Comic books are a hard hobby to get into. Long-running superhero comics especially have borne this stigma for decades, always being the subject of memes and jokes about how insanely convoluted reading comics is. I genuinely think this criticism is overblown. Comics can seem imposing, yes, and it’s definitely intimidating to know that there are hundreds of issues already out, but it’s not nearly as hard as the naysayers make it out to be. Granted, there definitely is some truth to it. Getting into comics can be hard, and it’s especially hard to know where to start. You could grab an issue off a shelf, ask a local comic shop worker their opinion, or, if it comes to it, you can almost never go wrong with a number one.
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That’s the exact philosophy DC is taking with its newest push to bring in new readers. They’ve started a brand-new Start Here initiative, reprinting old issue number ones with the Start Here logo across the cover. These special reprints are meant to be the perfect jumping-on points for new readers, with stories they need zero prior knowledge for that they can follow through on after testing it here. Best of all, these issues are only a dollar each, so it’s as close to zero risk as you could get. To kick off this incredible initiative, DC has reprinted the first issues of four celebrated Batman comics, and one is the best Batman storyline in years.
Holy Starter Pack Batman, This Is a Great Deal
Outside of knowledge, one of the biggest barriers to entry in comics is price. Keeping up with comics can be pretty expensive, and spending five dollars on something you may not like is a lot for some people. That’s exactly what makes these Start Here issues so great. Not only are you getting thirty-two pages of awesome Batman content for a buck, but all of these storylines have been reprinted countless times. If you read an issue and want to follow up on it, it should be pretty cheap to grab a trade paperback of any of these four series.
Speaking of, the four series in question offer a huge variety. They include the first issues of Batman(2011), Batman (2016), Batman: White Knight, and Batman: Dark Patterns, which is the aforementioned best Batman story in years. All of these comics have something going for them. Batman (2011) was the start of one of Batman’s most acclaimed runs in recent memory, and officially started the New 52 continuity, which is perfect for people with no prior knowledge. The story itself is also highly regarded by critics and fans alike. Batman (2016) is a lot more controversial, but I stand by the fact that the first half of Tom King’s run is genuinely good to great. The first story is a perfect example of that.
Batman: White Knight is an Elseworld, meaning that it’s in its own continuity with no connection to the mainline, which makes it perfect for new readers. However, its depiction of Batman is far from the norm, diving far more into the idea that he causes more harm than he prevents. It’s not a story I would recommend to a new Batman fan. Frankly, I think it’s a bad first impression, but I got started reading the Injustice comics and I love Superman now, so who am I to judge what we start with? White Knight still offers a very unique look at Batman and the Joker’s dynamic with incredible art.
Batman: Dark Patterns is the true holy grail. It’s set during Batman’s earliest years, also requiring no background knowledge. The twelve-issue series focuses on Batman dealing with small, standalone mysteries across Gotham. This is Batman at his best, featuring some of the greatest detective work we’ve ever seen in his comics. If you love mysteries and Batman facing Gotham’s version of grounded detective work, then this series is for you. I cannot recommend it enough between its beautiful art, atmosphere, and flow.
Overall, all of these issues are at least worth a peek, whether you’re new, haven’t read them, or want to read them again. This is the best deal DC’s given customers in years, possibly ever, and I say we all take full advantage of it so we can see more of these in the future. They hit store shelves this Wednesday, September 2, so be sure to pick up your copy!
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