Marvel Comics supervillain Thanos made his first appearance in The Invincible Iron Man #55 (February 1973) and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin who was then inspired by Jack Kirby’s work on DC’s New Gods. He was Marvel’s response to Darkseid (following the direction given by Roy Thomas), but he and Drax the Destroyer were inspired by Starlin’s psych classes in college.
Thanos is from Titan, Saturn’s moon, and is the son of Eternals A’lars and Sui-San. After falling in love with the physical embodiment of Mistress Death, Thanos finally became the nihilist murderous monster the universe would fear. He killed millions on Titan, but it was just the beginning. To do more, he started seeking universal power in the form of the Cosmic Cube.
His quest for powers led to the creation of his enemy Drax the Destroyer, to a confrontation with Captain Marvel and more superheroes. But his story ended… for a time. His was indeed resurrected in the 1990s when Jim Starlin launched his Infinity Saga, a classic Marvel tale of epic proportions. Thanos resumed his quest to find the Infinity Gems.
After that, Thanos became a constant menace, concocting evil plans that he always justified in a way that only make sense to him. Even defeated, he always comes back.
For a few short years during the 1970s, Jack Kirby joined DC Comics and introduced revolutionary ideas that are still affecting the DCU to this day–he was not the king of comics for no reason.
His major DC work was what is called “The Fourth World,” a series of interconnected series based around a new mythology surrounding The New Gods–find more about it in our Fourth World Reading Order. Kirby mostly developed it we three titles: New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle. The last one is the heart of our article today.
Introduced in Mister Miracle #1 (April 1971), Scott Free is the son of the sage Highfather, ruler of New Genesis, the positive counterpart to the hellish planet Apokolips ruled by Darkseid. To stop the war between the two planets, heirs were exchanged. That’s why Scott grew up in one of Granny Goodness’ “Terror Orphanages” with no knowledge of his own heritage–he still rebelled against the corrupt and violent ideology of Apokolips.
Scott joined the Resistance where he met Big Barda who would later become his wife. He also finally found an exit and fled to Earth where met circus escape artist Thaddeus Brown–whose stage name was Mister Miracle. After Thaddeus was killed, Scott took over his stage identity and became an escape artist, with the help of his assistant and friend, a dwarf named Oberon.
Of course, the war against Darkseid had not ended and, joined by Big Barda, Scott Free kept fighting. He became a hero, and eventually joined the Justice League. He died at some point, like the other New Gods, and was later resurrected too.
With issue #15 (May 1962), the anthology comic book Amazing Adult Fantasy was renamed Amazing Fantasy, because teenagers were not comfortable buying a book with “Adult” in the title. It was a good choice as this issue was introducing “The Spiderman,” a teenage superhero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko who was destined to become the headliner of the book, but the Amazing Fantasy comics was canceled. As you know, Spider-Man (the hyphen was added soon after) became an instant hit and, a few months later, got his own comic book series.
The story starts with Peter Parker, a geeky high school student from Queens, New York, and an orphan who was living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. After being bitten by a radioactive spider at a science exhibit, Peter acquires the agility and proportionate strength of an arachnid! At first, he decided to use his heightened athletic abilities to make money as a wrestler on television. But when the thief he chose not to stop ended up being responsible for the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter learned a hurtful lesson: “With great power there must also come—great responsibility!”
From that point on, Peter Parker fought criminals, with or without superpowers. But he also struggles to help his widowed aunt pay the rent and to study at the same time. He started working as a photographer for the Daily Bugle, selling pictures of Spider-Man to its loudest opposition, newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson. It was difficult, but he kept on going, joining Empire State University where he met his new roommate and best friend Harry Osborn, and girlfriend Gwen Stacy—also, his aunt soon introduced him to the beautiful Mary Jane Watson.
Peter’s life is punctuated by tragedies as he fights his enemies like the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, the Sinister Six, and a lot more. He lost friends and lovers (but gained new ones along the way). Aunt May had a lot of health issues, as well as money problems. The Marvel Universe expanded and Spider-Man had to fight cosmic entities, insect and animal-themed villains. He sometimes worked with the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers, and he teamed up with almost everybody.
With J. Jonah Jameson telling his readers that Spider-Man was a menace, Peter Parker is as much loved and hated by the public, but Marvel Comics certainly loves him as he became the most popular superhero at the company.
Spider-Man doesn’t really need an introduction. He is the most recognizable comic book hero next to Batman and one of the most popular characters in all fiction. He is the star of movies, TV shows, video games, and even a Broadway show… His face is on lunch boxes, pens, and every other thing you can put it on.
Today, we are only talking about comic books though, and there are a lot of them. We already covered the biggest part of the last thirty years in previous articles, but we are going back to the beginning.
Following the events of 1996’s Onslaught, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were declared dead. A new group of ‘superheroes’ decided to step in to help protect the world: The Thunderbolts!
Considered the equivalent of DC’s Suicide Squad, The Thunderbolts was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley and they made their first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #449 (January 1997) before the launch of their ongoing series the following month.
What seemed to be a basic superhero team then changed on the last page, when it was revealed that The Thunderbolts, led by Baron Zemo, were actually the Masters of Evil in disguise! This is known as one of the most famous twists in Marvel history.
With themes of redemption and heroism, The Thunderbolts will walk away from their evil nature, choosing to reject Baron Zemo and try to become heroes in their own right. Throughout the years, this team of anti-heroes has worked to do good things when led by Hawkeye, Luke Cage, and the Winter Soldier, but has also been used as a dangerous and malevolent force by leaders like Norman Osborn and Wilson Fisk. As you can imagine, between changes in leadership and direction, the roster of the team has changed a lot over the years.
A new version of Thunderbolts will soon be on the big screen, as a movie featuring the team will be released in 2024. Before that, you can start reading The Thunderbolts, and exploring their past (and present) history with this reading order!
It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Supergirl! The Girl of Tomorrow is one of the most popular characters in the DC Universe. From a supporting character for Superman to a badass heroine with her own title and stories, Supergirl had lived numerous adventures. She has been killed off, replaced, rebooted, retconned, and more.
Though neither the first nor the only one, the most famous and enduring Supergirl is no other than Kara Zor-El, Superman’s blood cousin. Created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, she made her debut in Action Comics #252. Like her cousin Clark, she’s a survivor from the planet Krypton, but arrived on Earth after him. She had different alias/adopted names including Kara Kent, Linda Lang, and, of course, Kara Danvers.
The Last Daughter of Krypton has been a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, but also part of the Justice League, the Red Lantern Corps, and the DEO.
Supergirl has been adapted more than once and has been portrayed by Helen Slater on the big screen, and by Laura Vandervoort and Melissa Benoist (on the small screen (on Smallville and Supergirl, respectively).
It’s time for some Supergirl stories with this Supergirl Reading Order!
Not everyone is a superhero in the Marvel Universe. Some are Monster Hunters! This is the case of Elsa Bloodstone who, since her first appearance in Bloodstone #1 (Dec. 2001), has made a name for herself as such.
Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Michael Lopez, Elsa Bloodstone is the daughter of another famous Monster Hunter, Ulysses Bloodstone, and the sister of Cullen Bloodstone. Her father was killing monsters with other monster hunters during the Bronze Age. He made a few appearances before meeting his maker, but Ulysses captured the public’s imagination and was after that still referenced in several issues.
Today, his legacy in the Marvel Universe takes clearly the form of his children, especially Elsa. Introduced in the Bloodstone miniseries, Elsa Bloodstone could be perceived at the time as a mix between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the adventurer Lara Croft, and didn’t make a lasting impression on readers. A few years down the line, the character was rebooted by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen on Nextwave: Agents of HATE, where Elsa really came into her own as a foul-mouthed and violent young woman.
Though Elsa didn’t have a specific place in the Marvel Universe at this time, she became a more prominent character in the 2010s. She was a playable character in several video games, joined the Legion of Monsters, worked with the Thunderbolts and the Defenders, teamed up with Wolverine and Deadpool, and more.
Now, she is making her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the television special “Werewolf by Night,” where she is played by actress Laura Donnelly.
Following is an Elsa Bloodstone reading order (including information about her father Ulysses and her brother Cullen!) to help you become more familiar with the character and her family!
What would it look like to be a superhero in the real world? This is a question writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr. explored in the famous Kick-Ass comic book series, originally published by Marvel Comics under the Icon Imprint, and later republished under Image Comics, between 2008 and 2019. The universe was expanded with two spin-off series, including one focusing on Hit-Girl. And it has been adapted by director Matthew Vaughn into a successful movie, followed by a less successful sequel.
But let’s go back to the beginning. Dave Lizewski is an ordinary New York teenage boy who loves superheroes. One day, he decides to cross the line, put on a costume, and become a vigilante. Soon enough, he discovers it’s very dangerous and way more real than what he reads in the comic book pages.
Despite the punch and the blood, his actions have some effects, inspiring others. And in his fight against crime, he meets the young Mindy McCready aka the ruthless Hit-Girl…
The Joker was disrupting the DC Universe at the beginning of the noughties. He was first accidentally given nigh-unlimited reality-shaping powers by Mr. Mxyzptlk and reshaped the universe in his image in Superman: Emperor Joker. Not long after that, the Joker was at it again, spreading chaos in the way less received event The Joker’s Last Laugh (also known as The Joker: Last Laugh), written by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty with art by Pete Woods.
What The Joker’s Last Laugh is about? Joker is a prisoner at the Slabside Penitentiary when a prison doctor informs them they found a malignant tumor after a brain scan. The Joker is going to die. Facing this news, The Joker decides he wants to go out with a bang. He concocts a scheme to carry on his legacy by transforming his fellow villains into “jokerized” versions of themselves.
Published in 2001, this storyline comprises a six-issue miniseries and 25 tie-ins, covering almost everything that was published at the time, from the Batman titles to the Superman family, and more.
Created by Will Murray and Steve Dikto, Squirrel Girl — also known as Doreen Allene Green – made her first appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 2 #8, published in 1991. In this issue, she team-up with Iron Man and defeats the villainous Doctor Doom with her squirrel sidekick, Monkey Joe. After this one-off partnership with Iron Man, Squirrel Girl didn’t find instant success, and kind of disappeared for a long time.
She made her return to the Marvel Universe thanks to Dan Slott in the miniseries the Great Lakes Avengers in 2005, composed of superheroes who seem to have “useless” (or odd) powers at first glance. The series also introduced her new squirrel sidekick, Tippy-Toe. After that, she continued to appear here and there, crossing paths with characters like Deadpool until she became a nanny for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage in New Avengers (in 2010).
Finally, Doreen was finding the success she deserved, right? Well, not exactly. Being a nanny didn’t really open doors for her, at least not instantaneously. It took a little while, and the desire at Marvel to have more fun, female-lead books, for Squirrel Girl to hit the jackpot: her solo series! Launched in 2015, Squirrel Girl was finally at the front and center of a Marvel comics title, more than 20 years after her debut.
But who really is Squirrel Girl? Introduced to give more lighthearted stories, Squirrel Girl is not your brooding hero, with a tragic backstory. Though she thought for a long time that she was a mutant, a doctor determined it wasn’t the case. Doreen’s genes were altered for unknown reasons, granting her cool squirrel-like abilities. Yes, Doreen can communicate with those small rodents, and she also possesses superhuman strength and speed, some good night vision, and razor-sharp claws. Let’s not forget, that she studies computer science at the university and has a strong social media presence. In the end, Doreen lives fun adventures with a lot of squirrels and friends, proving to the rest of the world that she is just… unbeatable!
Created in 1940 by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger in DC Comics’ All-American Comics #16 (July 1940), the first superhero named Green Lantern was Alan Scott–one of the founding members of the Justice Society of America.
Alan Scott was the first, but certainly not the last. He was a Golden Age hero (read all about Alan Scott here) and, with the Silver Age, a new Green Lantern appeared: Hal Jordan. This test pilot was given a power ring and a battery (the famous lantern) by a dying alien named Abin Sur whose spaceship crashed on Earth. The ring wants only go to someone “utterly honest and born without fear,” and there is more than one human being fitting that description as new Green Lanterns from Earth appeared in the DC Comics Universe through the decades: John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, and more.
Once chosen by the ring, Hal and the others automatically joined the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic law enforcement organization founded by the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa. The Green Lanterns must protect the 3600 “sectors” of the universe–Earth is in Sector 2814.
The Lanterns have only one weapon, but it’s the most powerful one in the DC universe: the power ring. Those who wear a ring gain incredible abilities and control them with their own willpower. The ring protects the Lanterns and, with it, they can form constructs of Oan energy: thoughts become physical constructs. There are downsides, like the need to recharge the rings or the effects of the color yellow (for a time thought).
