Getting others addicted!

[DarkNick]

Okay, so imagine you’re trying to convince someone that comic books are not exclusively for nerds and that they contain some un-embarrassing entertainment value, because they’re close-minded and you want to enlighten them.

You have five trades/stories/graphic novels for them to read, in order, to convince them; either way, this is likely the most they will ever read. And if they are unimpressed, they can stop after reading at any time.

After you’ve listed five, rank these in the order you would recommend suggesting them:

The Killing Joke
Watchmen
Welcome Back, Frank
Batman: Year One
The Dark Knight Returns

Disregard continuity if you feel that’s appropriate, and yeah, my list was all superhero stuff, but yours doesn’t have to be. The bottom line is entertainment; trying to get someone hooked the way you probably are. No need to impress them with award-winning stuff if you know it won’t do anything for them.

And if you’re interested in answering another question, which book/s got you hooked on comics?

 

[Prognosticator]

1 Kingdom Come
2 Y: The Last Man vol.1
3 Batman: Year One
4 Fables vol.1
5 Conan: The Frost Giant's Daughter and other stories or The Goon vol.1

Your list:
Batman: Year One
Watchmen
DKR
Welcome Back, Frank
Killing Joke

 

[Prognosticator]

You wanna 'sneak' most friends in. You don't want to bombard them with Superhero Books immediately.

I might also include a graphic novel like Bryan K. Vaughn's recent "Pride of Baghdad".

 

[Phaedrus45]

It really depends on the person who you're appealing to. My ex couldn't stand superhero comics; but, I did get her into the original Elfquest stories. She'd also like Bone, probably. Plus, many times the best way to get someone into liking comics is to find out if they like a certain movie based on a comic. When Batman (the original with Jack as Joker) first came out, she also really liked The Dark Knight Returns. And, with the first X-Men movie, she read Weapon X to learn more about Wolverine..but, she really wasn't too thrilled with that one.

 

[CConn]

I just made this thread.

Anyway, as for what hooked me into comics...

The Dark Knight Returns. Definitely.

I had read Year One a few years before I got into comics, and, really wasn't all that impressed. I don't even know if I made it through the book (admittedly though, that was more my fault than YO's), and once I did, it really didn't inspire me to read anything else in the comic world.

Thankfully, I bought DKR at the same time as YO, and once I finally got around to reading it, was totally blown away. It was great. My first great comic. The first comic to really impress me, and it really made me want to read more, and buy monthlies, etc., etc.

 

[Prognosticator]

I just made this thread.

Ouch.

Hey CConn, what's with the "location"? What's the inspiration for putting that?

 

[CConn]

Ouch.

Hey CConn, what's with the "location"? What's the inspiration for putting that?

In Community a few months ago, there was a thread titled "Homosexual Parade in Jerusalem angers Jews, Muslims, Christians". Or something like that. I thought it was funny, and stole it like any good hack does.

 

[GNR]

Kingdom Come,already recommended it to some friends and they loved it.

Also...

Justice
Ultimates Vol.1 and 2
The Authority Book 1-3
Bendis and Maleev's Daredevil run
Astro City:Life In The Big City

 

[CConn]

I agree big time on Justice and Ultimates. Ex Machina is another one I think people could really get into.

 

[ang_hulk]

ultimates and wanted work just fine.

 

[Andy C.]

The ones I've had best luck with:

1) Kingdom Come
2) The Long Halloween
3) Watchmen
4) Red Son
5) Ultimates

 

[Elijya]

If you want to dispel someone's ideas that comics are not exclusively for nerds, not inheritly childish, and aren't all basicly power fantasies.... why would you suggest to them nothing but superhero titles?

Award-winning does not mean boring. The kind of person who would dismiss comics as childish or nerdy is exactly the kind of person who's going to be far more interested in and entertained by smarter comics of the non-spandex variety, stuff like Rex Mundi, Blankets, Pride of Baghdad, 100 Bullets, Ex Machina, Punisher: Born, Y-The Last Man, Strangers in Paradise, Fell etc. And those're just titles without any sci-fi fantasy elements to them, too (except for Ex Machina, but that's different). Allow for that, and add Sandman, Transmet, Preacher, Orbiter, Deep Sleeper, The Coffin, etc. etc.

 

[GNR]

Then again,some people are already somewhat familiar with some superheroes and are only curious to read material about the heroes they know.

 

[Darthphere]

I find it incredibly difficult to get new fresh blood reading comics. Usually, you have to get them the right book right off the bat or they'll lose interest. One of my sisters only likes Y: The Last Man, though, that may have to do with her thinking BKV is hot, but shallow reasons or not, she's reading comics. She may try Runaways next.

 

[Anubis]

I got my brother reading comics by buying Street Fighter and Transformer books. I still keep a Street Fighter subscription just to give to him. One of these days I'm gonna get my money back on that. He got me Absolute New Frontier for Christmas. It's a start.

I've managed to get quite a few people at work to read though. Quite easily really. I just bring a book to read and leave it on my desk. I come back and somebody's sitting there reading it. Got a nurse to fall in love with Batman the Long Halloween. My supervisor is really into Fantastic Four. I even got this senior citizen into Ennis' Punisher.

 

[Darthphere]

I got my brother reading comics by buying Street Fighter and Transformer books. I still keep a Street Fighter subscription just to give to him. One of these days I'm gonna get my money back on that. He got me Absolute New Frontier for Christmas. It's a start.

I've managed to get quite a few people at work to read though. Quite easily really. I just bring a book to read and leave it on my desk. I come back and somebody's sitting there reading it. Got a nurse to fall in love with Batman the Long Halloween. My supervisor is really into Fantastic Four. I even got this senior citizen into Ennis' Punisher.

Well there was that one priest I got reading Preacher.

 

[Anubis]

I've been itching to get my mom to read that.

 

[The Hero]

I've been itching to get my mom to read that.

You sick bastard.

But then again, I've been trying to get my mom to watch Clerks, so I don't really have room to talk.

 

[Anubis]

you sick bastard

 

[The Hero]

And I've already gotten her to watch Mallrats and Requiem For A Dream. I know, I know, I'm going to hell.

 

[Anubis]

Oh, you better believe you're going to hell. There's a special place in Hell for guys like you. The one where you have to watch Granny porn over and over and over again for all eternity. Which oddly enough, is heaven for some people.

 

[DarkNick]

Preacher is definitely in the equation, but that's recommending nine books.

My own Preacher story:
I ordered the first Preacher book online, based on a last-second recommendation that said it was Tarantino-esque. Months later when I finally got around to opening it, I stayed up all night reading, threw up, and immediately ordered the other eight books.

Sandman is absolutely a must-read, but a bit, uh, fantsay-centric for an introduction, and the whole is better than the sum of its parts.

I think the worst I've done movie-wise was showing my father
Boogie Nights and Magnolia.

But if anyone has shown their parents (or anyone they know, really) the movie Happiness, they have bigger balls than me. And I thought it was brilliant.

 

[The Hero]

I don't know if I could go that far, but I did show my parents Adaptation (After I had already seen it). The absolute least comfortable viewing experience of my life.

 

[GNR]

Stuff that has worked on a friend,and she's a chick!

Civil War
Ultimates
Justice

She's been reading and borrowing some of these issues off of me,so far she's enjoying them.

She also bought Kingdom Come I think and she's interested in my Secret Identity and For All Seasons copies.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I've managed to get several people hooked on Fables. It seems to be a pretty accessible comic for non-comic fans.

Of the ones listed at the top:

Watchmen
Batman: Year One
The Dark Knight Returns
Welcome Back, Frank
The Killing Joke