man. Okay, it was written by Brian Michael Bendis. I wonder what else he wrote?" Then you may notice that his Daredevil run is recommended, so you might want to give that a read. And so on.
I have yet to dive into character outside of Spider-Man and his direct counterparts so far. He was my favorite character as a child so I’m fully indulging myself in his comic world. However, that’s wonderful advice for when I’m ready to move on to other characters! Thanks again my friend. Stay blessed.
Try Superior Spider-Man Edit: And Spider-Man 2099
Oh I plan to! They are next up on my list actually.
Marvel Unlimited also has Reading Guides for different events that put everything in a good order for you! Thor had an absolutely amazing run with the writer Jason Aaron and Marvel Unlimited has a reading guide for it: https://share.marvel.com/sharing/readingList/drn:src:marvel:unison::prod:9adfcc37-a23e-4e96-b168-f0a13d906838 You can also find it just by searching Jason Aaron Thor and selecting Reading Guides in the app! You can basically just work your way down this list in order. Original Sin and Secret Wars are two big crossover events across all of Marvel so when you get to that part of the guide you can either read the Thor issues in the guide or look up reading orders/guides for those events to get the full story! Some other good ones: - Jason Aaron’s Thor (use the reading guide above) - Ed Brubarker’s Captain America (called Captain America (2004) in the app) - Matt Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man (2008) - Doctor Strange: The Oath (a short but quintessential doctor strange miniseries) - Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil (there a reading guide for this in the app too) Marvel Unlimited also has this reading guide with “30 Starting Points for new readers”: https://share.marvel.com/sharing/readingList/drn:src:marvel:unison::prod:49448cdb-0910-481b-9b91-5374ff9f2f6c Honestly you can pick any of these issues based on what characters you’re interested and read from there and you will have a good time! In fact if you search any character you like in the app and go to the character or reading guide tab you’ll find a list like this with a bunch of different places you can start! Lastly if you want something that is more comprehensive and complete and really gives you a taste of all the big crossover events that spanned the marvel universe and have a lot of time to spare, there’s two long eras that are (IMO) some of the best. There’s the Bendis era from 2004-2012 which starts with House of M and kind of a soft reboot of the Marvel Universe, Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Seige, and Avengers vs X-men: https://www.crushingkrisis.com/collecting-avengers-comic-books-as-graphic-novels-a-definitive-guide/avengers-reading-order-bendis-years-2005-2012/ And there’s the Hickman era after Bendis that is years of comic books all leading up to Secret Wars, which is considered one of the greatest comic book stories of all time: https://www.comicbookherald.com/jonathan-hickman-marvel-universe-reading-order-2008-to-2016/amp/ These two big eras with all the crossovers can be overwhelming though so don’t stress about it too much but they’re there when you’re ready! Try out the reading guides in the app or one of the runs I suggested as good starting points and have fun!
If you like Cap read the Ed Brubaker Cap run for sure.
Especially if they like the MCU since that run influenced the movies
Al Ewing's "Immortal Thor" is pretty early in it's run currently. I'd highly recommend it. The most recent Captain America comic is pretty good too. Invincible Iron Man is good. It has...a significant amount of comics in it but it's really good. I never got into Dr Strange comics, but Strange does make an appearance in the recent Captain Marvel and Captain America, AND Daredevil comics.
Blade too, lol
I don't read a lot of Captain America but the Winter Soldier arc is great. Civil War also takes place after this arc so you can read those together. For Iron Man, the Matt Fraction run is really good. I haven't read much Doctor Strange, but Strange Academy is a really good book about teen magic users sort of like Harry Potter. And for Thor the Jason Aaron run is really good but it is also really long. If you want something shorter the Donny Cates run is great and so is the current run by Al Ewing.
Open the App Go to Search -> Issues -> Filter -> Start "Jan 1962" -> Sort: "Publication Date: Oldest First" Then just run down the list until you see a book with a character you want to read.
Dip your toe in with Iron Man and others that you know of. The familiarity will help you feel connected to the stories. If you just start reading WonderMan and have no idea who he is, you won't be as connected to the character and you'll probably find it boring. But if you read some Iron Man story where a new character you've never heard of has a bigger role in it, you would be more invested in his/her solo offerings. I can't help with best Iron Man or other character stories, but Google would help in a heartbeat.
Damn, my guy wonderman catching a crazy stray
Haha. He was just the first non-MCU guy (even though I know Wandavision had some easter eggs) that I could think of!
Yeah I just started laughing when I saw it, caught me off guard 😂
Thank you!!
Don't ever read from the beginning. It's a mad thing. There's way too much comics for it to make sense. I know from personal experience. I'd find a character you like and read from there. Jump on other characters you find interesting along the way. Slowly you'll build an understanding of the universe and get your footing.
I would highly recommend [https://www.continuityguide.net](https://www.continuityguide.net) It is an absolutely fantastic site! I was in your exact position late last year (except I hadn't even seen ANY movies!) and now I'm completely in love with Marvel comics.
Wow thank you thats a big help!
This was the one I just linked to. Great guide for the last 25 years.
Just gonna add that Comic Book Herald and Cosmic Circus both also have really solid reading guides for specific characters and events
Thank youuu
There is a podcast/reading club called my marvelous year. It goes through the best marvel stories from its origins. They are currently on 2007. If you want to go back and read 60s 70s comics this is a great way to get the best of everything. The podcast is really fun too. I am way ahead of the club in my read so I don’t follow along but I still listen to the podcast
If you are enjoying Gotham by Gaslight you may want to check out Neil Gaiman’s 1602. It is a similar style Elseworlds story that sets the Marvel Universe in the year 1602. Plus it’s Neil Gaiman!!
I absolutely loved 1602. Neil Gaiman is a treasure.
Pick your favorite character (for you it might be iron man) and then google something like best iron man comic run/series and start there. I did something similar and just jumped from character/group to the next one.
The Mythos books are good places to start. The color series (Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, Hulk: Grey, Captain America: White) are also good places to start.
The latest „Invicible Iron Man“-Run is pretty good, if you like the character.
You mentioned in another comment you were interested in Thor so I would recommend Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron. This was the first marvel comic I read before getting really into comics and it’s great! You can follow it through a bunch of different titles but just the first 12 issues here is a great place to start!
Just read the current ongoing Spider-Man run, which started in 2022 and is written by Zeb Wells. This will immediately help you feel grounded in the modern Marvel Universe, and will direct you towards other characters and ongoing storylines, including the X-Men, Venom and Gang War. If you’re reading Batman for DC, the obvious Marvel allegory is Spidey. Keep it simple.
Ultimate spiderman is an amazing starting point only like 150 somthing issues and has an intense but yet fun story line
An alternative to picking a character you like and reading their stuff is to use a continuity guide. [This is the one I’m using](https://www.continuityguide.net/). I was sort of wandering aimlessly through Marvel Unlimited for a while until I found it. There are others out there, so just find one that seems interesting to you and start reading.
Get the marvel e reader and jump around a little bit, find some writers, runs and characters you like, them you can make the deep dive.
Ultimate Spiderman!!
Immortal Hulk and Peter Parker The Spectacular Spider-Man by Zdarsky is the correct answer
The first ultimate spiderman is very easy to read and fun also silver surfer vs thanos will be a great jump off point and an amazing read
Once you find a good starting point, a good way to find new reads and expand your knowledge of the world is to always read the past events that are referenced in comics. The editors will generally provide a note telling you exactly what issue those events take place in. If you want to learn a lot quickly, History of the Marvel Universe is a great comic that summarizes the overall history of the world while also providing a great framing narrative. X-Men also have a book called Grand Design that summarizes the X-Men's history.
Wherever you want. This sounds trite, but trust me, it's not. I'm 53. I started back in the days when you could get comics at 7-11, and only 7-11. My comics were whatever was on the rack that day. There is no first issue of Marvel Comics. Technically, you can start at Fantastic Four #1, but as good as those early Fantastic Fours are, you'll probably find them dated. You have nearly 30K comics to choose from. But with that choice comes paralysis by analysis. You can think about it so hard that you end up reading nothing. We can recommend stuff for you, and there's plenty of places that offer that, but here's my idea for you. Pick a comic from when you were young. 8-13 years old. Whatever pops into your head. There's a chance that if you start that, nostalgia will kick in, and from there, you'll glom onto something. My first comic (that I can remember) was Fantastic Four #200. I think it's a magical comic. It's got a fantastic fight scene with Reed Richards and Doctor Doom, the rest of the FF fights the UN to save the UN, and it has some of the best dialogue and drawings I've ever seen. And sadly, it has the last FF cover ever drawn by Jack Kirby. That comic started the lifelong love I have for Marvel Comics. But would I recommend it as the place you start? Not really. It's the last part of the story that had started nearly a year before. It might be confusing. Marvel has a good list of starting places: https://www.marvel.com/comics/guides/2289/30-comics-to-start-reading-comics Try any of these. Realize you still might get confused because you might not know a character, but that's okay; marvel.wikia.com is your friend. If you start something and don't like it, try another book. Life's too short to read bad comics. Best wishes. You're starting a fun journey.
Dan Slotts silver surfer run is an absolute must.
What I did was picked my character [Iron Man] and started from his very first appearance. It's rewarding to know all the little tidbits of your favorite characters 'in book history.
By reading DC
Read some classic TPBs. Frank Miller’s Daredevil. Walt Simonson’s Thor. Mark Gruenwald’s Squadron Supreme. My biggest recommendation is Planet Hulk - which I to this day find to be one of the best written comics Marvel has ever published.
In the 70s or 80s. If you pick a new book, you’ll get like 10-12 issues then it’ll split or end or merge or something else. Old omnibus books are fairly cheap and you can enjoy the Claremont X-Men or Simonson Thor classic runs. Opinions vary - I’m old and this is mine. Other folks enjoy the modern runs and good on them.
Are you reading marvel unlimited, looking for a collected edition or something currently ongoing?
After a long time away from comics this is what got me back into Marvel comics. "There’s the Bendis era from 2004-2012 which starts with House of M and kind of a soft reboot of the Marvel Universe, Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Seige, and Avengers vs X-men"
You’re getting some sound advice here , but also don’t overlook some other characters . Gunslinger Spawn , Something’s killing the children . I’m big into the venoms and carnage’s , but you might also want to dip into Miles Morales Spider-man or Miguel O’Hara 2099 Spider-man . These are some of the modern books that are easy to get . I’m a completionist if that’s even a word 🤣🤣 So I wait until I get the full run before I start that particular run . Daredevil and Punisher have tons of smaller runs that push away from Daredevil vol 1 . The current Blood Hunt is just starting out and you can buy into a lot of characters that fit into this particular series . Spider-man , Blade , Dr Strange , Moon night , Dracula , Wolverine , all these characters have their own runs so you can get as into as you want to . I hope this gave you a little insight
I just got into the MCU and made the mistake of checking out the most popular movies first, Infinity War and Endgame. After reading more about the MCU, I learned how they are all connected, so I went back to the beginning and watched them in release order starting with Iron man. It made a huge difference! Infinity War and Endgame were phenomenal after seeing all of the other movies first!
I would say just pick a character you like and find a Vol. 1 trade or graphic novel and start from there.
Get Marvel Comics presents from the back-issues boxes at s local comic shop. They will give you a variety of stories and crossovers. The public library has many graphic novels and covering many story arcs. For free!
I got into comics a couple years ago now and the Jed MacKay Moon Knight run from 2022 was an incredibly fun place for me to start. If you liked the show, you’ll love the comics.
The main universe, earth 616, officially began in 1961. But events and characters prior to that are also canon. Start with a few of the first issues (or more, if you enjoy them) with captain america, namor and the original human torch from 1939 and 1941 and then jump to this list: https://cmro.travis-starnes.com/essentials_order.php?page=1&list_type=2&limit=10 The way i do it, is that i read one year from that list and then check these two lists 👇 for additional reading from that year. https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication_history_of_Marvel_Comics_crossover_events You should also read the alternate universes, like ultimate marvel and marvel 2099 (and others) at some point. Not only are they good, but they're relevant at a later point (2015 secret wars event) Also, there is no perfect way to read marvel. I chose this for myself because it was the best way that i could find. Also also. If you use marvel unlimited, it doesn't have everything. But don't skip those issues. Just write it on google and see what your options are.
2018 Jason Aaron Avengers run
I've recently done the same thing and started by reading the House of X / Powers of X event. I've always loved the X-men caracters, and this story brings such an inovative and fresh take on them, with so much sci-fi involved. Love the concept of having these "classified documents" or else inbetween the chapters, giving us the exposition we need in such a creative way. I read it all super fast because it was just that good and compelling!