Unpopular opinion: I used to gatekeep new fans, now I just give them a single issue to start

About a year ago, a coworker said they wanted to get into comics but felt overwhelmed. Instead of my old habit of dumping a huge reading order on them, I just handed them a copy of 'Saga' #1. They finished it in one sitting and asked for more. What's a good single issue you'd give to a curious person?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas_sanchez1mo ago

Good point from aaron740, but a single issue of "Daredevil: Born Again" works too.

the_thomas1mo ago

Yeah aaron740's "Killing Joke" is a solid pick for a single issue. The thing about "Born Again" though is that even a single issue from that run has so much weight to it. Like issue 181 where Daredevil fights Nuke in the street, that issue alone tells you everything you need to know about the grit of that world without needing the whole arc. I think a single issue of something like "Watchmen" could work too if you grabbed a later one where the mystery really pops off.

aaron7401mo ago

Saga" is a great book, but it's not a single issue comic. It's a trade paperback collecting six issues. The actual single issue approach is perfect, though. For a true single, I'd hand someone "Superman: Red Son" #1 or "Batman: The Killing Joke" as a complete story.