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Looking around and I don't think I saw a thread about this - I would love to hear everyone's stories of the very first DC comic book they ever read and/or got their hands on! What was your opinion of it, how do you think it gave your first impression of the DC Universe, and from there, what comics did you read to continue your (admit it) addiction?

I'll start off, and first up admit that as much as I loved Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the various commonly known villains - I actually only recently dove into reading the comics. Before it was pretty much watching whatever films came out, and admittedly, not even the animated shows have I seen until just this year.

So, although slightly unrelated, pretty much on its own, and yet still technically DC-owned: My first book that I got my hands on was Watchmen. Very good. It was depressing, but still very good.



After Watchmen I finally and officially got into the DC Universe through Crisis on Infinite Earths. I started with it as part of a recommended list a friend gave me, and will definitely say that as much as it was a confusing beginning to start with, I enjoyed it and found that it was an excellent way to introduce me to a huge armload of characters I hadn't heard of before, and worlds I've only briefly been told exist.



( Cover of the Crisis on Infinite Earths I own. I'm aware it isn't as cool as having each individual issue. )

So what was Crisis on Infinite Earths like for me? When did I first read it? Well, it was actually just earlier this year that I first read it. As a little background context, just before reading this, my only exposure to lesser known DC superheroes was through the Justice League animated show. I was told before I opened it that I wouldn't recognize, well, just about all the characters it started off with, and that was definitely true. The story itself was also a little hard to follow for me, as it was pretty intense and fast paced, but in my opinion it definitely got better about halfway through. In the end and after several books it isn't my favorite, that I will confess, but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who I wanted to pull into the DC Fandom. The reason there being to introduce them to a crucial point in the DC storyline as a whole, and to introduce them to the incredible diversity of the DC Universe, because it did a darn good job of that. Did I get to know the personality to each face I saw? No, but that didn't matter yet. What definitely did matter was that especially introducing this to someone who hasn't read many, if any superhero comic books in the past - It teaches them that there's an incredible amount of detail put into the worlds (also, there are multiple worlds, timelines, etc) and their vastly diverse characters. Last I must add, I think a small bit in Crisis on Infinite Earths that definitely piqued my interest was introducing me to Earth 3 and its reversed position of the Crime Syndicate of America versus Alexander Luthor. The concept of a reversed role of Justice League members as villains, and a sole hero of the planet being one of the most well known villains was awesome to me. Introducing them at their end with the beginning of Alex Jr's tale was possibly, among all the superheroes and villains, what later formed the beginning to my toy collection.

From Crisis on Infinite Earths I went on to A Death in the Family. (- quite the change in pace and mood, that was! I didn't have prior exposure to Jason though, so I was less affected by the sudden event that took place in it.)

From there, I continued following a list that went like this. . .



-- Bottom is the beginning and on up. Final Crisis is part of my list and not in the photograph, but right between 52 and War of the Green Lanterns. The recommended list effectively had me hooked, and ends off with GL's Blackest Night and Brightest Day, of which I have not yet read or bought.

So, what was your first comic book you read from the DC Universe? What was your opinion of it? When was that? How did your reading continue and in what direction from there? I'd love to hear your stories! I may have only started recently, but always enjoy hearing of and discussing when and how collections began.

My first comic was the Flash #247. It was the second part of a two part story titled "Kill me Flash, faster, faster" The main villain was Abra Kadabra and the story guest starred Jay Garrick. I had exposure to the DC heroes from the morning cartoons. Superfriends was all right, but it did strike me as rather tame. The idea of two earths with the heroes of the Golden Age living on an entirely separate world totally captured my imagination. The Flash was my gateway to Justice League of America (back then there was an annual team up with the JSA!) Green Lantern, Legion of Superheroes...etc. I picked up all kinds of titles with my paper route money; Warlord, the Avengers, Defenders, Superman Family, Brave and the Bold...I was always on the look out for an appearance by Doctor Fate. Doctor Fate was on a slurpee cup from 7-11 that I had picked up. I knew nothing about him at the time, but he was easily a favorite. And then I was in high school and the comics were not a big part of my life anymore. I would occasionally talk to someone who still loved and collected, but I just wasn't buying anymore. I got a job in a grocery store and one of my co-workers was big into comics, so I gave him my collection. Fast forward several years...I was on a break between classes at college and wandered into a mini mart. I found an issue of Warlord, picked it up and got hooked all over again.

My first DC Comic was The Untold Legend of the Batman which was basically an origin story told through flashbacks as Batman works to uncover the identity of a stalker who seems to know his identity. It was an excellent read and it gave me a much broader idea of what Batman was all about. My first exposure to it was actually in a duotone graphic novel format which my big sister had borrowed from the public library for me. Much later on in life, I saw it again. A friend of mine from school had one of the issues. This time, it was a in a full-color comic book format and was part of a three issue mini-series . The comic was however printed on slightly smaller pages but still much larger than the graphic novel I remembered. One thing I remember fondly was how it gave you glimpses of a lot of the more obscure Batman rogues like Killer Moth and the like.

That's an excellent list of comics. A great way to dive right into the thick of things. Your friend gave you a super list to work with! I think my first comic was in the 90s. Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #17. It was part of the Venom storyline. I thought the story was engrossing but the themes were shocking. With my preconception of Batman, the idea that he would succumb to addiction really humanized and grounded him for me. I of course went back and got the rest because it was the second part of a series. After that, I realized that there was a superb library of comics for me to choose from and that's where I discovered Gemworld, my all time fave, and my love for Silver Age and Golden Age superheroes.

The first DC Comic I've ever read was Superman #402 where Justin Moore discovers an amnesiac derelict Superman in an alleyway. The story's conclusion is so cornball, you've really got to read it to believe it. Then there's another weird story in the second half of the comic which was rather common for Superman comics at the time. Jor-El transfers his mind into his son in the future in a different timeline. I loved it just the same and it made me a fan of DC comics for life.

Love the stories / books shared people, keep 'em coming!

OneNineSix, that's a beautiful cover, I think. And I'd actually love to see some of the more cheeseball type storylines created in the 90's. It'll be a fun change, if not simply amusing, compared to the current lineup I'm in, haha! I've read a few Green Lantern issues from the 90's, but they were pretty much "social issues" types that had pretty straight-forward points. (mostly, drugs and corrupt politics topics)

I'm loving the list I'm following, too, Princess_Amethyst. I think once I hit Identity Crisis is when things got really, really good. Don't get me wrong, I love the Batman-Robin thing going on too, but I think the story in Identity Crisis (and forward) and how it truly got me attached to the more obscure characters was where I really got addicted. It was something that kept me on my feet about everyone, even the guys in the background. To both AcidDragon and Princess_Amethyst, I actually envy the library access to comics. From when I was a young kind on up to now, I've spent a lot of time at public libraries, but man, do I and did I never see much comic book selection. I think if I actually saw more than just a single random Superman and a few Marvel issues, I would have picked several up a long time ago.

HectorHall - So what was it that got you into Warlord, both in the beginning and when you swung back into the comics again later on? Having absolutely no exposure to it, I'm quite intrigued to know!

Illiasc wrote:

HectorHall - So what was it that got you into Warlord, both in the beginning and when you swung back into the comics again later on? Having absolutely no exposure to it, I'm quite intrigued to know!

I remembered the character as having some really neat sword and sorcery type stories. Mike Grell had created a world and did a great job weaving a tapestry to hang everything on. When I saw the issue at a mini mart, I was genuinely surprised and pleased to see it was still going. It seemed like a good title to collect and fill in the back issues because the world of Skartaris was self contained. Of course when I started hunting back issues I discovered comic book stores, (they did not exist to my knowledge as a youth) and slowly crept back into the world of Superheroes.
Ironically, the Remco Warlord figure along with a Super Powers Dr. Fate got me into action figure collecting as well.

Nice! Dr. Fate in general isn't who began my action figure collecting, but he was indeed the first physical character that hit my shelves. (I did a polymer sculpture of him before I got my first DC action figure.) I definitely know that feeling also of realizing a big childhood love is still going now, and getting that allure of jumping right back into it. It's a pleasant surprise versus seeing the old hobbies are pretty much of the past.

So, does anyone else have first stories to share? Also, did many of you start out with a major death in the story? How did it affect you at the time? I'm eager to hear!

Illiasc wrote: (I did a polymer sculpture of him before I got my first DC action figure.) !

Wanna see a picture!

He was my first superhero I've sculpted before, too.



Before posing him, I actually made sure that he stood at 6" tall, so it'll be fun to pair him up with a DCUC 6" Dr. Fate. He's not great, but I like him.