#this post is inspired by someone recommending the entire Johns GL run to prepare for reading Blackest Night

[androxys]

Over on Reddit, I've been seeing an increasing number of posts along the general tune of "what background reading to I need in order to get to [story I actually want to read]?" Some answers are more generous than others, suggesting long runs that provide you with The Most Context Possible for whatever story the person is interested in. I'm just going to say, with genuinely as much kindness possible, just start wherever. Starting is the hard part, and the rest unfolds from there.

Feeling like you have to have read "enough" to be allowed to read a comic is a losing game because there are simply so many. In my opinion, the best way to get into reading comics is to start with collected trades, because they're specifically slices of a much longer canon that are able to stand on their own! From there, all the stories ask is for you to be able to nod along and allow the story to unfold before you. If it engages you and you really want to learn more about the character, great! Now you have a toehold and can start jumping into the larger run of comics, either by following along what comes next or by jumping back and catching up on what happened before.

Because another secret is, even if you did your best effort to try to prepare well for the thing you want to read, that still doesn't completely prevent the writer from throwing in a completely different character or group into the mix. For example, let's say you wanted to read the Death of Superman story. You did a deep dive on Superman stories to prepare. You feel ready for this! ...And then there's a whole issue of Justice League America with characters you've never encountered before. But that's okay! I promise it's okay. You don't need to know Bloodwynd's character history to understand what the Justice League is doing in this story. You just have to nod along and let the story run its course. Trust the storyteller.

If you're worried that you're going to pick the "wrong" starting place, and that you're going to read bad writing or poor characterization or some AU that hasn't been relevant in 30 years... it's still okay. I promise. If you find that you're not enjoying the comic you're reading, put it down and find a different one. The thing about comics as a medium is that there are as many genres and writers and artists and styles as you could possibly want. Reading a bad comic does not permanently stain you, and in fact will make the next, better comic you read even sweeter.

And who knows? After you've started, and done more reading and know more context, you might return to that original story and now be able to read it and think about it in an entirely new light! And you wouldn't have been able to have the experience of recognizing your own growth if you had waited until you were "ready" before.