Love comic movies and TV shows but never read a comic book in your life? Perhaps you always wanted to but a few main factors stopped you from diving in. Well, this article helps navigate you through the most common problems stopping you from reading comic books and leads you into beautiful Geeky pastures. Like a Geek horse.

Here’s something you already know: Superheroes and other comic book characters are everywhere these days, so it’s kind of surprising to me that very few have actually ever read a comic book in their lives. I started asking people who love comic movies and television why they don’t also read comics and received all sorts of answers. Most were valid, some were dumb, but basically every answer involved things that could easily be alleviated by a few basic tips and explanations. So, why hasn’t anyone ever done that? I mean, you’ve got plenty of people who are interested, so why hasn’t someone educated people on how to get into comics? It’s gotta be someone within The Geekdom smart enough, funny enough, and knowledgeable enough to explain how comics work in an understandable, interesting, and hilarious way to the un-Geek masses! But who could it be?! Well, my Geeklings, I think I might know the perfect guy. *Does finger guns for an alarmingly long time* It’s me. I’m talking about me, I’ll do it.

First things first, I am baffled, baffled I say, at the amount of people who do not know the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel. Some of you reading this right now are saying, “Hey, Matt! I didn’t even know there was a difference between Comics and Graphic Novels!” And to you I say, “Buckle up ya sonuva b*itch, ‘cause we gon’ educate ya!” The difference is very simple: Comic Books are ongoing while Graphic Novels are a contained story. Think of it this way: a comic book is basically a TV show in book form. They’re released in what we in the biz call “issues”, a monthly booklet of 20ish pages worth of story, not unlike an episode of your favorite television show.

Confused? Don’t be. 1 issue = 1 TV episode. And much like TV shows, Comic Books can go on for as long as they want. 30 issues, 300 issues, doesn’t really matter. However long the creators think it will take to tell the story. The thing that trips people up is when they hear how some superhero comics have been around for generations an are currently on issue #400+ and still going. Don’t be alarmed. Think of comics from places such as Marvel and DC like soap-operas. Often times, I’ll get this line, “Eh. I’ve thought about getting into comics, but superheroes just really aren’t my thing.” And that’s okay! Wanna know why? Because comics can be about anything and usually are! The superhero genre is just one chunk of the comics world that just so happens to be the most popular! Imagine if you asked someone if they listened to podcasts and they said, “eh, I’ve thought about it, but I don’t really like Joe Rogan.”

If you don’t know what to read next or just want a recommendation, your local comic shop employee will gladly help guide you on your newly found path through the Geekdom.

What a shame it would be if people who loved podcasts let you go on thinking that all podcasts involved a problematic meat-head talking about MMA and aliens while stoned with Mike Tyson.

I promise you, there are so many different types of comics out there, no matter what you fancy, and they’re all begging to be read! “But Maaaaatt!” I hear you shouting at the physical or digital pages of this magazine, “If I don’t know where to start and I think all comics are based on superheroes, how will I know what to read?!” Okay, first of all, stop yelling.

Second, I gotchoo, my Geeklings. What I’ve done, because I’m great, is I’ve compiled a list of my favorite Comic Book series’ and Graphic Novels (of which you now know the difference) that having nothing to do with superheroes and that are all easy stories to pick up on. You’re welcome. Here’s the list:

by Craig Thompson (Graphic Novel)

This graphic novel is usually the first thing I tell people to read if they are unsure about comic books because it is so beautiful, entertaining, and human. No superheroes and machismo here, folks, just a beautiful slice of life story that punches your heart in the stomach in the best way possible. An autobiographical tale of a young Craig Thompson’s journey through faith, family, his first love, and finding his passion for art, Blankets gives you all the feels while being absolutely stunning visually. It’s hard for me to play down my enthusiasm for this graphic novel, so I’ll be completely honest with you:

by Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky (Comic Series

This one is pretty ridiculous, but a whole lotta fun. After Suzie, a librarian, and Jon, an actor, meet at a party and sleep together, they discover that they share the ability to freeze time when they orgasm. Yup. As their relationship develops and their sexual histories are explored, they decide to rob the bank where Jon works in order to save Suzie’s endangered library. Now, I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that when you saw a list of comic recommendations, you didn’t expect there to be orgasming time-freezing bank robbers, now did you? Or maybe you did, I don’t know your life. As bonkers as this concept is, it’s surprisingly heart-warming, human, hilarious, and the art is beautiful.

by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra (Comic Series)

Set in a world where every living mammal with a Y chromosome (humans, animals, even embryos and sperm) dies simultaneously except for an amateur escape artist named Yorick Brown and his pet capuchin monkey named Ampersand, this title is one of my absolute favorites. It takes the concept of “what if there was only one man on a planet full of women” and spins it into a hyper real, hilarious, heart-punching, and incredibly personal high-speed chase. And if you’re worried that the story is about women from all over the planet just fawning over this guy, fear not, most of them think he’s an idiot. It’s great.

by Emil Ferris (Graphic Novel)

The graphic novel took her six years to complete, averaging one page every 2 days, using only a Bic ballpoint pen for the pictures and a Paper Mate felt tip pen for the text. And on that note, I want to say to our editor, Galaxy, that I promise to never complain about anything ever again. The story itself is set in 196 s Chicago and is the fictional spiral-bound diary of 10-year-old, horror-loving Karen, who draws herself as a werewolf-like monster as she attempts to solve the mysterious death of her upstairs neighbor, Anka, a holocaust survivor. As heavy and weird as this sounds, this story does something to your heart and imagination that few graphic novels and comic books are able to duplicate. This is a must for all up-coming Geeks in the comic world and definitely a step into the world of weird, but does so with so much heart.

by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Comic Series)

The only reason this whole article isn’t just me yelling at you to read Saga is because I get paid not to. But the other reason is because as amazing as this comic is, it’s also weird. Like, even for comic fans it’s weird, though surprisingly easy to get into. Somehow mixing two very different genres seamlessly, Saga is what happens when Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings have a baby but with a lot more naked bodies, murder, and people not complaining about the prequels. The comic tells the tale of husband and wife, Alana and Marko, both from longwarring extraterrestrial races who flee authorities from both sides of a galactic war as they struggle to care for their daughter, Hazel, who occasionally narrates the series as an unseen adult.

A lot of people feel intimidated when approaching these lovely pillars of Geek-knowledge, but don’t be! What every Geek loves more than Geeky things is talking about Geeky things with others. Pick their brains, ask them questions, and be completely honest that you might not have any clue where to start! You can mention to them all of the suggestions I listed above, and they may completely agree or steer you towards titles more suited to your individual needs! Point is, they’re there to help.