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Venom Reading Order

A few decades before becoming the star of his own movie franchise, Venom was just a new, improved, and dark costume used by Spider-Man. Introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 1984), the black costume really became Venom in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988) from David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, the sentient alien symbiote with an amorphous, liquid-like form, that bonds with a host.

Venom became one of Spider-Man’s most prominent villains when he bonded with Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist who, after having wrongly accused a man to be the serial killer known as the Sin-Eater (the truth was exposed by Spider-Man!), became suicidal. That’s when he came into contact with the symbiote. They bond together, and Venom is born.

First a villain, Venom evolved to become an antihero (before reverting to his old ways… for a time). Eddie Brock is not the only host for the symbiote. He bonded with Mac Gargan (Scorpion), Flash Thompson, and more. He spawned several “children” like Carnage, Scream, Lasher, Phage, and more. Recently, the mythology surrounding the Alien symbiotes became massive to the point of menacing the entirety of the Marvel Universe.

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Dick Grayson as Robin Reading Order (Pre-Crisis)

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Dick Grayson Robin Reading Order (Pre-Crisis era)

Despite the fact that Batman has a reputation as a solo vigilante, Batman’s readers know the truth is quite different. Just under a year after Batman’s first adventure, Dick Grayson, the first Robin debuted in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940). Created by writer Bill Finger, artist Bob Kane and illustrator Jerry Robinson (who also came up with the character’s name inspired by Robin Hood), Dick was designed to appeal to younger readers. It was a success, as sales doubled and critics were overwhelmingly positives.

Dick Grayson was the son of John and Mary Grayson and part of the “Flying Graysons”, a family of trapeze artists working at Haly’s Circus and famous for always working without a net. As tragedy is never far away, Dick’s parents are killed following the sabotage of their trapeze by Tony Zucco, a mafia leader. Present that day at the circus was billionaire Bruce Wayne who choose to take little under his care and train him as his sidekick. Dick became his crime-fighting partner Robin. Batman and Robin became known as the Dynamic Duo, and there was rarely a Batman published story without the Boy Wonder. From 1947 through 1952, our original Robin appeared in Star-Spangled Comics, in stories devoted to him. Our original Robin also stars alone in Star Spangled Comics for nearly five years (1947-1952), and was a founding member of the Teen Titans team, created in July 1964.

Before becoming Batman’s sidekick, Dick Grayson was already a young talented athlete with amazing acrobatic skills. Batman trained him to become an expert tactician and field commander, as well as a martial artist, hand-to-hand combatant, and a highly skilled detective. Not to mention the use of all Batman’s gadgets.

To know more about Dick Grayson’s time as Robin, the iconic Batman’s sidekick, check out the following reading order!

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Transformers IDW Reading Order

Like with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Buffyverse, or the G.I. Joe comic book franchise, IDW took over the Transformers comics and launched its own continuity–and there are some discussions about the more legitimate continuity, but it’s not the subject of this article. We are here to talk about the third Transformers comics series.

The first was published by Marvel (from 1984 to 1991), and the second by Dreamwave Productions (from 2002 to 2004). After that, IDW Publishing took over with the third series (the Generation 1 continuity) written by Simon Furman starting with issue #0 in October 2005 and a regular series starting in January 2006 (and ending in November 2018). The fourth series is a relaunch at IDW that started in 2019.

And so, as the official synopsis tells it, it began on Earth, in 2006. The fate of the planet is already sealed, its destiny decided… by the marauding mechanical beings known as Decepticons. In their way stand an embattled crew of seven hardy Autobot warriors, sworn to prevent the impending Armageddon at any cost, and an unlikely trio of human misfits, pulled kicking and screaming into a hitherto hidden world of pain and hurt. The can of worms is open, the genie is out of the bottle… and nothing will ever be the same again! It begins again — here, now — the saga of the war-torn robots in disguise, the Transformers!

In 2022, IDW Publishing lost the license to publish Transformers comics. Skybound Entertainment (an imprint of Image Comics) took it over and created the Energon Universe.

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Dark Crisis Reading Order, the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (DC Comics)

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Dark Crisis Reading Order

Since the launch of the Infinite Frontier era, Joshua Williamson has been building up to his first major crossover event, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (originally named “Dark Crisis,” the event was officially retitled “Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths” after it launched).  Williamson teamed up with artist Daniel Sampere, colorist Alejandro Sánchez, and letterer Tom Napolitano for this crisis. As the official synopsis puts it:

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are dead. The remaining heroes are left to protect the world from an onslaught of violent attacks by DC’s greatest villains! Leading the charge is a super-powered Slade Wilson … but this time there’s something dark fueling his rage.

Can the younger heroes, led by the 21st century Superman Jonathan Kent, step out of the shadows of the classic icons to form a new Justice League? And will that be enough to stop a darkness greater than anything they’ve ever faced from destroying everything? The world burns as Pariah and the Great Darkness make their play for planet Earth!

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is an event built on older stories, as DC Comics explains it:

“In the original Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the homeworld of Pariah, along with the infinite Multiverse, was obliterated. Now, this mad sole survivor has found a way to bring his homeworld and the entire infinite Multiverse back from the dead: Earth-0 must die. An ancient destructive force called the Great Darkness, first appearing in Swamp Thing by Alan Moore and Stan Woch, is the weapon Pariah will wield as he paves a path to rebirth and vengeance.”

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths marked the end of another short era in the DC Universe, but it also introduced a new roadmap to follow for the year to come. Before diving into the event, you may want to do some reading. Here is our reading guide.

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Usagi Yojimbo Reading Order, the comics that inspired Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles

Now adapted on Netflix under the title “Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles,” Usagi Yojimbo is certainly not a new series. In fact, this creator-owned comic book series was created by Stan Sakai in 1984 – Usagi Yojimbo first appeared in Albedo Anthropomorphics #2, published by Thoughts and Images in November 1984. 

Openly inspired by Japanese cinema and real-life samurai Miyamoto Musashi, Usagi Yojimbo explores Japanese history, folklore, arts, and more. The story tells the adventures of the Miyamoto Usagi, a rōnin samurai rabbit, in Japan at the beginning of the Edo period (early 17th century) – it is an anthropomorphic comic where humans are replaced by animals – as he travels the country on shogyusha, sometimes monetizing his services as a bodyguard. 

The concept of the series, with Usagi meeting new people which each new adventure during his travels, makes reading Usagi Yojimbo easy as you don’t have to track down every book in order of publication. You can just pick a story at random. Of course, if you like what you read, you can also start from the beginning.

The publication history of Usagi Yojimbo is not clear and simple, as the series has been published by multiple publishers: Fantagraphics Books (Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 1), Mirage Studios (Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 2), Dark Horse Comics (Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 3), and lately IDW Publishing (Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 4). The samurai also appeared in occasional short stories published by other companies.

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Star Wars Comics Canon Reading Order (2025 Edition)

Star Wars Comics Canon Reading Order

In a galaxy far, far away, humans, aliens, and droids have lived numerous adventures since 1977 in the Star Wars franchise, comprised of movies, television series, video games, books, comic books, and more.

For a long time, those adventures were part of what was called The Star Wars Expanded Universe — since then renamed Star Wars Legends (see our reading order). Things changed when Walt Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise and decided it was time for a clean slate (or a reboot!). This means that, outside of the original six Star Wars films produced by George Lucas and certain other materials, everything that was created before April 25, 2014, was now part of the Star Wars Legends aka the old continuity. And so, everything published after April 25 was now considered part of the new canon (it’s a little more complicated than that, but the details are not necessary here).

Marvel was actually the first company to publish Star Wars Comics in 1977 (and for the next ten years). The Star Wars comics license returned to them in 2015, and they are now the primary Star Wars comics publisher. In 2017, IDW Publishing launched the anthology series Star Wars Adventures. And in 2022, Dark Horse will resume publishing new Star Wars comics and graphic novels.

This article is devoted to the Star Wars canon, to the Star Wars comic books published after April 25, 2014. Since that date, Marvel has been quite a busy bee, helped by IDW, and a lot of Star Wars comics are published every month. It’s now time to take a closer look at all those stories…

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Infinity Wars Reading Order, a 2018 Marvel event (including Infinity Countdown)

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Infinity Wars Reading Order

Marvel’s Infinity Wars is a 2018 crossover event (written by Gerry Duggan with art by Mike Deodato and Frank Martin) about the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe dealing with the outcome of the search for the new Infinity Stones (previously known as the Infinity Gems). This is a follow-up to “Infinity Countdown.”

Here is the official synopsis: The Infinity Stones are back. Individually, they grant their wielders great power. Together, they bestow the power of a god! As each stone’s location is discovered, forces converge for a battle that will send the universe down a dark path…to the end! Featuring the Chitauri, the Raptors, the Nova Corps, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Adam Warlock, and more surprising Stone-wielders! But who, or what, is Requiem? When she warps the Marvel Universe in half, what surprising heroes will assemble to stand against her? And when death comes at last, who will fall?

What to read before Infinity Wars?

As I was saying, Infinity Wars is a follow-up to “Infinity Countdown.” The better way to deal with that is to group them together. But first, let’s rewind a little.

Where is Thanos? After Jonathan Hickman’s Infinity, he made a comeback, getting free during the early events of “Civil War II.” He then got his own book: Thanos Returns, visited the God Quarry, and appeared in The Unworthy Thor before winning at the end of his series, which led us to the “Infinity Wars” storyline.

The road to Infinity Countdown

And then, the Infinity Countdown!

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Dark Reign Reading Order, Norman Osborn takes over the Marvel Universe

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Dark Reign Marvel reading Order

In the aftermath of Secret Invasion (see reading order), Norman Osborn came out as a hero and rise to national power. This led us to Dark Reign, a period in the Marvel Universe where the former Green Goblin was in control. A branding used by Marvel Comics during 2008-2009, Dark Reign is not really what we would call an event, as stated by then-editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. This branding refers more to an era in the Marvel Universe, a troubled one where everyone is affected.

With more than 200 issues, Marvel explored a whole year of Osborn’s rise to power and its ramifications. After defeating the Skrull, Norman becomes the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., which he replaces with H.A.M.M.E.R. Then, he created the Cabal alongside Doctor Doom, Emma Frost, Namor, Loki, and the Hood and used H.A.M.M.E.R. to carry out his and the Cabal agenda. However, Osborn’s actions and his reputation influence a number of heroes and villains to attempt to resist Osborn’s rule and remove him from power by force, if necessary.

What to read before?

To know exactly how Norman Osborn became a national hero, you have to read Secret Invasion, as stated above.

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Black Cat Reading Order, Marvel’s Lucky Cat Burglar

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Created in 1979 by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard in The Amazing Spider-Man #194, Black Cat is an antiheroine, sometimes girlfriend, ally or enemy of Spider-Man. She is certainly not just Marvel’s Catwoman.

Felicia Hardy is Black Cat, the daughter of Walter Hardy who was a world-renowned cat burglar. The first time we meet her, she wants to break her father out of prison, but her meeting with Spider-Man complicates everything. Past trauma encouraged her to learn to be a fighter but she needed an edge to survive and prove herself in the world of Spidey. A deal with the Kingpin led her to gain her own super-power: she has the (subconscious) ability to affect probability fields, producing “bad luck” for those who want to hurt her.

Her romantic relationship with Spider-Man was tumultuous – and she didn’t want to hear about Peter Parker. They eventually broke up, but Felicia’s life was now entangled between the heroes and criminals of New York. She had to create her own space, becoming for a time some sort of Robin Hood. She still helps Spider-Man, but occasionally double-crosses him.

As years passed, her relationship with Spider-Man eventually found stable ground… until she met the Superior Spider-Man who led her to become a master criminal. For a time, then she got back on the good side and finally got her own ongoing series! The story continues.

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Best Batman Stories For Beginners

Batman - Best Batman Stories For Beginners

We often explore the way to read Batman stories. We’ve got a Batman Post-Crisis Reading Order, a Batman New 52 Reading Order, a Batman Rebirth Reading Order, and even more specific ones following writers’ works on the famous characters or about specific crossover and bigger events. There is a lot to cover in the Batman Universe.

But all of this is not beginner-friendly. There are always too many books to track down if we just want to see if we like it or not. Everybody is not heavily invested in the Dark Knight Universe, yet. We all start somewhere and there’s nothing better than a good story to discover if we want to read more.

This article is here to provide those who are not that familiar with Batman with a list of possible entry points in his world or just some good stories to read without the pressure to complete a series or to invest too much time. The title says it all: the best stories for beginners.

But first, we assume that everybody knows who Batman is, but there are always younger people who just start to learn about those things. So, let me introduce you to Batman–quickly because we have now a complete article about his origins. Created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger in 1939, Batman is the superhero identity of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy man from Gotham City who witnessed the murder of his parents as a child. After training himself physically and intellectually, he started fighting crime, masking his true identity behind a mark, and becoming a symbol of justice in the process.

Simply put, he is a vigilante but also the greatest detective and, with his sidekick Robin, he’s now facing costume villains like the Joker, Two-Face, The Riddler, the Penguin, and more. But he also has a lot of allies in his crusade for justice like Commissioner James Gordon, his previous sidekicks, and numerous vigilantes and powerful superheroes.

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