Teen
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Batman: Year One
Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli
A grounded origin of Batman and Jim Gordon in a noir Gotham.
For new readers
Reading guides
Comics are easy to enjoy once you know the formats and where to start. These guides cover the basics in plain language.
If you have never read a comic, a few small choices make the first one much easier. Choose a single, bound book rather than a monthly issue. Pick a genre you already like. Borrow it first if you can, since many libraries lend comics and graphic novels in print and through their digital apps.
Reading a page is not hard. Panels run in the same direction as the text of the language: left to right and top to bottom for English comics, right to left for manga. Captions and speech balloons are read in the order they sit on the page, and the art tells you what the words do not.
These guides explain formats such as single issues, trade paperbacks and omnibus editions, then point to accessible first reads. They also cover the independent comics that fall outside the superhero shelf. When you are ready to choose something specific, the Comic Finder can narrow it down.
Tip
Do not start with issue #1 of a long-running series. Start with a story that was written to be read as a whole.
Easy first reads
See more in the Finder
Adult
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Maus: A Survivor's Tale
Art Spiegelman
A graphic memoir about the Holocaust, told with animal characters.
Ages 9-12
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Smile
Raina Telgemeier
A memoir about braces, a dental accident and middle-school friendships.
Teen
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One Piece, Vol. 1
Eiichiro Oda
A straw-hatted boy sets out to become Pirate King.
Adult
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Saga, Vol. 1
Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples
A space-opera family story with adult content.
Teen
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Nimona
Noelle Stevenson
A shapeshifting teenager signs on as a supervillain's sidekick in a funny-turns-serious fantasy.
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Guides in this hub
All guides
Guide
How to Start Reading Comics
A practical path for anyone picking up comics for the first time: formats, where to borrow or buy, how to read a page, and first books by taste.
GuideBest Indie Comics to Read
Creator-owned comics from Image, Dark Horse, IDW and self-publishers: original worlds, no decades of continuity, and plenty that are finished.
GuideBest Graphic Novels for New and Experienced Readers
A path through graphic novels that hold up as complete stories, sorted by the kind of reading experience you want, with picks for adults and newcomers.
Questions people ask
How do I start reading comics?
Pick a complete story in one bound book, ideally in a genre you already enjoy. Borrow it from a library or buy a paperback. Read the panels in order, left to right and top to bottom for most English-language comics. If you like it, look for more by the same creators.
What is the order of panels on a page?
In English-language comics, read each row from left to right, then move down to the next row. Speech balloons within a panel are read in the same order. In manga the direction is reversed: right to left, then down. Art and layout normally guide your eye.
Single issues, trade paperbacks or omnibus: which should I buy?
A single issue is one thin monthly installment. A trade paperback collects a few issues into a book, and an omnibus collects many in a large volume. For new readers, a trade or a complete graphic novel is the simplest way in, since the story is whole and no issue is missing.
Where can I read comics for free?
Your public library is the best place. Many libraries lend print comics and also offer digital lending through apps such as Libby, and some use hoopla. The selection and monthly limits differ by library, so check your library’s digital collection or ask a librarian.
Do I need to read a series in order?
Numbered series, such as most manga and kids’ graphic novels, are written to be read in volume order. Standalone graphic novels need no order. Superhero characters have loose reading orders, but many collected stories are written for new readers and can be read first.