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Post by driver1980 on Oct 1, 2024 12:23:08 GMT -5
Years ago, someone I know wanted to get into Doctor Who, and a mutual friend had recommended “Trial of a Time Lord”, a dense, impenetrable, long-winded serial which, while enjoyable, doesn’t make for a suitable first-time experience of the Doctor. It features a lot of Time Lord lore and history. But I know our mutual friend *loved* that serial so he was really only recommending what he liked; “Trial of a Time Lord” wouldn’t necessarily get a person hooked on the Doctor.
I’d be more inclined to recommend 1966’s “The War Machines” which features the First Doctor arriving near London’s Post Office Tower with his companions, prior to confronting a self-aware computer (WOTAN) and its war machines. It’s standalone, it’s riveting, and no knowledge of Who lore is required, so a person might enjoy it and be more inclined to check out other serials.
I’d be the same with other fictional universes like Star Trek. I might not recommend “The Inner Light” as a first TNG episode for someone, I’d go with something else.
So I’d do the same with comics. I have a friend who loves detective fiction (TV, films and books), but I don’t think he’s read any comics. In his case, I’d recommend a good graphic novel featuring grounded, believable detective elements.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Oct 1, 2024 12:33:03 GMT -5
I just got a text and my friend has bought Watchmen... not in a format I was expecting. He's bought the original 12 comics! Haha, fair enough. I very much agree about recommending people books tailored to their likes, or that you're sure they will like. When he asked me to recommend him a comic to try he said he'd heard Watchmen was excellent and if he should start there. He's prepped and ready to enjoy it, as he expects it to be really good, and had been aware of it for 30 odd years thanks to the iconic cover. I am tempted to tell him to skip the tedious pirate guff, though. 😅 I googled that, and it's a divisive subject, with a lot of people saying they'd skipped it on any subsequent readings, and it only really worked well when people were reading one issue per month rather than binging the whole lot. The pirate "guff" is outstanding. Not only does it mirror what's happening in the main storyline, but it's a big part of the underlying look at the history of comics that is implicit in Watchmen. Hell, I'll see you and raise. The pirate stuff is great, and the one aspect where Watchmen DOES deserve the "Best Superhero Comic Evah!" accolades is the world building. The story is fine-to-good but it wouldn't hit nearly as hard if it wasn't put in such a well constructed, immersive, and thematically consistent setting. The pirate stuff specifically increases the tension and feeling of hopelessness in the main story and tells you a lot about how superheroes being really real changes little things like pop culture. Plus pirate comics are cool. |
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Post by rich on Oct 1, 2024 12:41:54 GMT -5
It can be a challenge knowing what to recommend to an absolute newcomer to comics. I remember years ago I was having dinner with friends, and one of the ladies read comics too. She suggested the other girls try Strangers in Paradise (which I'd also read and liked). One girl loved it, but my ex got nothing from it at all when she read my trade. A couple of years later she tried DKR, which I didn't think she'd like because she had zero interest in superheroes and prose wise only read crappy romances. However, she really enjoyed it. 🤷🏼♂️
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Post by mikelmidnight on Oct 2, 2024 11:35:43 GMT -5
It can be a challenge knowing what to recommend to an absolute newcomer to comics. I remember years ago I was having dinner with friends, and one of the ladies read comics too. She suggested the other girls try Strangers in Paradise (which I'd also read and liked). One girl loved it, but my ex got nothing from it at all when she read my trade. A couple of years later she tried DKR, which I didn't think she'd like because she had zero interest in superheroes and prose wise only read crappy romances. However, she really enjoyed it. 🤷🏼♂️ I was never into SiP, but the first two comics which my wife really loved (after a handful of false starts) were Sandman Mystery Theatre and Omaha the Cat Dancer. I'm pretty sure I never encouraged her to read Watchmen, but she may have on her own (I don't remember); if she did, she either didn't like it or thought it boring. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 2, 2024 12:18:11 GMT -5
I was never able to Barb on to comics, though she wasn't a big reader, period. Her mental health issues also often made it hard for her to concentrate on reading, for longer periods of time, which didn't help, when she was having bad episodes. I was, however, able to turn her on to some British tv comedies and some films. Monty Python never quite gelled with her, but she loved Fawlty Towers and had a fondness for some of Graham Linehan's shows, like Father Ted, Black Books and, especially, The IT Crowd. After she passed away and I discovered her 16 TB hard drive, with video files, I discovered that she had branched out even further, with series I had never seen or heard of. She would run them in the background, while on her computer, while I was at work. She actually introduced me to Mrs Brown's Boys.
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Post by rich on Oct 2, 2024 12:40:48 GMT -5
I was never able to Barb on to comics, though she wasn't a big reader, period. Her mental health issues also often made it hard for her to concentrate on reading, for longer periods of time, which didn't help, when she was having bad episodes. I was, however, able to turn her on to some British tv comedies and some films. Monty Python never quite gelled with her, but she loved Fawlty Towers and had a fondness for some of Graham Linehan's shows, like Father Ted, Black Books and, especially, The IT Crowd. After she passed away and I discovered her 16 TB hard drive, with video files, I discovered that she had branched out even further, with series I had never seen or heard of. She would run them in the background, while on her computer, while I was at work. She actually introduced me to Mrs Brown's Boys. I'm sorry for your loss, buddy. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 2, 2024 14:03:28 GMT -5
I was never able to Barb on to comics, though she wasn't a big reader, period. Her mental health issues also often made it hard for her to concentrate on reading, for longer periods of time, which didn't help, when she was having bad episodes. I was, however, able to turn her on to some British tv comedies and some films. Monty Python never quite gelled with her, but she loved Fawlty Towers and had a fondness for some of Graham Linehan's shows, like Father Ted, Black Books and, especially, The IT Crowd. After she passed away and I discovered her 16 TB hard drive, with video files, I discovered that she had branched out even further, with series I had never seen or heard of. She would run them in the background, while on her computer, while I was at work. She actually introduced me to Mrs Brown's Boys. I'm sorry for your loss, buddy. Thank you. Coming up on two years, at the end of November. F@#$ COVID! Still, I mostly remember the good times. We had 15 years together, with many, many ups and downs, but the good far outnumbered the bad and she was with family, at the end. We clicked from the start and she "got" me, quirks and all. You could write a romantic comedy, based on our first date...and a few other "firsts." |
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Post by rberman on Oct 3, 2024 19:48:03 GMT -5
Kingdom Come is beautiful and got me back into comics after 15 years away. But a lot of the payoff is recognizing all the Easter Eggs, as in Watchmen.
For a first read, I would choose something self-contained rather than part of a larger universe. Maybe Saga if they like sci fi, or Fables for fantasy, or The Nice House on the Lake if they like horror. Strangers in Paradise is a great read with strong characterizations, but some find its extreme mix of melodrama and broad humor off-putting. I give Cursed Pirate Girl to the artistically inclined. Invincible could be a good choice for introducing the common superhero tropes from the ground up.
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Post by berkley on Oct 3, 2024 21:25:08 GMT -5
I agree that telling him to skip The Black Freighter would be a mistake and doing an injustice to the book and to your friend as a reader, since there's no telling how any individual will react. Let him discover it on his own, as much as is possible.
Your friend isn't into comics but what kind of books does like to read?
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Post by rich on Oct 4, 2024 2:49:35 GMT -5
I agree that telling him to skip The Black Freighter would be a mistake and doing an injustice to the book and to your friend as a reader, since there's no telling how any individual will react. Let him discover it on his own, as much as is possible. Your friend isn't into comics but what kind of books does like to read? I didn't mention it to him. We'll see what he makes of it all on his own. He's an avid Stephen King reader, I know, otherwise I'm not aware of any patterns in what he's read. |
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Nov 13, 2024 13:34:38 GMT -5
The DC Compact Edition of Watchmen is already going into its 3rd printing. All of the already released Compact Editions are goin g into 2nd printings and a large batch of new Compact Editions were announced yesterday. The format seems to be doing well in the market.
-M
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