Comics
15 Random Comic Stories For Noob Reader
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I’m a nerd slowly entering full Geekdom, and comics can be intimidating as hell to jump into. After taking a fuck ton of recommendations, these were the books that felt the most noob friendly and easiest to get hooked on fast.
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1) WE3
PUBLISHER: DC Comics / Vertigo
OG RUN: 2004 • 3-issue miniseries
WRITER: Grant Morrison
ARTIST: Frank Quitely
CUSSIN: Lil bit yes
THE STITCH:
Three heavily weaponized animals — a dog, cat, and rabbit — escape a secret government program and just wanna go "home" while the military hunts them down their pricey mistakes. This one is Guardians of the Galaxy 3 fucked up.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Quick read, brutal, intensely stirring, and cinematic as hell. Easy entry point because it’s self-contained and doesn’t require knowing decades of continuity. WARNING - extreme emotional damage incoming.
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2) FABLES: LEGENDS IN EXILE & ANIMAL FARM
PUBLISHER: DC Comics / Vertigo
OG RUN:
Legends in Exile — 2002 (#1–5)
Animal Farm — 2003 (#6–10)
WRITER: Bill Willingham
ARTIST: Lan Medina (Vol. 1), Mark Buckingham becomes major later artist
CUSSIN: God yes
THE STITCH:
Think every fairytale character from your childhood but in super adult situations and even more adult language. Snow White, Bigby Wolf, and Prince Charming secretly live in New York after being exiled from their magical homelands by a mysterious conqueror called the Advisory (dope reveal here). Human passing fables are aloud to interact with "mundies" (regular folks) while animal or monster-looking fables are forced to reside on enigmatic "Farm".
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Familiar fairy tale characters make it super easy to jump into. Fable reads like a fantasy TV drama mixed with noir detective storytelling. Wait till you meet Goldilocks - hoboy...
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3) HOUSE OF X & POWER OF X
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
OG RUN: 2019 • Two interconnected 6-issue series
WRITER: Jonathan Hickman
ARTIST: Pepe Larraz (House of X), R. B. Silva (Powers of X)
CUSSIN: No, but I'd LOVE to hear/see Professor X say "fuck"
THE STITCH:
Professor X and Magneto put all the past shit behind them to radically reinvent mutant society by creating the mutant nation of Krakoa. Politics, resurrection, timelines, mutant hero and villian attempting to work together to stop an apocalyptic Sentinel/Phalanx future that ends them all.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Honestly? Medium difficulty. It’s AMAZING but dense ngl. This is a perfect jump on point, pretty much every mutant ever shows up and is reintroduced in way that is easy to pick up. Great for readers wanting “prestige sci-fi X-Men” energy without needing Google on stand by. Oh and two word. MISTER motherfuckin SINISTER.
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4) THE SANDMAN
PUBLISHER: DC Comics / Vertigo
OG RUN: 1989–1996 • 75 issues
WRITER: Neil Gaiman
ARTIST: Multiple artists, primarily Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Marc Hempel
CUSSIN: A tiny bit. Not enough to make it better
THE STITCH:
Orpheus also known as Dream, one of the Endless, escapes imprisonment and journeys through mythology, horror, fantasy, and the human realm while repairing his fractured kingdom. As Endless these characters aren't gods they are living personifications of fundamental reality.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
If you like dark fantasy, mythology and SUPER problematic authors pick this one up. The Sandman is sureal as fuck and the Netflix series was great - until Neil ruined it for everyone.
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5) ALIAS
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
OG RUN: 2001–2004 • 28 issues
WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ARTIST: Michael Gaydos
CUSSIN: Yes, a perfect amount
THE STITCH:
Former superhero and current hot mess Jessica Jones quits the cape life and becomes a hard-drinking private investigator after a seriously fucked up encounter with The Avengers. Now she's the go-to for uncovering dark secrets in the Marvel Universe.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Very. Street-level storytelling, grounded tone, and noir vibes make it easy for non-comic readers to get hooked. Many familiar Marvel characters pop in but not in the way family friendly MCU way. Also Jessica Jones has her own Netflix series as well as appearing in this season of Daredevil: Born Again.
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6) SAGA . VOL 1
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
OG RUN: 2012 • Collects issues #1–6
WRITER: Brian K. Vaughan
ARTIST: Fiona Staples
CUSSIN: Yes, enjoy!
THE STITCH:
Two soldiers from opposite sides of an intergalactic war fall in love and flee the galaxy with their newborn child while literally everybody tries to kill them. Saga is a supremely beautiful space opera, with some of the most unique characters seen in comics. Shout out Ghüs and Lying Cat.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
One of the best gateway comics ever made. Pretty much Romeo and Juliet in space, with more aliens, violence and fun four letters. Saga is emotional, funny, horny as hell, weird, and beyond bingeable.
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7) THE BOYS
PUBLISHER: Originally WildStorm, later Dynamite Entertainment
OG RUN: 2006–2012 • 72 issues
WRITER: Garth Ennis
ARTIST: Darick Robertson
CUSSIN: Yes, and bad words are the least of the 18+ worries.
THE STITCH:
A covert CIA-backed team monitors and violently handles corrupt superheroes who abuse their fame and powers. Despite being the source material for the best show on Amazon Prime ever, The Boys comics has a much darker tone. Let's just say Herogasm in the comics was too much to stream.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Easy to follow, but EXTREMELY edgy. If the TV show made you squirm, the comic will absolutely fight your ass in a parking lot.
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8) GREEN LANTERN VOL 1: SINESTRO
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
OG RUN: 2011 • Collects Green Lantern #1–6 (New 52)
WRITER: Geoff Johns
ARTIST: Doug Mahnke
CUSSIN: No, but the HBO show will.
THE STITCH:
During the DC reboot New 52, former villainous Yellow Lantern, Sinestro unexpectedly becomes a Green Lantern again while Hal Jordan gets humbled as fuck. Think buddy cop in space, with a solid reintroduction to decades old characters.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Pretty beginner-friendly for cosmic superhero comics. Geoff Johns explains concepts clearly while still making everything feel huge and epic. A great way to meet these characters before they appear in the upcoming HBO Lanterns series due out in August.
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9) AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE PROMISE
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
OG RUN: 2012 • 3-part graphic novel series
WRITER: Gene Luen Yang
ARTIST: Gurihiru
CUSSIN: No, but that would be insane though.
THE STITCH:
Set after the animated series, Aang and Zuko struggle with restoring peace while dealing with political tensions between nations. This is followed by Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
If you watched the cartoon, this is basically Season 4. Super approachable and captures the show’s vibe perfectly while allowing it to grow with the characters.
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10) INVINCIBLE
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
OG RUN: 2003–2018 • 144 issues
WRITER: Robert Kirkman
ARTIST: Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley
CUSSIN: Yup, just like the show.
THE STITCH:
Teenager Mark Grayson inherits powers from his alien superhero dad and discovers superhero life is WAY messier and bloodier than expected. The show follow the comic fairly well so if you love the Amazon Prime series let this be your bridge
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Absolutely elite starter comic. Clean storytelling, solid art, huge emotional payoff - it escalates from classic Spider-Man vibes to “whoa holy shit” very fast.
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12) RUNAWAYS VOL 1: PRIDE & JOY
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
OG RUN: 2003 • Collects Runaways #1–6
WRITER: Brian K. Vaughan
ARTIST: Adrian Alphona
CUSSIN: Nope.
THE STITCH:
A group of teenagers discover their parents are secretly supervillains and immediately decide to get the fuck outta dodge.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
One of Marvel’s best beginner books. Teen drama, humor, and found-family vibes without needing Avengers homework. Art is simple yet stunning. A quick easy read.
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13) WONDER WOMAN: THE HIKETEIA
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
OG RUN: 2002 • Original graphic novel
WRITER: Greg Rucka
ARTIST: J. G. Jones
CUSSIN: No. The world's not ready for that yet.
THE STITCH:
Wonder Woman grants sacred protection to a young woman hunted by Batman, forcing Diana and Bruce into an ideological and very physical collision. Seeing two DC titans on the opposite side of a moral battle forces the reader to take sides whether they want to or not.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Fantastic intro to Wonder Woman because it focuses on her morals, mythology, and compassion instead of giant crossover chaos. Even though this is a Wonder Woman story there's alot of classic Batman on display here.
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14) FRAY
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
OG RUN: 2001–2003 • 8-issue miniseries
WRITER: Joss Whedon
ARTIST: Karl Moline
CUSSIN: Some weird future swearing
THE STITCH:
Set centuries after Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the world has become a cyberpunk nightmare where vampires secretly rule the shadows again. A street thief named Melaka Fray discovers she’s the next Slayer and gets yanked into an ancient war she barely understands. Think Buffy mixed with Blade Runner energy, flying cars, future gangs, mutant weirdos, and dusty apocalypse vibes.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Trust me. Even if you never watched Buffy, the story explains the Slayer mythology well enough to follow along. The futuristic setting makes it feel fresh but still gives a very bingeable “lost animated series from Adult Swim” feel. Would've mad a good show but I'm not sure on Joss Whedon's current cancelation status.
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15) BATGIRL:SILENT RUNNING
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
OG RUN: 2000 • Collects Batgirl #1–8
WRITER: Kelly Puckett
ARTIST: Damion Scott
CUSSIN: No. She can't even talk yet.
THE STITCH:
Former child assassin Cassandra Cain becomes the new Batgirl while struggling with Olympic levels of trauma, the inability to communicate verbally, and learning what it actually means to be human, much less a hero. Mentored by former Batgirl, Barbara Gordan, Cassandra grapples to learn that the lethal option should not be a reflex but a last resort.
NOOB FRIENDLY:
Unique as hell. Damion Scott delivers a bold graffiti art style that is energetic and easy to follow. Because she's mute, the storytelling is visual-heavy, making Cassandra instantly memorable even for first-time readers.
Think any of these baddies are worth a trip to the comic shop? What are some other noob friendly comics should we consider for part dos?
