"What's A Good Jumping On Point?"

So, I wasn't sure there was a thread for this kind of thing but everyone likes to read new things. Not everyone knows a good jumping on point. Maybe you want to try out something new but are not sure what would be considered a good jumping on point. This thread is to help your fellow comic geeks get on board a series he or she might be interested in checking out but aren't sure where to start.

I'll go first. I want to get back into Marvel. Without getting into a long story about it, I don't read monthly Marvel books. I do get an occasional trade but I don't read any Marvel with the greatest of regularity. As I said, I want to get back into Marvel and I want to start out with the Fantastic Four. Now, I know I am already getting the Marvel Masterworks that are in the softcover versions and maybe any visionary trades but what can people recommend to me that is modern and by that I mean from the last 5 to 10 years or so.

Thanks.

Waid's run was appropriately fantastic, as was Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's on the Marvel Knights series.

Did every Marvel franchise have their own Marvel Knights series?

I think Hickman's Fantastic Four: Dark Reign mini-series is a good place to jump in before you start on his run on the ongoing book.

Sinister Dolphin wrote:I think Hickman's Fantastic Four: Dark Reign mini-series is a good place to jump in before you start on his run on the ongoing book.

Personally, I'd just start with Hickman's run on the main book. I don't think that mini-series is necessary at all as a "jumping on point".

The thing is with Hickman's run is that he has picked up and run with quite a number of plot points from Millar's run (which I actually think was nicely done). I don't think it's 100% necessary but it may pay to pick up the Mark Millar run too to bring someone right up to speed to the present day. There just seems to be a lot of connections.

jaydee74 wrote:Did every Marvel franchise have their own Marvel Knights series?

Just about.

Sinister Dolphin wrote:I think Hickman's Fantastic Four: Dark Reign mini-series is a good place to jump in before you start on his run on the ongoing book.

Agreed. That's what got me turned on to it.

Aussiemandias wrote:The thing is with Hickman's run is that he has picked up and run with quite a number of plot points from Millar's run (which I actually think was nicely done). I don't think it's 100% necessary but it may pay to pick up the Mark Millar run too to bring someone right up to speed to the present day. There just seems to be a lot of connections.

I don't think it's necessary to read Millar's run. I read the first half from the library, but didn't finish it because they never got the second volume. I was able to jump into Hickman's run just fine.

So. What are people's opinions on Miller's FF run? I have to say he's not one of my favorite writers out there but FF is a book that I so want to get back into and so that's why I made this thread. I think I'll start with the Miller run even though I don't like him all that much. I'm curious about the Council of Reed Richards. Whose run was that from?

Millar's run was meh for me, which is why I never bothered to finish it.

The Council appears in the first arc of Hickman's run, "Solve Everything."

jaydee74 wrote:So. What are people's opinions on Miller's FF run? I have to say he's not one of my favorite writers out there but FF is a book that I so want to get back into and so that's why I made this thread. I think I'll start with the Miller run even though I don't like him all that much. I'm curious about the Council of Reed Richards. Whose run was that from?

I don't think the Millar run was all that great. It started out interesting but I really didn't like the second half of his run that much and was kind of glad it was over. Some of the leaps in logic that were going on really aggravated me.

It's definitely not required reading for the Hickman run but as I said above Hickman really has built on quite a few ideas that started with Millar - in particular, Nu-World which I think is turning out to be a key element of the Hickman run.

I think the important thing to note for you is that Hickman's run is not a clean break from Millar's. There are connections. However, I sort of think if you don't like Millar's writing then it may pay just to start from where Hickman begins. I'm pretty sure Hickman has written his stories to fill in the backstory for new readers anyway.

I liked Millars run in FF he had some good stuff. also I'd go back and read mark waids run on ff mainly for the artwork it's awesome!

rwe1138 wrote:Millar's run was meh for me, which is why I never bothered to finish it.

The Council appears in the first arc of Hickman's run, "Solve Everything."

That will be the first thing I get then if it's in trade.

Aussiemandias wrote:

jaydee74 wrote:So. What are people's opinions on Miller's FF run? I have to say he's not one of my favorite writers out there but FF is a book that I so want to get back into and so that's why I made this thread. I think I'll start with the Miller run even though I don't like him all that much. I'm curious about the Council of Reed Richards. Whose run was that from?

I don't think the Millar run was all that great. It started out interesting but I really didn't like the second half of his run that much and was kind of glad it was over. Some of the leaps in logic that were going on really aggravated me.

It's definitely not required reading for the Hickman run but as I said above Hickman really has built on quite a few ideas that started with Millar - in particular, Nu-World which I think is turning out to be a key element of the Hickman run.

I think the important thing to note for you is that Hickman's run is not a clean break from Millar's. There are connections. However, I sort of think if you don't like Millar's writing then it may pay just to start from where Hickman begins. I'm pretty sure Hickman has written his stories to fill in the backstory for new readers anyway.

Cool. Hickman's run is where I shall start then. Nice.

kidspider2099 wrote:I liked Millars run in FF he had some good stuff. also I'd go back and read mark waids run on ff mainly for the artwork it's awesome!

Wow. I didn't know Waid did FF. Cool beans.



So I hope other people add to the conversation about what they might want to get into as well. Want to get back into a particular franchise but don't know where to start? Ask it here.

Bendis' Daredevil run was pretty cool, as was Brubakers. I have yet to read Kevin Smith's DD run, but I've also heard go things about his as well.

I read Kevin Smith's Daredevil story and thought it was pretty good. I know the art is done by Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti and it's beautiful. I would suggest checking it out if you can find it.

^ Will Do... I also HIGHLY recommend Matt Fraction's run on The Invincible Iron Man. Pretty amazing stuff.

I enjoyed Kevin Smith's Daredevil run. It was good. The art was great. I definitely like Bendis' and Brubaker's runs better, but Smith's run was good.

Personally, I can't sand Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man run. It just find it boring and stale.

And as for Millar's run on FF, I thought that it was awful.

TheeDoctorWhoHasDreads? wrote:^ Will Do... I also HIGHLY recommend Matt Fraction's run on The Invincible Iron Man. Pretty amazing stuff.

Is that the current stuff? I had been thinking about it and I believe I read the first issue and thought it was interesting.

^Yeah, it's the current stuff.

The Kevin Smith run on Daredevil is the place to start if you want to get into it now, but be prepared to get sad once you catch up to where we are now. You'll read Shadowland and think "what the fuck happened?"

jaydee74 wrote:

TheeDoctorWhoHasDreads? wrote:^ Will Do... I also HIGHLY recommend Matt Fraction's run on The Invincible Iron Man. Pretty amazing stuff.

Is that the current stuff? I had been thinking about it and I believe I read the first issue and thought it was interesting.

Fraction wrote the five nightmare story arc. very good stuff.


you should read the mark waid run on ff. I loved it.

I do like Mark Waid a lot. How much of this FF stuff is traded?

I'm going to check out Waid's FF run now. Luckily it's on Marvel's Digital Comics.

How do you like marvel's digital comic subscription? I was looking into it but I'm still on the fence about it... how much is it and is it worth it?

jaydee74 wrote:I do like Mark Waid a lot. How much of this FF stuff is traded?

All of Waid & 'Ringo's stuff is traded:

Trades:
Fantastic Four, Vol. 1: Imaginauts (Fantastic Four vol. 3, #56, #60-66)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 2: Unthinkable (Fantastic Four vol. 3, #67-69, 500-502)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: Authoritative Action (Fantastic Four #503-508)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Hereafter (Fantastic Four #509-513)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Disassembled (Fantastic Four #514-519)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 6: Rising Storm (Fantastic Four #520-524)

Hardcovers:
Fantastic Four, Vol. 1 (Fantastic Four vol. 3, #60-70; Fantastic Four #500-502)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 2 (Fantastic Four #503-513)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 3 (Fantastic Four #514-524)

rwe1138 wrote:

jaydee74 wrote:I do like Mark Waid a lot. How much of this FF stuff is traded?

All of Waid & 'Ringo's stuff is traded:

Trades:
Fantastic Four, Vol. 1: Imaginauts (Fantastic Four vol. 3, #56, #60-66)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 2: Unthinkable (Fantastic Four vol. 3, #67-69, 500-502)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: Authoritative Action (Fantastic Four #503-508)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Hereafter (Fantastic Four #509-513)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Disassembled (Fantastic Four #514-519)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 6: Rising Storm (Fantastic Four #520-524)

Hardcovers:
Fantastic Four, Vol. 1 (Fantastic Four vol. 3, #60-70; Fantastic Four #500-502)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 2 (Fantastic Four #503-513)
Fantastic Four, Vol. 3 (Fantastic Four #514-524)

thanks I really ought to buy those.