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torrents and cmro. travis. you can find certain characters entire chronology from torrents. and on cmro you can find every single appearence from a character in order.

My personality is a desire to know and learn things. Even to make fun of people I like to learn things about them.
Eventually this leads to knowing everything I can about a character. Someone says something I don't know? Time to read comics. I like to know the whys and hows of this thing. Of course this has its limits because some things I don't care about, and just won't learn about it.

For characters I actually like, I'll read them in full. Anything I learn now about comics is from newer ones or from someone saying something interesting in a debate. I learn everything I can about that going as far back as I need to, even if I don't post about it ever.

How I got started is from me only knowing about the cartoons and very few comics and old Marvel Cards. I found this forum after buying some of the Galactus Marvel Legends wave and lurked it years or at least a year before joining. Superman Prime, Tyrant, Galactus, Thanos, etc. You join, learn minute bits of info from others, and then start investigating on your own once you learn how to download comics. Eventually you learn Long Pig is a filthy liar, and so on.

Anyway, my advice would be to pick a comic and read it. Doesn't matter where. If someone recommends something that appears like something you might like and is short enough (if length's a shortcoming), check it out. No matter how accurate a summary or review is, they can never capture the feeling and context of the actual comic. You like a character? Read about them. If something sounds interesting to you on the forum, ask for an issue number or what you should read to get the full scope.

Throw out a character or two and I'm sure people will be more than willing to give you some stories involving them.

Also comicbook db is a Godsend for some characters.

Bran learned everything he knows from me.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't learn from Carver tbh. Although that's mostly a Long Pig sort of deal - Carv Pig if you will. Old CP was out there being viewed by grown men doing questionable things on the internet, and someone had to Chris Hansen him.

Carv Pig probably taught me more (indirectly) than I'll ever care to admit. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be even a midget of the man I am today.

My first comic was Marvel Zombies lol

My first was Siege

The first full story (not single comics) I can remember reading was Infinite Crisis. Decent event to kick things off.

You don't really have to exit a comfort zone. I read zero things outside DC and Marvel now and I am perfectly miserable with my choice. Though I do need to finish Spawn one day.

As for Marvel cosmic shenanigans, here's a good list:
https://www.comicbookherald.com/marvel-cosmic-comics-1963-to-present/

DC/Vertigo, the big five for what you need are Hellblazer, Lucifer, Sandman (everything), and Swamp Thing started at Moore's reboot, and Books of Magic. Spectre is great as well for what you need.

This list should help somewhat (shit list tbh). Just pick out the supernatural ones though. JSA is pretty heavily focused on what you're looking for.

https://www.comicbookherald.com/dc-comics-reading-order/

Add in Zatanna and Deadman if you like. Shazam as well. Nu-DC Constantine and any of his appearances are good.

Again, comicbook db is good for this, for example:
http://comicbookdb.com/search.php?form_search=Constantine&form_searchtype=FullSite

Originally posted by One Big Mob
You don't really have to exit a comfort zone. I read zero things outside DC and Marvel now and I am perfectly miserable with my choice. Though I do need to finish Spawn one day.

As for Marvel cosmic shenanigans, here's a good list:
https://www.comicbookherald.com/marvel-cosmic-comics-1963-to-present/

DC/Vertigo, the big five for what you need are Hellblazer, Lucifer, Sandman (everything), and Swamp Thing started at Moore's reboot, and Books of Magic. Spectre is great as well for what you need.

This list should help somewhat (shit list tbh). Just pick out the supernatural ones though. JSA is pretty heavily focused on what you're looking for.

https://www.comicbookherald.com/dc-comics-reading-order/

Add in Zatanna and Deadman if you like. Shazam as well. Nu-DC Constantine and any of his appearances are good.

Again, comicbook db is good for this, for example:
http://comicbookdb.com/search.php?form_search=Constantine&form_searchtype=FullSite

Originally posted by One Big Mob
The first full story (not single comics) I can remember reading was Infinite Crisis. Decent event to kick things off. I'm fairly sure that was my first full story as well.

I'm more or less in the same boat as Eon Blue, and have been working myself to expand my own comic knowledge. I've probably read more comics in the past year than I had in the five years before that, partly with the help of suggestions from a few posters (Rage of Olympus, abhilegend, Galan007, Damborgson, Enzeru, probably some others I forgot), because the sheer quantity of material out there makes it hard for a relative newcomer to know where to start.

You should start out with a character/concept that you like and just read up on them. The first comic that I remeber reading was Death of Superman. My mom had bought the issues for my older siblings to enjoy and when I was five or six, she gave me the issues and let me read them. It's what got me interested in Superman.

The first series I stated collecting was Static. I watched the show and started collecting the issues when I was ten.

As far as becoming more knowledgeable, just stick around on this site for a couple of years and ask questions about whatever you don't know about. You're bound to pick something up as the years go by.

Comics were 20 cents when I started buying them. Yeah, I'm old.

I actually just start with pretty pictures. If I like the art, I pick it up and read.

That and writers. If Grant Morrison wrote Marvel, I'd pick it up. If he wrote DC, I'd pick it up as well, for example.

I'd just PM carver directly with this question, tbh.

I actually started off with Darkhorse Aliens vs. Predator comics.

And honestly, this site right here has taught me shitloads of things about comics and characters.

I like to use this just catch up on storyline I might want to jump into

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Publication_history_of_Marvel_Comics_crossover_eve
nts

dc is a little different for me but you can look up characters in the marvel.wiki dc.wiki sites just to get a gist of what's going on with a synopsis and character profiles. they give a decent starting point if you do a little research and they also tell when the stories start issue wise

Originally posted by Sin I AM
Find a character you like and go from there. 'Nuff said.

Good post, Phil

I totally agree. "Knowing everything" won't do too much good anyway, since writers/editors don't care about continuity these days.

Take a look at Cyber or Mandarin, for example. Dead? Yup. Did it stop Marvel from using those characters again and killing them - again - in the very same comic they resurfaced? No, it didn't.

Sometimes it's better to be oblivious to the history of those fictional universes.