# How best to catch up on DC Comics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 25, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383 "2019-12-25T02:24:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/1 "2019-12-25T02:24:51Z")
I was a devoted DC Comics fanboy my entire life. Then, the advent of the New 52 coincided with my split from my partner of 12 years. Suddenly living on my own, I wasn’t sure how my budget was going to shake out, so I thought it prudent to eliminate unnecessary expenditures - like my beloved comics. By the time the dust settled and my finances stabilized, I was out of the habit of buying comics regularly. Besides, from what I’d seen of the New 52, it was no longer “my” DC Universe anyway. I did pick up the occasional trade paperback that was of particular interest to me, but beyond that I have no idea what’s going on. So how do I get to where we are now? I understand _Convergenc_e is the latest universe-altering event. What should I read leading into it and in conjunction with it? What runs of what titles are important, or just plain good? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/2 "2019-12-25T14:13:03Z")
They did a soft reboot of the New 52 and called it Rebirth but about a year ago dropped the Rebirth branding and started some big titles over again with new creative teams. I am not sure you want to go with convergence. It was not bad but I think it was a little too dense with the references and call backs plus it has been passed by with a couple of years of stories. If you wanted to jump in, the trade paperbacks all reset to Vol. 1 this year you can go with those or you can search for DC Rebirth and start there. One side note if you are a Superman fan: DC killed off the New 52 Superman and Lois Lane and replaced them with the pre New 52 Superman and Lois Lane who were Husband and Wife (a change for the better IMO). ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/3 "2019-12-25T16:25:28Z")
DC Universe has more than 22,000 DC comics available to read online.I signed up for it only because I did some background acting in the Swamp Thing series but have gotten hooked on reading the comics. There are 1,133 series available some of them going all the way back to 1938. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/4 "2019-12-26T21:32:44Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > DC Universe has more than 22,000 DC comics available to read online.I signed up for it only because I did some background acting in the Swamp Thing series but have gotten hooked on reading the comics. There are 1,133 series available some of them going all the way back to 1938. _Swamp Thing_ was a damned fine show. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/5 "2019-12-26T22:07:24Z")
I’d say the place to start is Rebirth, not Convergence. Convergence involved a lot of different titles, but I don’t think it was really anything with lasting effects. That said, I’ve been out of the DCU since the New 52 except for a few select titles, and those titles eventually got cancelled. So if I’m wrong about where things stand now, I’m very open to being correct. I’ve returned to DC since they decided to re-introduce the Legion of Super-Heroes (which had been my main DC series), and it seems to me there’s relatively little that remains of the original New 52. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/6 "2019-12-26T22:45:19Z")
Definitely start with the Rebirth one-shot, then follow your favorite characters. DC Universe is $8.99/month, and you can probably read the first year or so of the Rebirth branded titles. Or, pick up the trades. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/7 "2019-12-27T20:13:19Z")
One thing I really love about reading comics on DC Universe is that there are a lot of comic stories that will end up stretching across multiple titles. For example; the entire Forever Evil story arc has 67 issues spanning 10 or so titles if you include tie ins and one shots. There’s no way I would catch up on all of those comics in print, but DC Universe lays the whole arc out in the proper reading order. Shout out to **Miller** , _Swamp Thing_ is a damn fine show. I was disappointed as hell when they reduced the first season to 8 episodes and pretty much guaranteed there would never be a second. The five days background work I got on that put my foot in the door though, and I was able to parlay that into an established non-speaking role on _Reprisal_ on Hulu, which I highly recommend. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/8 "2019-12-29T05:05:14Z")
> [@Yodalicious](#): > > Definitely start with the Rebirth one-shot, then follow your favorite characters. DC Universe is $8.99/month, and you can probably read the first year or so of the Rebirth branded titles. Or, pick up the trades. I like to own my comics, and though nothing beats reading a Dead Tree Version in a coffeeshop, sometimes I do the digital thang. Comixology works for me. The Rebirth one-shot (Dee-luxe Edition) is only $4.99, [as are a number of the other Rebirth graphic novels/collections](https://www.comixology.com/search/items?search=rebirth&subType=COLLECTIONS). ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/9 "2019-12-30T02:30:05Z")
My suggestion is wait until the next time they reboot the continuity and jump in then. The next one should be along any minute now… ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/10 "2019-12-30T04:02:12Z")
> [@MrKnowItAll](#): > > My suggestion is wait until the next time they reboot the continuity and jump in then. The next one should be along any minute now… Ha! I think the next one is “Infinite Crises on Infinite Earths”: Just see what Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller do with [The Legion of Substitute Heroes](http://majorspoilers.com/2008/10/19/hero-history-the-legion-of-substitute-heroes/)… ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/11 "2019-12-30T07:27:38Z")
I can’t imagine you’d want to see every issue of every comic since the last re-set. They just rebooted _Legion of Super-Heroes_, with the Super Sons as the main focus (this replaces their title on the schedule), so this is kind of an exciting time to be getting back into the water. This and all the Superman titles have been given to Brian Michael Bendis, which is great news for me though he’s not everybody’s cup of tea. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-catch-up-on-dc-comics/845383/12 "2019-12-30T13:37:44Z")
> [@MrKnowItAll](#): > > My suggestion is wait until the next time they reboot the continuity and jump in then. The next one should be along any minute now… They just did it with _Doomsday Clock_.