Discover Top Posts Tagged with #comics recs

Black Comics Recs

Been meaning to do something like this for a while and it was on my mind, so... since it seems like a lot of people have trouble finding indie comics outside the Big Six, here's a handful of the Black-led and often Black-owned indie comics I've picked up over the years:

Iron Circus Comics (https://ironcircus.com/) was originally founded to publish the founder’s webcomic and now publishes a whole range of diverse titles. You might know them for Kim Hyun Sook’s autobiography Banned Book Club; their anthologies of stories based in various mythologies, like The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories and The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Stories; or their Smut Peddler anthologies of woman-created and -centric erotica. And they’ve got a Pride sale on right now!

FairSquare Graphics (https://fairsquaregraphics.com/) describes itself a family, immigrant and minority-owned company who might be best known for their 1920s-era queer graphic novel A Boy Named Rose, which got nominated for an Eisner in 2024. For the purposes of this list I specifically want to highlight their Mutiny: Black Girl Magic series, which is currently in preorder, and their “Noir is the New Black” line, especially Watson and Holmes, which I sadly cannot find on their website anymore but I love and desperately want the next volume for. It’s Sherlock and Watson as modern-day Black men in Harlem, and features one of my favorite Holmes designs literally ever.

I’m pretty sure Stranger Comics (https://www.strangercomics.com/) exists first and foremost to publish their World of Asunda Afro-fantasy series, though the also have other titles like Jaycen Wise, who appears to be the reverse Indiana Jones (stealing artifacts from museums to return them to their points of origin) and Defiant: the Story of Robert Smalls, a Black hero of the American Civil War.

Etan Comics (https://etancomics.com/) is a Pan-African company that releases their comics (or at least some of them) in both English and Amharic. Their titles include Tokoloshe Hunters, a shonen manga style anthology of Southern African mythology (that features some of the most harrowing sample pages I’ve ever seen); Jember, a superhero comic drawing in part on the history of Punt; Hawi, a mythology-based superheroine story at least partially based in a sci-fi version of the Axumite Empire; and their current headliner offering, Zufan, an epic sci-fi retelling of the 1896 Italian invasion of Ethiopia.

Honorable mention to Tuskegee Heirs: Flames of Destiny (https://tuskegeeheirs.com/), a futuristic sci-fi action-adventure comic that casts the titular teenaged heirs of the Tuskegee Airmen in giant robot battles against invading A.I. villains, and The Lie Behind the Star (https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/quinnhoward-22779913/the-lie-behind-the-star-graphic-novel), a sweeping bio-technology based sci-fi epic, which are both self-published by their creators. The Lie Behind the Star has unfortunately had a lot of production chaos since its IndieGoGo campaign wrapped, but the writer and project manager has some of the best sci-fi takes on YouTube so I’m still rooting for him to get it done.

Second honorable mention to BlackMask Studios, who I thought was Black owned until I looked them up and realized they’re a lot bigger than I thought, but I want to mention anyway because if you can get your hands on Kwanza Osajyefo’s Black, its second volume White, and/or the two Black AF spin-offs, you should (https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/BLACK). The pitch is, “What if only Black people had superpowers?” and while it’s not perfect—especially not the first volume, since they didn’t know if they’d ever get more and thus tried to essentially cram an entire superhero universe into 6 issues—it is super raw and righteously, unapologetically angry in a way that is both challenging and extremely cathartic. Other comics on this list were created with love to give Black children heroes to see themselves in; Black was created to cuss out the system and kick you in the teeth.

#black comics #black superheroes #comic books #comics recs #indie comics #superheroes

zoe’s comics wrap-up - march 2026

⤿┆aka a compilation of the comics I read in march, plus some thoughts on them!

⤿┆please, remember that everything is based solely on my personal opinion and preferences. my point here is to have fun and try to share it with you!

be careful, spoilers ahead!

★. BATMAN: SON OF THE DEMON

#zoe’s comics wrap up #comic review #comic recs #comics recs #dc comics #batman #talia al ghul #ra's al ghul #zatanna #zatanna zatara #absolute martian manhunter #absolute superman #absolute wonder woman #absolute universe #dc absolute universe #absolute ww

hi! ive been asking around for an arrowfam comics starter pack and someone referred me to you. i want to learn more about them for jayroy fic purposes, but also ive enjoyed the green arrow comics i've read! i just have no idea where to go to get a feel for the rest of them. can you help me? 🥺🙏

Yes! My Green Arrow recs list is here and my Roy-specific list is here.

For a very quick starter list of recommendations, here are the most beloved/iconic/character-defining GA runs, and they're all very good. I'm listing them in chronological order but you can jump in anywhere (I started with "Quiver" and it made me a GA fan for life):

Green Lantern/Green Arrow: The 1970s Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams run that defined Ollie's personality and politics and cemented his relationships with Hal and Dinah. It's also where Roy's drug addiction first shows up ("Snowbirds Don't Fly"/"They Say It'll Kill Me But They Won't Say When!") so it's a must-read for Roy purposes, although fair warning that he's only in those two issues.

The Longbow Hunters: Excellent, gorgeous miniseries that leads into the 1988 GA ongoing by Mike Grell. CW for sexual assault.

Arsenal (1998): Roy's only solo miniseries but at least it's a great one.

Green Arrow (2001): This series begins with the Kevin Smith/Phil Hester arc "Quiver," which brings Ollie back from the dead and is, like I said above, a great jumping on point. The ongoing series is great until it's not; keep reading until you don't like it anymore. Best place to read about Connor's relationships with the family and Mia in general.

Green Arrow (2016): Probably the best jumping on point for Emiko. She's in the New 52 but that book is...weird.

Also, you probably already know this, but if you're looking for JayRoy content that's almost exclusively in Red Hood and the Outlaws and Red Hood/Arsenal, which are...not great lol. It's not a relationship we see much of outside of their teamup books. Alas!

#green arrow #oliver queen #arsenal #roy harper #arrowfamily #comics recs

“So out of Catwoman Volumes 1 & 2, what should people actually read?”

Helpfully, the entirety of Catwoman 1993 is pretty episodic in nature, so that dropping in and out based on who is writing is a pretty easy proposition, as there’s simply not a lot of continuity that you’ll miss out on.

Writers and storylines that I really enjoyed, or who I think have constructively contributed to Selina’s overall mythology:

Catwoman 1989. Go read Batman: Year One, and then sit down and read Her Sister’s Keeper. There’s a reason this is the Selina backstory everyone keeps coming back to, and not just because of how it slots in alongside B:YO.

May Jo Duffy: #1-14. Look, these aren’t the greatest Catwoman stories ever written, but they’re full of heart, they require very little context (very little gets explained), and I quite enjoyed them.

Catwoman: Defiant, by Peter Milligan – just a solid Bruce & Selina story with them playing off each other, in a run that doesn’t have a whole lot of them.

Doug Moench: On balance, I would recommend Moench, because he managed to tie off a plot that was annoying me in a really satisfying conclusion, far more than it had any right to be. Struggle Street in Showcase ’93 is a good lead in for the jump between Vol 1 and Vol 2, and his main run from #38-#53 both does a lot of work with Selina’s childhood after her parents’ deaths and with her creation of Catwoman as a character. It is very, VERY 90s in places (Roboarmor! People wearing costumes with knives sticking out every which way! Cybernetics!) and I wish several of the villains were more compelling and less interested in how sexy they were, but you’re reading a 90s comic, sometimes you’re going to suddenly wonder if you’re actually reading Image Comics. The final few issues of the run are extremely confronting but manage to land some very graphic material in a far more sensitive way than the rest of the run might suggest.

Devin Grayson: #54-71. Devin really enjoys heist plots. If you do nothing else, read #54. A perfect single issue comic. There are a bunch of plots in here that get referenced other places: Scarecrow drugging Selina, Selina’s run for Mayor of New York ending with her killing ‘Selina Kyle’, etc. Also we get to meet the International Thieves Guild, who have a headquarters in Paris, and who I have never seen again. Presumably they just ducked over for an issue or two then returned to Marvel, where they have far more prominence and plot relevance.

Bronwyn Carlton: Issue #81 only. Drop in, read issue #81 just to see the depiction of Selina’s childhood homelife, which is quite influential on later depictions, then peace out and move onto Ed Brubaker. You’re sweet.

#comics recs #dc comics recs

wait lowkey have u ever read marvel comics bc im getting a subscription around next month ish for like a comic app (marvel unlimited or smth like that)

so i was wondering if you have any like series recs or anything like that 🙏

like the app shows you which order to read them in n allat but I was just curious if you had any like favorite comics or smth like that

GOD YES thank you for asking!!!

love dc but marvel is my first love so this made me very happy <3

personally black widow has been my favorite to read since i was like 11 soooo i feel confident to give comic recs for her. But here’s some comics that i really enjoyed that you may also like too

Black widow

Black widow: homecoming (2004–2005) — this is great if you want to understand her as a character/backstory. The mcu really did my girl dirty </3

Black widow: the things they say about her (2005–2006) — This is after the events of homecoming and part of the same run, and so if you liked that you can also read this.

Lmk you y’all want more natasha recs, pretty sure i’ve read them all (and stay away from devin grayson)

X-men

X-men: magneto testament – personally if you like the x-men i think you should read this. It’s a miniseries of erik (max) and what he went through as a kid, it’s so heartbreaking

Uncanny X-Men #101–137 (1976–1980) —

Aka the phoenix / dark phoenix saga

This is a classic and i highly recommend if your interested in the x-men

Also house of M

If you like daredevil read this!!!! Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (1993)

And lastly for hawkeye, matt fraction’s run is pretty good, i read that when i was like 14 tho so i dont remember much

#should i start writing for marvel too….#comics recs #marvel comics #marvel #black widow #x men comics #daredevil #hawkeye #comics #asks #cissa talks!

As I mentioned before, Judd Winick's writing is chock-full of parallels, and Green Arrow: Seeing Red is literally built on them. So here's a reason list of stuff I recommend reading before reading that comic in order to get the full experience:

Essentials:

> Batman 1940: A Death in the Family: made a whole post about the parallel in there. It's not the most character-defining comic for jaybin but it's essential for understanding Winick's red hood in general and Seeing Red in particular.

> Batman: Under the Hood: This comic is important to:

-understand who Winick's Jason is, his status as a victim and his actual philosophy beyond "daddy issues"

-understand Winick's Batman characterization and why he's an unreliable narrator

> Green Arrow: 2001: yes, all of it. Look, I get it, Jason is a super popular character, I get reading through his comic appearances one by one without taking the time to read the whole thing -I've done that with characters before. But in order to get the full experience, you absolutely have to read it, for many reasons but mostly to:

-understand Mia's character, how she deals with her trauma and how she defines herself as a survivor

-note the parallels between Jason and Mia, and why Jason isn't totally incorrect in pointing out how similar they are

-note the differences between Ollie and Bruce, which are imo the pillar to understand the point made in SR and why the UTH tragedy could never have happened in a Green Arrow story

-the treasure trove of parallels and references to different arcs in this story. Mia's becoming Speedy arc and The Diplomat's Son. Why it's relevant that they're fighting in the school gym. The Away Game Arc -the parallels between both Jason and Oliver and Jason and Natas, as well as the difference between Jason and Natas. "moving to the higher reading group". The Heading Into the Light Arc (which really highlights how comparatively not that bad Jason is, honestly. Yes the bar is on the ground, but with the way people talk about Jason's horrifying actions against Mia, you'd think they'd be talking about Dr Light...). I'm probably missing some, but the point is, you need to read Green Arrow 2001, otherwise you won't get the intended experience for Seeing Red. And no, I'm not saying that just to get you to read Mia.

To really understand what's going on in there:

-Snowbirds don't fly: This one makes a great parallel with the Mia getting diagnosed with HIV and becoming Speedy arc (in GA 2001, which we've already established you should read) and I think the conjunction of those two, especially in regard to Ollie's characterization, is essential to understanding one scene with Batman in Seeing Red that I will not spoil - a scene that feels off and, I will argue based on the parallel, is intended to feel off-putting on purpose.

- The Diplomat's Son: This one has a very interesting parallel, again, with Mia's becoming Speedy arc; I will argue that the parallel really highlights the differences between the two issues in question (you'll know which upon reading them). And those differences, imo, are at the core of the misunderstanding between Jason and Mia in Sidekick Showdown: it's the key to understand exactly where Jason's reasoning went wrong and why it made Mia so upset... While neither of them has access to those elements that would clarify the situation.

-War Games: This one I'm only including because I need to highlight exactly how much of a hypocrite Bruce is wrt Jason's role as a crimelord. This parallel is far more interesting and would be better developed in a UTH meta, but the key point here is the parallel between Bruce and Jason, and the way it downplays literally anything Bruce says about Jason's crime-lording, from UTH to the way it carries into Seeing Red. I'm not trying to absolve Jason of anything, he did chop off those heads, but really, when Bruce makes repeated comments and assumptions about Jason's intentions and motivations, the parallel between War Games and Under the Hood is essential to understand really how untrustworthy those assumptions are. Is there any part of truth to any of them? Maybe, who knows. God forbid Seeing Red tells us anything for sure.

+ FYI

I'm not gonna rec Batman Annual #25 or Red Hood: Lost Days just for that, but I do think it's really important to remember Jason and Mia are in the same age range!!!! Besides, in Mia's literal intro arc in GA 2001, she's said to be 15 and we see a panel of Jason, dead, in heaven -and we know Jason died at 14-15, so even just counting age based on GA 2001... They're the same age. I highly, heavily encourage you not to apprehend Jason and Mia's dynamic as "older man VS teenage girl", I think it truly harms the story both on aspects of the characters and what they mean to eachother, and on Batman aspects, especially with the way Ollie treats the question of parental responsibility in this comic. Jason is a teenager and that's essential to the story.

That's all for now, but I'll definitely add some to those if I notice/realize I've forgotten another comic the story is built upon! Happy reading, I'm 100% serious when I say having read all those comics can make all the difference in engaging with Seeing Red.

#dc #dc comics #reading recommendations #dc comics recs #comics recs #green arrow: seeing red

guess who wants you to read SILK 👍👍👍

#cindy moon #silk #design #marvel silk #I hope this is informative and helpful so feel free to spread!#asianincomics #comics recs #reading guide

I adore your batman stuff very much. I recently read the Wayne Family Adventures, and now I really want to read some more. Do you have recommendations on comic lines to follow?

Hi! I'm glad you're having fun with getting into comics and enjoying the posts around here, it's always nice to have new blood (or returning blood, in my case)! <3 I would give a gentle caution in that Wayne Family Adventures is sort of in a class of its own in a lot of ways, the characterization is much softer and fluffier, while the mainline comics are darker and messier, the characters are definitely not always as nice as they are as in WFA. That's no shade on either of them, just that I want to give a quick warning that if you're stepping from one to the other, the culture shock can sometimes be more than you're expecting. (And also keep in mind that comics are a shifting landscape, there's no one "true" version of many of the landmark moments of characters' lives, you'll see events often retold, you'll see comics that later get retconned, you'll see comics that are in different continuities/set before or after a universe-wide reboot, etc. Don't worry about it, just recognize that you're reading a story to enjoy that story, not as Hard Continuity!) That said, some of the lighter comics that I think would be fun if you're looking to come over from WFA are:

Li'l Gotham is a cute parody series that's super adorable, has some lovely art, and is nice little self-contained stories that are humorous. It's not in mainline continuity and it's even softer than WFA, but it's deeply charming and it's a fun, quick read.

Super Sons (2017) by Peter Tomasi is in mainline continuity and it's focused on Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent becoming friends, bickering all the while, and getting into hijinks. It tends to lean more humorous and cute, so it's a nice stepping stone up to regular comics.

Robin and Batman (2022) by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen is a good litmus test for whether you might like regular comics--it's a short 3-issue mini-series focused on Dick's early days as Robin and the complicated, thorny relationship he has with Bruce about it. It's one of my favorite, it balances what a terrible gremlin he was with what a little angel he was and the emotional beats are painful in the best way.

Robin: Year One (2000) and Batgirl: Year One (2003) by Scott Beatty/Chuck Dixon and Marcos Martín/Javier Pulido are good places to start for both characters, and hold up okay considering their age. The art is a bit stylized in a way I really like, it lends it a charming old-fashioned vibe while still being pretty to look at, and there's some solid character moments in both.

Nightwing (2016) by various (starts with Tim Seeley, but it's been several authors by now) is one of my go-to recs, I think it's a great jumping on point, has a lot of really nice art, and often tells fun stories, as Dick has some of the best connections to various other characters in the universe.

Nightwing (2016) by Tom Taylor starts with issue #78 and is a great jumping-on point and Taylor's writing is just very light-hearted, action-packed, quippy, and fun. Starting here saves you from having to slog through some of the worse arcs of Dick's series, you get Bruno Redondo's fantastic art, and you can feel the affection for the character, the author and artist love this character and want to make him very cool, as well as they love his relationships with other characters, so you get good Bruce guest appearances, Babs appearances, Damian appearances, Wally appearances, Jon appearances, etc.

Robins: Being Robin by Tim Seeley and Baldemar Rivas was a fun self-contained mini-series that had all the Robins working together and I don't think it should be taken super seriously as a case story, but it had some quality banter, some hilarious moments, and a great look at these chaotic gremlins all shoved into a mini-van together to go solve a case.

Batgirls (2022) by Conrad Michael W./Becky Cloonan and Jorge Corona is focused on Babs, Cass, and Steph as a trio and being adorable together, with some humorous moments, cool art, and fun Batfam moments. It's nice that they get the spotlight and the chance to shine (it's their book, so they get the majority of the cool moments) and it's not super-long and you can jump right in.

Batman: The Knight by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico is a "Bruce travels the world to learn the skills he needs to become Batman" and I'm really in love with the way Zdarsky writes a Bruce who is deeply complicated, messy, coming from a place of loving deeply, but also this man has twenty seven different flavors of fucked up trauma going on in that hell brain of his. Zdarsky's current run on the main Batman title has been my jam, but that's a bit of a darker leap than this one, and I think this one is a great way to get to know Bruce Wayne as a character.

Batman: Urban Legends volume 5 has a story called "The Murder Club" that is basically "Thomas and Martha Wayne are time traveled into the future and see what's become of their son, they're not thrilled about it, but come around when they see the people that love him so deeply--primarily Dick, Damian, and Alfred." and was an absolute BANGER for me for feelings, gorgeous art, and some great character moments.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest (2022) by Mark Waid and Dan Mora is an absolute knock-out, it's Bruce and Clark in their early days of their friendship, where Waid is one of the best writers in the industry for how fun his stories are but also how well he knows the characters, Mora's art is often THE portrayal I think of when I think of the characters, and there's a ton of bonus guest appearances from various characters across DC's universe. Also, I am biased, Dick tags along a lot, as he's still Robin at this point in time, and it's a great dynamic between the three of them.

Batman: One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Scalera was easily the standout of the "One Bad Day" stories for me, it's set in the early days of Bruce & Dick as Batman & Robin and it has ADORABLE sunshine gremlin baby Dick Grayson, a genuinely touching story about Mr. Freeze and his wife, and some beautiful art.

Year One: Batman/Scarecrow (2005) by Bruce Jones and Sean Murphy is a fun look at the early days of Scarecrow, but also has absolutely banger baby Dick Grayson content, there's a scene where Bruce literally just grabs him by the scruff of the neck to haul him out of the way of a crowd about to stampede and it's the funniest thing because that 12 year old could destroy your face with his fists but also Bruce can literally pick him up one-handed. There's some great banter in there and it's just a super fun dynamic.

As you make your way through this list, keep the author/artist and year listings in mind, as often times there are multiple series under the same title and some are more relevant to what you're looking for right now than others. Like, there have been three different volumes of "World's Finest", but I want to direct you specifically to the 2022 version because I think that'll work better for you. Similarly, Nightwing 1996 is one of my faves, but I think the 2016 version will work better at drawing you in right now. This is definitely biased in favor of my faves, but I honestly think they work for good jumping on points for someone new to comics and who's coming from WFA and might not want to get into the messier stuff of the mainline comics right away. Hopefully, you'll enjoy these and anyone else who wants to transition from WFA to reading mainline continuity comics, feel free to join us! Yeah, comics fandom can be a bit of a pill sometimes, but genuinely there's a lot of really fun moments to love and the characters are so much more fun when you're reading their stories with all the history and depth behind them!

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam #comics recs

I adore your batman stuff very much. I recently read the Wayne Family Adventures, and now I really want to read some more. Do you have recommendations on comic lines to follow?

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam #comics recs

#comics recs

Trending Tags

Recently Viewed Tags

#comics recs