Comics for Noobs: January 10th
Jan 10, 2013 by     2 Comments    Posted In: Columns, Reviews

200px-MarvelLogo.svgWith a brand new year comes brand new comics, of  course, and brand new comic readers! Whether it’s a Christmas gift that sparked an interest or a goal to rekindle a childhood love, I’m sure many people try to jump into comics every year. The challenge is knowing where to start. With constant reboots, reimaginings, retcons, and redefining events, comics can be a bit dense and scary for new readers to tackle.

Personally, I only returned heavily into comics about eighteen months ago. I’d been reading a few series here and there, but was largely ignorant of what exactly was going on with the larger whole of each company. I wish I  had someone to tell me which new series and miniseries were worth a read and which ones I could jump into each week. Since Tommy has had to part ways with Comics for Noobs, I’m taking up the torch, and passing on what I hope are good recommendations to new comic readers. Here’s hoping I can find you something worth reading!

For my first post, I’m going to try to give you a range of books, one each from four different companies, both Big Two and Indie. I’m even going to be jumping on one book for the very first time, just to see how new-reader-friendly it might be. I’ll start with what is arguably the biggest comic news of the week: Superior Spider-Man #1

Superior Spider-Man #1 Published by Marvel Comics

Superior Spider Man 1 CoverIt’s divided comic fans both old and new, but is it a good place to start your Spider-Man reading? As I’m sure everyone on the internet knows by now, and if not SPOILER ALERT, Otto Octavius, A.K.A. the Spider-Man villain Doc Ock, has switched bodies with Peter Parker and now inhabits the body of Spider-Man! He’s got all the memories and powers as Peter, and has now vowed to be better than Peter ever was; a “superior” Spider-Man.

Dan Slott and Ryan Stegman make an interesting, and generally pretty good first issue. Some bad guys are stopped, Mary Jane gets taken on a date, and we see a bit more of who the new Spider-Man really is. Doc-Ock-Spider-Man isn’t very likable, in my opinion, but he could be interesting to read about. Ultimately, the issue ends with what I think is a pretty big and blatant “way out” for the series if/when fans get tired of the direction it’s taking.

If someone had no previous knowledge of what had occurred in the last few issues of Amazing Spider-Man and the revelations they entailed, then they would be quite lost in this issue, I think. Pretty much everyone knows Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Reading a comic where he’s not might throw some new readers off and confuse them about Spider-Man in general. I think it’s best if you catch up on at least the last arc of ASM before jumping into this comic.

Art: 9/10
Script: 8/10
Parental Concern: Moderate. Violence, mostly.

Adventure Time #11 Published by BOOM!

I’m sure everyone has at least a passing familiarity with Adventure Time by this point. If not, it’s about a boy named Finn and his shape-shifting dog named Jake. They bro it up and fight evil in Adventure Time 11 Coverthe magical/post-apocalyptic land of Ooo, which is full of vampires, candy people, talking video game consoles and more. The series on Cartoon Network was wildly successful and Boom! has since turned it into its own comic book series, with multiple spin-off miniseries. With Ryan North, of Dinosaur Comics fame, acting as writer, the series offered a fun adventure for readers of all ages.

Finn and Jake have Marceline, the vampire, over to play some video games on BMO, the anthropomorphic video game system. He sucks them inside the game, but once they beat the game and come back to the real world, they notice BMO is acting a bit odd. It’s only after a little investigation that they decide BMO has been infected with a virus!

I’m fairly familiar with the characters, so I instantly knew who each was and what sort of character they were. Even so, I think a new reader, even one without any knowledge of the characters, could easily jump right in. I’ve only read one other Adventure Time comic, and I don’t feel my enjoyment of this issue suffered at all from not knowing about the previous ones. It’s light-hearted and fun, making it perfect for everyone from the six-year old looking for his first comic to the middle-aged man looking for something a bit different than normal.

Art: 8/10
Script: 8/10
Parental Concern: None! Perfectly safe for the kids!

Batwing #16 Published by DC Comics

Batwing 16 CoverI’ve never read a Batwing book before. I have absolutely no idea who he is, other than that he basically amounts to the African Batman. I picked this book to jump on because I wanted the “new to comics” feel too. With no background knowledge, I jumped right in to issue 16, just to see if you could pick it up at this point.

David Zavimbe is a police officer in Tanisha, a town in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. His alter ego is that of Batwing, a Batman Incorporated member and the African representative of the organization. He’s the only good cop in a town full of corruption, and in this arc he seems to set the corrupt system in his sights. He must not only battle the corrupt businessmen, but also his own coworkers as they aim to stop witnesses from coming forth.

I had literally no background knowledge of the character and still enjoyed the heck out of this issue. It didn’t depend on any previous issues, from what I could tell, and explained who everyone was clearly enough for new readers. While I don’t know everything about Batwing at this point, I know enough to make me want to continue reading. It was a solid story with great art and seems to be leading up to something exciting. It’s a perfect book for someone who’s interested in Batman style characters, but wants something that’s not strictly Batman.

Art: 9/10
Script: 8/10
Parental Concern: Moderate. Violence and some blood.

The End Times of Bram and Ben #1 Published by Image Comics

the End Times of Bram and Ben 1Image is known for putting out some comics that might not make it to print at some other publishers. The End Times of Bram and Ben is a brand new miniseries co-created and co-written by James Asmus, who has been doing some work lately on Thief of Thieves and Gambit. It’s his first creator-owned series, as far as I know, and he’s making a few waves.

We can all generally agree that if the Rapture were to occur and you’re left behind, then it’s not a good day. But what if you’re raptured, only to be returned to Earth since you got raptured by mistake? That’s the situation Bram finds himself in. He’s the slacker goof to his roommate Ben’s responsible schoolteacher. Bram is going to use the Rapture to his advantage, one way or the other. So, what would happen in a world devoid of the “good” people and just left with “normal” people?

The artwork by Rem Broo is very unique, and I personally really like it. The writing is funny and quirky, making both Bram and Ben instantly lovable characters. It’s not a book making fun of religion, but making fun of people, as Asmus says. If you’re down for a bit of irreverent humor and can joke around about religion, pick this up. It’s not quite like most comics out there, but well worth a read if you want to see one of the quirkier titles that Image might have to offer without buying thirty back issues.

Art: 9/10
Script: 7/10
Parental Concern: Moderate. Language and some humor that may not sit well with everyone.

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2 Comments Add Comment

  • Chip Reece January 10, 2013 at 11:43 am

    I had a good time reading Superior Spidey. There’s no way it will last for the very reason you stated, Ock-Spidey is not very likable. He’s an egomaniac and annoying as crap. I’m definitely curious about where it goes, but did not find myself rooting for the guy.

    Credit to Slott for getting me to buy the issue, a rare thing for me these days.


  • Leo Johnson January 10, 2013 at 10:06 pm

    Exactly. It wasn’t a bad comic, it just wasn’t a comic where you liked reading about the character. You should always enjoy reading about the character in the comic, I think.

    Batwing was such a joy this week! I’d absolutely never read a book with him in it. I might just have to pick up the past trades and add it to my pull, ha!