So you want to get into comics… but you don’t want to read about the superheroes of the big two companies. That’s okay because comics can be about so much more than just superheroes! In fact, there are even more comic book publishers than just Marvel and DC such as Dark Horse, Image, Top Cow, and countless other independent publishers. The following recommendations are mostly the products of a DC Comics offshoot publisher called Vertigo and represent a range of genres. They are not, however, the only books in the game. I also avoided recommending any tie-in comic books but if you are a fan of something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Wars, you could always begin with picking up those comic books as a way to see if you like the medium. Although I’ve only included a few, I’ll also suggest that if you enjoyed a film or a TV show that was based upon a comic book that you pick up the first volume of that comic and give it a try.
Long story short, comics are great and are about so much more than just the Marvel and DC Superheroes. There really is a book out there for everyone! With that said, I’ll just get on with some of my own recommendations.
Watchmen
[Amazon – Comixology]
This is a very predictable way to start the list but Watchmen isn’t one of the best selling comics of all time for nothing. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons did some amazing work when they created this book. It’s a sort of alternate history where Nixon never resigned and costumed vigilantes began popping up in the 1940s and 1960s. The story opens with the investigation into the death of one of those costumer heroes, the Comedian. Rorschach, a former teammate, figures out that someone is trying to kill their entire team and takes it upon himself to warn them and the tale progresses from there. Not only is the book a critique of the concept of superheroes but it also presents readers with a few ethical dilemmas and you have to ask yourself if the villain is really a villain or perhaps actually the hero of the piece. It’s certainly a darker comic than some of the others in this article but oh man is it worth it.
In all honesty, Watchmen is probably one of those comics that you will have to read at some point during your comic reading career because it is just that iconic. I’ll even go so far to say that this book is essential reading even for people who aren’t into comics. And then you get to walk around for a week afterwards asking yourself, “Who Watches the Watchmen?”.