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Watchmen Reading Order, from the Alan Moore books to the expanded universe

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Watchmen is considered one of the greatest graphic novels in the history of the medium. It is recognized in Time‘s List of the 100 Best Novels as one of the best English language novels published from 1923 to 2005, and for what it’s worth, it is also part of our 50 Best Comics to read!

Published by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987, Watchmen is a science fiction comic book limited series by the British writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. The story takes place in an alternate world in which superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1940s, and their actions changed history. The all-powerful Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the rest of the world. But, by 1977, superheroes became unpopular and they were outlawed by the passage of the Keene Act.

In October 1985, costumed vigilante Rorschach discovered that Edward Blake, also known as The Comedian, a costumed hero employed by the U.S. government, had been murdered. Rorschach uncovered a plot to eliminate costumed heroes and warned some of his old friends. Something bigger is cooking, but the retired heroes have to first discover what it is.

Since its publication, many essays, reviews, and analyses have been written about Watchmen. The Symbol and imagery have been scrutinized and explained as much as the art and structure. Many discussions also emerged about ownership in the comic book field as the disagreements between Alan Moore and DC Comics about that subject are now fully part of history.

The World of Watchmen has also expanded. It has been adapted as a movie directed by Zack Snyder and has also inspired a one-season television series from Damon Lindelof for HBO. DC Comics also explored the universe by releasing Before Watchmen (2012), a prequel, and two sequels…

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Outlawed Reading Order, The Young Heroes Civil War

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Outlawed Marvel Reading Order

Following Civil War II (Reading Order), the young heroes of Marvel decided to form the latest incarnation of the Champions (including Mrs Marvel and Miles Morales) as a reaction to the way the super community was torn apart. So it seems fitting that Marvel uses them to make the teen Civil War.

Our young heroes are facing federal pressure as the United States passes a new law in the wake of a devastating tragedy making superheroes under the age of 21 became outlaws.

This quite discreet Marvel event was a victim of the pandemic. It was actually during Outlawed that a New Warriors limited series was supposed to be launched. But the pandemic delayed the event, and if Outlawed came out in the end, it was not the case for the New Warriors title.

What to read before Outlawed?

The end of Incoming!, a one-shot comic book issue published by Marvel Comics on December 26, 2019, leads to several events, including Outlawed.

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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.

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XIII Reading Order, a classic belgian comic book series

XIII, comc book reading order

Created by writer Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance, XIII (Thirteen) is a Belgian graphic novel series about an amnesiac who seeks to discover his past.

Everything begins when a man washes ashore near an old couple’s house, barely alive. He has forgotten everything, including his name. The only clues to his identity are a key sewn into his clothes and a bullet wound to the head. and the number XIII tattooed on his shoulder. A meager start to reconstruct one’s self. Any resemblance to Jason Bourne is not fortuitous, as Bourne Identity has inspired the central character and the story’s premise.

The first 5 volumes of XIII have been adapted into a video game in 2003. Two TV series were based on the comic book, XIII: The Conspiracy in 2008 and XIII: The Series in 2011 which lasted two seasons.

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X-Men Reading Order, Part. 5: Marvel NOW, All-New, All-Different Marvel & ResurrXion (2012-2019)

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Our exploration of the ever-expanding world of the X-Men comics is continuing. The following reading guide covers the comic books published between 2012 and 2019, before Jonathan Hickman’s House of X/Power of X. This era includes major events like Battle of the Atom, The Trial of Jean Grey, AXIS, The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier, Death of Wolverine, Inhumans vs. X-Men, the Terrigen Mist Crisis, Apocalypse Wars, Civil War II, Phoenix Resurrection, Hunt for Wolverine, and Extermination.

After the event of the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover event and the relaunch of the Marvel Comics Universe under the banner “Marvel NOW!,” most X-Men titles were either concluded or restructured. Wolverine and the X-Men continued, while All-New X-Men was launched, featuring the original five X-Men—brought to the present day by Beast—who eventually formed a separate team under the leadership of Kitty Pryde. Astonishing X-Men also continued but was later canceled, and in its place, Amazing X-Men was launched, initially focusing on the return of Nightcrawler. Meanwhile, Uncanny X-Men was relaunched with Cyclops leading a faction of mutant revolutionaries.

Then the All-New, All-Different Marvel era introduced a major relaunch for X-Men comics following Secret Wars (2015). This era was defined by the Terrigen Mist crisis, which made Earth inhospitable for mutants, leading to tensions between mutants and Inhumans. Many X-Men went into hiding, while others took a more aggressive stance to protect mutantkind. And finally, the ResurrXion era, a soft relaunch of X-Men comics following Inhumans vs. X-Men, marked the end of the Terrigen Mist crisis and was focused on the mutants rebuilding their future.

This is Part #5 of our tentative to compile a comprehensive X-Men Reading Order using the collected editions–You can find the first part here (The Silver Age & Chris Claremont, 1963-91), the second part here (Age of Apocalypse & Onslaught, 1991-2001), the third part here (From the Grant Morrison era to Civil War), the fourth part that leads us to Avengers Vs. X-Men, and the sixth part here.

This is a massive reading guide, so here is a menu to help you navigate. Some parts are under construction for now. I’ll keep updating this article regularly.

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X-Men Reading Order, Part. 4: The Messiah trilogy, Dark Reign, Schism, Avengers Vs X-Men (2007-2012)

This is Part #4 of our tentative to compile a comprehensive X-Men Reading Order using the collected editions – You can find the first part here (The Silver Age & Chris Claremont, 1963-91), the second part here (Age of Apocalypse & Onslaught, 1991-2001), and the third part here (From the Grant Morrison era to House of M).

In 2007, the “Messiah Complex” storyline redefined the world of the mutants, first with the destruction of the Xavier Institute, then with the disbanding of the X-Men. This time, X-Men was renamed X-Men: Legacy. That said, The X-Men reformed in Uncanny X-Men #500.

More major events follow with “Messiah War”, the new New Mutants volume, “Second Coming”, the new series Young X-Men and Generation Hope, and more. Later, there was  “X-Men: Schism” that led to “Regenesis” and the new main series titled Wolverine and the X-Men.

This is a massive reading guide, so here is a menu to help you navigate. Some parts are under construction for now. I’ll keep updating this article regularly.

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X-Men Reading Order: The Modern Era (2001-2007) – Part. 3: From the Grant Morrison era to House of M

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This is Part #3 of our tentative to compile a comprehensive X-Men Reading Order using the collected editions – You can find the first part here (The Silver Age & Chris Claremont, 1963-91) and the second part here (Age of Apocalypse & Onslaught, 1991-2001). Welcome to the Marvel Modern Era.

After the chaotic ’90s, Chris Claremont came back to put the X-Titles in order. He didn’t stay long on the main series but started to write a new spin-off, X-Treme X-Men. As for X-Men, it was renamed New X-Men and Grant Morrison took over.

He revamped almost everything and introduced new concepts, new villains, and new disasters. It’s known as the Morrison Era for a good reason, his work on New X-Men is massive and important for the future of the mutants. During that time, Chuck Austen wrote Uncanny X-Men, but it was not as successful. During that era, spin-offs were limited, but there were a number of short-lived solo series and other miniseries.

After that came X-Men ReLoad, or when Marvel decided (again) to revamp the X-Men titles with new looks for the characters and fresh plot points. More on that later.

This is a massive reading guide, so here is a menu to help you navigate. Some parts are under construction for now. I’ll keep updating this article regularly.

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’90s X-Men Reading Order (1991-2001) – Part. 2: Fatal Attractions, Age of Apocalypse, Onslaught, Zero Tolerance, and more

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This is Part #2 of our tentative to compile a comprehensive X-Men Reading Order using the collected editions – You can find the first part here (The Silver Age & Chris Claremont, 1963-91). Now, it’s the ’90s!

A new decade full of events. Yes, it’s when Marvel almost perish under the weight of its commercial ambitions and gave us too many events and series to follow. For the mutants, it was a period of big storylines, some of them became iconic, others are almost forgotten today. But first, there was the launch of a new X-Men series. Xavier and the original X-Men are back. As a result, we got two teams, two books: Storm’s “Gold Team” (in The Uncanny X-Men) and Cyclops’s “Blue Team” (chronicled in X-Men). Also, new spin-offs joined the line-up: X-Force, Generation X, and numerous solo series like Deadpool, Cable, Bishop, X-Man, and Gambit. At one point, Excalibur and X-Factor ended and the latter was replaced with Mutant X.

This is a massive reading guide, so here is a menu to help you navigate. Some parts are under construction for now. I’ll keep updating this article regularly.

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X-Men Hellfire Gala Reading Order (2021), A Marvel Crossover Event

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Less than a year after their last crossover event that concluded the Dawn of X era, the X-Men are preparing for another one. This time, it’s not a war, but a big party: The Hellfire Gala. The guests’ list is impressive, and the twists will be surprising. Here is the official synopsis:

The X-Men are rolling out the red carpet for the biggest Krakoan event of the season—and this high-class hardcover details every drink, dance, dalliance, and deception at the Hellfire Gala! You are cordially invited to join the mutant party to end all mutant parties. Everyone will be there—all of your favorite X-Men, their closest allies … and even their worst enemies.

For Emma Frost and the Hellfire Trading Company, it’s an opportunity to show off the newfound power for both herself and for Krakoa as a nation. The very first elected team of Krakoan X-Men will, at last, be revealed to the world … and that’s just the first of the surprises in store for the evening!

What to read before X-Men Hellfire Gala?

Following the X of Swords crossover (reading order here), a new era in the X-Men by Jonathan Hickman epic started, it’s called Reign of X and you can find the reading guide here.

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Y The Last Man Reading Order: How to read Brian K Vaughan’s comic book series?

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Y The Last Man Reading Order

Y: The Last Man is a dystopian science fiction comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. It was published under the DC Comics Vertigo imprint between September 2002 and March 2008 and had recently been adapted as a television series. The adaptation didn’t find success and was canceled after one season, but you can just read the comic instead!

The series centers around the sole surviving male human after the spontaneous, simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth. More precisely, Y: The Last Man starts in the summer of 2002, when Earth is struck by a pandemic plague of unknown origin. This plague destroyed every mammal with a Y chromosome, including spermatosa and unborn children. Referred to as “gendercide”, the plague exterminated 48% of the global population, approximately 2.9 billion men. Two male mammals survived: a young man from Brooklyn named Yorick Brown and his pet Capuchin monkey Ampersand. How and why? The answers to those questions could save humanity from a possible extinction.

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