I want to continue the geek education of my daughter. So I am looking at buying a half dozen or so comic book omnibus.
What I am looking for are good examples of the main DC and Marvel characters. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Iron Man, Captain America, that sort of thing.
What would you suggest as an intro or best example of the character?
Brubaker's Captain America, also almost anything he has written.
Rucka's Wonder Woman.
Kingdom Come.
>Kingdom Come
Might be a bit complex, don't you thn k ?
How old is OP's daughter ?
Long Halloween for bats or Hush if she likes the art better
All star superman
Justice league origin because its a good introduction
Walter Simonson Thor Omnibus.
She is thirteen and can handle complex, but I'm not sure if that is what I want. I'm not familiar with that story line so my question would be 'is it a good example of superman'.
You could say that I am looking for good comic representations of the main DC/Marvel characters because the movies...maybe aren't...
You know what I mean? I'd like to have her have some perspective when watching them as to what the characters have been traditionally. At what might be their best.
I figure you guys would know better than most.
DC
Wonder Woman - Perez Omnibus
Superman - Golden Age is your only real option
Batman - Brave and the Bold Bronze Age Omnibus (The book feature batman teaming up with different heroes a lot of who are quite obscure now)
Green Lantern - Geoff Johns Omnibus
Flash - Silver Age Omnibus
Marvel
Spider-Man - Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus (Lee and Ditko)
Daredevil - Really any omnibus but if your daughter is young I'd recommend the Waid omnibus because Brubaker and Miller can get brutal at times in their omnibus.
Captain America - Brubaker Omnibus.
Thor - Thor by Simonson Omnibus.
X-men - Uncanny X-men Omnibus
That covers a lot of the main characters in each universe, their are other omnibus that I'd recommend however they don't deal with main characters as much or deal with more violent characters like deadpool and punisher.
Up, Up, and Away is the most Superman book imo
Would Justice League, Vol. 1: Origin (The New 52) by Geoff Johns be a good choice for Justice League? Or did New 52 muck with the characters too much?
I've actually used this strategy to get recs before too.
It's funny, when you pretend to have a daughter, suddenly everyone is willing to give you recs. And really good, self-contained ones at that.
Though I personally chose an 8 year old, not 13. People have less empathy for teenagers.
Why the literal fuck would you read origin over JL Year One? Are you fucking retarded?
It's bad for reasons other than the new 52 (besides the theory that Johns didn't have his heart in things after they killed like all of his continuity).
Get Morrison's JLA
Omnibuses are kind of expensive and not really the most practical or durable things. I would look into Epic Collections, they're softcover and cheaper and she can carry them around in a backpack or whatever if she's so inclined.
Why would you want your daughter to grow up on capeshit? Just lurk more on this board and observe its users. Is this what you'd want your daughter to be when she grows up? Just hand a real book in her hands.
Give her some Image comics tbqh.
So I discovered, ouch.
I have a really good collection of older Marvel stuff, some of it suggested here, from back when I was in highschool. But I can't hand them off to her until I get back from Afghanistan (there is some guilty dad involved here).
Pic is what I am looking at so far. Maybe smaller collections till I see what she likes.
How is it the buy list in the pic looking?
This also, show her Monstress, 13 year old girls in my day had Inuyasha and I think this could be an Inuyasha for the new generation.
She reads plenty and tons. This buying is for two reasons:
1) we are enjoying the cape movies, but I want her to have a more 'classic' comic book understanding of the characters. I don't see why that is a bad idea.
2) I grew up reading cape shit. I have years worth of comics, but for reasons I can't give them to her right now. And even then I didn't have any DC stuff, only marvel. So here I am.
>And even then I didn't have any DC stuff, only marvel.
If you get one DC omnibus I recommend the Justice League Bronze Age omnibus. You get classic Justice League with all the big characters. Unless she doesn't like older comics, some people don't develop a taste for them until they're older.
Rape her while wearing a batman costume
>geek education
oh jesus fuck I hate this kind of shit
just give her some comics and she might like that or not
but don't act mainstream superhero comics are some high literature, most of it is disposable crap
Drop Hush. You can do a lot better with Batman. I'd say Batman adventures is a better fit for her. Get her Millar's and McCloud's Superman adventures as well. Both were for all ages books and were some of the best runs on the character. Paul Dini's Batman run is a good new reader friendly run as well. It's collected in three softcovers. Other good Batman books would be any Bronze age collection.
or better, give her actually good comics and not fucking Iron Man
there is like one good Iron Man book (Extremis) and that's because it completely ignores what other writers did with Iron Man
give her sandman, that shit is A++
>recommending Loeb's Batman clusterfucks
>recommending anything by Loeb at all
don't, just don't.
Get her the War of Kings Omni set for full 2000s cosmic bliss. Collects the full Guardians run by DnA as well as event tie ins all the way up to Thanos Imperative.
Walter Simonson Thor Omni gets reprinted in a couple of months.
Ultimate Spider-Man and Uncanny Avengers are also good buys.
sorry you are a casual, but despite what memers might want you to think, MoS and BvS are pretty solid depictions of Superman.
People like to pretend ASS is this ultimate version of Superman, but really no version like ASS Superman ever existed before it. Grant Morrison even talks about how be was inspired to have this completely new take on Superman when he saw a cosplayer at SDCC one year.
If you want to know what stories really inform the character in the mainstream I'll suggest to your daughter the same stuff I read around that age.
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? For the Man Who Has Everything
Secret Identity
Secret Origin
Man of Steel
Kingdom Come
But really fuck the big two, get her Astro City
Superman Ending Battle
The Dark Knight Returns
Wonder Woman Earth One
It's more of alternate universe elseworld kid series but have her read DC Superhero Girls graphic novels. There are good and some obscure characters who might not be in modern comics. There are three graphic novels out right now.
Hits and Myths is the best one so far.
Prepare to be disappointed when she doesn't give a shit about comics...
Amazing Spider-Man 1-3
Uncanny X-Men 1-3
X-Men (Claremont/Lee) 1-2
Fantastic Four 1-3
Fantastic Four (Byrne) 1-2
Daredevil by Miller
Daredevil by Miller Companion
Thor 1-3
Thor by Simonson
The Born Again arc in Miller's Daredevil is good, as are all the others.
I was watching R-rated movies and looking at fucked up shit way before I turned 13, so I really don't see any of it as being that bad. Giving her a bunch of children's garbage is the quickest way to turn her off capeshit for good.
THIS
Raising your daughter on remedial pop culture will literally make her less intelligent in the long run.
Stop pretending comics can be mature. Give her literature.
This user speaks the truth.
For Batman education I recommend Batman Adventures, It isn't complicated so people can grasp the characters at some level. Simple and funny.
Don't buy into this Ready Player One bullshit where being well-versed in geek culture is in any way valuable. No one is going to be into every single nerdy thing out there. We all just have specific niches that we truly love and that love runs deep.
Just encourage her to find what she likes and foster whatever passion is there.
Also buy her Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi rules.
I think you should get her some non-capes too. Depending on what kind of girl she is, Courtney Crumrin or Nimona might be good. Mouse Guard is nice, Kabuki's cool if she likes artsy stuff, though it starts like a standard cape story. Beauty is a good fairy tale comic and Saga of Rex is pretty nice in a cute way. And Sky Doll is my absolute favorite comic, but is probably a bit much for a 13 year old. For that matter, Kabuki might be a bit much too, actually. I don't know how you're raising her.
omnibuses are for people who don't read comics
because good lord, they are clunky and annoying to actually, you know, read
look great on a shelf though
This, SO MUCH THIS! Plus, girls love Thor
I lent my neighbor Thor For Asgard cause his daughter was visiting. She fell in love with it and wants to read all the crazy Thor stories she can find
lack of colour really makes some stories lose their weight though. They were made to have colour in mind and you kind of need it. And reading Kirby without the colours? Yes, I know he didn't do his own colouring but it became so integral to his style.
Get her Rememnder's run of agetn venom, no mainstream but it's a great read nonetheless. Also get her an omnibus of Starlin's Captain Mar-vell run.
>omnibuses are for people who don't read comics
fuck off. Go to the Shelf threads (which at first glance I thought this was) and talk to people. You get the best comic discussions there. The rest of the board is shit
>I want to continue the geek education of my daughter. So I am looking at buying a half dozen or so comic book omnibus.
the Essential Marvel and DC Showcase Presents lines would be your best choice in my opinion
For Brubaker's Cap, get Winter Soldier before Red Menace.
For a 13 year old, I'd recommend Runaways. I let my sister borrow my Runaways trades when she was that age and she loved it.
Astro city is owned by one of the big two, even if its only an imprint
For a 13 year old girl?
1. No Omnis (at least not the giant, fuck-huge ones, smaller books get called omnibuses because of the definition of the word)
2. I'd go with smaller trades that aren't kid targeted but also don't get into seriously dark shit, at 13 I can assume cursing and a bit of blood and violence isn't the end of the world as long as it doesn't get truly fucked up.
3. What I'd rec.
"Superman for all seasons" by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, its a nice pleasant and heartfelt story with creative and beautiful art that showcases why Clark is who he is over the course of 4 seasons. There are plenty of other one and done Superman stories, but I haven't read them. All-star Supes is not a good choice
"Batman: Year One" by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, Dark and gritty but not over the line for a 13 year old, may have some bad language I can't totally remember... but its short and sweet, the art is great, and its the beginning of the Bat.
"The Flash" (n52) by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, Hardcore Flash fans have probably perfectly good reason to not like this run, but its a perfectly serviceable series by writing standards, and the art.... is FUCKING AWESOME, the exact kind of thing that captures the mind of a young teen. Theres multiple paperback editions or you could go for the hardcover that collects iirc the first 24 issues.
Wonder Woman by Perez, others have already said it and theres really no argument against it, although Azzarello and Chiangs run from n52 looks fantastic and had a decent story that really only annoyed oldschool WW fans.
Thats all I'm going to suggest for lack of knowledge, also I'm not sure what to rec from Marvel other than like, Simonsons Thor run (which is also in small trade paperbacks), or as another person said Runaways.
Ultimate Spider-Man would be good too, the Bendis dialogue loathed by many is probably something a teen wouldn't mind because its all quippy and talky like tv and movies can be.
Something by Alan Moore
omnibuses are fine for everyone, just draw the line around 800 pages or so
I think All Star Superman would be better than the Golden Age omnibus. The art is better for one thing, not to slight Shuster and those artist hired to imitate his style. And I did the Chronicle books, which is the exact same thing, just repackaged.
There's about three or four volumes of Greatest Stories on Superman that are trade paperbacks. However, the Worlds Finest omnibus just became available which I think would be a good introduction to both Superman and Batman (as well as Robin).
I agree on the Flash Silver Age omnibus or the Archive editions. With Wonder Woman, as someone above recommended, there are two Rucka books, I would get those and/or the Perez omnibus. The Rucka book will probably be a bit better on art.
Have you considered getting her the DVD of Earth's Mightiest Heroes for Marvel? It's a good introduction to Marvel for folks who don't know much about it (I'd count myself there).
As a DC reader, likewise, I'd recommend getting her the Justice League and JLU DVDs. While I don't like a few things about it, it will be a better representation of the DC universe, something she can re-watch.
BTW, Justice League and JL Unlimited are on Netflix so if you have that, she's good. EMH has never been on Netflix for some reason that I am aware of, I had to get the disks from my local library for my nephews. Not sure if it's on Amazon Prime.
I honestly do not see why people loved Rucka's run. Care to explain what was good about it, besides it being a reboot? I thought Azzarello did an awesome job creating a badass character. Maybe if I read Wonder Woman before New 52 I would understand people treating the run as if it was the greatest thing to happen in comics. He made Amazons bisexual, erased a good backstory by Azzarello and bitched about Cho showing her ass in a few covers. Other than that I do not know what is so appealing.
>MoS and BvS are pretty solid depictions of Superman.
>People like to pretend ASS is this ultimate version of Superman, but really no version like ASS Superman ever existed before it. Grant Morrison even talks about how be was inspired to have this completely new take on Superman when he saw a cosplayer at SDCC one year.
Son, you misunderstood the interviews that Grant gave out, in particular that story. All that story about SDCC got him to think of was in terms of Clark being totally relaxed about being Superman, which is totally in line with other canonical writers saying that he enjoys being Superman.
Of the age appropriate books you suggested, none of them would suggest that MoS or BvS are really in line (much less solid - they provide some hints, and do a far better than any live action has before of showing off the powers, flight, etc., but as far as a 'solid' characterization, F no.)
...
I also agree.
Dude, I don't even like reading giant omnis (and yeah 800 pages in hardcover is pretty big), and I'm 6'1 200lbs not some little 13 year old girl.
Nobody, especially kids, want to read comics sitting at a table like when theyre in school.
It is a reboot.
>6'1
>not a little girl
I'd honestly consider the Green Lantern/Green Arrow
It's a bit dry I think but still rather historic
just make sure she knows there's stuff besides capeshit
Bone by Jeff Smith
Calvin and Hobbes
Silver Surfer
i've heard New Mutants is good but i have yet to read it
Locke and Key but it's dark and violent
Age of Apocalypse but it's dark and violent. atleast with AoA she can read Uncanny X-Force in a few years
Swamp-Thing
Planetary. there's a crossover with WW, Bats and supes
Fathom so you can introduce her to Michael Turner artwork
also there are "classic" issues you can pick up that are reprints of original stories. you should look for those. if you want character development for x-men, issues of x-men unlimited did that
When she's a few years older she can read Sandman and Lucifer
comics CAN be mature, just not with capeshit. calm the fuck down
>educating your kid about comics
Cmon man just buy her some Bradbury books and call it a day. Halloween Tree is a good start. Another one would be just taking her out and teaching her how to shoot a gun. If you believe in that feminist bullshit just tell her she will never outmuscle a 6 foot nigger wanting to rape her ass so she might as well use self defense weapons properly.
>Bradbury books
worst advice on this thread. If she wants to read fantasy then go with Lord Dunsany. Hell, even Narnia is better than Bradbury