Branching out for the first time

[Tessa1984]

I was thinking recently about the first time I felt the urge to buy a non-Marvel (heck, even a non-X) title and why I did so. Count me among the many who got hooked on comics as a result of X-Men TAS. I started out reading Nicieza's X-Men and Lobdell's Uncanny (on occasion). I couldn't have been happier when Generation X came along because it meant I got to follow a series from the get-go (lol at how common that is today). Eventually, I gave X-Factor and X-Force a try. That being said, I hadn't tried collecting a single non-X or non-Marvel title!

Then Onslaught happened, followed by OZT. Thanks to Wizard, I heard about these comics called JLA and Astro City. Also, Witchblade and The Darkness (lol). Before I knew it, I was hooked on those titles. Also, Busiek's Avengers lit a fire under my ass. Before I knew it, I'd dropped X-titles because of storylines like Magneto War and The Twelve.

I guess my point is, it took a bad time to be an X-Men reader to discover the broader world of comic books and for that I am grateful.

Anyone else have similar stories?

[tokenBG1009]

Started with X-Men, but the exclusivity didn't last long as it was right around the time of the big shake-up post Morrison and Disassembled. So I ended up picking up New Avengers. I think I eventually dropped it though despite continuing X-Men for a bit.

Then I came back to comics around the Second Coming era and I figured New 52 was as good a time as any to get into DC so I tried it out. In general, that era of reading never stuck though.

[Spectral Knight]

Not really the same experience for me. I've always been open to more than just the X-Men (as for as long as I remember I've had an interest in Marvel heroes - I remember as young kid watching Spidey + his Amazing Friends, and the Hulk 80s cartoon), but I was always primarily a Marvel loyalist first and foremost.

I'd read a couple of odd issues of Batman comics when I was young, but they didn't really have the same appeal of Marvel, and I've just never really been arsed about the rest of the DC superheroes.

When I was in my teens I used to get the Viz annual (a daft as a brush British "adult" comedy comic that was pure silliness most of the time, particularly the spoof ads), but it probably wasn't until my late teens before I bought other non-Marvel stuff. Got Watchmen + V for Vendetta, because they were held in such high regard, and being one and done books, I didn't need to commit to anything broader, and around that time I'd have also picked up the first volume of Phonogram, primarily for being a massive homage to Britpop.

Since then, I'm still mainly a Marvel fan first and foremost, but I've also supplemented my collection with odd bits like Sandman, Amelia Cole, Deadenders, the odd Rivers of London trade (massive fan of Aaronovich's novels in the series) but these are probably less than 10% of my collection, but there's never been a complete 'dry' spell for me in Marvel - I might drift out of X-books for a while to spend more time with the Avengers or whatever, but as a total 'universe', it's definitely my hunting grounds.

[das_boot]

So, I’m mostly X-Men, same as you guys, via TAS. I tapped out just after Onslaught and started again with Morrison’s run which blew my mind.

After watching the Teen Titans cartoon I started reading the Geoff Johns run on Titans, and the Winnick Outsiders run too from the Distinguished Competition.

I’m definitely mostly a Marvel fan, and mostly an X-Fan within that, although I do enjoy most volumes of Runaways, and while I hate the rest of Bendis’ writing, I really love Alias. Avengers Arena, Avengers Undercover, Avengers Academy and Young Avengers are the only Avengers titles I’ve ever really tried to get in to (genuinely, for some reason there’s just something about teen heroes learning their craft away from adults that I often find more compelling than a series about competent adult heroes— maybe it’s because the stakes feel higher?)

I started reading Saga, have forgotten where I’m up to, and need to restart it to be honest. Love Sandman too.

I’ve recently started, via Marvel Unlimited, to read other titles too, so I’ve read the modern She-Hulk stuff, Immortal Hulk, some Guardians stuff, the original Thunderbolts, New Warriors… but yeah ha ha ha still not overly in love with the mainline Avengers for some reason