#Batman: Year One is something I highly reccomend as the first comic run you read if you want to get into Batman

[stealingyourbones]

That is quite the negative viewpoint on the continuity that I do understand. There’s just so much to go through. Some people who want to read simply don’t because they don’t know where to even start. Almost every silver aged comic seems to be just filler. The stories are dated and the old stories read like the authors took every drug they could get their hands on and then wrote a script to a comic in 30 minutes.

Continuity is positively batshit, the amount of DC Crises’s are ridiculous, and the varying conflicting stories and nonexistent timeline is super hard to figure out what the fuck is going on. Time is nonlinear and oh look, this character from this comic has aged three years and yet this character that they interact with on a daily basis hasn’t aged a day.

Comics are confusing. Comics are strange. Comics make no fucking sense.

And that’s why they are amazing.

Comics are one crazy ass medium of storytelling that can have the most batshit stories that’ll slowly make sense as you dive right into the dcu. Some comics are really good, some are really bad, and with the wildness of continuity you can actively choose to ignore that comic run.

As I said before, you can choose your own version of continuity. You don’t like that comic run? You can actively choose to just ignore that canon. There are dozens of other comic runs with that character in it. You like THAT version of the character? That’s now integrated into how you mentally portray that character.

With 75 years of comics, (most people only read stuff published in the 80’s and onward but ) because you don’t have to read every single comic to get a good grasp of the character and their stories. There are 6 comic long story runs that’ll be completely isolated and tell you all you need to know. You like that hero? Then go buy more comics about that person and read all about them. You think this hero just isn’t for you? Then you stop reading their comics and move on.

You don’t have to grasp the entirety of DC Comic’s publications for things to make sense. Sure, there ARE some large events in the DC timeline that are important to know about, but you will quickly learn about them when you immerse yourself in the comics and history of DC. All you need is slight knowledge of the character and you’re good to go.

There are a bunch of comics I just don’t read. Comics where Bruce is just a complete asshole towards his kids, comics that are dreadfully dull and boring (*cough* Knightfall *cough*), the comics I’ve heard that are extremely bad runs, comics I don’t agree with the characterization, all of those. I just don’t read those. Sure they can have important plot points in it but there are so many resources I can use other than the source material: watching a YouTube video that discusses the comic run, asking a friend who is big into comics about it and let them infodump, listen to a podcast that summarizes a comic run or entirety of a characters lore, read a summary of the comic online with a quick google search.

Or I could simply not learn anything about it. If I don’t like the run I don’t want to take the time learning about something I’m not interested in.

Sure there’s a lot to read but you don’t have to! The amount of online resources that will go in depth about a characters history or a comic run!

Just read whatever you want! It genuinely doesn’t matter what comics you read, you don’t HAVE to know everything. In a lot of comics they’ll explain everything going on. It doesn’t matter your knowledge in DC. You’ll eventually learn through reading more and more comics. You just gotta pick up whatever catches your eye and then read it.

Big and important canonical DC events will be reprinted to hell and back. A super secret special edition (including the first ever printed version of the comic from the 40s! So many anniversary collections have the first ever comic of that series in it somewhere.) You don’t have to know every niche bit of information to read a comic, you just have to absorb the information you are given like a sponge and gradually understand what’s going on. I mean most people who read fics already got a somewhat decent grasp on the well known DC heroes. You’re already off to a good start!

Fuck reading in order. Grab whatever comic catches your eye even if it’s in the middle of a run and read it! You’re going to pick it up pretty quickly. Give it a few dozen pages and you’ll have pieced most of what’s happening together. No one expects you to read every comic book. That’s not the point! The point is to enjoy a cool heroes and the story they’re in! Timelines are wack, Tim Drake has been 17 for 11 years, and Continuity is a sham so why not just read whatever and have some fun!

Resources I greatly enjoy:

Podcasts

Character Corner (Spotify & YouTube) - an incredible podcast that talks about comic runs and gives great comprehensive summaries of comic book characters and comic runs. My fav comic podcast.

The DC3 Cast! (Spotify & Apple Podcasts) - weekly discusses current DC comic runs. Fun atmosphere. Not the best to just jump in with 0 knowledge of the DC universe. You can jump to listening to a comic run you’re interested in. there is no need for linear listening. Vibes of buddies chillin.

Weird Science DC Comics Reviews (Spotify & YouTube) - weekly discussions on new DC comic run releases. A bit more of an argumentive podcast. less lax than the DC3 Cast. Vibes of sports commentators heatedly debating about what they think will happen before the game.

Youtube

Comic Commentary/Discussion

Comic Drake (Youtube) - an incredible storyteller. Discusses everything under the sun about DC comics.

Owen Likes Comics (Youtube) - discusses comic runs and adds interesting commenrary.

Comicstorian (YouTube) - discusses everything under the sun for comics. Has read throughs of entire comic runs and explains what’s going on along the way. Summaries of comic runs. A bunch of stuff

Comics Explained (YouTube) - comic commentary, summarization of lore and very interesting discussions.

The Russian ComicBook Geek (YouTube) - incredibly well produced motion comics. Both Marvel and DC. You can watch entire ass comic runs. Highly reccomend.

DHVO Comics (YouTube) - large collection of motion comics. slightly less quality than Russian ComicBook Geek.

Cape Swoosh Productions (YouTube) - has a small collection of DC comics that are adapted into radio plays. Great stuff.

Patronic27 Productions (Youtube) - has some positively incredible DC motion comics.

Prodigy (YouTube) - incredible motion comics. Some are super fuckin long.

troyoboyo17 (YouTube) - interesting and wonderful DC commentary videos.

Fortress of Solitude (YouTube) - a storytelling comic commentary channel. Shows long clips of the pages of the comics discussed.

Comics Online

DC Universe Infinite (Website) - a DC owned subscription service that lets you view any DC comic that they have catalogued . There is thousands. All new comics are delayed from six months to one month before being added to DC Infinite to help encourage physical copy purchasing. They also have rotating free-to-view comics you can check out. (Subscription options: $8 USD per month/ $75 USD per year/ $120 USD per year (Ultra subscription))

Comixology (Website) - an Amazon owned online store for comic books. Contains almost every comic out there. Comics require purchasing individual copies.

The problem with trying to map out the DC fictional cities is that, they are always changing, sometimes Gotham is in New York, sometimes Metropolis is across the river from Gotham and sometimes it's half-way across the states, depending on which comic/movie/show you're watching. So technically, everyone is right about where they think the cities are, statistically speaking there's a canon where that's where they are.

Yep!!! Most DC locations are very generalized. they are somewhere in California or somewhere on this coast. It’s a mess. Quite a lot of the maps you see online are speculated locations for the cities to be located.

DC rule #1: Continuity is a sham. Everything is canon and also not and also it is but only slightly.

My main view on all comics is to just build your own personal canon. There’s 75 years worth of comics. There’s no way you’re gonna read ALL of it. Pick and choose the comics you like and ideas you enjoy and build your own personal view of the character and world. Mine might be different than yours and that’s ok, that’s how comics are meant to be.

If ya think metropolis is on the east coast? Sure. Why not. Go for it. In DC time is a thick soup and the world is Mr. Mxyzptlk’s playground. Anything is possible.