Sorry if the title is confusing, but that’s as succinct as I could think to make it.
I’ve been out of comics for a while, but I’d like to read some more. I don’t like collecting issues, but I do like larger collections. Call them trade paperbacks, graphic novels, whatever. I’ve read some over the years (Sandman, Transmetropolitan, Akira, etc.) but I wanted to try some mainstream (DC, Marvel, etc).
I got a Green Lantern TPB (I loved the cartoons!) but the story was super confusing. It jumped back and forth, the characters referenced things that weren’t in the book, and random side characters joined and left without any explanation. I asked a friend who said that the publishers would put a narrative arc in several different titles, so as to make people buy different things. So readers were somehow supposed to get all those random issues to understand what’s going on.
I’m fine buying whatever, but I want a cohesive narrative. How can I make check that a complete narrative is in a TPB and I don’t buy the incomplete style like I did previously?
I think that - if you want to read current Marvel story arcs, but not buy every tie-in story (from characters you don’t really like or care about, for example) - digital comics are how you’ll want to go.
There are lots of ways to get free digital comics, and as the other reply said, use a search engine or wiki to find the reading order and all the tie-ins. That’s just the way Marvel does things, and I’m pretty sure DC does it the same way - that’s how the story stays cohesive, and how more sales are made. Your friend is absolutely right.
If you’re going to a local comic book store, try asking the employees - not everyone cares, or pays attention, but sometimes you’ll find a passionate employee (or owner) who can help you find the tpbs involved in the storylines.