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X-Men Reading Order – Part 1: The Silver Age & the Chris Claremont Era

Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the first X-Men series was launched in September 1963. Since then, a lot happened and it can be overwhelming to try to make sense of it all. That said, each new era began as a new entry point in this vast universe. But first, if you’ve lived in a cave during the last decades, you may not know who are the X-Men.

They are led by Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X, the X-Men are mutants, people born with superhuman abilities activated by what is called the “X-Gene.” They have incredible powers that make them, for some, dangerous people. Even if the X-Men fight for a world in which mutants and humans can be equals, they have not succeeded yet.

They must face anti-mutant bigotry, and all the powers in the world can’t seem to solve that problem. All the powerful mutants don’t see the world like Xavier and his X-Men, they want to rage war against humans. As new threats from Earth and Space continue to emerge, and enemies keep coming back, the X-Men must persevere.

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Last Updated on June 21, 2024.

Damian Wayne Reading Order, Fifth Robin and Son of Batman

Damain Wayne Reading Order, son of Batman and Fifth Robin

Everybody knows that Batman’s sidekick is Robin. Of course, readers are familiar with the fact that there’s more than one Robin. That said, there’s only one son of Bruce Wayne, the best Robin of all (if you ask him), Damian.

So, Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and thus the grandson of Ra’s al Ghul. Grown in a laboratory, Damian was raised by his mother and the League of Assassins to make him a great warrior. It also makes him arrogant and violent.

Batman ignores his existence until Talia left his pre-adolescent son in the care of his father. Talia hasn’t grown a conscience but just uses Damian in an effort to disrupt Batman’s work. For Damian, two choices are offered to him: follow his grandfather and mother’s footsteps to become the future head of the League or embrace his father’s lifestyle and choose to be a superhero.

What to read before?

  • Batman: Son of the Demon
    Damian doesn’t appear in this 1987 graphic novel by writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jerry Binghamon of the Demon. It was out of continuity for a long time. Grant Morrisson used it as an inspiration. Quite optional, but for the completist, this is where all begins.

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Last Updated on November 24, 2023.

Convergence Reading Order, When Worlds Collide in the DC Universe

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Convergence Reading Order (DC New 52)

Where do worlds go when they die? It’s a question DC wants to answer in Convergence, a limited series that ran from April 2015 to May 2015, replacing DC Comics’ regular line of comics while the publisher moves their offices from New York City to Burbank California.

In the story, Brainiac collects cities and inhabitants from various timelines that have ended and trap them in domes on a planet outside of time and space. He then exposes the domes to one another to see how the characters interact. This event will lead to the end of the New 52 era – See the New 52 Reading Order.

Here is the official synopsis: Once, there were infinite Earths. Untold timelines. Innumerable Elseworlds. Then there came a Crisis…a Zero Hour…a Flashpoint. Worlds lived. Worlds died. Now they all must fight for their future! The evil alien intelligence known as Brainiac has stolen 50 doomed cities from throughout time and space and brought them to a place beyond the Multiverse—a sentient planet of his own design, a world with the power of a god.
As heroes and villains from dozens of worlds battle each other for their very existence, it’s up to a ragtag band of warriors from a slain Earth to put an end to this threat that bends the Multiverse to its will. Reality itself hangs in the balance…

What to read before Convergence?

If you want more background information on Brainiac, Booster Gold, Superman, and the Citizens of Earth-2 before diving into Convergence, you can read:

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Last Updated on May 4, 2022.

Hellboy Universe Reading Order (Hellboy, BPRD, Abe Sapien), from the mind of Mike Mignola

The Hellboy Universe is vast and full of monsters. It’s also composed of multiple series and miniseries, stories published in a non-chronological order. The following article is not the ultimate reading order, it’s a reading guide, an attempt to offer a good view of one of the best comic book universes.

Created by writer-artist Mike Mignola (you can read about the origin of the creation of the character here), Hellboy is a half-Demon who was summoned from Hell to Earth as a baby by the “Mad Monk” Grigori Rasputin for the Nazis. Adopted by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, the man behind the United States Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (also called the B.P.R.D.), Hellboy grew up with humans and learned to hunt monsters. Adult, he is easily identifiable. After all, he is red-skinned, huge with a tail, horns, and cloven hooves for feet, and his right is hand made of stone.

Working with the B.P.R.D., he hunts Nazis, witches, and other types of Lovecraftian monsters, teaming up with the amphibian humanoid Abe Sapien, and pyrokinetic Liz Sherman. As the years pass, Hellboy must confront who he really is and fulfill his destiny as the B.P.R.D. becomes the first line of defense against cosmic menaces.

Read More »Hellboy Universe Reading Order (Hellboy, BPRD, Abe Sapien), from the mind of Mike Mignola

Last Updated on January 24, 2024.

Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka Reading Order

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Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka Reading Order

One of the most famous superheroes of the DC Universe, Wonder Woman was created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter in 1941. Like Batman and Superman, the Princess Diana of Themyscira became a real icon. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman was rebooted in 1987 by George Péres (you can find more in our Wonder Woman Reading Order). This era—the volume 2—gave her a new notoriety. If Péres is one of the most famous artists who worked on the title, Greg Rucka is also one of them.

Rucka’s runs on the character are some of the most celebrated. He helped redefine Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, more than once. In fact, he did it twice. So, here is a little guide of his work related to the main WW series.

I was in a coma for so long, refresh my memory, who is Wonder Woman? Princess Diana of Themyscira fights for peace in Man’s World. As Wonder Woman, she’s a symbol of truth, justice and equality to people everywhere. Raised on the hidden island of Themyscira, Diana is an Amazon, and her people’s gift to humanity. As Themyscira’s emissary to Man’s World, Diana has made it her duty to lead by example, even if the differences between her birthplace and new home sometimes present hurdles for her to jump. She is a beacon of hope to all who find themselves in need. She stands as an equal among the most powerful Super Heroes, with a sense of purpose to protect the world from injustice in all forms.

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Last Updated on July 13, 2022.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army Reading Order

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With Geoff Johns as an architect, and written with Tony Bedard, Peter Milligan, Peter J. Tomasi, Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army is a crossover event between The Green Lantern titles—Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Red Lanterns—like Batman: Death of The Family (Reading Order) was for the Batman family.

Here is the official synopsis: “The Guardians of the Universe have gone mad! To preserve order, they have decided that all free will must be eradicated by their new Third Army – emotionless drones whose sole purpose is to convert living creatures into soulless beings like themselves.

How can the Green Lanterns stand against them? Hal Jordan is dead, Guy Gardner has been stripped of his ring and his powers, and John Stewart and Kyle Rayner have been called into deep space on seemingly impossible missions. The remaining ring-wielders – along with a most unexpected new human Green Lantern – will unite to take on the mad Guardians. But will their desperate assault unleash an even greater evil…?”

The beginning of the end of the Green Lantern universe starts here!

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Last Updated on September 30, 2022.

Yelena Belova Reading Order (Black Widow)

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Yelena Belova Black Widow Marvel Reading Order

Yelena Belova is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, since the film Black Widow (2021), where Florence Pugh portrays her. She appeared in the first season of Hawkeye and she will soon return in a Thunderbolts movie, announced for 2024.

What about the comics version? Created by Devin Grayson and J.G. Jones, Yelena Belova made her first appearance in the Marvel pages at the end of the ’90s in Inhumans v2 #5. Trained as a spy and assassin in the Red Room, she is first a foe of Natasha Romanova and has also used The Black Widow name.

She has been, during all these years, a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., Vanguard, HYDRA, and the High Council of A.I.M. Thanks to her part in the MCU, Yelena found herself under the spotlight in the comics, and recently opt to assume the identity of White Widow.

Despite not having a lot of appearances, her story is quite convoluted, as she’s been presumed dead on multiple occasions and clones of her exist.

So where to start with Yelena? Let’s dive into her complicated history with this reading order!

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Last Updated on June 7, 2023.

Final Crisis Reading Order, a DC Comics Event by Grant Morrison

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Final Crisis Reading Order

Coming from Grant Morrison, Final Crisis is a crossover event published by DC Comics in 2008, during the post-Crisis era. If you are familiar with most of Grant Morrison’s work in the DC Universe, you know how much he loves to explore the past and, in his own way, to try to make sense of most of it, even if it often ends up hard to follow. That said, Final Crisis is a mostly self-contained story.

Final Crisis deals with alien villain Darkseid’s plot to overthrow reality, and the subsequent death and corruption of various DC characters and their universe. Here is the official synopsis: Using the soul-destroying Anti-Life Equation, Darkseid is remaking the heroes, villains, and everyday people of Earth in his dark image … and destroying the very fabric of reality itself in the process. Now superheroes from around the world—and across the Multiverse—must make a last, desperate stand against the forces of Anti-Life. Will Earth endure? And when the Crisis reaches its climax, who will make the ultimate sacrifice?

What to read before Final Crisis?

A lot of mostly nothing—you can go with DC Universe #0 and then the main event. If you want to be more thorough there’s a lot to read. You can begin with Death of the New Gods, then go to 52 volume #1 (collects 52 #1-26), 52 volume #2 (collects 52 #27-52), Seven Soldiers by Grant Morrison.

To stay in what was published before the event, connecting directly to Final Crisis, here is a list:

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Last Updated on September 16, 2022.

Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy Reading Order, a Marvel/Spider-Man event

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Taking place in 2017, after the Civil War II event (no need to read it here, but reading order here anyway), Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy is a Spider-Man story written by Dan Slott, with Christos Gage, and Jim Cheung is the artist.

For more details, here is the official synopsis: Amidst a gauntlet of his deadliest rogues, an old foe returns to the fore. Loved ones lost are dead no more as Peter Parker plunges headlong into The Clone Conspiracy! The Jackal has returned, more driven and determined than ever. He’s offered Spidey’s greatest rogues a chance to reunite with their loved ones in exchange for loyalty.

But to what end? With the Rhino, the Lizard, Electro, and even Doctor Octopus at his side, things are looking bleak. But who else from Spider-Man’s past has reappeared?!

What to read before Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy?

It’s probably too much to say that you should probably start with the first Clone Saga (full reading order). It’s a big read (too big). That said, the last time we saw Jackal was during the Superior Spider-man era — it’s a really good read –, but it’s still not a necessity. Like it’s not an obligation to read The Spider-Verse Event (full reading order), but if you want to know what happened to Kaine, that’s where you should go.

Though, what you need to read to be up-to-date is:

Read More »Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy Reading Order, a Marvel/Spider-Man event

Last Updated on August 12, 2022.

Invincible Comic Reading Order, a superhero universe by Robert Kirkman (with Capes, Brit, The Astounding Wolf-Man, Tech Jacket)

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Created by writer Robert Kirkman (famous for The Walking Dead) and artist Cory Walker, Invincible is an Image Comics Universe superhero, and now a massively popular TV Show on Amazon Prime Video.

Real name Mark Grayson, Invincible is just like most everyone else his age. He’s a senior at a normal American high School. He has a crappy part-time job after school and on weekends. He likes girls quite a bit… but doesn’t quite understand them. He enjoys hanging out with his friends, and sleeping late on Saturdays… at least until the good cartoons come on.

The only difference between Mark and everyone else is that his father is Omni-Man, an extraterrestrial superhero of the Viltrumite race, the most powerful superhero on the planet, and as of late, he seems to be inheriting his father’s powers. This sounds okay at first, but how do you follow in your father’s footsteps when you know you will never live up to his standards?

Luckily, his dad is around to show him the ropes, at least he WOULD be if he weren’t so busy saving the world all the time. Invincible is forced to go out on his own, and try and figure out how all this superheroing business works. The results are a monumental disaster, at least until he gets the hang of it.

Invincible has links with Eric Larsen’s Savage Dragon, which has been mostly downplayed in favor of Invincible’s own continuity.

Read More »Invincible Comic Reading Order, a superhero universe by Robert Kirkman (with Capes, Brit, The Astounding Wolf-Man, Tech Jacket)

Last Updated on July 3, 2024.