Desiring to get into graphic novels, where do I start?

[bigoldguy]

I want to read something with mythology-driven storylines, and more comedic stories. I also am curious about reading more female superhero stories.

I like omnibuses, but I can do trades.

[Gothamite]

New 52 Wonder Woman

[JP Sarri]

Check Rat Queens. I have heard a lot of great things about it, although I haven't had a chance to read it myself.

[The Dark Knight]

Read Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. That's what hooked me to American comics. Even if The Sandman is the best for me, there is even a better one, well, the authorities say so... lol And That's The Mouse graphic novel. It has a Pulitzer prize , you know what that means, it means The Mouse is a piece of real literature and that's the as best as you can get with a graphic novel, to achive real literature.

[RichBamf]

Some stuff I can heartily recommend, that's an easy transition rather than full blown superhero comics with large continuities:

Y:The Last Man
Preacher
Big Hard Sex Criminals
Mouse Guard
Fables
Ex Machina
Persepolis
Saga
Chew
If you like Zombies, the Walking Dead comic is good for the most part.

Also The Dark Knight is right, Maus is a hell of a read, but it is heavy going. If you don't want to read about the Holocaust, then might not be the fun read you probably had planned.

If your taste is more Superhero, I'd dip my toe in the following (these are some of the first books I recommend to friends, although not much in the way of female stuff, except Alias) :

Alias (this is the story of Jessica Jones from the Netflix series.)
The Dark Knight Returns
New Frontier
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Also, Gothamite hit the nail on the head. If you want female, mythology led superheroes, you need to read Wonder Woman.

[The Dark Knight]

Arghh xD I wrote the name of The Graphic Novel wrong. Its correct name is Maus as Rich wrote, sorry for my mistake, i was in a hurry when i wrote my previous message.

[vitreolum]

For fem superheroes I loved Starfire, Power Girl and Huntress - the solo ones.

Not exactly mythology, but I highly recommend Conan omnibuses.

And another vote for Sandman, I find that a much better example of comics as literature than Maus. As far as I'm concerned, Maus is just something for snobby critics to drool over, heavily driven by the subject and style.

What got me heavily into comics was Preacher and early Ennis Hellblazer, but that many not be everyone's cup of tea so it's a good idea to research it before plunging in. Actually that's probably good advice for every other recommendation you get.

[wktf]

My favorite is Maus, and you can read my review of it here:

http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=144097

That said, beyond this Pulitzer Prize winning tale of an actual, real family's Holocaust horror, my favorite trades are:

Batman: Year One
Daredevil: Born Again
Captain America: Man Without A Country
Avengers: The Serpent Crown
Avengers: Under Siege
Sandman
New Frontier

Other great trades are:

Batman: Dark Knight Returns
Watchmen
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Kingdom Come
JLA: Tower of Babel
The Lone Ranger (all four volumes published by Dynamite)
Daredevil: Man Without Fear

[wktf]

Originally Posted by vitreolum

As far as I'm concerned, Maus is just something for snobby critics to drool over, heavily driven by the subject and style.

Wow, that's pretty harsh. If it's not your thing, that's cool. You obviously won't like the review whose link I posted above this post.

No need to be insulting, though, of people who love this book or hold it in esteem. My family was largely murdered in the Holocaust and this graphic novel echos much of what my grandmother told me of her relatives, and it would have been her fate had she not escaped Eastern Europe. Had she not, I and my family wouldn't exist. No one is going to (or shouldn't) call you illiterate for not liking it, so no need to call those who appreciate this work a "snobby critic."

[vitreolum]

You misunderstand me, I'm not bashing on anyone for enjoying the comic, everyone with their own tastes. The drooling critics part refer to the actual critics, or as dark knight put it, "the authorities"; they are the one I'm bashing because they are the ones with the agenda of rejecting this and that and praising only works that check the boxes.

Your comment reinforces my point that the love it gets is largely driven by the subject, the emotional connection; remove that and you're left with decent writing and very weak art (yes, I do find this part very important when it comes to comics, otherwise I'd rather read a novel), something many mediocre comics have.

And illiterate would make me unable to read the comic, wouldn't make much sense to call me that for reading and not enjoying it.