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DC Year of the Villain Reading Order

Year of the Villain Reading Order

You catch up on some comic book reading and arrive at the Year of The Villain, a big DC Event from the Rebirth Era published between May 2019 and March 2020. Well, to be honest, it’s more a concept than an event, with the main stories taking place in Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s Justice League. For that, it has been compared to Marvel’s Dark Reign. It’s also what I call a mess, with other crossovers and too many tie-ins.

But what is Year of The Villain? Per DC, Evil is winning! Lex Luthor and The Legion of Doom conspire with Cosmic Gods, bending mankind toward a dark destiny. Elsewhere, the scourge of Leviathan spreads unchecked, seizing power in every corner of the world. And all the while the Batman Who Laughs busies himself in the shadows, aligned with no one – yet with sinister plans for all. More precisely, Apex Lex recruits several supervillains to join Perpetua’s cause (an ancient goddess and the most feared being in the greater Omniverse), in exchange for giving them a source of unlimited power. In response, the Justice League recruits heroes around the universe to fight against the new Legion of Doom.

What to Read before Year of The Villain?

As it is more a companion event to Scott Snyder’s Justice League, it’s better to read that run. But it’s a lot of homework if you are not already invested in Scott Snyder’s DC stories.

Year of the Villain Reading Order

A DC Year of the Villain Omnibus, with all the tie-ins, was announced, but it has been canceled and no news on that subject since.

Year of the Villain Collected Editions

Year of the Villain Reading Order

Year of the Villain Issue by Issue

This is the simplified version of Year of The Villain

  • Year of the Villain #1
  • Justice League #26-27
  • Year of the Villain One-Shots (see below)
  • Tie-ins (see below)
  • The Infected arc (see below)
  • Justice League #28 – 38
  • Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1-4

Year of the Villain One-Shots

  • Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain #1
  • Sinestro: Year of the Villain #1
  • The Joker: Year of the Villain #1
  • The Riddler: Year of the Villain #1
  • Black Mask: Year of the Villain #1
  • Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1 (also part of The Infected arc, see below)
  • Ocean Master: Year of the Villain #1
  • Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1

Year of the Villain Tie-Ins

I haven’t read enough tie-ins to know if some are more important to the event and should be read (let me know in the comment!). In general, it seems there is no particular order.  You have a villain empowered by the Gift from Lex, and the establishment of the Doom sigil connecting all these individual stories.

  • Action Comics #1013-1017
  • Aquaman (Volume 8) #50-54
  • Aquaman Annual (Volume 8) #2
  • Batgirl (Volume 5) #37-41
  • Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 3) #3-7
  • Catwoman (Volume 5) #13-17
  • Deathstroke (Volume 4) #45-49
  • Detective Comics #1008-1016
  • The Flash (Volume 5) #75-83
  • Harley Quinn (Volume 3) #63-67
  • Hawkman (Volume 5) #14-19
  • Justice League Dark (Volume 2) #13-17
  • Justice League Odyssey #11-15
  • Nightwing (Volume 4) #62-66
  • Red Hood: Outlaw #36-40
  • Supergirl (Volume 7) #32-37
  • Superman (Volume 5) #13
  • Teen Titans (Volume 6) #32-36
  • The Terrifics #18-22
  • Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #75-82

Event/Arc during Year of The Villain

During Year of The Villain, DC delivers a few crossovers, with The Infected the most important one.

Event Leviathan

Written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Alex Maleev, Event Leviathan follows a “team of detectives” assembled by Lois Lane who investigates the infiltration and apparent destruction of various intelligence agencies within the DC Universe by Leviathan, the group formerly run by Talia al Ghul.

  • Superman: Leviathan Rising Special #1
  • Supergirl #34-#35
  • Event Leviathan #1
  • Action Comics #1012
  • Wonder Woman Annual #3
  • Event Leviathan #2
  • Action Comics #1013
  • Event Leviathan #3
  • Action Comics #1014
  • Event Leviathan #4-6

For more information, you can consult our Event Leviathan Reading Order.

City of Bane

Bane’s minions have moved into Gotham City, taken control, and are ruling with an iron fist—including rounding up any villain who refuses to sign onto Bane’s program—and Batman is nowhere to be found. At least not the Batman anyone knows. It’s like someone has replaced the real Gotham City with a twisted funhouse-mirror version of it. Written by Tom King and drawn by Mikel Janín.

  • Batman Vol. 3 #75
  • Batman: Secret Files #2
  • Batman Vol. 3 #76-81
  • Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4
  • Batman Vol. 3 #82-85
  • Detective Comics Annual #3
  • Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P. #1

To know more about Batman during the Rebirth era, go read ou Batman Rebirth Reading Order.

The Infected (The Important One !)

Written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by David Marques, Batman and Superman investigate the nefarious activities of The Batman Who Laughs, who has infected six heroes to be part of his own Secret Six!

  • Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #1 (2019)
  • Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #2
  • The Infected: King Shazam #1 (2020)
  • Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1 (2019)
  • Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #3
  • The Infected: Scarab #1 (2020)
  • Hawkman Vol. 5 #18
  • Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #4
  • Supergirl Vol. 7 #36
  • The Infected: Deathbringer #1 (2020)
  • Hawkman Vol. 5 #19
  • Supergirl Vol. 7 #37
  • Supergirl Vol. 7 Annual #2
  • Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #5
  • The Infected: The Commissioner #1 (2020)
  • Supergirl Vol. 7 #38
  • Hawkman Vol. 5 #20
  • Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #6
  • Supergirl Vol. 7 #39
  • Supergirl Vol. 7 #40
  • Hawkman Vol. 5 #21
  • Hawkman Vol. 5 #22
  • Hawkman Vol. 5 #23

Year of the Villain Reading Order

What to read after Year of The Villain?

All roads in the DC Universe toward the end of the Rebirth era lead to Dark Nights: Death Metal.

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