snowflake 2k26 #14-15
Jan. 30th, 2026 09:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
queenslayerbee
Challenge #14
In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
I compiled recs for a few of my fandoms for challenge #4, but I wanted to do something slightly different.
My main fandom right now is, and has been for a while, DC comics. The world of DC is vast and pretty much everyone knows one corner or another within it, but a lot of people find comics specifically hard to get into. So I thought I'd make a list of some runs or story arcs I enjoyed!
These aren't comprehensive, or a How To Get Into Comics primer. I'm not an expert, and I have read more of certain group of characters (Bats) than others, even if I want to expand. Here I've mostly tried to make a lists of comics you can read on their own without getting too turned around.
- I keep recommending Wonder Woman: Historia, but it's for good reason. It has only three issues (there were supposed to be more, and there might be at some point, but as it is, the story stands on its own). It tells the story of the Amazons, how they came to be, how Hippolyta became their queen, and how Themyscira was born. It does a lot of interesting thing with the concept of narratives (who they serve, how they're twisted), with a solid feminist stance that often feels missing from Wonder Woman comics, especially recent ones.
- The above rec stands on its own, as I said, but I personally think my experience was enhanced by reading Wonder Woman (1987) #1, another Amazons-origin story that clearly inspired. And although I hesitate to recommend ongoing stories, and I don't trust that the universe this one is set in won't become its own mess sooner rather than later lol, Absolute Wonder Woman is pretty good and feels like it's in conversation with Historia. If you like the miniseries, you might want to check it out.
- Another Wonder Woman comic I'd recommend, since I'm here, it's Wonder Woman: The Once And Future Story by Trina Robbins. It's a one-shot that deals with domestic violence, and it's very 80s at times, but solid, and impactful.
- Webtoons are a very accessible way to get into comics, and maybe I should've started with these xDD. A lot of people know Wayne Family Adventures, but it's not my favourite, and in recent years it's abandoned their vignette structure in favour of year-long plots in a way I feel does it no favours. The ones I REALLY liked were Zatanna & The Ripper and Vixen: NYC. They have a plot tying them together but they're complete, and they are about less-known characters and include some secondary ones that really shine. In the first one, Zatanna is thrown into the 19th century and has to fight the mysterious, famous serial killer, and in the second one, Mari moves to NYC for college and discovers a lot about her heritage and her powers. The first one includes Constantine, and the second one has Anissa Pierce and Grace Choi as supporting cast (they might sound familiar if you watched Black Lightning), as well as Beast Boy, for example.
- Far Sector (#1-12) by N.K. Jemisin is another good rec. I feel I know just the basics of Green Lantern lore, but this comic works at being self-explanatory, putting us in a new world and showing us its specific rules. It does some interesting things with its sci-fi setting and with its lead character, who I hope I read more about sooner rather than later. Sojourner "Jo" Mullein, the lead, is the Green Lantern in the Absolute universe, as far as I know, but I have my misgivings about that 'verse outside of Wonder Woman and I haven't jumped into it.
- Greg Rucka is one of the most solid comic authors out there, and one that's easier to recommend than my other faves because it feels like SOME of his work is more approachable/self-explanatory lol. There are a lot of things I could rec but for this purpose, I'll go with Gotham Central. It's longer than the recs above (40 issues), and sometimes it touches on events surrounding it at the time, but I think it can be read on its own because the whole point of it is that Batman is in the background, a looming thread or suspicious ally, and not a central figure. It focuses on the police force, with all it entails, but it's good writing and it has some amazing story arcs, especially for Renee Montoya.
- Oracle: Year One (in Batman Chronicles #5). If you never read a Bat-related story other than this one in your life, that'd be fine by me lol. This should be longer than one (1) story, not even full-length, in an anthology series, but alas, DC is DC. Still. An absolute must-read, with Barbara coming out of the other end of the Joker's attack. As we all know what happens in The Killing Joke (and that barely focuses on Barbara, lbr), it's unnecessary to revisit it in order to read OY1.
- Barda by Ngozi Ukazu. It's a YA comic, auto-conclusive. I have not read much (yet) about New Gods, Apokolips and so on, and yet that never detracted from it. It feels like a good way to dip your toe into that side of the comics, which sometimes feels intimidating, and it has a very moving storyline featuring both love and resistance, with a couple that has caught my eye before due to how they seem to defying the usual gender roles.
- Green Lantern/Green Arrow (#1-7). This is the "Hard Traveling Heroes" arc some people might've heard about, where the two characters embark on a road trip across the USA and deal with The Issues plaguing it at the time. It is VERY 70s, in many ways, but I appreciate its candor and its gumption. It includes the introduction of John Stewart, which would be pretty fucking revolutionary today (as comics now are very defanged about racial issues in particular, IMO), and Roy Harper's addiction backstory.
- Devin Grayson is one of my favourite comic authors, but I'm bad at sussing out how accessible she is, as her stories are deeply entrenched in What I Know Best lol. I feel like her Gotham Knights series might be a better fit for this list, but I haven't read it as a run, instead picking specific issues that crossed with one story arc or another. So I will instead recommend her Catwoman run, which stands on its own and indulges in my favourite version of the character --not the more heroic one, but the weirdo misanthrope thief with commitment issues who thrived when challenged LOL. The specific issues you'd have to read are from Catwoman (1993), #54-71. She also wrote the Annual #4 (before issue #54) and #1000000 (before #63), but those are separate from that run and its plots. One thing I really appreciate from this run is how largely absent Batman is from it, allowing Selina to develop outside of that romance.
- Black Lightning: Year One. Only six-issues long, it show us the origins of Jefferson Pierce. It's a light, enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it on its own (+ it has a good portrayal of Talia al Ghul absent in most other comics of its time, which I appreciate!). But I admit I have an agenda when I recommend it... it's because I think it'll make the next installment on the list more understandable for beginners xDD
- The Other History of the DC Universe. This 5-issues mini-series is not a really good fit on this list, but it's one of the best and bravest comics written in this decade and I must recommend it because of it. It expands on important events in the main continuity of comics, specifically those of the post-crisis era (1987-2011), aka my preferred continuity. But with a big difference: it centers the perspective of heroes of colour, giving them voices (and quite critical at that!) and portraying them as complex, full people, with their own shades of grey. It makes a lot of people uncomfortable for it, and for how it doesn't shy away from criticising fan-favourite white heroes, but that's precisely why I love it: it's not trying to appease people or to flatten events and characterisation. The first issue is narrated by Jefferson Pierce, aka Black Lightning, and the last issue by Anissa Pierce, his lesbian daughter. #4 is about Renee Montoya. As you see, some of the previous rec will make you more familiar with them, but I only know the other characters (Mal and Karen in #2, and Tatsu in #3) more superficially and I still found those issues impactful, so YMMV.
- And because I am who I am, I must close this list recommending something about Jason Todd. One day I will make a list featuring ALL the Jason comics I think are worth reading, in the order I'd personally think best, full of asterisks and amendments. But for now, I'll settle for what I think ought to be the first thing one should read about him: Batman #408-411. AKA, his origin story in the post-crisis continuity. Everything else ought to come after that. And it's a good starting point not only for him, but for the Batman mythos at large, as it sets the tone for that new continuity and gives us information about backstories/where the characters are at now.
Challenge #15
How Did the Fandom Snowflake Challenge Go? Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.
Well, the part of me that struggles to be Organised, something that doesn't come easily LOL, is a bit miffed that this year I didn't manage to post every entry on its "correct" date xD, but I'm trying not to listen to that part! I did complete the challenge, and I got to talk to a lot of people and add new friends thanks to it. I'm not asking for anything more. Hopefully, even if it won't be as active after the challenge, I'll still find those things in DW!
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Date: 2026-01-30 09:56 am (UTC)(I don't read a lot of DC but I'm curious)
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Date: 2026-01-30 10:00 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2026-01-30 02:35 pm (UTC)Far Sector is her only comic, at least so far. I hope she does more, the genre could use authors like this.
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Date: 2026-01-30 03:25 pm (UTC)*double squee* over The ones I REALLY liked were Zatanna & The Ripper and Vixen: NYC. They have a plot tying them together but they're complete, and they are about less-known characters and include some secondary ones that really shine. In the first one, Zatanna is thrown into the 19th century and has to fight the mysterious, famous serial killer, and in the second one, Mari moves to NYC for college and discovers a lot about her heritage and her powers. The first one includes Constantine, because Zatanna and Constantine remain favorites for a very long time. Also, I second the Green Lantern/Green Arrow's rec not the least for the amazing artwork.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the challenges. :)
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Date: 2026-01-30 05:01 pm (UTC)I did! It's been fun.
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