Top 10 DC Comics To Get Started

Ten DC books you can read in any order, with zero continuity homework. Batman, Superman, the Joker and Sandman — the stories everyone means when they say 'read DC'. It's a hand-picked shelf of 10 picks — never read dc? start here.

Pick the hero you already like from a film — Batman or Superman — and start with their book on this shelf. On this page the picks are listed in recommended order, so "Batman: Year One" is the one to buy first.

DC's back catalogue is 90 years deep, which is exactly why most people bounce off it. Every book here is a self-contained story with a beginning and an end — no crossover tie-ins, no issue #247 of anything. Together they cover the four pillars of the universe (Gotham, Metropolis, the wider DCU and Vertigo's weirder side), so whichever one clicks for you points straight at what to read next.

No. Every pick here is beginner-friendly and reads on its own, so you can start with any of them without prior reading or continuity homework.

Picks start from around $15 and cover comics, collectibles. Prices change often on Amazon, so each item links straight to its current listing — buy the whole shelf at once or work through it one pick at a time.

Every pick links directly to its Amazon listing. Explaining Superheroes earns a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you — nothing here is paid placement.