Hi all, There is a certain engineer on the DCUO team (who will for now remain nameless) who has never - not once - in his life read a comic book. Please help us right this tragic wrong. If you were going to tell someone to read their first comic book - and perhaps the only comic book they'll ever read - which would you choose? Let's keep it to DC and trade paperbacks as much as possible. He has agreed to read the most-suggested book and write up his thoughts for all of you once finished. Suggest away!
Blackest Night / Brightest Day / War of the Green Lanterns is probably my favorite mainstream series of TPBs that I own. Have them start there
Couldn't agree more, Blackest Night is IMO the most Epic saga ever put into the DC Universe. On top of that, it contains a wide array of characters and a little bit of back story on them. Would love to see a Black Lantern DLC.....I can just picture my league and I shredding through legions of undead super heros on our way to *SPOILER ALERT* fighting Black Hand and Nekron.....(CHILLS)
Most logical choice: Batman Year One! The killing joke is also one of my faves both are very much worth it edited. other better choices mentioned here for the lantern universe
If we're talking DC Universe characters (but slightly out of continuity), I'd go with Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. One of the best Superman stories ever and artwork that makes a neophyte realize that so much more can be done with the medium. If we're talking something more mainstream, I'd go with The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. A classic Batman/Joker story that had a major impact not just on the DC Universe, but all Batman (and Barbara Gordon and Commissioner Gordon) stories forever more. If we're talking something simply published by DC, I'd go with Watchmen. It was the watershed moment for the comics industry - a truly adult story told with impeccable artistry. (Check out issue #5 for instance - a perfect mirror of itself, panel-for-panel … i. e. the very first panel of the story reflects the last, and so on.) The story not only took meticulous planning, it treated its characters like real human beings in fantastic situations.
yup Blackest Night or Infinite/FInal Crisis , especially with Darkseid coming with league Halls, it's important for the Unknown Engineer to know what he is working on for us.
Best DC Graphic Novels: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Watchmen Batman: Year One V For Vendetta Batman: The Killing Joke The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume 1 Kingdom Come All Star Superman
no mans land. and how in the hell does somone that works on a comic book based game never read a comic? isnt that part of the job dicription?
Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer You'll what a great writer can do with Superheros beyond saving the earth and fighting crime. A great "who done it" story that says a lot about our heros when they're off the battlefield. Always been my favorite story.
Ill only add Infinite crisis and crisis on infinite earths to that and it is perfect to get into comics
It kind of depends on your engineer's literary tastes to be fair... If they like in-depth story and characterization, I'd say Watchmen or KIngdom Come. If they love the iconic feel of "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive...", then I'd recommend the collected versions of Superman: Birthright or Jerry Ordway's Power of Shazam. If they love the angst and noir feel of Gotham and the Batman, then I recommend Frank Miller's The Dark Night Returns or The Long Halloween. And if they just happen to want a strong female character, I recommend the trade paperbooks of Manhunter or the New 52 Wonder Woman!
Best story, probably the Blackest Night series. Also, it's hard to go wrong with Batman - he is The Dectective, after all, of DC comics, so the "Year One" suggestions aren't off target. However, if someone working on the DC universe wants a starting place, I'd suggest a series or title with a bit more breadth, for expose to more characters. Like maybe the Justice League series (Guy got knocked the $%^& out by the Man in issue #5.): I also really liked this series (and I chose this issue because of the cover art, not because it's the most important in the series):
Batman Vol. 1 The Court of Owls. It's very easily accessible, and the art and storyline are fantastic.
To be honest, the Batman: Hush series. Amazing artwork by Jim Lee, great story by Jeph Loeb. It's great as a standalone because you really don't need a whole lot of comic book backstory (not counting the Jason Todd parts).