Integra Type R
Solid, I know you said that the package deals aren't very good, but Ibanez and Epiphone are respectable companies, correct?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=electric/search/detail/base_pid/519658/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=electric/search/detail/base_pid/518677/
They seem like good deals and from respectable brands, but if they're not, please steer me away.
No, I wouldn't get those at all. Here's why.
One, they're made by the same people. They build different shaped guitars and put a big company name on them, but they're made by the same company. Two, not a lot of time or money is spent on the guitar. They just slap the parts together, put some strings on it, if it makes some sounds, they send it out. They don't do any setup, of fine detail work on them. Three, the resale value of the guitar is really low if you decide to sell it. What if you can't handle playing the guitar? So, you decide to sell it. You wont get a lot of offers for one of those "beginner" guitars, that's for sure. You'll have much better luck with the EVH OLP guitar I showed you. The word is speading, that this is one fine guitar. Plus, people are buying them to paint like EVH's Frankenstrat or 5150 guitar. So, if you decide to sell it, you'll get a decent price for it. Same goes for the amp I pointed out. It has a decent clean tone, and good overdrive tones. No, it won't win any awards, but it's a lot better than those small amp combos you get with those guitar package deals.
I, personally don't like Ibanez and I can't stand Epiphone. I've come across some nicely made Epiphone guitars, and some absolute stinkers. Their quality can really suck. I don't recommend them unless you have a good eye for a good guitar which you don't have since you're a beginner.
I really can't tell you what guitar to buy, for that matter, nobody can. We all have different tastes when it comes to guitar. Both for how they feel, play and how they sound.
How a guitar plays, or feels, to you is very important. If you don't like how it feels, you wont play it as often and learning will be difficult. Hand comfort is paramount. What scale (length of neck) do you prefer? How many frets (22 to 24 typically) do you like to play with? Both the scale and the number of frets determine how the guitar feels to your freting hand. Long scale, (25.5") with 21 or 22 frets mean the fret size is considered "jumbo" or very large. That means you'll need to stretch you fingers out more when playing, and that could mean discomfort if you have small hands or stubby fingers. Or, short scale (24") with 24 frets mean the frets will be small, meaning you'll be playing in a very tight position on the fingerboard which would be a discomfort if you have large hands with long fingers. Fret wire that make up the frets come into different sizes, too. Do you like small, mediium or large fret wire? That can effect the feel of the guitar also. Get it? Also, neck radius (arch of fingerboard; Larger number means a flatter fingerboard, and a smaller number means a more rounded fingerboard), neck width and thickness aslo play into this. Do you like laminated necks, or nonlaminated (recent trend) necks?
To be honest, you shouldn't be too concerned on how it sounds. But, is there a type of music that you prefer? Single coil, and humbucker pickup guitars sound very different. So, are you into a fatter, warmer sounding guitar (humbucker), or a thiner, brighter sounding guitar (single coil)? Are metal, country, classic rock, or jazz an interest to you? Again, this shouldn't be you main concern, but more of something to look out for.
I would go into a guitar shop, and ask to see some beginner electric guitars. Ask questions about the neck scale, radius, etc. and see which one is more comfortable to you. But, like I said before, the OLP EVH clone is cathing a lot of good press lately, and I wouldn't be surprised if the price on them goes up.
Whatever you decide, you'll need to play almost every day and building up finger strength takes some time. Be prepared to comit to it every day, or you'll never learn to play. Once you learn, you'll need to play almost every day to keep your fingers strong, and flexable and to keep your fingertip calouses. It won't be easy, but the rewards are awesome.
Good luck, and I hope this helps.
I have a friend who has an old Rickenbacker 4004 wich I can play sometimes. It's a very good but expensive bassguitar. The problem is that I cant buy it or take it home because it's some sort of familypiece, and it's a right hand model so the strings need to be placed up side down (like Jimmy Hendriks used to do before he rialised that you can buy left hand guitars 
