Getting Started...

I love comic books.

I love everything about them - the story, the art, the characters. I love the possibilities, the history, and the worlds. There's a comic book out there for everyone, whether you're a fan of superheroes or zombies or noir or whatever, and that's kind of amazing. Better still, there's a whole realm of comic-related media that lets you travel beyond the page. There are movies, TV shows, cartoons, and games, the quality of which has been improving dramatically in the last decade alone.

In short, it's one of the best and most exciting times ever to be a comic book fan.

It's also one of the most daunting times to start being one.

Saying, "I want to start reading comics," is like saying, "I want to start reading books," or, "I want to start listening to music." It's way too broad a goal, and if you walk into a shop without at least a general idea of what you're interested in, odds are it'll be more than a little overwhelming. That being said, if can be hard to figure out where to begin, especially with comics.

A lot of comic books, particularly the hero comics, are unique in that they feature characters that have been around for decades. Really cool if you're a historian, kind of tricky if you're a new reader who wants to know where to pick things up.

That's kind of why I wanted to start this blog. A few months back, a friend of mine told me she was interested in reading comics, and I gave her a list of suggested titles to read and where in the timeline to start reading them. I fielded questions as they arose, and she pointed a couple other people who needed help in my direction. I was delighted, as I really enjoy introducing people to books/writers/artists that I loved.

It's a nice thing, being able to talk about awesome stuff with people who are legitimately interested in an environment that's not intimidating, for them or for you.

So that's what I'm going to do here, on a slightly larger scale. I'm going to review and/or talk about what I read, watch, and buy. I'm going to share articles, announcements, and other cool bits and pieces of stuff relating to the world of comics, including comic-based media and merchandise. Everything is meant to be accessible, whether you're a new or intermediate reader.

Here's the other thing: I'd love it if I wasn't the only person dictating the content of the blog. I'm always on the lookout for new reads, and while the bulk of my titles are hero comics, I'm open to just about anything. If you have suggestions or requests for anything at all - books, artists, shows, etc. - leave them in the comments. Maybe I'll even be able to get a guest blogger or two in. Who knows?

Thanks for joining me in this little experiment. Please subscribe, share with anybody you think would be interested, and stay tuned!