How to be a Comic Book Fan

Explore the world of comic books. It’s fun to explore a new world. To be a comic book fan, this is a crucial step, one you cannot skip. This is crucial. Buy a few comics, just to get you started. You will find comics are less demanding on your time than novels. They offer similar worlds to explore. Some worlds are huge and can keep you entertained for months, if not years. To explore a world, usually you need more than one issue. Most comic stories have the dreaded cliffhanger, or are limited series, or even longer series. This is much like TV. To explore a world it helps to focus on one or two comic series in the beginning. Once you get the comic book itch, you will be more than a fan, you will be a collector.

Know that building a collection is a joyous thing to do. You will want, for instance, every comic you can get your hands on. Most of us start out conservative with collecting comic books, spending maybe $10 to $20 a month. The good news is you can still build quite a collection. In the beginning, try to buy only one or two brand new comics or graphic novels. Instead, go for the discounted comics at your local comic shop or online retailer. These will be in the discount bins, selling for 50 cents to $1. Why buy cheaper comics? This will make your money go further. It will also help you decide if you really want to be a comic book fan. Don’t give up on being a comic fan just because of one or two “terrible” comic stories. There will often be a great one for every bad one. When you feel the itch for top comic books, it’s time to go for the classics by some of the best writers around. This means choosing your favorite writers.

Find your writers. The best writers are … you can’t answer that question. It’s all opinion. Your job is to explore the online world looking for who’s hot. A good way to do this is to check out the film adaptations of comic books. Often the best writers find their stories turned into films, like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller. Some film adaptations are better than others. One of the better comic book movies, “From Hell,” is an example of a comic book legend crossing over into the film world. His name is Alan Moore; he is a beginning to being a true comic book fan. There are other classics, like “Sin City” which was written by Frank Miller. These are just examples, and many times you want to go more for the super heroes rather than the writers behind them.

Choose your heroes and your villains. Batman is cool, you’re saying. The Green Goblin is wild. This might be the most important step in being a comic book fan. You will, if you follow these steps, find some heroes and villains more interesting than others. Some may be more like you; others may be what you want to be. You can always change your favorites. Don’t always go by the big writer/artist names on the cover of the book; go for the stories. You will choose favorite writers and artists, true, but often you will be choosing the heroes you relate to most as well. You might become interested—and you might choose a favorite comic book hero or villain to follow.

Go for the classics. Opinions are still important. By following these steps, you will become more than a comic book collector or fan--you will become an explorer in a new frontier. Once you’ve established yourself as a comic book fan--and have formed your own opinion on good comics--it’s time to go for the classics. It may cost you more, but buying the classics will pay dividends. Read online reviews like on Silver Bullet Comic Books, IGN and other top sites, or you can go to the local comic shop and ask for recommendations. Alan Moore and Frank Miller are a good start. But there are other names, like Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Peter David and many talented comic artists as well. You will develop your own sense for what makes a comic good; that makes you a true comic book fan.