newbie Q's

[WalrusCyclone]

Just got back into comics after about a nine year break. Magnus and Bloodshot were two of my favs and I stumbled upon this awesome site while trying to track down some of my old collection and new issues. I've already got Magnus 1-35 with only a couple missing. I'm also thinking about reading Harbinger since I only read a few of those back in the day (not much pocket change in eigth grade). Now some q's for those in the know.
1. If I pick up all the issues of the Unity storyline and read it will I follow it, or should I try to read most of the pre-unity books beforehand?
2. When picking up a new series should one usually read the #1 as a starting place and look upon the #0 as a prequel or start w/ #0?
3. What are the best sites for general comics news and are any skewed more towards generally adult titles?
4. So far I've picked up the new Dark Horse Conan and the TPB's of the 70's Barry Smith Conan, Y: The Last Man in TPB and Vertigo's Bite Club. If I like these and Valiant which other books of the past 9 years or before might I like?
Thanks all, getting titles are no prob for me because I'm an Ebay vet and live in Chicago.

[Ryan]

1. If I pick up all the issues of the Unity storyline and read it will I follow it, or should I try to read most of the pre-unity books beforehand?

read pre-Unity beforehand

2. When picking up a new series should one usually read the #1 as a starting place and look upon the #0 as a prequel or start w/ #0?

start with #1 (except with Archer & Armstrong) then read #0 around the same issue it was published.

3. What are the best sites for general comics news and are any skewed more towards generally adult titles?

http://www.newsarama.com, http://www.comicon.com , http://www.comicbookresources.com, http://defiant1.proboards27.com/

4. So far I've picked up the new Dark Horse Conan and the TPB's of the 70's Barry Smith Conan, Y: The Last Man in TPB and Vertigo's Bite Club. If I like these and Valiant which other books of the past 9 years or before might I like?

Stray Bullets

[Brother J]

So far I've picked up the new Dark Horse Conan and the TPB's of the 70's Barry Smith Conan, Y: The Last Man in TPB and Vertigo's Bite Club. If I like these and Valiant which other books of the past 9 years or before might I like?

You've got great taste in books. I read or have read of all those except for Y: The Last Man and would definitely like to read that, too, but I'm not a TPB fan so I'm hoping to find the original issues someday for a low price. Check out the new Swamp Thing run, it's got a great feel to it, almost like the old Bronze DC horror books, I've been enjoying it a lot.

[myron]

hey brother j...saw some Y's up in appleton a couple of weeks ago at powerhouse comics...not alot, but some of the first 10 issues or so...can't remember what they were priced...

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Ok, so they're not all 9 years or less, but I've got a list of the best books you can still get without spending over $200 or so:

Miracleman #1-24
Watchmen #1-#12
Swamp Thing #20-64
(anyone notice a pattern here...?)
Preacher
Hellblazer
Books of Magic
Sandman
Animal Man #1-26
Spectre Vol 3 (1992+)
Starman Vol 3(?) (Robinson Run)
Kingdom Come
Astro City
Stormwatch/Authority
Planetary
The Golden Age
Powers

All very, VERY good stuff.

[Brother J]

hey brother j...saw some Y's up in appleton a couple of weeks ago at powerhouse comics...not alot, but some of the first 10 issues or so...can't remember what they were priced...

Thanks for the tip, Myron! Lost Worlds of Wonder has a run of the first five issues but they want $60. I occasionally get some good deals from them, but the current hot books they definitely charge a lot for. They still have a copy of Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #36 (9/11 black cover) that has been there for months now sitting with the same $35 price tag on it. Their wall books are more like an art gallery than a sales display because they hardly ever sell any of them.

Also, to Walrus, I would recommend checking out the CGC website's message board for all around good advice when it comes to collecting, even if you're not interested in graded books. Be warned there's a lot of flaming and inside jokes there, though. When it comes to Valiant knowledge your first stop should always be here.

[dino]

I bet you could read unity and still love it without reading everything before that. BUT if you did read all the preunity books and THEN read unity you'd become....ONE OF US. Expect to spend way too much time here if you do that.

Really great list zeph, I'd add Morrison's JLA.

[lobo]

Ok, so they're not all 9 years or less, but I've got a list of the best books you can still get without spending over $200 or so:

Miracleman #1-24
Watchmen #1-#12
Swamp Thing #20-64
(anyone notice a pattern here...?)
Preacher
Hellblazer
Books of Magic
Sandman
Animal Man #1-26
Spectre Vol 3 (1992+)
Starman Vol 3(?) (Robinson Run)
Kingdom Come
Astro City
Stormwatch/Authority
Planetary
The Golden Age
Powers

All very, VERY good stuff.

Kingdom Come? Really??

[Eric Jackson]

I fully agree with the Astro City recommendation. Great books..

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Kingdom Come? Really??

Yup. But then, I've always been a Waid fan.

[ikcizokm]

WalrusCyclone,

Welcome to the boards. I will officially insert my plug here for Acme Superstore. I manage their web site and they also have a message forum, so you are more than welcome to stop by. www.acme-superstore.com - We just opened them so there are not a lot of posts... feel free to increase them.

3. What are the best sites for general comics news and are any skewed more towards generally adult titles?

www.newsarama.com ; www.comicbookresources.com

4. So far I've picked up the new Dark Horse Conan and the TPB's of the 70's Barry Smith Conan, Y: The Last Man in TPB and Vertigo's Bite Club. If I like these and Valiant which other books of the past 9 years or before might I like?

OK, here's what I'd recommend, mixing some current titles with older ones...

1. Planetary (best book out there right now IMHO)
2. Ultimate Spider-Man (2nd that!)
3. Green Lantern (starting now!)
4. Superman/Batman (this is gonna be classic stuff... get 'em before prices skyrocket)
5. Silver Surfer (trust me)
6. Iron Man (almost like X-O but with more 12-step programs)
7. Runaways (almost like Harbinger but with less fat chicks)
8. El Cazador (CrossGen is bankrupt so you can get these on the cheap)

As for trade paperbacks, this is required reading:

1. Batman/Planetary
2. Batman: Halloween
3. Justice League: A League of One
4. the early Ultimate Spider-Man
5. Hellboy
6. Sandman: Endless Nights
7. Sandman: World's End
8. Death: The High Cost of Living
9. Dark Horse Book of Hauntings
10. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
11. Rising Stars
12. any of the Dark Horse Aliens stories

[depluto]

Yup. But then, I've always been a Waid fan.

Oh, then you'll LOVE VH2 X-O Manowar.

I like your list, too, ZWH. Hellblazer with Ennis at the helm was spectacular. One of the most painful things I did as a collector was take Hellblazer off my pull list last year (where it had been for more than 10 years). It just got too muddled.

I'll take Marvels over Kingdom Come, and I think Transmetropolitan was a pretty good run.

[WalrusCyclone]

Thanks all. Funny someone should mention Silver Surfer as that was always my fav super hero comic and I had/have almost the whole set of volume II. I had almost checked out Swamp Thing already (not because of advice but out of vague memories of the tv series when I was a kid), but I don't know much about Planetary or Astro City. Are these Vertigo titles too? Another book I used to like was Grendel. I read the War Child by Dark Horse but don't have any clue if any of the later ones were any good.
I just got the Harbinger trade so I think I'll try to get at least a good share of the pre Unity books in before I read through the crossover.
thanks again

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Yup. But then, I've always been a Waid fan.

Oh, then you'll LOVE VH2 X-O Manowar.

I like your list, too, ZWH. Hellblazer with Ennis at the helm was spectacular. One of the most painful things I did as a collector was take Hellblazer off my pull list last year (where it had been for more than 10 years). It just got too muddled.

I'll take Marvels over Kingdom Come, and I think Transmetropolitan was a pretty good run.

There are, of course, several that I'd list if I had a perfect memory. Marvels and Transmet being two of them.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Thanks all. Funny someone should mention Silver Surfer as that was always my fav super hero comic and I had/have almost the whole set of volume II. I had almost checked out Swamp Thing already (not because of advice but out of vague memories of the tv series when I was a kid), but I don't know much about Planetary or Astro City. Are these Vertigo titles too? Another book I used to like was Grendel. I read the War Child by Dark Horse but don't have any clue if any of the later ones were any good.
I just got the Harbinger trade so I think I'll try to get at least a good share of the pre Unity books in before I read through the crossover.
thanks again

Astro City is an Image title, and the only thing with the 'I' on it worth reading from 1992 to 1997. The mini and the 'regular' series are incredible...the best being the 1/2. Amazing.

Planetary is a Wildstorm title, which is an imprint of DC. Your LCS will know all about it.

Come to think of it, I don't think there's a single thing Warren Ellis has written that I didn't enjoy. Especially Doom 2009, his earliest Marvel work.

Grendel has always been great. Matt Wagner is a god.

[lobo]

Come to think of it, I don't think there's a single thing Warren Ellis has written that I didn't enjoy. Especially Doom 2009, his earliest Marvel work.

Yes Doom 2099! Fantastic read AND very cheap to put the run together.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Come to think of it, I don't think there's a single thing Warren Ellis has written that I didn't enjoy. Especially Doom 2009, his earliest Marvel work.

Yes Doom 2099! Fantastic read AND very cheap to put the run together.

and VERY hard. I've only seen a few of the high 30's.

But glad we agree on that one!

[lobo]

Come to think of it, I don't think there's a single thing Warren Ellis has written that I didn't enjoy. Especially Doom 2009, his earliest Marvel work.

Yes Doom 2099! Fantastic read AND very cheap to put the run together.

and VERY hard. I've only seen a few of the high 30's.

But glad we agree on that one!

Well I guess i got my run easy only because I kept it on file at my LCS until the end. Incidently, last week I saw a long box half full of Doom2099 #1s. I had to smile then kicked the box aside to plough through more 1990s 'junk'!

[x-omatic]

My read list of late is as follows.
Amazing Spiderman
Wildcats 3.0 (I am really sad to hear it has been canceled)
Y Last man standing
Fables
Metal Hurlant (lots a great creators much like the old heavy metal mag)
Superman Birthright
Freaks of the Heartland
Invincible (A superhero father dealing with his son who has just began to show powers)
Loki (just came out and is great)
Supreme Power
Ultimate FF (much better than Ultimate SM)
Walking Dead
The Goon

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

My read list of late is as follows.
Amazing Spiderman
Wildcats 3.0 (I am really sad to hear it has been canceled)
Y Last man standing
Fables
Metal Hurlant (lots a great creators much like the old heavy metal mag)
Superman Birthright
Freaks of the Heartland
Invincible (A superhero father dealing with his son who has just began to show powers)
Loki (just came out and is great)
Supreme Power
Ultimate FF (much better than Ultimate SM)
Walking Dead
The Goon

So I got the...I think they're calling them 'bumper' editions?....of Y...#'s 1&2...and...nice read...but I finished the whole thing in about 15 minutes. There was literally no dialogue.

Now, far be it from ME to complain.......but I paid $6 for 15 minutes of fun? Crap. For that kinda money, I could get.....

well, something a LOT more fun.