The comic book medium has existed for decades at this point. Within that relatively small time frame, there have been characters and storylines of such magnitude that they catapult the medium to unimaginable heights. However, because of its vast history, it can be tough for new readers to come into comics with character(s) with so much history and backstory that it would take a lifelong fan more lifetimes to read it and understand it all than I could count, but don't worry! Bam Smack Pow is here to help.
Today, we're going to look at the essential comics for beginners from the big two comic companies, Marvel and DC! This list takes a look at comics that are classic in their own right and selections from the writer's personal favorites. So come with us true believers on a trip through Comicdom's best!
1. Batman: The Long Halloween
I've mentioned this comic in my 2024 Halloween comics to read, but it more than deserves a spot on this list. Batman: The Long Halloween was a 13-issue maxi-series that was published from 1996 to 1997, and it was created by the now classic duo of writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale.
The story follows Batman in his early years as he tries to discover the trail of murders by a killer who only strikes on holidays, which the tabloids have used to dub this new threat the Holiday Killer. Over the course of a year, Batman tries to stop Holiday, all the while dealing with his rogue's gallery and struggling to maintain his relationships with friends and lovers alike due to his commitment to being Batman.
This comic is regarded as not only one of the best Batman stories ever told but it's been the basis for some of the character's best adaptions to TV and film. Christopher Nolan, director of the Dark Knight trilogy, has cited Long Halloween as a major inspiration for those films, which goes to show the quality of storytelling on display with this iconic story.
2. Thor: Saga of Gorr the God Butcher
While the MCU adapted this comic storyline in the much-maligned Thor: Love and Thunder, the movie doesn't take away from the sheer brilliance and epic nature of the Thor: God Butcher Saga. The comic was an 11-issue storyline published in the reboot Thor titled Thor: God of Thunder, from 2012 to 2013. It was written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Esad Ribic, with this comic being the start of Aaron's extensive run on the Thor character that's garnered much acclaim.
The story follows Thor in three different timelines; the past during Viking times when he first encounters the being known as the God Butcher, the present, where Thor investigates a centuries worth of dead gods murdered by the creature he thought he slayed millennia ago, and finally the future, where Thor has become King of a desolate Asgard and a ravaged universe being constantly hounded by the forces of the God Butcher, waiting for the sweet release of a warriors death. Eventually, all three Thors through comic book logic come together to finally defeat the God Butcher once and for all.
This storyline is one I would deem a modern classic, because the art of Esad Ribic is just breathtaking to look at, and the writing by Aaron was smart and engaging, but this comic's greatest aspect is the new villain, Gorr the God Butcher. It's been said that a hero can only be as good as his villain, and Gorr is on a level on par with that of any of the classic Shakespearean villains.
What's more, even though Gorr does some truly evil things to enemies and innocents alike, once you know his backstory, you begin to pity him for his troubled life, and his grievances against the gods who abandoned him and his people are warranted. You don't have to know a thing about Thor or his Marvel history to read to love this story, it's great for all readers, except kids, because this is a very dark and violent tale, so be warned.
3. Superman: For All Seasons
Once again the creative team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale find their way on this list, and for good reason. After the creative duo found much success and acclaim with Batman: The Long Halloween, they got to work on tackling another iconic character; Superman! This time around, instead of a 12-issue series, Superman: For All Seasons was four issues in 1998, with each issue dealing with Clark Kent becoming Superman throughout the four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and concluding in winter.
Again, the art of Tim Sale is masterful, and combined with the colors done by Bjarne Hansen, it's just a treat looking at each panel and splash page that comes from these creative minds. The one image that sticks in my mind and the minds of fans is this simple image of a young Clark and Pa Kent looking at the Kansas sunset. Despite its simplicity, it's just darn good artwork that cemented Sale as one of my personal favorite artists.
The story of For All Seasons is Clark Kent becoming Superman, but each issue takes the point of view of the various characters throughout Clark's and Superman's lives. The first issue is narrated by Pa Kent, the next by Lois Lane, the third by Lex Luthor, and finally by Lana Lang. Each narration delves into each character's relationship with Clark/Superman and how it affected their lives for good or for ill. It's a fascinating take on how the outside world looks at both Clark and Superman, the former being a good person wanting to put more good into the world, and the latter being an ideal version of humanity that's either obsessed over or reviled. Clark's journey is still at the forefront of the story, learning how to become a better hero and a better person by the people he loves or fights against.
Similar to The Long Halloween, Superman: For All Seasons has become very influential over the decades since its publication, with the popular CW show Smallville taking inspiration from this comic, and rightly so, for unlike the previous picks on this list, I can safely say that Superman: For All Seasons is a story for everyone of all ages, backgrounds, creeds, etc., and even if you don't like the story, you'll definitely love the art.
4. Watchmen
This is it folks, one of the big ones, considered not just one of the greatest comics of all time, but one of the greatest pieces of literature ever! Watchmen was a 12-issue series that ran from 1986 to 1987 published by DC Comics. It was written by the legendary writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons.
The premise of this story is deceptively simple; what if heroes existed in the real world? In the hands of Alan Moore, he crafted a story that deals with heroes being jerks, heroes who act like villains most of the time, and heroes with godlike powers becoming detached from their own humanity. Simply put, the story deals with heroes who are very flawed individuals, just like you or me. For most of their history, superheroes were seen as characters that no one in the real world could ever become, and their personalities were stripped down to just wanting to do good for the sake of doing good.
While that's not inherently a bad thing, it can become dull if there's no character progression or interesting characters with distinct personalities and goals. Marvel during the '60s started the trend of giving superheroes qualities akin to that of normal people, it's comics like Watchmen that took that idea and mopped the floor with it. Not only is Watchmen very violent, but the violence is compounded by the ideas Moore presents, that heroes are just like you or me, with flaws that become exasperated by these regular people becoming heroes that inflate their egos and turn them into something less than ideal.
Not only that, but the comic raises the question of whether humanity truly be saved, or are we destined to kill ourselves and each other for what we want? There isn't much more I can add that countless others have already said, but Watchmen remains an essential read for anyone looking to start reading comics.
5. Neil Gaiman's Sandman
This was the comic that put Neil Gaiman on the map, which led to an illustrious career in comics, novels, film, and television. Regarded as one of Gaiman's best works, The Sandman was a DC Vertigo ongoing series, with one shot, mini-series, and annuals thrown in for good measure that were released from 1989 to 1996. The are many artists that worked on this series, but I'll tell you the most well-known/my favorites; Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Kelley Jones, and P. Craig Russel just to name a few.
The comic follows The Sandman, or Dream, as he becomes imprisoned by a cult for almost a century who captured him instead of his sister, Death, their true prize. After escaping from their clutches, Dream sets out on a quest to restore his seat of power within his kingdom, The Dreaming, and reclaim the artifacts that were stolen from him when he was captured. This storyline is only the beginning of the various stories that Gaiman weaved throughout his run, with many of the main comics focusing on the multitude of characters that had direct or indirect dealings with Dream and/or his extended family, The Endless (the personifications of various aspects of nature, such as Destiny, Destruction, Delirium, Desire, and Despair, along with Death and Dream.)
Throughout it all, The Sandman's main focus is to show how the character of Dream can be capable of change, and how despite being a god-like being, he has many qualities of the mortals he oversees. Plus, this series was also one of the earliest comics to put characters from the LGBTQ+ community in significant roles, without the use of offensive stereotypes. The Sandman mythos has become so popular that decades after the initial run there are still stories being told within this world by different writers and artists, keeping the "dream" of Gaiman's work alive (pun intended.)
6. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Another all-time classic, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns was a four-issue limited series published in 1986 and written and drawn by the legendary Frank Miller, along with inker Klaus Janson (a legendary comic creator in his own right), and his then partner Lynn Varley on colors.
This might surprise some people, but Batman was a character who wasn't taken very seriously in the eyes of the public before this comic's release. The main culprit behind these views was the popular Adam West Batman show of the late '60s. While considered a classic by most, it damaged the reputation of the Batman character from being a dark vigilante to a colorful character who battles evil doers all the while teaching youngsters to look both ways when crossing the street.
For decades, most people couldn't get the Adam West version out of their minds and could never take the character seriously. There were some writers and artists who worked on returning Batman and his world to their darker roots, such as the iconic creative team of writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams in the 70s, but it wasn't until Frank Miller came along and crafted a story of a middle-aged Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement from being Batman to renew his war on crime.
Miller gave Batman a much more complex and engaging character, where the death of his parents was so damaging to him that every action he takes as either Batman or Bruce Wayne is for the pain their loss inflicted on him. Previous incarnations loosely alluded to this psychology, but Miller brought it to the fore and combined it with the dreary look of Gotham City and its denizens, it makes for a character and career-defining comic for Batman and Frank Miller.
7. Wonder Woman: Dead Earth
The most recent comic on this list, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth is a 4-issue Elseworlds story from DC's Black Label imprint, published in 2020. It was written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson with colors by Mike Spicer.
The story follows Wonder Woman waking up in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the world is destroyed, ravaged by monsters, and all of her friends in the Justice League are dead. Her mission bestowed upon her by her mother and the Amazons was to safeguard humanity from threats near and far and to show humanity the good they can achieve together, but once she wakes up, Diana in her mind failed utterly in that mission and must protect the few humans left while trying to uncover the mystery of what caused the Earth to die.
This story is a harrowing look at Wonder Woman's character, in the sense that shows what happens when someone has nothing and no one left to care for in a world that's become overrun by creatures who want nothing more than dominance of the Earth and the extinction of the rest of humanity. She isn't her normally free-spirited and cheerful self, rather she's become weighed down by her failures, which results in a version of Wonder Woman we haven't seen too often up to this comic's release. Plus, Johnson's artwork is just a blast, especially his action sequences, where you can feel each of the blows delivered as if it were really happening. All in all, Johnson's storytelling both in his writing and art is a feast for the senses, one which can be enjoyed by old and new fans alike.
8. Daredevil by Frank Miller
We're going back to Frank Miller, only this time we're taking a look at his character-defining run on Marvel's Daredevil before he even touched anything Batman or DC-related. Miller started only drawing Daredevil with other creatives working on the scripts, but his artwork was already being well regarded by fans and editors. He officially began his run both as an artist and writer in issue #168 of the ongoing Daredevil series in 1981.
Right off the bat, Miller introduced readers to a vision of Daredevil as more grounded and more mature, with characters like Elektra, Daredevil's first love who's become a ruthless assassin, The Hand, an organization of evil ninjas bent on world domination, and finally Miller's new takes on the villains Bullseye and Kingpin. Miller brought a lot of Japanese-inspired plots, designs, and action-packed and stunning choreography with The Hand and Elektra, while also reworking long-time Marvel villains Bullseye and Kingpin. With the former, Miller added a much more psychotic edge to the character, making him a lot more unsympathetic than he already was. But to most fans, one of his biggest groundbreaking feats was with his handling of Kingpin, where he was mostly associated as being a Spider-Man villain with goofy yet fun plots, Miller turned him into a ruthless gangster hell-bent on ruling the New York underworld by whatever means at his disposal.
Now, if one were asked some of Daredevil's villains, one would probably name Bullseye or Kingpin, and when they answer that question they probably are thinking of the versions introduced by Frank Miller. With the release of Daredevil: Born Again, it's a perfect time for fans to either reacquaint themselves with this series or become embroiled in a tale of corruption, violence, and redemption for new fans.
9. Ultimate Spider-Man
The original Ultimate Marvel Universe was an idea with the intention of allowing new readers to jump on without having to know any previous storylines or continuity with some of their favorite characters. The first and by far the most popular of these comics was Ultimate Spider-Man, which began in 2000 and was written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley.
The story reintroduces readers to Spider-Man, but since this comic and the whole Ultimate Universe take place in a different universe than from the previous Marvel Comics, it also reimagines these characters in the then modern-day world of the 2000s. Bendis takes Peter on a journey of self-discovery, where the struggles he has of being both Spider-Man and Peter Parker are that much more intense and real than they ever had been before. This world is rich with interesting characters and new takes on classic Spidey allies and enemies, especially the Green Goblin, where in this universe he's akin to the Hulk in terms of size and strength, and he's just called The Goblin, no Green here other than his skin.
Plus, this is the run that introduced the concept of Venom an experiment conducted by Peter's and Eddie Brock's parents while searching for the cure for cancer. Bendis and Bagley spent over a decade on this comic, and the love and care can be seen and felt throughout their whole run, it's easy to see why this version of the Spider-Man mythos is widely regarded as being a major inspiration for most of the movies and tv shows that have come out since these comics.
10. Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment
The last but certainly not the least entry on this list, Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment was a Marvel Graphic Novel released in 1989, and was written by Roger Stern and drawn by Mike Mignola. If the artist's name sounds familiar, because Mignola is the creator of Hellboy, this comic was Mignola before creating Hellboy and becoming a household name.
To speak about the art first, it definitely has hallmarks of what Mignola would be famous for drawing years later, monsters and demons, and while not his best work, it's certainly an interesting look an an artist in their early years. As for the story, it's a loaded one with Doctor Strange being called upon by his Master, the god-like Vishanti, who along with other magic users in the land duke it out to determine who should be the rightful Sorcerer Supreme on Earth.
Before doing battle, the infamous Doctor Doom makes his presence known and joins in the contest for his own ends. I don't want to give too much away, but from this point onward it's a deep dive into the darkest parts of the Marvel Universe, both figuratively and literally. While Stern's handling of Doctor Strange's character in this comic is worthy of note, the main selling point (for me, anyway) is his characterization of Doctor Doom. For decades since his introduction, Doctor Doom was a classic Marvel villain, but with a one-note goal of wanting to rule the world, making him become stale. However, writer and artist John Byrne told an expansive origin on Doctor Doom during his iconic run on Fantastic Four, where he gave Doom more depth to his character.
Other writers and artists continued to give Doctor Doom more backstory, but it wasn't until this graphic novel that Stern breathes new life into this character by giving him an origin and backstory where the audience feels sympathy and understanding toward his plight. I'll leave you guys to see for yourselves what Stern did with Doom, and you won't be disappointed.