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Earth X Reading Order (the Alex Ross Universe)

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The Multiverse is made up of many alternate realities, each unique and full of possibilities. Some are more famous than others. Among the most notorious are the Ultimate World of Miles Morales and The Maker, the dystopian future of Marvel 2099, the Zombieverse, and the Age of Apocalypse.

In the late nineties, artist Alex Ross designed one of Marvel’s most iconic dystopian realities: Earth-X. This world first appeared in Wizard Magazine, where the legendary artist was asked to create a possible future for the Marvel Universe. Ross depicted a future where superpowers had become commonplace. These initial concepts, today known as the Earth-X Sketchbook, attracted readers, and the magazine quickly sold out. This success led Marvel to commission a full comic series, developed by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, with artists John Paul Leon and Doug Braithwaite.

While Earth-X started as a possible future of Earth-616, the series retconned the origins of superheroes, disconnecting them from the mainstream Marvel Universe entirely. Earth-X evolved to become Earth-9997, an alternate reality.

Today, we jump into the world of Earth X, a dystopian reality where most of the population has gained superpowers, many heroes have fallen or been reimagined, and the future remains uncertain. Check out our complete comic reading order for Earth-X, including every issue and appearance, along with our guide to omnibus and trade paperback editions.

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Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale’s Batman Reading Order

Happy Halloween! No team in the Batman mythos is associated with this celebration more than Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale for their The Long Halloween story. Presented as a classic detective story, The Long Halloween is one of the most celebrated and influential Batman tales, featuring Tim Sale’s striking art, a good introduction to the world of Gotham, Batman’s Rogue Gallery, and an origin story for Two-Face.

For Loeb and Sale, it all started with Challengers of the Unknown (1991), their first creative collaboration that would lead to more iconic works. When editor Archie Goodwin asked artist Tim Sale in the early ’90s to work on another Legends of the Dark Knight arc after Blades (with James Robinson), Sale asked if Loeb—who was working in Hollywood at the time—could write it. This resulted in what is now known as The Haunted Knight, a collection of three Halloween-themed stories.

For Loeb, the plan was to stop there—he had another job. However, Archie Goodwin had other ideas. He asked Frank Miller about the gangsters featured in Year One, and Miller said he had no further plans for them, giving Goodwin free rein. As Loeb recalled, “Archie thought we should do something bigger with this group in mind, maybe something longer than the 80 pages of the first Halloween special. Maybe… a year.” (from The Long Halloween Deluxe Edition.)

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Ghost in the Shell Manga Order

Following the success of Akira, a wave of influential Japanese cyberpunk works emerged, such as Battle Angel Alita, Cowboy Bebop, and, as today’s subject, Ghost in the Shell. Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell began publication in 1989 in Kodansha’s manga anthology Young Magazine. Consisting of only 11 chapters, the original manga concluded in November 1990.

However, it started a cyberpunk franchise that has since spawned spin-off manga and comics, animated and live-action films, several animated TV series, video games, tie-in novels, and art books. The franchise continues to expand, with a new manga in publication and an anime adaptation slated for release in 2026.

Set in the 2030s in the fictional Japanese city of Niihama, also known as New Port City, Ghost in the Shell follows the members of Public Security Section 9, a special operations task force composed of former military officers and police detectives, led by Major Motoko Kusanagi. Kusanagi is a strong-willed, intelligent cyborg who excels at deduction, hacking, and military tactics—though this doesn’t prevent her from occasionally acting immature.

Section 9 handles political intrigue, corruption, cybercrime, and counter-terrorism in a future where technology has advanced to the point that most people possess a “cyberbrain”—a device that integrates with the brain and connects individuals both physically and virtually to various platforms (a kind of brain-computer interface).

Discover the original world of Ghost in the Shell with this comprehensive reading guide, exploring the original manga and its many spin-offs in order!

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The Best of the Kingpin, Your Essential Wilson Fisk Comic Book List

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While New York City is filled with Marvel Superheroes, it never stopped Wilson Fisk from realizing his personal ambitions. He’s one of the most powerful criminals, a man who took control of the Underworld by sheer intelligence and cunning abilities. With that said, you wouldn’t want to be in Fisk’s way on a bad day, as the man has extraordinary skill in hand-to-hand combat.

Introduced in the Marvel World in the ‘60s as a Spider-Man antagonist, Wilson Fisk came a long way from his debut, becoming Daredevil’s greatest enemy while still being a menace to reckon with for Spider-Man (and sometimes other superheroes). He rose to become one of the most powerful criminal leaders known as the Kingpin, but also a legitimate businessman and an ambitious political figure who succeeded in being elected as Mayor of New York. Over the years, he rose, fell, retired, made his comeback. And more than once, he made Matt Murdock’s life hell on Earth!

He’s also one of Marvel’s most iconic villains on the small screen, thanks to Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of the character in Netflix’s Daredevil. He recently appeared in the Disney+ series Hawkeye (2021), but most importantly will be in Daredevil: Born Again, Disney+’s follow-up to the Netflix series.

To learn more about The Kingpin or simply rediscover the most important stories featuring the character, follow our Essential Reading Order Guide for Wilson Fisk!

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The Best of Havok Comics, Our Alex Summers Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)!

It’s never easy being the brother of a more famous X-Man. Just ask Alex Summers, who has often found himself in the shadow of his brother, Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. While Alex may never reach his older brother’s level of fame, this longtime Marvel character has certainly lived through some wild adventures (and bad editorial decisions) since his debut in 1969!

Before young Alex Summers was introduced to the world of the X-Men, readers already knew that Scott had a brother (there’s a third Summers brother, but it is a subject for another day) who had been separated from him for many years. After their father’s plane was attacked by aliens, the two brothers jumped with the only working parachute. While they survived, they were left orphaned and separated as children. Scott grew up in an orphanage before being recruited to join the X-Men.

But surprise! When Alex made his first appearance in X-Men #54, the two brothers had been close for some time—clearly, this relationship had developed off-panel. Soon enough, Alex was revealed to have powers of his own, capable of generating powerful plasma blasts. He got his famous Neal Adams-designed costume and codename in issue #58. From there, the mutant developed a love-hate relationship with the X-Men and an on-and-off romance with Lorna Dane, a.k.a. Polaris.

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Where to Start with EC Comics? A Beginner’s Guide to the Most Famous, Shocking, and Bizarre Tales

When it’s time to read some gruesome horror stories, exploring comic books from the Golden Age offers chilling tales and unforgettable illustrations. While individual horror stories appeared as early as 1940, horror comics flourished with EC Comics and its sardonic horror hosts – the Old Witch, the Vault Keeper, and the Crypt Keeper – introducing shocking tales of violence to readers. They inspired a host of imitators, but none occupy the same place as EC Comics in pop culture today.

In an era when superheroes were living simple (and sometimes wacky) adventures, EC Comics pushed the boundaries with their gruesome stories, bold visuals, sharp social commentary, and shocking twists. They revolutionized comic book art through legendary talents such as Harvey Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, Bernard Krigstein, Bill Elder, and Jack Davis. While the Comics Code led to the cancellation of most of their titles, EC Comics continued to survive through reprints and left a lasting influence on creators across comics and Hollywood.

Today, we get more familiar with EC Comics, one of the most influential publishers of its time, which, like a sordid creature from its pages, has recently come back to life!

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Bleach Manga in Order

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While Ken Kaneki is transformed into a half-ghoul in Tokyo Ghoul, teenager Ichigo Kurosaki obtained the powers of a Soul Reaper in Bleach. Ichigo Kurosaki wasn’t your ordinary student to begin with. He was born with the ability to see ghosts, though this particular gift didn’t affect his life the same way as his encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. 

When his family is attacked by a Hollow—a malevolent spirit—Rukia transfers her Soul Powers to the young man who then becomes a Soul Reaper! That wasn’t the goal, but now, Ichigo must learn to navigate this new world, protect the innocent from Hollows, and help the spirits themselves find peace.

Created by mangaka Tite Kube, Bleach debuted in 2001 in Weekly Shounen Jump alongside Naruto and One Piece. Together, those manga became known as the “Big Three” because of their massive success. Naturally, Bleach expanded and became a franchise with the first animated series, released between 2004 and 2012. Several animated films, video games, light novels, trading cards, musicals and several artbooks were released during the following years.

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Lex Luthor, Your Recommended Reading List for Superman’s Archenemy

Alexander Joseph “Lex” Luthor is one of the smartest people in DC Comics and Superman’s most emblematic villain. Initially depicted as a mad scientist and narcissist, the character was reimagined in the mid-late 1980s (following Crisis on Infinite Earths) as the powerful CEO of LexCorp, willing to do anything to rid the world of Superman.

Although Luthor has no superpowers per se, he considers his genius to be his gift—and with good reason! Luthor is not only a mad scientist but also a criminal mastermind, expert tactician and manipulator, ruthless businessman, and formidable leader. His ability to survive any scandal underscores his cunning. Luthor is the master of complex, multi-layered plans to destroy Superman, with his primary weakness being, as is often the case for men like him, his arrogance—and his inability to truly understand his enemies.

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Doomsday Reading Order

Like Cyborg Superman, the supervillain Doomsday made his debut during the “Death of Superman” story arc. If everyone knows his name, it’s because he is the character who killed Superman! That’s certainly one way to make an impression.

Created by Dan Jurgens, the first appearance of Doomsday is a cameo in Superman: The Man of Steel #17, before making his full appearance in the following issue, Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (December 1992). As Jurgens wrote on his website, “When we first started talking about Doomsday, he didn’t even have a name. We talked about him in terms of “living rage” or “force of nature”. ”

There is no better way to define Doomsday, an unstoppable force of destruction engineered long ago by Kryptonian scientists to be the ultimate weapon. Devoid of emotion and shaped by an unforgiving environment, Doomsday was forged through a brutal cycle of deaths and forced evolution. In the end, he became an unkillable machine filled with primal rage.

After escaping Krypton and embarking on a killing spree across many planets, Doomsday was finally defeated and buried on the primitive planet Earth. But Doomsday always comes back to life, and he returned, once again evolved, more unstoppable than ever, becoming one of Superman’s most iconic foes.

Since his creation, Doomsday has made several appearances on live-action television and in animated series, though his most mainstream incarnation is in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Discover the ultimate Doomsday reading order, guiding you through the essential comics and many epic battles involving The Destroyer!

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The Maker Reading Order, The Ultimate Reed Richards

As one of the Fantastic Four, Mister Fantastic, aka Reed Richards, stands as one of Marvel’s greatest heroes. One of the most intelligent beings on the planet, he is driven by an insatiable curiosity and a deep sense of responsibility to protect others, even as his single-minded focus on science sometimes causes him to struggle with personal relationships and emotional connections.

But what if Mister Fantastic were transformed into a supervillain and chose to use his intellect to become a multiversal threat? This scenario was explored in the Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610), where the Reed Richards variant is now known as the Maker.

Created by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Adam Kubert, the Ultimate Reed Richards made his first appearance in Ultimate Fantastic Four #1. Initially introduced as a younger, modernized version of the beloved character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, his turn toward villainy was depicted in the pages of Ultimate Comics and Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates, orchestrated by writer Jonathan Hickman. Like Miles Morales, the character didn’t disappear following the destruction of their Earth. He survived the Secret Wars and began working for his own gain on the new Earth-616.

Discover more about this Reed Richards doppelganger with our reading order, highlighting his appearances in the Ultimate Universe and beyond.

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