My local shop's 'new reader' section is just a wall of #1 issues from 2015

Phoenix Garcia · 2026-03-23T06:30:09.537621+00:00

I went in last week to finally get into a new series, and the guy at the counter pointed me to this whole rack labeled 'for new fans'. Every single book was a first issue from like eight or nine years ago, most of them from events that got cancelled. I told him I wanted something current and he just shrugged. How is a new person supposed to know where to start if the shop isn't even trying? Does anyone have a shop that actually helps new readers find a good jumping-on point?

nancy3515mo ago

Exactly, it's like handing someone a map to a road that just stops.

5

adam_kim6mo ago

Old #1s are a legit start point though.

0

eva_thompson106mo ago

I used to agree with that idea, but a bad experience changed my mind. I grabbed an old #1 once, got into the story, and then found out the whole series was dropped after six issues. It was a total dead end. A new reader needs a real starting point, not just a random first issue from a failed series. That shop is setting people up to waste money and get frustrated. They should be pointing to current runs or collected books that have a full story.

-1