What beginner comic books should I begin with?

I have always been a big fan of comic book characters - watching movies, television, and video games - spending hours on end researching the back stories, but have never actually read comics. I find it very intimidating with the realm of possibilities to chose from. I have become a fan of the marvel universe rather than others and would like to start there. The only experience I have with comic books was during the Civil War era, when I downloaded a torrent to make ready all comics within the event.