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Batman Fear State Reading Order

DC Batman Fear State Reading Order

To conclude his run on Batman (see reading order), James Tynion IV planned an event named Fear State that will get us through the end of 2021. All of the Bat-Series are involved, so here is the guide.

Gotham City is on the brink of martial law as Batman fights a two-front battle! The Scarecrow is unleashing a devasting attack on the city while the Magistrate has made their move to invade! Gotham City is on the brink of a violent evolutionary path and the danger level to Batman and his allies reaching a fever pitch!

The Magistrate now has full support from the mayor to handle high-level law enforcement in Gotham and has branded the Dark Knight as Public Enemy #1. Batman must also contend with the return of the Scarecrow who pursues his own terrifying agenda as he takes this chaotic moment to launch his Fear State.

What to read before Batman Fear State?

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Paper Girls Comics, a Reading Guide for the Brian K. Vaughan series

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Paper Girls Reading Order

Following the success of The Boys, Amazon Prime tried to adapt another comic book but with more of Stranger Things vibe: Paper Girls! Unfortunately, the television adaptation didn’t find its audience and was canceled after one season of only eight episodes.

But before the television show, there was the comic book series and it was a pretty popular one! Paper Girls was written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang—and published by Image Comics between October 2015 and July 2019. If you want to read it, there are multiple editions. Here is a guide to help you navigate all this.

First, what’s the story? Here is the official Paper Girls synopsis: In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

Read More »Paper Girls Comics, a Reading Guide for the Brian K. Vaughan series

Batman No Man’s Land Reading Order

Batman No Man's Land Reading Order

During the Post-crisis era, the end of the 1990s was full of disasters for Batman and Gotham City. We got Batman Knightfall (full reading order here), then Batman: Contagion, and its follow-up Batman: Legacy. After that, there was the Batman: Cataclysm crossover event that lead right to Batman No Man’s Land. The title alone is full of promises.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, here is the official synopsis: After suffering a cataclysmic earthquake, the U.S. government has deemed Gotham City uninhabitable and ordered all citizens to leave. It is now months later and those who have refused to vacate “No Man’s Land” live amidst a citywide turf war in which the strongest prey on the weak. Batman and his allies including the enigmatic new Batgirl, Nightwing, Oracle, and Robin must fight to save Gotham during its darkest hour and return Justice to the destroyed city.

Note: Cassandra Cain was introduced during this event. She became the official Batgirl after that. For more about her, go to Cassandra Cain Reading Order.

What to read before Batman No Man’s Land?

As I wrote at the beginning of this article, there was one disaster after the other—the one you need to read before Batman No Man’s Land is Batman: Cataclysm. You can find it in a dedicated TPB. But reading Cataclysm is not imperative (even if it’s recommended), most of the stories leading to (and explaining) the event are collected in what DC Comics called Batman: Road to No Man’s Land, as you’ll see below in the full reading order.

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Power Rangers Comics Reading Order (by Boom! Studios)

The Power Rangers is an American franchise based on the Japanese franchise Super Sentai. The first Power Rangers entry, the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, aired between 1993 and 1998 on FOX Kids and became a 1990s pop-culture phenomenon with a large line of toys.

The franchise has pursued its extension with other television series, movies, toys, video games, books, and, of course… comic books! Throughout the years since the 90s, there are been multiple publishers (like Marvel, Image, and Disney).

Today we’re talking about the line of Power Rangers comics launched in 2016 by Boom Studios, presented as a mix of classic concepts and new ideas.

What to read/watch before the comics Power Rangers?

The Boom comics are based on the 90s television series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with the stories taking place in a more modern setting (with smartphones).

Being familiar with it is a good thing, but it’s not an obligation. even if the comics assume you possess some familiarity with the series and the characters, you can still read them and enjoy them without it. It’s your choice.

  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the television series

Beyond the television series, it’s also a great place to indicate that Boom Studios republished old stories from other publishers:

  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Archive, Vol. 1 (also in Deluxe Edition)
    Collects Mighty Morphin Power Rangers [Hamilton Comics] Volume 1-2, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Saga #1-3, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers [Marvel Comics] #1-7, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ninja Rangers #1-5, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers [Image Comics] Zeo #1.
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Archive, Vol. 2 (also in Deluxe Edition)
    Collects comics from Valiant, Image and Papercutz such as Power Rangers Zeo Image #1, Power Rangers Turbo #1-2 Power Rangers Super Samurai #1-2, Papercutz Megaforce #1-2, Papercutz MMPR #1-2, Papercutz FCBD 2014, as well as additional Power Rangers activity pages and letters!

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Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Reading Order (plus Green Lantern Corps, Blackest Night, Red Lanterns and more!)

When you look into Green Lantern, Geoff Johns’s run is considered the one to read. It certainly is influential, it leads to the famous Blackest Night event, and it was epic and full of colors. Johns started by bringing back Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern Corps (he became The Spectre after his redemptory appearance as Parallax in the 1996 event The Final Night), then he introduced new concepts and expanded the Green Lantern mythos in a big way that still defined it to this day.

If Geoff Johns is mostly credited for the success of the Green Lantern title at that time, he was not alone. Peter Tomasi was in charge of the Green Lantern Corps series, and reading the two together is highly recommended. That said, DC Comics can’t stop republishing Johns’s books, but Tomasi’s work can be more hard to find.

Here is the official synopsis: It’s been years since the death of Hal Jordan and the end of the Green Lantern Corps. But as the Torchbearer Kyle Rayner is about to find out, the adventure of epic and mythological proportions is about to begin as the former Lantern returns to the land of the living to atone for his sins. And the cosmos will never be the same as Sinestro wages his war against the Green Lanterns with his newly founded, Sinestro Corps!

What to read before Green Lantern by Geoff Johns?

It’s a new beginning. You can go ahead with Green Lantern Rebirth, but if you want to know the basics about Green Lantern, these two books are recommended:

  • Green Lantern: Secret Origin
    Collects Green Lantern #29-35
  • DC Universe by Alan Moore
    Collects Action Comics #584, Batman Annual #11, Dc Comics Presents #85, Detective Comics #549-550, Green Lantern #188, The Omega Men #26-27,  Secret Origins #10, Superman #423, Tales Of The Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 & 3, Superman Annual #11 and Vigilante #17-18.

Read More »Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Reading Order (plus Green Lantern Corps, Blackest Night, Red Lanterns and more!)

World War Hulk Reading Order, a Smashing Marvel Event

Published by Marvel Comics in 2007, and written by Greg Pak at the end of his run on the character Hulk with art by John Romita, Jr., World War Hulk rapidly became one of the most famous crossover storylines about the green monster.

Here is the official synopsis: Hulk versus the world, in an epic story of anger unbound! Exiled by his so-called friends, the Hulk has raged, bled, and conquered on the alien planet Sakaar. Now, he returns to Earth to wreak terrible vengeance on Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, and Black Bolt—and anyone else who gets in the way! Madder than ever, stronger than ever, and accompanied by his monstrous Warbound allies, this time the Hulk may just tear this stupid planet in half!

What to read before World War Hulk?

When people talk about World War Hulk, they often include Planet Hulk in the package, but it’s a different storyline. Planet Hulk is where the story really begins. It’s not completely indispensable, but it’s still recommended to read it before going into World War Hulk. For more information, I refer you to our main Hulk Reading Order.

  • Hulk: Planet Hulk Omnibus
    Collects Fantastic Four (1998) #533-535, Incredible Hulk (2000) #88-105, Giant-Size Hulk (2006) #1, What If? Planet Hulk, Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook And Material From New Avengers: Illuminati (2006) #1 And Amazing Fantasy (2004) #15.

Read More »World War Hulk Reading Order, a Smashing Marvel Event

DC Rebirth Reading Order: A Guide to the Best Comics of the Era

Following our New 52 Reading Order, I thought about doing something similar for Rebirth, but have to admit not being quite content with my work. I found it way too massive and, in consequence, not easy to tackle. So, for the Rebirth era, I decided to not go full order and opt to highlight some of the best this era has to offer (what follows does not include out-of-continuity).

But first, what is Rebirth? We are in 2016 when DC relaunched its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the DC Universe to a form much like that prior to the 2011 “Flashpoint” storyline while still incorporating numerous elements of The New 52, including its continuity. Like New 52, it was also a new entry point. Nearly all characters had their designs revised, some (like Wally West) reappeared, and others were revised.

It all begins with DC Universe: Rebirth (2016) #1. DC also issued one-shot Rebirth specials for the major characters, which are all collected in the DC Rebirth Omnibus Vol. 1, for those who want a taste and maybe choose the series you want to read. You don’t have to read them, and most of them are also collected in the first trade paperback of each character.

And now… Let’s explore a little bit of the DC Rebirth era!

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Wolverine by Jason Aaron Reading Order Guide

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Wolverine by Jason Aaron Reading Order Guide

Created by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and John Romita Sr, Wolverine is a short Canadian mutant who possesses animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, a powerful regenerative ability known as a healing factor, and three retractable claws in each hand. 

But I’m pretty sure you already knew that, as Wolvie is also one of the most popular X-Men out there, helped by Hugh Jackman’s performance in the X-Men movie franchise (and he also has his own solo movies). He’s also the only X-Men character to have his own comic title consistently since his debut in 1988. There are a lot of X-Men stories (see our massive reading order!) and a lot of Wolverine comics!

Today, we explore Jason Aaron’s run on the character, written before his epic run on Thor. It’s after all thanks to Wolverine that Aaron finds his way into Marvel, after winning a contest…

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Batman by James Tynion Reading Order

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After a divisive 85-issue run on the main Batman title, Tom King stopped writing the series (see Batman Rebirth Reading Order) and James Tynion IV took over. Initially, it was announced it was just there to take the series to its 100 issues. Plans changed.

Finally, Tynion stayed, until he surprised everybody when he revealed he was leaving Batman for writing newly created-owned (non-DC) titles. His run on the Dark Knight was not without events and, even if it’s not the longest, you may need a few pointers.

But first, here is the official synopsis of the story when James Tynion IV started writing: It’s a new day in Gotham. Bane has been vanquished, but both the city and its champion are still struggling to pick up the pieces. Deathstroke, the world’s greatest mercenary, is back in town under a new contract. Soon other hired killers follow, and Batman is surrounded by assassins—as well as Gotham’s own dangerous players, from the Riddler to the Penguin to Harley Quinn.

As the Caped Crusader draws closer to uncovering the figure pulling the strings, the love of his life, Catwoman, holds the sinister secret in her claws. Can Batman pry it from her without tearing their relationship apart? And will it be enough to stop the coming plot against him?

What to read before Batman by James Tynion?

First, James Tynion IV wrote Detective Comics at the beginning of the Rebirth era – following the Modern Age era and The New 52 era. It’s not an obligatory read before going into his Batman run, but if you are curious:

Being that James Tynion IV picked up where Tom King left, even if it’s a “new start” that you can presumably read without prior knowledge, you may want to read the last King’s storyline: City of Bane.

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Cosmic Ghost Rider Reading Order

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Created by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw as recently as 2018, Cosmic Ghost Rider is such a wild concept that, despite being quite new, couldn’t do anything less than leave a big impression on the readers.

Who is Cosmic Ghost Rider, really? In an alternate future, he was known as The Punisher, before making a deal with the devil to become the Ghost Rider. An alliance with Galactus made him cosmic. And a dark bargain with Thanos made him … dead?! 

So yes, the Cosmic Version of Ghost Rider is a version of Frank Castle (from Earth-TRN666) and you can discover his complicated timeline and history of those cosmic stories!

What to read before Cosmic Ghost Rider?

There is no pre-required reading for Cosmic Ghost Rider, before his first appearance in Cates’ run on Thanos. We still recommend reading the entire Thanos volume, beginning with Jeff Lemire’s issues (because why not):

See also: Ghost Rider Reading Order, our guide to the famous Marvel character from which Cosmic Ghost Rider is an alternate version.

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