>Can I start at the newest issue or do I need to read the previous 900 issues to be caught up?
Why do casuals always ask this? Comic companies couldn't possibly be so retarded to expect that of new readers. It's questions like this that make the new #1s so appealing.
How do we make it clearer to non-readers?
>>83593150
I don't think it's so much that, when people as that it's more of a general question, it really means what is a good starting point, what are some good arcs/issues etc.
Speaking honestly the huge number of issues is what really put me off initially getting into comics, it's a lot to take in and to people who don't know comics/never read them it can be very daunting.
![superman233[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/rwPHoti.jpg "superman233[1].jpg")
>>83593150
>How do we make it clearer to non-readers?
Put a big #1 on the cover when a new story arc or writer run starts. Keep that number going while having the legacy number in the corner.
Pic sort of related.
DC are counting the new 52 as issues 905-956
>>83593150
>Why do casuals always ask this?
Because for a long time DC and Marvel liked to jerk off over big issue numbers. It's kind of retarded, but I've legitimately heard a few people say they didn't want to read comics because they thought it was ALL required reading.
It's dumb but what do you expect? Someone who has never picked up a comic book before is going to see "Amazing Spider-man 646" and think "shit, I'm way behind"
>>83593150
>do I have to read all of them?
>No, you fucking casual
>So, who is this character?
>REEEEE YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THIS MINOR CHARACTER FROM ISSUE SOMETHING IS? FUCKING CASUAL FAKE FAN!
>>83593810
This. Every issue should have
SERIES #XXX
STORY ARC PART X
You know how I got into superhero comic books?
DCs animated movies.
Those are a good starting point, they introduce a ton of ideas that aren't present in the live action movies.
The biggest issue is actually that casuals think they have to read more than they do most of the time. Like this >>83593863. No person is going to think they need to watch every Law and Order episode before they turn on a new one but for some reason they honestly believe they have to do it for comics.
They're used to consuming stories in the tv/movie or serialized novel format, and in those there's a clear begining middle and end, or at least a concrete sequence. You can't just start with "leme explain how Hypercrisis synthesizes multiple competing narratives into a multiversal symphony of....."
I'm not a big fan of the focus on "runs/arcs/this sells better as series of tpbs" because I think it defeats one of the strengths of comicbooks; Over the course of thousands of stories, Superman is more like a statistical implication than a discrete "character."
>>83593862
this is actually brilliant.
I sort of want to have complete AC, DC, Superman, Batman digital collection, but I'm still a little afraid of starting.
>>83593150
As someone that's got most cape history from cartoons, it's a bit difficult to get into physical comics because I don't want to drop twenty bucks on a trade that turns out to be shit. Not everyone knows about recommends, and even those recommends aren't always in trades. Having to find working links is a pain in the ass, even Marvel Unlimited or Comixology has everything I'd want to get into.
>Want to fully follow this book's storyline? Make sure you read these five other books and these event issues!
>>83593810
Holy shit that's perfect your a genius anon
>>83593862
So does that mean if they had kept the reboot numbering for a few more years they would have skiped right past issue 1000
>>83593927
I laughed
Then I cried.
>>83596235
No, they still would have recognized it when it came. They did something for Tec 900 even though we were on new 52 numbering then.
>>83596297
Ah ok then.
>>83595571
At least there going back to telling you what issues tie into things for a while there they seemed to be against annoting things
>>83593150
Why wouldn't a casual ask this though? If you really think it's not confusing to new buyers you've been reading comic for too long to be unbiased.
My friend is a casual still but he's really into the MCU. He knows a decent amount about the characters and the way I got around it was to (and I know I'm horrible for this) get him to read events.
It was a good way to get a big story to focus on and kind of forget about anything that happened before, while still being introduced to characters he had never even heard of as well as seeing the stars. Sure, eventually he'll move on to better stuff and realize it was kinda convoluted and garbage but they are pretty decent introductions.
Plus it helped him to see that the story arc is what you want to look for. They give each issue a title for a reason.
But you know what he gets really excited for? The new Black Panther series with it's numbers 1 and 2 (and his first delay on #3.) The new issues do work in that regard, even if we hate the idea.
>>83593810
Only problem I can see with this is when you have an story that's only 1 issue long you end up with a random number 1 on its own
Still I think it's worth that one issue for all the things it would fix.
And I guess it's not that difrent from a single issue special being called #1
