Start Trying out those Comic Books!

It’s part three of my quest to get people to start reading comic books on a budget! So now you know what you want, and you are now ready to make an informed decision by way of research...and this step in particular might demand a bit from you…as you now need to go out and look for the comic books that interest you!

There are loads of places to go and get comic books, but I’ll focus on the easily accessible ones. Lets start with the most obvious place to look: your local comic shop, or LCS.

For the comic book newbie, it’s probably quite intimidating to step into a comic book shop for the first time. What would you say to the guys or girls behind the counter? Are they going to gnaw you out for asking about comics you don’t know much about? Far from it! In fact, you are the kind of person they really want to see in there! One more comic book reader means one more fan, one more person to talk to about comics, and that's always a good thing!

Once you’re inside, you can ask the people in the shop about the comics you’re interested in reading, and they can even suggest to you some stuff you might want to try. Some of the better LCS’ out there have some of the most passionate and most informed people working behind the counter so don’t be afraid to ask.

Start by trying out two or three comics in your list, or depending on your budget. You might not want to try a ‘grab bag’ approach if you’re trying comics out for the first time, though if you really want to try out more comics, that’s fine too. Hopefully what you got today would make you come back for more tomorrow (or at least, every Wednesday which is new comics day!).

Another place you can get comic books is pretty obvious in itself: your local library. But whereas you can get comic book singles in an LCS, your local library might stock graphic novels or trade paperbacks instead. A graphic novel is a type of comic book, usually collected in a bound volume, but usually focuses on a single, lengthy storyline…like a novel. A trade paperback is a term for a collected edition of stories originally published in comic book pamphlet form, usually collecting a story arc from the comics. Both are a great way of getting into comic books, and best of all, it's free! Meaning you can freely browse for titles at the comfort of your library desk or cozy chair! Some local libraries have started stocking comic books, but if you're not sure if they do, it's better to call ahead and ask.

Trying comics out for the first time needn't be traumatizing for the newbies out there. Thankfully, the places I mentioned are your rich resources for comic books, easily accessible, and newbie friendly to boot. But what’s more important is you enjoy your purchases and hopefully they will make you come back for more of these four-color funnybooks!

Hopefully these little suggestions helped you get started on those comic books! As always, if you have some stuff you’d like to add, point out, or simply discuss, the comment box below is anyone’s friend. We'll tackle another important step in this guide to starting comic book reading, so be sure to catch it next time. Thanks for reading!