Are you new to comics, or just want to start a comic book hobby after being away since you were a kid? If you’ve been away from comics for a long time, you’re not alone. Many people are getting back into comics after not reading them for years or even decades.
In some cases, the comics you read when you were younger are still available. But often, those titles are still around because they were successful. And since they were successful, they now have subplots and story arcs spread across multiple titles. When you were a kid, you might have had X-Men, but now there are multiple X-Men titles each month.
So where do you start when you’re starting from ground zero? 7 Fun and Easy Steps to Starting a Comic Hobby
1) Familiarize yourself with the characters.
Watch movies, or read the DC 101 series to become familiar with the DC Universe characters.
Even just browsing Wikipedia articles will give you enough of a foundation that you can begin with all of the background information on a character.
2) Read free comics from the library.
There are tons of series available in graphic novels and collections of comics that cover an entire story arc, all produced in a single edition. And since you’ve got your pick of free comics to choose from, you can go between old familiar characters and characters that you’ve never read before. Pick a character and start reading.
3) Set a monthly comic book budget.
There’s no reason that you can’t assign a set amount to spend on a new hobby. One great advantage that comics has over other hobbies is how little you can spend to get started. Most hobbies cost more as you get started, just to get the equipment, tools, materials, or kits together. But with comics, your first comic can be a $1 comic grab from the discount bin and you can be off and running. Whether you set a $5 monthly budget or a $50 monthly budget, you can always spread around those dollars to keep your monthly reading materials new and interesting.
4) Support your local comic shop as much as you can.
Your local comic shop is a great place to browse what’s likely to be the largest selection of comics in your town. Don’t be a butthead and take advantage by browsing your local shop and then buying online. Online shopping can be a great value – but there’s also great value in having that local shop. And without you voting to keep it there with your dollars, it goes away, so make sure you show the locals some love.
5) Buy comics online, too.
There are actually a lot of great places to spend your comic dollars online. Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist will all have selections that you can get. Go digital. You can use ComiXology digital comics to purchase new comics as well as some older comics to be read on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. And if you use a Kindle or Nook there are a lot of comics that can be read directly on your reader.
6) Find comic book people on Twitter and social networking sites.
Like your favorite heroes on Facebook, and stay connected. Don’t just look for your favorite super hero or specific comics that you’re reading, but get connected to the publishers (DC, Marvel, or whichever) of the comics to get information about other titles you might enjoy; Follow your favorite authors and artists on Twitter. Find (or start ) a comic related pinboard on Pinterest. This is so much more of a connected world now than it was when you read comics as a kid. The people are more accessible. The groups, even virtual groups, are easier to find and participate in.
7) Don’t let your comic collection get out of control.
Collections have a way of piling up. You can help minimize this by buying some of your comics in digital form. Also, when you check out comics from the library you don’t have the build up since they’ll be back at the library in a couple of weeks. Some of your comics will become special, and some you might want to keep forever. But there is a cost associated with keeping too many comics. Nobody can tell you how many is too many, but somehow comic book collections have a way of crossing that line eventually! So use some advance planning to keep the clutter to a minimum by selling back the comics you read after you’re done with them. Especially if you purchased a comic book lot from Craigslist, you can enjoy that lot for a month or two, read a bunch of the titles, and then sell them again for probably the same (or very close) price.
Most of all, enjoy your new comic book hobby!
Taking the time to read and getting to know the stories, and the characters, can give you a great amount of enjoyment. Comics aren’t for everyone, and if you’re around people that don’t get it, or think it’s childish or foolish, then don’t let that change your mind. Find stories that you like, and once you do, it’s just like enjoying any other media – and whether a great story comes in the form of a new movie, a great TV series, a novel or a graphic novel – don’t close your mind out to the option of being told a great story just because of the medium.
And hey, we’re comic people here too – so come back and see us sometime! Subscribe, Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and come visit again. Thanks!
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