Introduction for a Neophyte

[BentonGrey]

Howdy guys, I'm trying to introduce my department head to the glories of superhero comics.  She's a ridiculously nice South African lady who had the incredibly impoverished experience of growing up without any real exposure to superheroes and comics.  Ha, anyway, I'm trying to broaden the ESL department's horizons and add more variety, including lots of classic, robust literature and adventures fiction and more than a few graphic novels.  I want to have options for students who don't find the standard fare of depressing short stories and stuffy novels terribly interesting.  She has expressed interest in trying to understand my deep and abiding love for superheroes, but the trouble is that she has literally almost no experience with them.  You're average American girl could at least probably tell you some of the basic story conceits of Batman or Superman, but I'm thinking that even the most basic of superhero tropes are beyond this lady's experience.  Thus, my go-to book for this type of work, Astro City: Life in the Big City, is not really appropriate, as it treads heavily on at least a passing familiarity with ideas like 'Superman is a reporter,' 'superheroes lead double lives,' etc.  My other favorite books, Marvels and Kingdom Come are also out, because they demand familiarity with their respective comic universes.  I've been wracking my brain for a good graphic novel, maybe from the big two, that would work for a true comic neophyte.  I was thinking Justice MIGHT work, but I would really love to get the community's collective thoughts on this question.  She's a total softie, so obviously books like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: Year One, are not a good place to start.  What do y'all think?

I was thinking, MAYBE Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet might work?

[detourne_me]

Maybe Superman: Birthright, or some of the color series of books from Loeb and Sale would work.
Look towards Roger Landridge and Chris Samnee's recent The Mighty Thor as a nice introduction to the character,  and the Jeff Smith Shazam series too.
Actually, get Bone as well, even though it's not a superhero title.

[BlueBard]

Well... have you considered a gentle introduction into a superhero origin story or background?  Perhaps a novelization?

Most novels provide some background information and give insights into the inner thoughts of the heros that would be useful to understand the character before getting into a graphic novel with less dense prose.  Probably a bit closer to what this lady is used to.

I can't find a good novel for a Superman introduction, but it looks like the graphic novel "Superman for All Seasons" might just be the gentle introduction you're looking for (and reasonably priced).

Then there's "The Death and Life of Superman" by Roger Stern.  It covers the death of Superman, the rise of the Supermen, and Superman's return.  But it might be too confusing for a new reader.

For Spider-Man, perhaps Peter David's novelization of the Raimi film would suffice?

[Panther_Gunn]

This might be off base, but what about the actual first (respective) appearances of Batman & Superman?  Granted, by our comparison, the artwork was pretty rough, and some things were a bit vague, but how far removed from what her exposure to superheroes has been to what those initial audiences were?  Once she's read those, even briefly, that can provide the basis to expand and expound upon.

Or I could be completely wrong.

[BentonGrey]

Thanks guys, those are some great suggestions!  I knew that y'all would have interesting ideas.  I think that Superman for All Seasons is just about perfect for our purposes.  It's not super action heavy, very character focused, and it should serve as a great introduction into a lot of the underlying myths behind superheroes. 

DM, I'm not familiar with that Thor book, but I'll check it out.

PG, that's a neat idea, but I think she lacks the youthful enthusiasm for the subject matter that would have hidden many of the wrinkles of those stories from their original audiences, nor does she have the well-cultivated love for the characters that can make those tales beautiful in older eyes.  I'm not saying she wouldn't be able to appreciate them, but unless I miss my guess, it would be a bit of a gamble.

[murs47]

I second BB's recommendation of Superman for all Seasons.

[BlueBard]

I second BB's recommendation of Superman for all Seasons.

Don't give me too much credit here... I googled for it, Wikipedia'd, and looked at preview images on Amazon.  Haven't read it myself, but it looked like it would fit the bill.

[laughing paradox]

I always found Marvel's Team-Up or Marvel's Two-In-One were great books to look at the universe with Spider-Man or Thing on your side. I prefer Spider-Man, so Team-Up is a better book for me, but it's great in its way of introducing characters and you usually don't need to know any backstory to enjoy it.