How to Determine the Right Graphic Novels and Manga for You

If you choose Iron Man or Daredevil, I must congratulate you, as you possess exquisite taste. However, their history does not necessarily follow classic Marvel universe history in its chronological order, and there are even some modifications to the original origin stories for Iron Man and Daredevil. The number of comics accessible on the market has forced me to take a step back, and I advise an afficionado to take the time to amass a beautiful assortment of graphic novels and manga.

What to Start With?

Your choices will either be a heterogeneous set of works gleaned over the years or the implementation of targeted purchases following a thread. If you are considering getting all the second-hand comic collections, you should be careful, as they are often hard to find and quite expensive. Others may advise that you have to see all the great years of the prominent superheroes of the Marvel universe.

As H2G2 says, "Don't panic!" These are the adventures of the heroes whose beginnings, therefore, have a vibrant background. I will begin to make a small response to each of these issues.

How Can I Recognize the Series That Are Good Investments?

The love of art is paramount, but in the end, none of us wish to do bad business, and I also conceive the construction of this collection as the opportunity to invest in one of my passions. The artists should make a graphic novel for you; the artist should speak to you.

Perhaps you would love a Disney collection of comics. For example, Marvel made Ultimate Universe to attract new readers into the Marvel universe without any continuity constraints. You can also find your guide, a person whom you consider to be able to advise you.

So, it is easier to get started when you already have a strong knowledge of different comic artistic fields or if you have a bank account to make a Rothschild blush. To begin and try not to be financially ruined, we will already try to be selective to see what we like the most, and we will deepen the rest afterward. As for the events that have marked the entire Marvel universe (that is, all characters beyond their respective series), this is generally called a crossover, and the two most important are House of M and Civil War, which still have repercussions to date.

To Which Events in the History of These Series Am I the Most Sensitive?

Some collections still require knowledge of the Marvel universe, especially if it is a crossover. What strategy should we adopt to build our collection? The early series of the Ultimate series thus takes over the first hours of the superheroes, the origin of their powers, the formation of teams, and so on. Inevitably, they are the headliners of the house of Marvel, and also, they are the more popular comics.

Indeed, the universe of Marvel comprises several "worlds," of which these are the main ones. Note that the characters of the Classic universe of Marvel do not live in the same universe as those of the Ultimate Marvel universe. It is a vibrant world among all the Marvel titles, what goes out in bookstores, between the series, the comics Marvel has not reissued, and the old set of comics.

About the Author
About the Author Image

Gerard I. "G.I." Prud'Homme M.Sc.

has studied at Harvard, Oxford, and the University of London and has lived in London, Paris, Hawai'i, and Los Angeles. He has a Master of Science in Computer Science degree, is fluent in many programming and human languages, and has programmed several shareware, freeware, and open-source programs. He has also had a dozen books published. He now works as a Developer and lives in CA in the Greater Los Angeles region.