Welcome to Graphic Policy’s First Impressions where we take a look at a handful of comics in order to discern just how accessible they are for new readers, because every comic could be somebody’s first – and that’s the first question that’ll be answered with this feature. The second is whether you should  start there because sometimes a book could be accessible to new readers but the quality could be less than average, and so each comic will receive a score out of ten based upon Graphic Policy’s typical ten point scale.

Where possible we’ll also be providing  recap of sorts for the relevant story beats up until the issue in question in order to help you figure out if the series is something you’re interested in, assuming we’ve read any part of the story thus far. All comics were provided for review purposes unless otherwise noted.

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Faith: Dreamside #2 (Valiant)
Can you start here? Yes
Recap & Review: Perhaps one of the most visually appealing comic that came out last week, and I won’t lie to you, also one of the easiest places for you to start with this series aside from the first issue. 
Score: 8.5

Daredevil #610 (Marvel)
Can you start here? Yup
Recap & Review: Kingpin is mayor, and Daredevil wants to set things right (that’s about what I got from the recap text on the first page). A solid comic, and one worth checking out if you’ve been taken by the Netflix show.
Score: 8.6

Fence #11 (Boom!)
Can you start here? More or less.
Recap & Review: Finally, the conclusion of the tournament to decide the fencing team rolls around, with more on the line for the spectators than you’d initially expect. For Nicholas, his entire future rests on making the team… but his destiny is out of his hands now…
Score: 7.8

Spider-Force #1 (Marvel)
Can you start here? Yup
Recap & Review: All the Spiders you can handle in an event that, technically, you can just jump right into. It’s not a bad start, honestly, and it’s enough to pull me back in. Especially when it’s a comic that has Kaine as one of the focal points.
Score: 8.1

Planet Of The Apes: The Time Of Man #1 (Boom!)
Can you start here? Yes
Recap & Review: As someone entirely unfamiliar with this franchise, all I can say is that this wasn’t impenetrable, and it was really quite enjoyable.
Score: 8.1