Not only has it been a great time to jump into the world of comics, but it is also possibly the best time to jump in that it has ever been since the early 90’s. Marvel, DC, and independent publishers like Image and Dark Horse, all of these companies have recently either had brand new jumping on points for every single one of their published books (yes, every single one), or have upcoming books that will be published soon. 

Whether you are a fan of Superman or Squirrel-Girl, every Wednesday is bringing out new and exciting comics to stores and digital spaces for fans to enjoy. And, with these new Marvel and DC relaunches that are happening now, brand new status-quotes have emerged for every character, shaking up their publishing lines with new content never explored before- 

Marvel- 

Marvel has recently (as of this first Wednesday of the month- October 2015) relaunched their entire line of comics back to #1’s after its recent even series, Secret Wars, only a few years after their recent relaunch back in 2012. This time, however, these characters are met with new adventures and even job titles. 

Spider-Man, the web-slinging hero of NYC, is no longer Peter Parker- Peter is now a globetrotting CEO of his own company, spinning his web around the globe, protecting innocents outside of his hometown- but is instead Miles Morales, a young teenager who has picked up the reins where Peter left oft. 

Captain America- spoke on a couple weeks ago- is no longer Steve Rogers at all, with Steve now working for S.H.E.I.L.D. Now, Falcon, A.K.A. Sam Wilson, wields the shield and is leader of not only a brand new Avengers team, but is also a political voice in America, and he is not met with public popularity. 

With all of these changes- Hulk is now an Asian-American, The Vision has a family, Cyclopes is dead- nothing seems to be as huge as Marvel’s central book, the one now being groomed to become the quintessential book going forward, Invincible Iron Man. In this book, Iron Man takes center stage with his most advanced suit to date, an assistant named Mary Jane (yup, Parker’s ex-wife), and a villain who will affect the Marvel Universe for years to come. 

DC- 

Marvel is not the only one to have huge changes spin out of an event. DC, coming out of its own event book, Convergence, with a reboot that Marvel would later (and currently are) attempting to rival. DC’s approach to this change is more centralized around its big three characters- Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. 

Superman is no longer ‘super.’ After having his identity exposed to the world by a reporter- one who is central to the Superman mythos- Clark Kent also lost the majority of his powers. Now, with only super strength at his disposal, Superman has to try to survive in a world where villains all around him knows his name and knows exactly how to get to him. 

Batman perhaps has the greatest shakeup in this newer reboot. After Bruce Wayne died fighting the Joker underneath Gotham City, a new Batman was slated by the mayor and powers at be in the city, with the rise of villains coming up all around them. So, with help from the GCPD, a new Dark Knight has risen- a tanked, super-suited, rubber bullet toting Jim Gordon… yes, Commissioner Jim Gordon is Batman now, and everything that comes with it. 

Wonder Woman, daughter  of the god Zeus and amazonian warrior princess, is now the God of War, which means she must now lead the armies of battle as well as find out how best to create peace in a world of strife- especially when her sisters are against her at every turn. 

Others- 

There are plenty of creator owned books by independent publishers that have new books coming out almost every week. This includes the new book, Paper Girls, Twilight Children, and the Invisible Republic. These books offer fans of the comic medium stories the lie outside of the usual superhero genre that most comics are centered around. 

This is a great time to get into comic books. Stories and concepts that have never been explored before- all of them offering something for everyone. 

Recommended- 

-Batman by Scott Snyder 

-Invincible Iron Man by Brian Bendis 

-Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughn