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May “Mayday” Parker Reading Order (Spider-Girl/Spider-Woman from Earth-982)

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May Mayday Parker, alias Spider-Girl / Spider-Woman

Across the multiverse, several characters call themselves or have called themselves ‘Spider-Girl’. For example, Anya Corazon (reading order here) uses the codename since 2010. But one of the most famous ‘Spider-Girl’ is May “Mayday” Parker, from the MC2 (Marvel Comics 2) continuity — or Earth-982.

Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, May Parker is the teenage daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. She has made her first appearance in a What if? #105 story published in February 1998 before becoming the star of her own ongoing title. 

Marvel Comics 2 was then an imprint depicting the events taking place in the alternative timeline presented in the What If? issue. The events are the same as the main 616 continuity until the end of Clone Saga with the issue Spider-Man #75, in which Peter and Mary Jane’s baby daughter dies.

In the MC2, Peter and Mary Jane were reunited with their baby daughter by Kaine, who found the child living with Alison Mongraine, the con artist who had kidnapped the baby on instruction from the Green Goblin.

The Spider-Girl series picks up in the future when Mayday is a teenager. She began developing versions of her father’s spider-powers when she was 15, and she decides to take on crime-fighting.

To discover more about Spidey’s daughter from Earth-982, here is the May “Mayday” Parker Reading Order!

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Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order, a Marvel Cosmic Event

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Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order

Almost directly after the first Annihilation event (see reading order), Marvel published its sequel as part of the modern Marvel Cosmic saga. Annihilation: Conquest is a 2007-08 crossover storyline that focuses on Marvel’s cosmic heroes defending the universe against the Phalanx, now led by Ultron. 

Here is the official synopsis: In the aftermath of the Annihilation War, a devastated galaxy struggles to rebuild. The Nova Corps are destroyed, leaving only Richard Rider. Who will rise to guard the galaxy against the threat of Ultron? When the Kree homeworld is invaded by the techno-organic Phalanx, Star-Lord must lead a ragtag team into battle behind enemy lines with a lineup that includes Mantis, Bug, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon! Meanwhile, the new Quasar seeks a mysterious savior — and Nova and Gamora are taken over by the Phalanx! Who is the haunted loner called Wraith? Can the New Mutants’ Warlock free Nova? And what are Ultron and the Phalanx really after?

What to read before Annihilation: Conquest?

Being a direct sequel to Annihilation, it is necessary to read that first cosmic event (see reading order). Once this one ended, only three Nova issues were published before Annihilation: Conquest began – they are collected with the rest of the event or here.

  • Annihilation Omnibus
    Collects Drax The Destroyer #1-4, Annihilation: Prologue, Annihilation: Nova #1-4, Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4, Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4, Annihilation: Ronan #1-4, Annihilation #1-6, Annihilation: Heralds Of Galactus #1-2 And Annihilation: Nova Corps Files.

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Batman The Court of Owls Reading Order

Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (see their Batman Reading Order), The Court of Owls made its first appearance in Batman (vol. 2) #2 in 2011, at the beginning of the New 52 era. Before that, the Owls were not part of the DC Universe, but Snyder put some hints about it in his previous Batman work, Batman: Gates of Gotham.

The shadowy Court of Owls is an organized crime group and secret society made up of wealthy Gothamites who has secretly existed since colonial times in Gotham City. For a very long time, the Court was just an urban legend until Batman discovers one of their secret bases of operations. There he found a series of old photographs representing the members of the court with one of their assassins, the Talon (William Cobb)—The Court kidnaps child performers from the circus to train and transform them into their assassins, known as Talons.

Composed of some of Gotham City’s oldest and wealthiest families, The Court of Owls has controlled Gotham City for centuries, using murder and money to wield political influence throughout history. When they decide to send their killer after Bruce Wayne after he announced plans to rebuild and reshape Gotham City for the future, they revealed themselves to Batman.

“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,
Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed.
Speak not a whispered word about them, or they’ll send the Talon for your head.”

After a major storyline, The Court of Owls became a recurring villain in the DC Universe, not just Batman’s antagonists. Sometimes, the Court is just present in the background, sometimes it’s the target.

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Chew Comics in Order: An appetising reading guide to John Layman/Rob Guillory’s series

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Written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory, Chew is a comedy-mystery series with a twist that won two Eisner Awards and two Harvey Awards. It was published by Image Comics from June 2009 to November 2016.

Now the series came back with a spin-off called Chu, and there are multiple editions of the original one. Here is a guide to help you navigate all this.

But first, what’s the story? Here is the official Chew synopsis: Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he’s a hell of a detective ― as long as he doesn’t mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit and why.

He’s been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.

Read More »Chew Comics in Order: An appetising reading guide to John Layman/Rob Guillory’s series

Daredevil: Shadowland Reading Order

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Daredevil Shadowland Reading Order

One of Daredevil’s greatest qualities, in my opinion, is the fact that you can read his stories without having to deal with too many Marvel events. Yes, he’s often present but most of the time, it doesn’t affect his story.

Once in a while, though, an event will have an impact on his life, or more rarely, it will be a Daredevil event! It was the case in 2010 with Shadowland, written by Andy Diggle and penciled by Billy Tan. It gives us one controversial event, maybe not as bad as some said, but not good either, if we have to be honest. Still, it is now part of Daredevil history.

But what is Shadowland about? Per Marvel: Matt Murdock dared evil … and lost! The battle for the soul of a hero begins! Pushed beyond his limits, Daredevil faces off for a final time against his deadliest foe–Bullseye–in their most brutal battle ever with more than just Hell’s Kitchen is at stake. Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Punisher, and more join forces to stop a war that is breaking out throughout New York, with Daredevil at the center. This event will change the streets of New York City–and the heroes that protect it–forever.

What to read before Daredevil: Shadowland?

The first Daredevil issues written by Andy Diggle serve as a preamble for the event. Nothing important happens but, like it’s often the case, helps to put things in perspective and have a better understanding of the character’s situation. (It’s also collected in the Shadowland omnibus).

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X-Men by Jonathan Hickman Reading Order, Part. 6: Dawn of X & Reign of X (2019-2022)

This is Part #6 of our tentative to compile a comprehensive X-Men Reading Order using the collected editions – You can find the first part here (The Silver Age & Chris Claremont, 1963-91), the second part here (Age of Apocalypse & Onslaught, 1991-2001), the third part here (From the Grant Morrison era to Civil War), the fourth part that leads us to Avengers Vs. X-Men, the fifth part (from Marvel NOW Reading Order to ResurrXion Era).

After the Age of X-Man event, Marvel decided to bring back the X-Men to the front and recruited Jonathan Hickman to take charge of the launch. He started with the House of X/Power of X miniseries that introduced an ambitious new conjecture. Here is the official synopsis: “While you slept, the world changed.” With those words, Professor X announces to the people of Earth the new mutant nation of Krakoa. It is a safe haven for all Homo superior, with its own rules and its own language. In return for international recognition, Xavier will offer humanity great scientific advancements, borne of Krakoa’s unique flora. But the time for integration has ended. Xavier’s old dream is dead -and now a new one begins. But is mutantkind’s greatest enemy the prejudice of humans or the cold artificial intelligences that await a hundred -even a thousand years -from now?

After that, Marvel started to relaunch more and more x-series, introducing new teams and new challenges.

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The Incal Reading Order, The French Comic Book by Jodorowsky and Moebius

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The Incal is a French graphic novel series (“L’Incal” in French) written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and illustrated by Moebius (aka Jean Giraud) that started in 1980 in the pages of “Métal hurlant.”

As the official synopsis explains it, The Incal is about the tribulations of the shabby detective John Difool as he searches for the precious and coveted Incal. John Difool, a low-class detective in a degenerate dystopian world, finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient, mystical artifact called The Incal. Difool’s adventures will bring him into conflict with the galaxy’s greatest warrior, the Metabaron, and will pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comic and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting for not only his very survival, but also the survival of the entire universe.

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Cassandra Cain Reading Order (Batgirl, Orphan, Black Bat)

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Created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Cassandra Cain is a member of the Batfamily who made her first appearance in Batman #567 (July 1999), during the No Man’s Land event (see reading order here). She then became Batgirl and got her own solo series. She’s also known as Black Bat and Orphan.

Cassandra Cain is the most lethal member of the Batfamily. The daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she was raised to become a killer. Most accurately, she was conditioned to become the world’s greatest assassin. To achieve that, she was deprived of speech and human contact during her childhood in order to develop an incredible ability to interpret body language to the point of reading complex thoughts – basically, body movement is her first language, and she didn’t talk for a long time. Her unique way of communicating made her an expert martial artist like no other.

Batman took her under his wing, and she soon became the new Batgirl with Barbara Gordon’s blessings. That was before the New 52 era. She got a new origin story after being reintroduced in the DCU in the Batman & Robin Eternal series.

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The Flash Reading Order (Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, Bart Allen)

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The Flash is the fastest man alive, meaning that he possesses super-speed and can run, move and think extremely fast. Sometimes, it looks like the laws of physics don’t apply to him.

Created in 1940, The Flash is not just one person. To this date, four men have called themselves the Flash. The first was Jay Garrick, during the Golden Age. The second, Barry Allen (The Flash II), worked at Central City. Wally West (Flash III) began as Kid Flash before taking the mantle. And for a short time, Bart Allen (Flash IV) was also the Flash before Wally takes back the title, then Barry makes his return… and things are complicated, let’s be honest!

There’s a lot of Flash stories out there, so it’s time to run to discover them!

Where to start with The Flash?

The Flash made his first appearance more than 80 years ago and several characters have used the mantle since. So to help you find your path in this rich history, we made a short listing of books that can serve as a sort of entry point in the universe:

  • The Flash: A Celebration of 75 Years hardcover – A collection of stories ranging from his seven decades as a mainstay in the DC Comics universe. From the original Flash, Jay Garrick, to his successors Barry Allen and Wally West, this anthology is a good way to retrace the evolution of the scarlet speedster (from the Golden age to the Flashpoint series) and, in the end, to become familiar with the character in a flash!
  • The Life Story of The Flash by Iris West – Although not up to date, this biography of Barry Allen by his wife Iris (or really by author Mark Waid) can be seen as a crash course on the superhero’s life (covering his pre-Crisis life).
  • The Flash by Mark Waid – (with Wally West) With ‘Born to Run’ (The Flash v.2 #62-65), Mark Waid wrote a story that’s also a perfect starting point for anyone to get to know Wally West, the third Flash, and then continue with his run, of course.
  • The Flash By Geoff Johns – (with Wally West) After Mark Waid reinvented the Flash mythology, Geoff Johns followed up with reinventing the rogues gallery.
  • The Flash, by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato – (with Barry Allen) The DC universe was rebooted with the New 52 initiative, offering a new starting point to readers. This is the one for The Flash.
  • The Flash by Joshua Williamson – (with Barry Allen) Another reboot from DC gives us the Rebirth era, reconnecting with old elements, in this case, Barry’s quest to reunite his family.

The Flash Wally West 48Also, for a more detailed reading order about Flash III
We invite you to check out our Wally West Reading Order!

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Annihilation Reading Order, a Marvel Cosmic Event

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Annihilation Reading Order

At a time when Marvel was all about its Civil War, another massive event took place. This 2006 cosmic crossover storyline was written by Keith Giffen, Dan Abnett, Simon Furman, Javier Grillo-Marxuach & Andy Lanning, with art by Renato Arlem, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Andrea Di Vito, Scott Kolins, Jorge Lucas, Mike McKone, Gregory Titus, and Kev Walker. It was the beginning of the modern Marvel Cosmic saga.

Here is the official synopsis: Annihilus, lord of the Negative Zone, has declared war! And as his unstoppable Annihilation Wave swarms into the Marvel Universe, demolishing all in its path, only a handful of heroes can resist the destruction! As Nova learns the ways of war from Drax the Destroyer, the Silver Surfer seeks out his former master Galactus for aid, the Super-Skrull fights for his son’s life and Ronan the Accuser faces Gamora and her woman warriors! Nova and Quasar’s army leads the charge, but as heroes fall and Annihilus rises, the universe’s one remaining hope may be Thanos, the Mad Titan.

What to read before Annihilation?

Most of the Annihilation prelude miniseries are considered part of the event, but one is often not treated as such:

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