The Official Marvel Recommendations Thread

[runawayboulder]

Hello all,

I am quite new to comics and Marvel world. I'd like to purchase Marvel unlimited and get into the comics, but I was wondering if I should start with the very first issue, or if there is a "cut-off" point where I should start from?

Below is a list of stories I am interested in:

Spider-Man
X-Men
Thor
Captain America
Hulk
Iron Man
Fantastic Four
Shield stories
Deadpool
Infinity stories

Thanks for all the help!

Spider-Man - I'd go with any and all Amazing Spider-Man.

X-Men - Start with Chris Claremont's run on Uncanny X-Men. That's about 20 years of great X-Men stories.

Thor - Walt Simonson, Tom DeFalco and Dan Jurgens run.

Captain America - Mark Gruenwald and Ed Brubaker runs

For Infinity stuff I'd go with Thanos Quest first then Infinity Gauntlet. You can probably skip Infinity War and Infinity Crusade. They were not as good as the other two.

 

[Mad Ones]

How was Flash's amputee status handled in the last Venom series? Was it just a motivation for him to get the symbiote, or do they explore his life as someone with amputated legs? Like, does he question having to become a monster in order to have his legs back? I'm just wondering how Marvel is handling this type of disability.

 

[runawayboulder]

How was Flash's amputee status handled in the last Venom series? Was it just a motivation for him to get the symbiote, or do they explore his life as someone with amputated legs? Like, does he question having to become a monster in order to have his legs back? I'm just wondering how Marvel is handling this type of disability.

Remender touched on it a ton. He also worked in Flash being an alcoholic and the stuff with his abusive father. It was a great book.

 

[Mad Ones]

Remender touched on it a ton. He also worked in Flash being an alcoholic and the stuff with his abusive father. It was a great book.

Good to hear! I'll have to check it out.

 

[Mike Murdock]

Hey everyone, I'm continuing my plan to read all Daredevil worth reading (I'm a recent convert to actually reading comics as opposed to watching cartoons and movies). So far, I've read all of Miller and I'll soon have read most of Denny O'Neil and Ann Nocenti. I've really heard mixed things about D.G. Chichester (something about a black Daredevil costume), but I want to at least read the Last Rites storyline.

My question is this. Well, I guess it's a two part question. First, is there anyone who highly recommends that I continue with the Chichester era (keeping in mind that I have to get individual issues not TPB, which are a bit more expensive). If not, where should I go next? The two options I was thinking was to start from the beginning and read the Silver Era Stan Lee issues or forge ahead to Guardian Devil. In the grand scheme of things, I'll probably do both, but what's the better option?

 

[Namor ll]

Hey everyone, I'm continuing my plan to read all Daredevil worth reading (I'm a recent convert to actually reading comics as opposed to watching cartoons and movies).

Same here! I got into comics this time, last year, after watching all the marvel and dc related stuff on netflix. i needed more, found a shop and went crazy buying things. Ive been buying everything that interested me, but ive really been sifting out the crap. Its hard to drop books when your attached to characters, but not everything is worth the money, which is sad.

DD is my favorite current book, but my knowledge of anything pre marvel now is little to none, which is sad, and great at the same time because i get to experience all the classics at the ripe age of 24. I feel like i will appreciate the stuff much more now than i would have at 19 or 20.

 

[runawayboulder]

If the Karl Kesel/Cary Nord run is collected, then I would get that. I'm pretty sure it followed directly after Chichester.

 

[grkmnl]

Spider-Man - I'd go with any and all Amazing Spider-Man.

X-Men - Start with Chris Claremont's run on Uncanny X-Men. That's about 20 years of great X-Men stories.

Thor - Walt Simonson, Tom DeFalco and Dan Jurgens run.

Captain America - Mark Gruenwald and Ed Brubaker runs

For Infinity stuff I'd go with Thanos Quest first then Infinity Gauntlet. You can probably skip Infinity War and Infinity Crusade. They were not as good as the other two.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Namor ll]

the on going Mighty Avengers has won me over!


Such a fun book! Im loving Luke cage and hsi father sharing stories (original sin tie in), blue marvel is one of my new favs, white tiger is frickin awesome........... i highly recomed this title! i had to chose one avengers book, i cant buy them all and i chose this one because of the line up, lovin it

 

[mark_lee]

Hey Guys. I would like to start reading some Marvel titles. Basically I would like to start with Stan Lee's work from the 1960's and work my way up.

What I would like to know from you guys is this. In your opinion, where would be the best place to end my reading for the following characters:

Spider-Man
Hulk
Fantastic 4
X-Men

I kind of want an ending point for each title, where I can tell myself, yeah I've pretty much read everything I need to know about this character and all their essential stories. For example, one of my cousins suggested that I stop reading Spider-Man once I hit Amazing Spider-Man Issue 545.

All options and suggestions on the above characters would be greatly appreciated. I should also mention that I'm not interested in Graphic Novels collecting certain specific storylines or sagas. I plan on reading every core title until I reach a certain end point. Thanks.

 

[Norman Osborn]

Hi folks. Been a long time since I posted here last. I'm looking to get back into comics after about a 2 or 3 year hiatus. I've already put ASM on the pull list and wanted some advice about others.

I essentially like the major players in both Marvel and DC but could be persuaded to look at minor characters who have a strong book. Please give me some recommendations as well as the jump on point of each recommendation. Thanks a million.

 

[sdgrandia86]

Is Infinity worth it? I saw a hardcover going for 80$ and was very tempted specially after reading the Infinity Gauntlet. I also found it for half the price at amazon but it's still quite a bit of money to spend. And if so, are there any recommended reading for this?

What's a good place to start with Dr. Strange? I'm interested in the origin and stories involving Shuma Gorath as well as any essential arc of his.

I'm barely on page 5 of this thread and working my up. My apologies if this has already been talked about.

Thanks in advance.

 

[runawayboulder]

Hey Guys. I would like to start reading some Marvel titles. Basically I would like to start with Stan Lee's work from the 1960's and work my way up.

What I would like to know from you guys is this. In your opinion, where would be the best place to end my reading for the following characters:

Spider-Man
Hulk
Fantastic 4
X-Men

I kind of want an ending point for each title, where I can tell myself, yeah I've pretty much read everything I need to know about this character and all their essential stories. For example, one of my cousins suggested that I stop reading Spider-Man once I hit Amazing Spider-Man Issue 545.

All options and suggestions on the above characters would be greatly appreciated. I should also mention that I'm not interested in Graphic Novels collecting certain specific storylines or sagas. I plan on reading every core title until I reach a certain end point. Thanks.

Well of course your friend would tell you to stop at ASM 545 because that was the controversial conclusion of OMD, one of the most polarizing Spider-Man stories of all time.

To answer your primary question - there is no real way to give you a stopping point for each character. Read from the start and stop until you are bored.....or just skip ahead to when a new creative team took over.

Amazing Spider-Man had a rare distinction of coming full circle with the character in the 10-12 issues leading up to ASM #200 but there were a TON of great Spidey stories since then. I would just research the best you can to find out what runs were the best received over time and see what all the fuss is about yourself.

Hi folks. Been a long time since I posted here last. I'm looking to get back into comics after about a 2 or 3 year hiatus. I've already put ASM on the pull list and wanted some advice about others.

I essentially like the major players in both Marvel and DC but could be persuaded to look at minor characters who have a strong book. Please give me some recommendations as well as the jump on point of each recommendation. Thanks a million.

Punisher, Black Widow and She-Hulk all currently have new series that are outstanding. I've heard positive stuff about the Magneto and Storm solo titles as well.

Is Infinity worth it? I saw a hardcover going for 80$ and was very tempted specially after reading the Infinity Gauntlet. I also found it for half the price at amazon but it's still quite a bit of money to spend. And if so, are there any recommended reading for this?

What's a good place to start with Dr. Strange? I'm interested in the origin and stories involving Shuma Gorath as well as any essential arc of his.

I'm barely on page 5 of this thread and working my up. My apologies if this has already been talked about.

Thanks in advance.

Infinity was a solid event. I'm not sure how the hardcover explains a lot of the buildup leading to the event. Perhaps it includes a foreword...? IDK. Just be forewarned that Infinity does not have any major ties to Infinity Gauntlet. They are essentially 2 different stories, just the same subject matter.

 

[smallville fan]

Hey everyone, I would like to look into 90's X-Men runs particularly those which inspired the Animated Series and those which have the same kind of aesthetic(like costumes, roster etc). If anyone can show me the reading order and point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated. If it helps, the guy at my comic book store said I should look into Mutant Genesis and that there's a 2.0 version of it as well?

 

[Marvelocity]

If you're looking for a great Spider-Man story, go pick up The Child Within. It's where Peter and Harry are building toward a final duel. Harry is haunted by the ghost of Norman telling him to avenge him (exactly like we see in the Raimi films). Easily the best Harry story ever. This is what I was hoping we'd get in Spider-Man 3 before they ruined it.

Also, X-Cutioner's song is the best Marvel story ever.

 

[runawayboulder]

All of JM DeMatteis' run including The Child Within was outstanding. It was one of the few times a secondary Spider-Man book was better than ASM.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

Hey all! Been a few years since I have collected comics...moved towns, switched careers, etc., etc.

I am no longer looking to collect issue to issue...looking to get TPB for what I have missed in the last 4-6 years. I had been collecting Daredevil, Captain America, Avengers, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Fist, Hulk, Runaways, Iron Man and Wolverine. I stopped once Nova ended, Brubaker left Daredevil, and I had had enough of the crossovers. The only thing I have kept on my pull list the last several years is Kirkman's Invincible.

I really enjoyed Planet Hulk, Annihilation, Nova, and anything done by Brubaker. Historically, Iron Man and Daredevil have been my favorite characters since the 90s but I prefer good stories over particular characters nowadays. Any suggestions on things I have missed the last 4-6 years?

Thanks!

 

[Mad Ones]

Waid's Daredevil run has been getting stellar reviews. I'd also recommend you try Fraction's Hawkeye. Maybe check out Captain Marvel if you like the cosmic stuff.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

Waid's Daredevil run has been getting stellar reviews. I'd also recommend you try Fraction's Hawkeye. Maybe check out Captain Marvel if you like the cosmic stuff.

Thank you very much for those suggestions. I will look into trying those out.

Looks like the Daredevil run is opposite from the dark, noiresque DD. I really enjoyed Bendis' and Brubaker's runs. Ordered the first TPB for Captain Marvel and Hawkeye, though.

 

[chamber-music]

Hey everyone, I would like to look into 90's X-Men runs particularly those which inspired the Animated Series and those which have the same kind of aesthetic(like costumes, roster etc). If anyone can show me the reading order and point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated. If it helps, the guy at my comic book store said I should look into Mutant Genesis and that there's a 2.0 version of it as well?

The Muir island saga, x-cutioner's song, fatal attractions, phalanx Covenant, age of apocalypse, onslaught and operation zero tolerance are the big 90,s x-men stories. Some of them influenced the 90's series

 

[JewishHobbit]

Hey everyone, I would like to look into 90's X-Men runs particularly those which inspired the Animated Series and those which have the same kind of aesthetic(like costumes, roster etc). If anyone can show me the reading order and point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated. If it helps, the guy at my comic book store said I should look into Mutant Genesis and that there's a 2.0 version of it as well?

Start with X-Men #1 (vol. 2) and Uncanny X-Men #281. Those were when that era officially began. Then just read forward issue by issue.

 

[Mike Murdock]

The animated series was also inspired by much of Claremont's run, though, if I'm not mistaken. Granted, that's something like 180 issues over a 15 year period. So perhaps it's a good idea to ignore me and pick from a narrower timeframe.

 

[Mad Ones]

Thank you very much for those suggestions. I will look into trying those out.

Looks like the Daredevil run is opposite from the dark, noiresque DD. I really enjoyed Bendis' and Brubaker's runs. Ordered the first TPB for Captain Marvel and Hawkeye, though.

Let us know what you think when you read them!

 

[sdgrandia86]

Infinity was a solid event. I'm not sure how the hardcover explains a lot of the buildup leading to the event. Perhaps it includes a foreword...? IDK. Just be forewarned that Infinity does not have any major ties to Infinity Gauntlet. They are essentially 2 different stories, just the same subject matter.

Thanks! I found the HC for 40$ brand new and it's on its way. I read Thanos Quest and Infinity Gauntlet just recently and loved both but prefered TQ a bit more. To my surprise there's a new Thanos book that was just released and features Starlin! I should be picking that one up soon.

I also started reading Annihilation with the prologue they have available at Marvel Unlimited and it's shaping up to be great. I'm thinking of getting the Omnibus of this but I was wondering if the Annihiliation: Conquest books were part of the main arc found in the Omnibus or of they were companions/supplementary reading.

Someone mentioned a few pages back if there was a site which featured recommended readings/arcs/comics based on one's current preference/readings. I ran into this site http://www.stashmycomics.com/ (Haven't joined yet but hopefully it offers recommendation based on taste).

Hmm. What do people recommend for Dr. Strange? I just read the Marvel Knights Strange run by JMS and I really liked it! I also read the first issue of the The Oath arc and so far I'm not amused by that. I heard that Season One is a great retelling of the Doctors origins which is different from the one JMS wrote and it features great art. Besides that what is a good run/arc? The concept of Strange being sort of a guard between realities appeals to me and reminds me a lot of The Dark Tower book series. Is there more in that vein? And where can I start for a good Shuma Gorat fix.

I've been out of comics for a long time and besides Spidey (pre Civil War) I'm not too familiar with other comics.

EDIT: Further reading I think the Omnibus covers the main points in Annihilation which can also be found through the Conquest volumes along with supplemental material such as Quasar and Star-Lord tie ins. Can someone confirm or deny this? Thanks!

 

[Lobo]

I feel like getting back into Spider-Man. What is a good recent trade to pick up?