http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:53:09 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/06/20/093641.php#comment-728388 Next time I see you I'll have to pick your brain then. Be ready! 728388@blogcritics.org Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:53:09 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/06/20/093641.php#comment-728322 The only comics I kept up with were "The Thing" (loved the Ben Grimm saga, still own every Thing comic that was published, there weren't THAT many of them), and then The Flash. He was exceedingly cool. 728322@blogcritics.org Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:33:15 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/06/20/093641.php#comment-727568 Podcasts are a great recommendation. I hadn't even thought of those, which now seems silly since there are podcasts for everything. I'll have to add those to my list. And hitting up a local comic shop, that too. Thanks for the advice :) 727568@blogcritics.org Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:48:06 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/06/20/093641.php#comment-727535 Hey, I've been keeping up with your articles for a while. Where to start? I could be a fanboy and give you the "definitive" book for each comic book out there, but why not start with podcasts? I can recommend a random few, like iFanboy, Comic News Insider or Comic Geek Speak. While they won't point you in the right direction for your start in American comics reading, their reviews and descriptions of comics might help you realize what you might want to read. To get to answering your question, though, with classic franchises it's hard to pinpoint one trade or collection you need to read. With Batman Begins, it's easy. Just pick up Batman: Year One. It's not a direct translation, but Batman Begins was inspired by it. Hellboy's a newer book, so it wouldn't hurt to start at #1. With the classics, like Superman, Spider-man, X-men, Iron Man, it's hard. Should I tell you to go pick up the trades that start at the very beginning? Do you want to read the very first stories of Iron Man, Spider-man or the X-men? Do you want to read the 90's Superman? I would say that you should go in a local comics shop and go in as a journalist and pick people's brains. Ask the people behind the register, then ask random people about the essential trades and graphic novels to read. 727535@blogcritics.org Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:48:08 EDT