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Star Wars Legends Comics Reading Order (The Star Wars Expanded Universe)

Star Wars Legends Comics in Order

Since the release of the first Star Wars movie, the universe created by George Lucas has never stopped expanding. Beyond the movies, TV shows, games, novels, comics, and more have been created to cover many stories in the Star Wars galaxy, spanning more than 25, 000 years of history.

It was called the Star Wars Expanded Universe. But when Disney bought the Star Wars franchise, the company simply blew up this Expanded Universe in order to create a new official canon. So everything that have been published before April 25, 2014, was now part of the Star Wars Legends, the new name given to the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

A lot of comic books have been published during the past 35 years, before April 2014. Star Wars Comic books were first published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. After, Dark Horse Comics owned the license exclusively from 1991 to 2014. Pendulum Press (1978) and Blackthorne (1987–1988) also published some Star Wars Comics, and Star Wars comic strips have been distributed in the newspapers the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and Watertown Daily Times between 1979 and 1984.

This article is devoted to the Star Wars Legends or Expanded Universe, to the Star Wars comic books published before April 25, 2014. For the ongoing Star Wars Canon, you can find the reading order over here.

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Captain Atom Reading Order (Nathaniel Adam)

Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko in 1960, Captain Atom first appeared in Space Adventures #33 published by Charlton Comics, a publishing company later acquired by DC Comics. Back then, the character was named Allen Adam, a technician who was trapped in a rocket that exploded. He should have died but instead became a superpowered atomic hero. His series continued for a few years (until December 1967). Back then, he had a red and yellow outfit and pretty generic powers.

In 1983, DC Comics acquired Charlton Comics’ action heroes and asked Alan Moore to do something with them. That’s how Captain Atom became Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen. Moore’s take on the characters was not what DC’s editors had in mind for them and the British writer had to rewrite some of them to create his own version while the publisher introduced Charlton’s super-heroes (like Blue Beetle) in its Post-Crisis universe. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was established that they were on Earth-4. After that, they found their way into the main continuity.

Captain Atom was then reinvented as Nathaniel Christopher Adam, a United States Air Force officer and Vietnam War veteran. Framed and condemned for a crime he didn’t commit, his only option to survive was to join the military experiment called ‘Project: Captain Atom‘ during which he was placed in an alien craft positioned next to an atomic bomb. The goal was to test the resistance of the ship, but the result was ultimately the creation of a superhero. During the explosion, Nathaniel was disintegrated, but he mysteriously reappeared 18 years later, now bonded with the alien metal that has the ability to tap into the “Quantum Field”. Captain Atom can absorb energy to a certain point (beyond that, he jumps in time).

In 1986, as Captain Atom just reappeared, the military forced him to work for them. He eventually joined the Justice League and later became the leader of Justice League Europe. Through the years, he joined other teams, fought his enemy through times, and became a villain before returning to normal.

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Madman Reading Order, Explore Mike Allred’s Comics Universe

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In 1992, Tundra Publishing had a large lineup of comic book series by independent creators. One of them was Madman by Mike Allred who quickly gathered a few nominations for prestigious awards (it won the Harvey for Best New Series). It was a superhero comic with a unique vision and an atypic aesthetic for the time, as Allred’s Pop Art style certainly made the book immediately distinguish itself from the rest.

From its initial success, Madman Adventures moved to Dark Horse Comics–when Denis Kitchen bought Tundra–where it gained even more popularity and colors (by Laura Allred). As the Madmanverse developed new characters were introduced and spin-off series were created. Madman himself made some appearances in other books, even from other publishers.

The story follows the adventures of Frank Einstein, a man who was revived by two scientists, Dr. Egon Boiffard and Dr. Gillespie Flem. With no memory of his past, he took the name “Frank Einstein” after his creators’ heroes, Frank Sinatra and Albert Einstein. Now reborn with enhanced abilities—superhuman agility, reflexes, and a touch of precognition—Frank remembers little of his past life. His identity as “Madman” is inspired by his childhood comic hero, Mr. Excitement. Despite his Frankenstein-like appearance, including blue skin and scars, he has a girlfriend, Joe Lombard, and is joined by allies like the alien Mott, invisible scientist Gale, and robotic companions Astroman and Machina.

The publication history of Madman is not the simplest as the book changed publishers multiple times. It started at Tundra in the Grafik Muzik anthology before getting a solo book titled Madman Adventures, went to Dark Horses where it evolved to become Madman Comics for a few years, then Allred established his own publishing company, AAA Pop Comics, where he continued Madman’s story with The Atomics–a new comic book series focused on Frank’s superhero team, the Atomics. It stopped in 2001, but Frank Einstein returned in Madman Atomic Comics launched at Image Comics in 2007.

The Madmaniverse is a superhero universe like no other, the colorful vision of one independent cartoonist who developed a cult favorite. Below, you’ll find a guide to reading everything.

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Jessica Cruz Reading Order, member of the Green Lantern Corps

The Green Lantern Corps has at least 7,200 members! It would be easy to be just one among many, living in the shadows of brighter stars like Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner. Despite initially being forced to accept the famous ring and join the Corps, Jessica Cruz quickly made a name for herself with DC Comics readers.

For her co-creator Geoff Johns, Jessica Cruz is all “about fear.” In a Comic Book Resources interview, he explained that her character was about “a lot of emotional fears and someone dealing with crippling anxiety, depression, and worry. That was a totally different type of fear to tackle.” Jessica Cruz embodied this, starting with the ring as a curse—from Earth-3’s Power Ring—and eventually overcoming her own fears and personal struggles to earn a Green Lantern ring. Johns felt it was “a compelling story and a very different one than the other Lanterns.”

Jessica Cruz wasn’t the most willing member of the Green Lantern Corps, but she has left her mark, becoming an inspiration to readers facing anxiety. Like many DC superheroes and fellow ring-bearers, her journey is full of challenges, obstacles, and the determination to face her fears.
 
Discover now our Jessica Cruz reading order, guiding you through the essential comics and story arcs featuring the first female human Green Lantern!

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Patsy Walker Hellcat Reading Order, From the Teen Comics to Marvel Superhero

Patsy Walker is an old character. She came from the Golden Age of Comics, at a time when Marvel Comics wasn’t called Marvel Comics yet–but it turns out that Patsy Walker #95 was the first (with Journey into Mystery #69) to be labeled a “Marvel Comics” on its cover. Created in 1944 by Stuart Little and Ruth Atkinson in Miss America Magazine #2, Patsy Walker was not a superhero. She was the star of a teen romantic-comedy series–up until 1967.

This version of Patsy entered briefly the world of Superheroes with a cameo in Fantastic Four Annual #3 in 1965, but this had no consequences on who she became. It turns out that–with the help of a retcon–those Patsy Walker comics were the work of Dorothy Walker who used her daughters and her friends (notably Hedy) as an inspiration for this fictional series that exists in the Marvel Universe.

In 1972, Steve Engleheart who remembered that FF cameo and was familiar with the Patsy comics thought it would be a fun idea to make her a real character in the Marvel Universe. With artist George Pérez, he did just that in the feature he was doing in the anthology book Amazing Adventures #13. She only appeared in three issues (and was not “Hellcat” yet), but came back two years later for a few issues of The Avengers, and officially took the name of “Hellcat” and the costume of another hero, Greer Grant Nelson’s The Cat. In 1977, she joined The Defenders and met (in issue #92) Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan. They got married and went on to do some supernatural investigations. Eventually, like all of Marvel’s heroes at some point, she died (in the mid-1990s).

Hellcat was resurrected in 2000 and got her first miniseries. More would come as she’s still active today, mostly working alongside her friend She-Hulk.

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Ultimate Marvel After Secret Wars: A Comics Guide to the characters on Earth-616

Previously on Ultimate Marvel... Imagine the Marvel heroes you know and love, but younger and more modern! Welcome to Earth-1610, an alternate reality where classic characters like Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four are reimagined with fresh, updated origins, free from decades of continuity baggage. The Ultimate Universe was a perfect playground for writers to create accessible stories for new readers while shaking up the status quo for long-time fans.

It all started with Ultimate Spider-Man, retelling Peter Parker’s origin for a new generation. Then came The Ultimates, a reimagining of the Avengers, where the team faced a massive alien invasion in The Ultimates 2. Major events like Ultimate War saw the X-Men clash with the Ultimates, creating tension between Earth’s mightiest heroes and mutantkind.

But the Ultimate Universe wasn’t about retelling classic stories—it also went in new directions. In Ultimatum, Magneto turned the world upside down, with a disaster that reshaped the universe. New faces took up old mantles, like Miles Morales becoming Spider-Man, while Reed Richards transformed into the villain known today as The Maker.

Eventually, Earth-1610 was destroyed and reshaped during the multiverse-shattering Secret Wars event. While the ultimate universe was no more, a few characters, like Miles Morales, found a new home in the main continuity…

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Shaman King Manga Order

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It’s often said that there’s a manga series for every subject or hobby imaginable. For a creator, this can make it challenging to explore a new theme. Mangaka Hiroyuki Takei took on this challenge with Shaman King, introducing shamanism as a theme largely unexplored in manga at the time. Its unique blend of witchcraft and religious motifs from various cultures set it apart from other shōnen manga of its era, as did its unusually “laid-back” protagonist.

But what is Shaman King about? The story follows Yoh Asakura, a shaman in training—a medium between the worlds of the living and the dead. Yoh has a dream: he wants to become the Shaman King, the one shaman who can channel the power of the Great Spirit to reshape the world. To obtain this spiritual power, Yoh must win the Shaman Fight, a tournament of mediums that takes place every 500 years. He must train and grow up quickly if he wants a chance to achieve his goal!

Shaman King was originally published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1998 and 2004, ending abruptly with an improvised conclusion. In 2009, Takei returned to give the story the ending he had initially envisioned. Since then, the world of Shaman King has expanded with a prequel, several sequel series, and a few side stories. The manga was adapted into two anime series: the first in 2001, which deviated from the original storyline and had a completely different ending, and the second in 2021 (with a sequel now green-lit).

Here’s a reading guide to explore the spiritual world of Shaman King.

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Domino Reading Order (X-Men)

Black Cat is not the only Marvel character with lucky-based powers. While Felicia Hardy brings bad luck to those around her, the woman known as Domino shifts the odds in her favor. A member of the X-Men family, Domino often worked as a mercenary, taking on questionable jobs but still guided by a moral compass that pushes her to do the right thing when necessary.

Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, Domino first “appeared” in New Mutants #98. However, it was later revealed that this was an imposter, with her real first appearance taking place in X-Force #8. You know the World of Comics, it’s complicated!

While she was often called “Beatrice” (a name meaning lucky) at first, Domino’s real name was revealed to be Neena Thurman. She became one of the most emblematic members of the X-Force team, a long-time ally to the time-traveling mutant Cable and one of Deadpool’s closest friends. Domino is also visually striking, with her pure-white skin and distinctive black eye patch. As Rob Liefield explained in a Comics Beat interview: “I was obsessed with the game dominoes. And I always thought that a character who was 100% black and white would be a tremendous visual.” He also gave her luck powers, because “when you play dominoes, it’s a game of chance.”

Check out our Domino reading order, guiding you through the essential comics and story arcs featuring Marvel’s luckiest mutant!

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The Shadow Comics: The Comic Book History of a Pulp Hero

Created for the magazine publishers Street & Smith, the character of The Shadow started in 1930 on the Detective Story Hour radio show as a mysterious host before moving to print the following year. He would stay on the air for a few years, but this original incarnation would be forgotten and replaced by the one created by writer Walter B. Gibson (under the pen name of Maxwell Grant).

Gibson was tasked to write stories about “The Shadow” and, inspired by classic literary works and the French character Judex, he composed a character that would eventually become the prototype of the American Superhero. Through the years, The Shadow prospered in the pulps, on the radio, and even got a comic strip in the early 1940s.

The Shadow was a former World War I aviator named Kent Allard who faked his death and became a crime-fighter. Upon returning to the United States, he adopted several different identities to aid him in his war on crime. The most famous one is Lamont Cranston, a wealthy socialite who went abroad and Allard stole his identity, impersonating him to gain access to the rich and powerful of the world.

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Jonah Hex Reading Order, DC Comics’ Western Hero

Introduced for the first time in 1972 in the comics All-Star Western #10, Jonah Hex is a creation by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. A bad-tempered brutal bounty hunter, Hex emerged at a time when the Western genre was deconstructed and the character contributed to that with his two-face. Looking at him from one side, he looked like the handsome cowboy, but from the other side, with half of his face disfigured, he was a terrifying killer.

The comics introduced him like this: “He was a hero for some, a villain to others… and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers. He had no friends, this Jonah Hex, but he did have two companions: one was death itself… the other, the acrid smell of gunsmoke…” Enough said!

At a time when the Comic Code regulations started to loosen up, the violent Jonah Hex became popular in the pages of the Weird Western Tales comics (DeZuniga drew the character for years, but Albano only wrote the first ten adventures of Hex), and after a few years, he finally got his own book. The Crisis on Infinite Earths event put an end to his regular adventures and, since then, he has made multiple comebacks.

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