The Nerd Cantina Intro To Comics

Superhero movies have dominated the big screen for over a decade now. Everyone has a favorite Marvel or DC movie but many do not have a favorite comic from either company. The inspiration for these movies are great works created by talented writers and artists that often get overlooked. If you are interested in getting to know some of the source material but don’t know where to begin, The Nerd Cantina and our friend from the Cheers to Comics podcast are here to help you out. Steve is giving you his favorite Marvel comics that started his interest in collecting and Brian Wayne from Cheers to Comics is giving a few of his DC favorites as well.

Steve’s Picks:

Marvel: Avengers Disassembled

This is one of my favorite books. It is a good starting point because its an epic end to the traditional Avengers and leads into the modern Avengers team that current fans are familiar with. Written by one of the great Marvel writers Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by the amazing art of David Finch, Avengers Disassembled will grab your attention fast and hook you in for the next few story arcs. You can find the trade paperback at your local comic store or by clicking here.

Marvel: Planet Hulk

One of the most popular Hulk stories that was adapted into a mediocre cartoon and was chopped to bits to feature Hulk in the Thor: Ragnarok movie with neither capturing the amazing story from the original comic. Greg Pak wrote an amazingly original story for the Hulk where Hulk lands on a gladiator planet and fights for survival. After this book comes another epic Hulk event you surely will not want to miss. Snag yourself a copy here and get to reading.

Marvel: Supreme Power

There is a long history of DC and Marvel trolling each other long before “trolling” became a thing. In doing so there have been some great stories told. Supreme power is Marvel’s version of The Justice League done in a way that spares them from legal issues but tells a very serious and gritty version of their rivals top team. The best way to troll their rival was not to make fun of them, but to take their pride and do it better than them. You can find a copy of Supreme power here.

Vertigo: Y-The Last Man

An amazing story outside of the superhero genre, Y: The Last Man is the story where everyone with a Y chromosome dies except for one. The comic follows the one male survivor into a new world run by women trying to survive in a new world without men. The ways society rebounds from such a tragic event is an imaginative story told by Brian K. Vaughn. With a hopeful television adaptation coming soon, you may want to get familiar with this comic. Start your reading here.

Brian’s Picks:

DC: Justice League

If there is one DC team book to get into, and there are plenty to choose from, it is Scott Snyder’s “Justice League”. The beautiful thing about this series isn’t just the fact that every 5 issues the title story gets told from the perspective of the Legion of Doom, but the story that set up the new Justice League Universe, Dark Nights: Metal. Snyder does a great job introducing new aspects of the DC universe in this title, which makes jumping into JL now the best time in many years. With “Metal” only being six issues and the “Justice League” run sitting at only 26 issues in, it is still a viable amount of books to be able to catch up on without being overwhelmed.

DC: Batman Beyond

If I had to choose just on a single character title to follow from the DC universe, and we all know the library is endless, it would be Dan Jurgen’s “Batman Beyond”. Whether you are familiar with the character from the previous comic runs, animated series, or even completely oblivious, this book is a fun and consistent title to subscribe to. At around 30 issues in and going strong, I feel like this is one of the more solid titles a new reader can jump in on.

DC: Shazam

When getting into comics, I feel that having a family title should be available. My obvious choice would be Geoff John’s run of “Shazam”. With the popularity of the movie recently, it makes it that much more intriguing, especially with how this current comic book run seems to be setting up what would potentially be the story to the sequel to the movie. Beyond the movie, this book is incredible in every aspect. Highly recommended for a family-type read.

Valiant: Bloodshot- Rising Spirit

Independant titles are great because we get to see just a little bit more than the “Big 2” would allow us to see normally. If there is one independant anti-hero whom I have loved reading it has been “Bloodshot” by Valiant. Deadpool and Wolverine wish they were half as deadly as Bloodshot (not to mention he heals at a faster rate). With very few censors in the Valiant universe, you could only imagine what takes place on these pages. For starters blood, lots of blood.

Image: Murder Falcon

This is a total wild card pick, but it also happens to be my favorite comic in all of comics… ever. “Murder Falcon” by Daniel Warren Johnson is for just about everybody, but if you love hard rock music in any way it will take hold of so much more of your heart. It’s not as goofy or campy as the title may make it sound, although it definitely has its moments of comedy, but smart comedy, it also knows how to pluck on the heart strings. The art style is so unique and detailed, this book takes just a bit longer to read than most due to proper allotment of time for appreciation.

We hope this article entices you to venture into your first comic book store if you have never been, or get back into a past hobby. If you would like more info on why they chose these comics, Brian and Steve have an in depth discussion on their motivation behind the choices in episode 12 of The Nerd Cantina Show. Be sure to also check out Brian on his Cheers to Comics podcast weekly and come back to give us your comic book stories as well.