Thursday, October 25, 2012

Batman Comics - Where to Start



I must admit, I am a total batman nerd.  I have Batman socks, Batman t-shirts, a Batman backpack, the list go on.

Oh, go on you say?  Well, I own the entire installment series of the four-set collection of "Batman: the Animated Series", I own and beat the video games Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and I've seen all three of Nolan's new Batman movies.  And now, happily, with my insatiable palate for Batman, I have at last gotten into comics with the most gracious help and advice of Third Eye Comics. ;)

So if you're like me, and want Batman to live on after the Nolan series, well, comics may just be your spot :)

With all the help I got from Steve from Third Eye Comics, I felt it was only right to share with everyone how to get into the Batman comics, and where you should start too.  I did this with my friends, and they are all crazy-Batman nuts like myself ;)  Mission accomplished hehe.

If you're first starting out, I would highly recommend watching the animated series of Batman...even just a few episodes.  This is the closest you're gonna get to the "true essence" of the comic book experience.  Plus, you'll get some great insight on the back-stories of characters, which will make reading comics that much better.  You can find some free episodes online too.  Just a suggestion though ;)

Now time for the comics.  To start off, read "Year One" by Frank Miller.  This covers all the grounds on how Batman got his start (as well as Catwoman), and really is the origin story of our new and current "Batman" we all know.  This graphic novel got us out of the "campy" Adam West movies, and into a darker, gritter version that we are so accustomed to today.

After reading "Year One", then I recommend reading "Hush".  It's not only one of the best graphic novels out there, but it's a great way to meet all the classic villains of the Batman universe in one condensed story.

So there you are:

1) Year One, by Frank Miller
2) Hush, by Jeph Loeb

I'll be writing some nice follow-up reads soon in a "Where to Go" post (trust me, I've read plenty to start cataloging them, lol), so be sure to check back in on my blog soon! :)