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DC New 52 Reading Order

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Let’s go back in time, 10 years ago! We are in September 2011 and it’s the beginning of a new era for DC Comics, named The New 52. Following the conclusion of the Flashpoint limited series (see Reading Order), all titles set in the DC Universe were canceled and relaunched with new #1 issues. It’s a partial reboot for most of our DC’s heroes and villains with a new continuity.

Presented as a new entry point (but not always new reader-friendly, to be honest), various changes were made to sort of update the characters and make them more attractive for newcomers. And for the occasion, the Wildstorm and Vertigo imprints were absorbed into the DC Universe.

Following is a reading order for the New 52 era, going from September 2011 to May 2016. The New 52 branding ended with the conclusion of the ‘Convergence‘ storyline (see our full reading order), but the continuity didn’t stop after that and was maintained during what has been called DC You — a period covered here.

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Let’s begin by pointing out that there is no official DC mini-era during New 52, and it is then a personal way to split the period to make it a little easier to apprehend. You’ll find other approaches on the web, some with more Phase/Part and some with less.

  1. The New 52 era in omnibus form
  2. The New 52 Year One, from Justice League: Origin to Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood
  3. Zero Month, from Superman: Action Comics Vol. 2: Bulletproof to Earth 2. Vol. 2: The Tower of Fate
  4. Trinity War and Forever Evil, from Wonder Woman Vol. 4: War to Batman/Superman Vol. 2: Game Over
  5. Futures End, from Aquaman and the Others Vol. 1: Legacy of Gold to Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road
  6. Convergence, with Earth 2: Society
  7. DC You, ending New 52 and the Road to Rebirth

We also have a few character(s) reading order :

  1. Batman New 52 Reading Order
  2. Superman/Action Comics New 52 Reading Order
  3. Justice League New 52 Reading Order
  4. Earth 2 New 52 Reading Order
  5. Green Lantern New 52 Reading Order
  6. Jason Todd Reading Order
  7. Tim Drake Reading Order
  8. The Flash Reading Order

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The Lazarus Contract Reading Order, a Titans/Teen Titans/Deathstroke crossover

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The Lazarus Contract Reading Order

The Lazarus Contract is a DC Comics mini-crossover event published in 2017 between three series : Titans, Teen Titans and Deahtstroke. The crossover was written by Dan Abnett, Benjamin Percy and Christopher Priest, with interior art from Brett Booth, Khoi Pham, Carlo Pagulayan and Paul Pelletier.

The title, The Lazarus Contract, is a call back to the classic storyline New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. The story picks up here with Slade Wilson’s discovery that the original Wally West has returned.

He sees that return as an opportunity to bring his son Grant back to life, and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants. Standing in his way? Both the Teen Titans and the Titans! But will the Titans and the Teen Titans be fast enough to stop him from changing the world as we know it?

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Secret Empire Reading Order, the Evil Captain America crossover event from Marvel

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Secret Empire Reading Order

Big Marvel crossover Written by Nick Spencer (with artists Rod Reis, Daniel Acuña, Steve McNiven, and Andrea Sorrentino) published between April and September 2017, Secret Empire is one of those Universe Redefining massive event. One that started with a huge twist, as it was revealed that Captain America is—pardon my French—a f***ing Hydra Agent!

Here is the official description of the event: Captain America, Sentinel of Liberty, is living a lie! The Cosmic Cube has remade the world’s greatest hero into a secret true believer in the cause of Hydra, wholly dedicated to its mission of progress through authority and unity through adversity! Now, using the trust and respect he’s been accorded by the great powers of the Marvel Universe, Steve Rogers makes Hydra’s ideals a reality—and changes the landscape of the world dramatically! How will he take some of his biggest threats off the board? Who will remain to stand against him? And which heroes will fi ght on his side? Find out as the impossible becomes real! Hail Hydra!

What to read before Secret Empire?

This limited series event addresses the aftermath of the crossover event Avengers: Standoff! and the ongoing series Captain America: Steve Rogers, in which Captain America has been acting as a sleeper agent and covertly setting the stage to establish Hydra as the main world power.

So, before reading Secret Empire, maybe take a look at the time when we discovered that Cap is a member of Hydra. To do that, you have to read Captain America: Steve Rogers Vol. 1: Hail Hydra, and you can go after that to Captain America: Steve Rogers Vol. 2: The Trial of Maria Hill, and then Captain America: Steve Rogers Vol. 3: Empire Building. If you want to read what’s essential, Marvel published a book collecting exactly that:

  • Secret Empire Prelude
    Collects Captain America (2012) 21, 25; Captain America: Sam Wilson 7 (A story), 8; Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha, Omega; Captain America: Steve Rogers 1-2.

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Calvin and Hobbes Books in Order: How to read Bill Watterson’s comic strip?

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The classic Calvin and Hobbes is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995.

It follows the adventures of Calvin, a precocious, mischievous, and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his sardonic stuffed tiger. A smart child with poor grades in school, Calvin has a creative and philosophical mind but lacks restraint. He has a rich inner world and a precious friendship with his tiger. The anthropomorphic tiger is an independent creature with a dim view of human nature. He participates in all of Calvin’s activities, even when he knows it’s gonna end in trouble.

Calvin’s parents are typical middle-class, his father is a patent attorney and his mother is a stay-at-home mom. Calvin also interacts with Susie Derkins, a classmate who lives on the same street, Rosalyn, his babysitter, Mrs. Wormwood, his teacher, and Moe, the school bully.

Reading Calvin and Hobbes is the best way to kill time while we wait for life to shower us with meaning and happiness.

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Justice League Dark Reading Order

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Published by DC Comics and created by Peter Milligan with art by Mikel Janín, Justice League Dark is the Magic equivalent of the regular Justice League, a group of superheroes fighting together against powerful enemies to stop the unusual world-shattering events from happening.

The idea is quite simple, the team consists of the supernatural members of the DC Universe, handling situations deemed outside the scope of the traditional Justice League.

The Justice League Dark originally featured John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Shade: The Changing Man, and Zatanna. There will be changes. Some of the members will leave or die, some will join the team for a time or for a long time. You know the deal, it’s Justice League business. Except it’s about magic and occult dangers.

Here is the official synopsis: With the Justice League defeated at the hands of the mad sorceress Enchantress, the clairvoyant Madame Xanadu must assemble the world’s most powerful and strange magical heroes to prevent her premonitions of end times from coming to fruition! Bringing together the likes of London’s savviest street sorcerer, John Constantine; stage (and actual) magician Zatanna; the reality-altering alien Shade; and the ghost and body possessor Deadman, this unlikely team will be forced to put aside their differences to stop evil.

Never one to play nice, Constantine and the group will fall apart time and time again only to come together when the world needs them most. Joined by the likes of a centuries-old vampire, the shape-shifter Black Orchid, and Frankenstein among many more, some will live, and many will die, but together, maybe they can save this world!

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Fear Itself Reading Order, a Marvel Event with Thor, Captain America and more

Fear Itself Reading Order

Fear Itself is a 2011 crossover Marvel Comics event, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book (Fear Itself: Book of the Skull) by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scot Eaton, and numerous tie-in books, including most of the X-Men family of books. Although it is a Marvel-wide crossover, the event emphasizes Captain America and Thor.

The entire planet has been seized by Fear and only chaos reigns. The Serpent, Asgard’s most ancient evil, has awakened and is feeding off the fear of Earth’s populace. Our planet’s only hope lies in the hands of heroes and villains who have not fallen into worldwide panic. But with Odin intent on sacrificing Earth, will their struggles against the Gods be enough? And how do you conquer Fear Itself?

What to read before Fear Itself?

Fear Itself is a self-contained event and doesn’t require any prior reading.

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Steven Universe Comics Reading Order

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Steven Universe Comics Reading Order

If you are here, you probably know Steven Universe, the American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It’s the story of Steven Universe, your normal Beach City citizen … who is anything but normal! He lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, humanoid aliens named Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Steven is half-Gem and has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind.

The series ran for five seasons, from November 2013 to January 2019. The TV film Steven Universe: The Movie was released in September 2019, and an epilogue limited series, Steven Universe Future, ran from December 2019 to March 2020. It’s not enough? Well, there are also comic books published by Boom Studios. Those comics are not totally canon… Mostly, they are considered canonical as long as they aren’t contradicted by the series.

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Batwoman (Kate Kane) Reading Order

Batwoman Reading Order (Kate Kane)

Once upon a time, during the early Silver Age of Comics, there was the first Batwoman named Kathy Kane. Created by writer Edmond Hamilton and artist Sheldon Moldoff, she was introduced in 1954 as a female counterpart to Batman with her side-kick Bat-Girl and as a love interest for Batman. It was a way for the Batman editorial to fight all those allegations of Batman’s homosexuality that arose after the publication of the book Seduction of the Innocent in 1954. Kathy Kane never became an important character and was simply later removed. Crisis on Infinite Earths erased her from history until the events of Infinite Crisis which established a new Universe and a new incarnation of Kathy Kane.

But this is not the Batwoman that interests us today. The one we are focusing on today is called Kate Kane. Created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Ken Lashley, she was introduced in 52 #7 as a loose adaptation of the Original Batwoman.

Katherine Rebecca “Kate” Kane is a wealthy heiress lesbian and a cousin of Bruce Wayne. Inspired by the superhero Batman, she decides to fight crime as a masked vigilante in her home of Gotham City as Batwoman. Her profile grew with time, and she had her own eponymous Batman ongoing title, as well as a lead role in Detective Comics.

If she’s not the star of her own series right now, we can still count on Batwoman to protect Gotham!

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She-Hulk Reading Order aka Jennifer Walters, lawyer and Bruce Banner’s cousin

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Meet Jennifer Walters, soon to be the star of her own Disney+ tv series (played by Tatiana Maslany). She’s a lawyer and Bruce Banner’s cousin (aka The Hulk, see reading order). After an injury, she received an emergency blood transfusion from him and acquired a milder version of his Hulk condition. She became She-Hulk, a large, powerful green-hued version of herself and, unlike her cousin, still largely retains her personality.

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, She-Hulk first appeared in The Savage She-Hulk #1 in 1980. During the past 40 years, she has been a member of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Heroes for Hire, the Defenders, Fantastic Force,  S.H.I.E.L.D. and also at the center of multiple solo series.

Where to start with She-Hulk aka Jennifer Walters? The Recommended Reading List

  • Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne Omnibus – John Byrne’s run is quite divisive. A humorous book with Jennifer breaking the Fourth Wall, it’s not to the taste of everybody so it’s up to you to decide if it’s your cup of tea.
  • She-Hulk by Dan Slott Omnibus – Dan Slott’s run continues the characterization of Jennifer Walters as a fun and loving super-heroine but with also more focus on her career as a lawyer. It’s the inspiration behind the TV show.
  • She-Hulk by Soule & Pulido: The Complete Collection – A short but well-loved run by Charles Soule following Jennifer as she opens a new practice and still has to confront a mounting number of super villains she’s racking up as personal enemies.

We also invite you to read our article about the origins of She-Hulk in the comic books to learn more about her creation by Stan Lee!

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Futures End Reading Order, a DC Comics’ universe-wide event from the New 52 era

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Futures End (DC New 52) Reading Order

Welcome to the New 52 Future! In May 2014, DC jumped forward 5 years in time with Futures End, an eleven-month weekly miniseries written by Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Jeff Lemire—with art by Patrick Zircher, Ethan Van Sciver, Dan Green, Aaron Lopresti, Art Thibert, Scot Eaton, Drew Geraci, and a lot more.

Here is the official synopsis: Five years from now, the DC Universe is reeling from a war with another Earth, leaving the world unprepared for an approaching evil that threatens to destroy the future. As heroes are turned into mindless villains, the planet as we know it is no more. The only salvation lies in the past, where this future apocalypse must be averted. Can a time-traveling Batman Beyond help a massive cast of the DCU’s finest avert the impending apocalypse? 

What to read before Futures End?

Futures End takes place in an alternate future for the DC Universe, five years after most of the stories in the New 52 era of DC Comics, therefore this event does not require prior reading.

Nevertheless, for the more completists, some plot elements from Earth 2: World’s End are explored. Also, Terry McGinnis being at the center of the story, you may want to take a look at our Batman Beyond Reading Order, to learn more about him.

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