Marvel comics has some of the most popular characters around right now.  Especially thanks to their dominance in the film industry with huge successes such as Spider-man, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk (not so much the first one).  So chances are even if you’ve never picked up a comic book you are probably aware at least of some of Marvel’s bigger characters.

The list of five books that I’ve chosen for anyone new to comics and Marvel to read are all from my own collection so at least to simplify things for myself.  There are no doubt thousands of other graphic novel collections that are just as rewarding and accessible and if you check out the comments below I’m sure you’ll find some more great selections!

1. Runaways Volume One

Odds are that you haven’t heard of Runaways, they’ve yet to hit the big screen or have a television series made about them and they are completely original characters.  The Runaways are a group of teenagers that discover that their parents are super villains and that they have inherited some of their abilities and powers.  Upon making this discover they band together to take on their parents and make up for some of the horrible things that their parents had done.

The thing which is interesting about this series apart from some of the absolute best writing that I’ve encountered in comic books is that the group defy a lot of the standard super hero team conventions.  They don’t wear costumes, only briefly use code names and are a predominantly female group.

These are some of the reasons why I’m recommending it, there is a certain level of realism at least as far as super powered comic book characters go.  You don’t have to have any prior knowledge of anything as it detaches nicely from the Marvel universe (although it is firmly set within it).  The characters are all well written and you actually care about them as they are in danger, anyone could die.  Don’t go reading about the series though on Wikipedia etc, there is a massive twist towards the end and it is satisfying when you don’t know it!

You can try buying Runaways: v. 1 from Fishpond but they are currently out of stock (they have the non hard cover issues though).

2. Astonishing X-Men Volume 1

Thanks to the movie you are probably familiar with a lot of these characters and if you’ve ever just tried to pick up an X-Men book it can be daunting and confusing with such an intricate back story.  Also if you are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel or Firefly then the second draw card to this series is that it is written by none other than Joss Whedon.

Whedon brings his style of writing and character dialogue to the X-Men which fit surprisingly well.  I had read X-Men on and off over the years simply because if you are into comics then sooner or later you’re going to encounter them.  This was the first series I really got into and loved.

Whilst there is a slight learning curve to who is who and it does reference events from the past, the script and artwork easily make up for it and is a really great entry point into the X-Men universe.

As I write this Astonishing X-Men: v. 1 is apparently on sale at Fishpond (no idea how long for though – you can also get the soft cover versions cheaper)

3. Hulk: Gray

There is a series of books done by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale based around colours as they focus on various members of the Marvel line up.  I was torn over which one to put on this list as frankly any of them are wonderful books to pick up but settled on Hulk: Gray simply because it is my favourite Hulk book and features my favourite version of Iron Man.

This is a controversial pick too because the comic book community are a little torn over Loeb and Sale’s work.  I’ve yet to see a collaboration between them that doesn’t work for me but they certainly have their detractors.  You might recognise Tim Sale’s artwork from the show Heroes and if you like that style of art then you’ll appreciate this.  Actually if you enjoyed the Incredible Hulk film (Edward Norton’s version) then you’ll probably warm to this as key sequences were used in the film from the book.

The main thing here is that we’re looking at a time in the Hulk’s past and the story is a self contained one that doesn’t require you to be up on the current history of the Hulk (I’m frankly surprised that Hulk fans themselves can keep up with the current Hulk events!).  There is some real emotional depth to the character which is beautifully captured via the art.

If Hulk’s not your thing then might I suggest Daredevil: Yellow.

The current hard cover version of Hulk: Gray is available via Fishpond.

4. Thor Volume One

Thor is  character that I just didn’t get.  He’s a god?  He’s from mythology?  How is it he fits in the Marvel universe alongside Captain America and Iron Man!?!

So for a long time I just accepted the character whenever he showed up in Avengers and didn’t get any more involved than that.  That was until starved for something to read I picked up the J. Michael Straczynski (of Babylon 5 fame) version of Thor.  Whilst I admit this is possibly the least accessible of the books I’ve recommended, if you’re willing to push ahead and accept a couple of things that you won’t understand then the book will get you interested in the character and excellent timing as well considering that the film is just around the corner.

The artwork is pretty wonderful and the concept of Norse gods attending the local council meeting in small town middle America is delightful.

If the idea of Thor the Norse god even vaguely interests you then this book could be a good entry point to the character.  I advise caution for everyone else.

Fishpond seem to only have the paperback version of Thor v. 1 but I’m sure you could find the hardcover somewhere if you wanted it (I have this in paperback myself because I missed the hardcover)

5. Mythos

This is a fairly easy collection to recommend as a starting point because the book is the origin story for Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, X-Men and Captain America all in one volume.

I will admit though that the art does not always grab me as a good companion to the stories, Paolo Rivera is an awesome artist but I think at times some of the frames in the book are a little too lavish.  Like really rich food it occasionally gets to be a little overpowering.  At least that’s my own opinion, others may love that every panel is lovingly painted with vibrant colours and movement.

The book is more than accessible as it will give you a primer for each of the characters listed above.

Mythos is available at Fishpond.

Other recommendations…

I hope that all my comic book savvy readers will add their own recommendations for Marvel books in the comments, it would be interesting to read what you think an accessible book is for someone who has never read Marvel before!

Note: I’ve included links to Fishpond where you can buy copies of these books, I’m not saying you have to buy them from there but I am an affiliate which helps me out. Try your local comic book shop too because you might be surprised by their prices as they often try and keep them down! (the good one’s try anyway!)