How to Get Started & Survive a Multiverse

For anyone that has ever wanted to get into comics but wasn’t sure how to get started, don’t worry, it’s not a scary as you think!

The fantastic world of comic books has come a along way since the 1920s when an issue was only ten cents, stories were limited to a very simple narrative and plots included catchphrases like “holy hot-dog Batman!”

Today, comics have expanded  into a franchise that’s practically taken on a life of its own, from movies to television series and even the popular convention “Comic-Con.” Comic books are just not a medium one can take lightly anymore.

You should never walk into a comic-book store and not know what a “multiverse” is. Don’t panic; for a complex topic, there is a simple description. Think of each DC storyline as its own individual universe. Sometimes, within each universe, a story expands and evolves into a story bigger than it initially started out as. In some instances, another universe can develop within an already existing universe. This is a multiverse.

A great example would be “The World of Flashpoint.” This is a graphic novel that takes pre-existing DC storylines and spins them into alternate realities, thus creating another universe within a universe.

However, “multiverse” can also be a term meant to reference all the different universes between DC and Marvel. Any written or drawn depictions of DC characters co-existing or battling with Marvel characters is a perfect example of this kind of multiverse.

The only thing left to consider is where to start once you’ve chosen a universe to follow. There is no wrong way to go about it, it’s all contingent on how deep you want to go.

Maybe you’re not interested in superhero comics at all; maybe you’re just looking for something different to read. Comics come in many different genres, ranging from horror and romance to anime and manga. It’s all up to you as the reader to determine what interests you, half the fun is doing the exploring!

It also helps to get yourself acquainted with your local comic book shops and see what they have to offer. Strike up a conversation with the shopkeeper and ask for his or her input, they can probably help you find that undiscovered “gem” of a comic that you’ve been looking for all along.

If you’re looking to dive right in, check out “The New 52”, “The Watchmen,” and “Graphic Classics.”