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comicreadingorder · 1 year

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Suicide Squad by John Ostrander (and Kim Yale) Reading Order

This is the run that influenced both movies to the point where James Gunn has given it multiple shoutouts.

It created Amanda Waller, distinguished the team, and gave many characters new characteristics, like Deadshot’s death wish and Captain Boomerang’s backstory. Because of the constantly rotating lineup Ostrander was able to bring characters out of limbo like Shade (who spun out into a miniseries that was so popular it became a 70 issue run), Vixen, Bronze Tiger, and Nightshade and make them significant. As well as turning Barbara Gordon into Oracle. Something I never see mentioned is that a couple dozen issues into the run Kim Yale —a DC editor and eventually wife of Ostrander— started being credited as co-writer through to the end. Bold=Main Story Italics=Optional

Legends 1-6 — Event miniseries by Ostrander that brings the team together. You can just skim the SS parts, which is any scene with Boomerang, Waller, or Flag.

Secret Origins 14

Suicide Squad 1-10

Doom Patrol/SS Special — Takes place around the same time as 11 and 12 but 12 spoils the end.

SS 11-12

Justice League International 13, SS 13 — Crossover

SO 28 — Backstory of Nightshade. Not by Ostrander but she has a detailed origin that shouldn't be skipped.

SS 14-18

Deadshot 1 — 4 issue miniseries by Ostrander. The character doesn't show up in SS again until 22 but this issue has a break between stuff and is mentioned in 19, whereas 2-4 are one story.

SS 19

Manhunter 6, SS Annual 1 — Manhunter sets things up but the Annual feels so different that it doesn't come off like the same story.

SS 20

Deadshot 2-4

SS 21-26

The Janus Directive: Checkmate 15, SS 27, CM 16, SS 28, CM 17, Manhunter 14, Firestorm 86, SS 29, CM 18, SS 30, Captain Atom 30 — long crossover, involving some other titles by Ostrander.

SS 31-66

SS (V3) 1-8 — Returned years later for an 8 issue miniseries that spins out of Rucka’s Checkmate. It works fine without reading Checkmate (which I still haven’t.)

SS 67 — The title comes back years later as part of Blackest Night but it's really more of a Secret Six tie-in and should be read with that instead.

See Also:

Everafter 1-12 — Spin-off by the writer(s) of TWAU and Jack set 7 years after 150. Very different in tone, art and content.

Fables Encyclopedia — A brief summation of the literary origins for all the characters across the books. Coffee table book but a fun read for info.

Fables 151-? — The 2022 return of the series for “at least” 12 issues

Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham 1-6 — This miniseries crossover with Batman was released before the official Fables relaunch but takes place a year after it, according to Willingham.

For any questions or corrections feel free to message me

#fables #reading order #reading list #Vertigo Comics #jack of fables #fairest #cinderella #bigby wolf #snow white #the wolf among us

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comicreadingorder · 2 years

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Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer Reading Order

Looking back on this run gives me headaches. But I made the Ben Reilly list as setup for 75 so I figured I’d read the first 74. And seeing how much adjacent stuff there was I figured I’d share. A couple big things happen before this. One is Peter revealing his identity to JJJ, another is Peter’s “sister” returning well after her introduction in Family Business. Both of these happen in Zdarsky’s Spectacular spider-man run, which has a direct enough order.

FCBD 2017: Secret Empire B story

Spectacular Spider-Man (V3) 1-6

SSM 297-305, SSM Annual 2018, 306-310 -- There are 3 more issues but they’re part of Spider-Geddon and not by Zdarsky. Spider-Geddon basically happens before Spencer’s run and I don’t think is ever mentioned.

Another thing is Aunt May getting cancer. This is introduced and concluded in Tom Taylor’s Friendly Neighborhood SM run.

FCBD 2019: Spider-Man

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (V2) 1-14

But none of those are necessary for this run, simply the origin of those changes.

Bold=Important Italic=Optional [Brackets]=One Shot

[ASM Annual 2018] -- Adding this just for the completion sake. It’s completely unrelated but goes between Slott and Spencer’s runs. It’s a flashback to black costume Peter from the symbiote’s point of view.

[FCBD 2018: ASM] -- The Free Comic Book Day issue is a prelude to the run.

ASM V5 1-15

HUNTED: ASM 16, 16.HU, 17-18, 18.HU, 19, 19.HU, 20, 20.HU, 21-23 -- Hunted was the first big storyline. The .HU issues follow a different character in each.

ASM 24-29 — MJ leaves for LA in 25

[Red Goblin Red Death], ASM 30-31 -- These are Absolute Carnage Tie-ins. RGRD is just a couple stories about Norman’s time with the symbiote. These are the only issues with any relation to Donny Cates’ Venom run.

ASM 32-34, [2099 Alpha, FF 2099, Punisher 2099, Conan 2099, Ghost Rider 2099, Doom 2099, Venom 2099, Spider-Man 2099, 2099 Omega], ASM 35-36 — This reboots all of 2099 with new origins. Only the Alpha, Omega and SM issue are by Spencer and important to ASM. the rest are self contained and can be read in any order. Doom isn’t important, but it’s relevant and really good. Conan is irrelevant but fun.

ASM 37-43

[FCBD 2020: Spider-man] -- Short story with Black Cat by the BC writer. Unrelated.

Amazing Mary Jane 1-5 — This tells the story of MJ in LA. The writer planned her exodus with Spencer so the timeline would sync with ASM, but it was cancelled because of the pandemic. There was a sixth issue starting a new arc that was never continued and is no longer considered canon. She returns in 51 so this can be read anywhere between 25 and 50

SINS RISING: ASM 44, [Sins Rising Prelude], ASM 45-48, [Sins of Norman Osborn], ASM 49

LAST REMAINS: ASM 50, 50.LR, 51, 51.LR, 52, 52.LR, 53, 53.LR, 54, 54.LR, 55-57 -- This is really still part of Sins Rising but they decided to give it a new arc name. I tried moving around or combining the LR issues without success; they have to be read alternated.

ASM 58-65, [Giant-Size ASM: King’s Ransom] -- The Giant-Size concludes the arc.

ASM 66-69, [Giant-Size ASM: Chameleon Conspiracy] -- Same as above.

ASM 70, Sinister War 1, ASM 71, SW 2-3, ASM 72, SW 4, ASM 73-74 -- The SW issues don’t line up very well at all with the main ones but this was how I organized them before reading it and never saw a reason to move them around.

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comicreadingorder · 3 years

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Ben Reilly Post-Clone Saga Reading Order

Ben hasn’t been up to much since Revelations, the arc that brought an end to The Clone Saga, probably because he died. But he did show up in a few flashbacks and nods before being brought back proper.

Bold=Important Italics=optional [Brackets=one-shot]

Brand New Day

ASM Annual 36, ASM 608-610 — Also features the first appearance of Kaine since the Clone Saga ended. I considered adding all of Kaine’s appearances because of the overlap but that’s a big list by itself. I wasn’t planning on doing one but does anyone want it?

Spider-Verse

An alternate universe version of him is part of the clone trio in this tie-in, totally skippable but the lineup is great (Ben, Kaine, Ultimate Jessica Drew) and the brotherly bickering is fun. The plot is somewhat self-contained enough to enjoy it even without the rest of the event.

Scarlet Spiders 1-3

The Clone Conspiracy

This is his big return. If you don’t care about the tangential stuff you can just start here. There are 2 chunks, the first is basically a prelude arc, second is the real thing.

ASM (V4) 16-18, [Captain America FCBD (2016) B story], ASM 19

Clone Conspiracy 1, ASM 20, CC 2, ASM 21, CC 3, ASM 22, CC 4, ASM 23, CC 5, ASM 24, [CC Omega]

Scarlet Spider: Ben Reilly

After the events of Clone Conspiracy he peaces out to Vegas. This title starts slow but around issue 7 it really kicks into gear. Stick with it.

SS 1-6

Secret Empire -- This isn’t about Ben but it has an effect on Vegas that is followed up in Ben’s story. For an idea of how crucial it is, I still haven’t read it and got along fine.

SS 7-14

Damnation 1, 2

SS 15

Damnation 3

SS 16, 17

Damnation 4

SS 18-25

Spider-Geddon

After SS: BR is cancelled he next appears in this crossover. I made a post just for it that you can find by clicking on the name above.

Team-Ups

Random appearances that don’t progress his story in any way.

Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crown 2 — He shows up, gets smacked around, and is never seen again. Literally in 5 pages.

Iron Man (V6) 5-? — This story and his being part of it is still ongoing, but presumably when finished it’ll count as having happened before his Beyond stuff. As far as relevant he’s barely there or has any lines, but he does have some good ones in the latest issue (13.)

Beyond

ASM/Venom FCBD 2021 — As Marvel has done with the title since BND, this new era (dubbed Beyond) begins with a free comic book day issue before continuing in the main 3-issues-a-month title.

ASM (V5) 74 — V5 (Spencer’s run) never includes Ben until the last 8 pages of 74, a teaser for Ben’s run, which officially starts with 75.

And that’s where we are at the moment. If you have questions, corrections or suggestions feel free to message me or ask.

#ben reilly #scarlet spider #spider-man #Brand New Day #clone conspiracy #spider-geddon #kaine parker #peter parker #clones #why did it have to be clones #clone saga #scarlet spider: Ben Reilly #reading order #spider-man beyond #reading list

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comicreadingorder · 3 years

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Spider-Geddon Reading Order

The small and much more linear follow-up to Spider-Verse and The Inheritors.

This is more about Ock in a leadership role having to fix his own mistake, while Miles is on the other spectrum of the spider-team dealing with the responsibility of managing the other spiders who refuse to follow Ock. But those are just the main issues; the tie-ins all give the rest of the characters some great attention.

Bold=Important to the main story Italics=Optional If there’s no number next to an issue title that means it’s a one-shot. If this is your first time reading a spider-team since spider-verse, there are a couple team books below that released in between. They’re more multiversal stories - also good and fun.

Spider-Verse (V2) 1-5 -- During Secret Wars a more consistent spider-team comes together.

Web Warriors 1-11 -- This continues the story from the Secret Wars mini and the character growth for themselves and with each other carries over into SG.

Spider-Geddon

Superior Octopus

Edge of Spider-Geddon 1

Edge of SG 3 – Intentionally out of order.

Spider-Geddon 1

Vault of Spiders 1-2

SG 2 – After this is when there’s a costume change and they start recruiting spiders, some issues are out of order because this is where they are in the timeline.

SG 0

Edge of SG 2

SG: Handbook – This catches you up with where everyone is right before SG 1. But SG 0 and EoSG 2 were released before it so it kinda spoils those. It’s not a big deal so if you don’t care about those 2 things you can read it just before SG 1.

Edge of SG 4

Spectacular Spider-Man 311-312

Spider-Girls 1-2

Spider-Force 1-2

SG 3

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 1-2

Spider-Force 3

SG 4

Spider-Girls 3

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 3

Spectacular SM 313

SG 5

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 4

3 books spin out of this 1. Ock’s growth continues in the second volume of Superior Spider-Man 1-12. 2. Gwen’s story continues in Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 5-10, which is then relaunched to simply Ghost Spider 1-10. 3. Spider-Verse (V3) 1-6 is basically a series of one shots with each on a different world by different creators, the only link being Miles as he’s yanked through them one at a time. 3a. Spider-Man Noir (V2) 1-5 Spins out of Spider-Verse (V3).

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comicreadingorder · 4 years

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Superman by John Byrne Reading Order

After Crisis on Infinite Earths there was a clean slate for Byrne to shape a more modern superman. While he doesn’t write every single issue -- Marv Wolfman writes the first dozen or so of Adventures -- he’s the architect of the plots for the 3 alternating titles to where each builds off each other. He also wrote and drew 2 of the titles a month, plus miniseries, one-shots and annuals, even dabbling in other titles outside the superman office. He was a workhorse. CBR did a good breakdown of the run and its changes from previous iterations in their top 100 comics list here (scroll down to 62.) Bold=important parts of the main story Italics=optional with explanations

Man of Steel (V1) 1-6

World of Krypton (V2) 1-4 -- Can be read anytime before AC 600/Superman 18. The first 3 issues are Krypton flashbacks but the 4th takes place “a year after Superman’s debut in Metropolis.”

Superman (V2) 1

Adventures of superman (V1) 424, 425 -- This was the original Superman title but when they started V2 with a new #1 this one got a name change. Shrug. Comics.

Action Comics (V1) 584

Superman 2

AC 585

Legends 1-4, Superman 3, Adventures 426, AC 586, Legends 5, 6 -- Legends was the first post-Crisis event as Darkseid tries to discredit the public’s trust in heroes. The superman tie-ins mostly take place on Apokolips so there’s some crossover, but I could go either way on whether you should read the Legends issues or not.

Adventures 427, 428

Superman 4

AC 587

Superman 5, 6

AC 588, 589

Adventures 429, 430

AC 590

Superman 7

Legion of Superheroes (V2) 37, Superman 8, AC 591, LoSH 38

Superman 9 -- This is usually swapped with 10 in lists just because he says “the other day” and “last week” in 10 when referring to events closer to 8.

Adventures 431

Superman Annual 1 (1987)

AC 592, 593 -- I moved these up so 10 can be closer to issues that continue plot points introduced in it.

Superman 10

Adventures 432-434

AC Annual 1 (1987)

Superman 11

Adventures Annual 1 (1987)

AC 594, Booster Gold (V1) 23

Superman 12

Adventures 435

AC 595

Superman 13

Adventures 436

AC 596

Superman 14

Adventures 437

AC 597

World of Smallville 1-4 -- The first 2 issues tell a flashback about Clark’s parents and can be read whenever, second two work as an epilogue to the Superman story told just before this while the Millennium event was going on.

Superman 15

Adventures 438

AC 598

Superman 16

Adventures 439

Superman: The Earth Stealers -- Prestige format one-shot with Curt Swan art.

AC 599

Superman 17

Adventures 440

AC 600

Superman 18

Adventures 441

Superman 19

Adventures 442, 443 -- 443 is a one-shot by Ordway that doesn’t affect Byrne’s run but does get mentioned in later Exile stories.

Superman Annual 2 (1988) -- Similar to 443 above. Byrne does a short backup about Maggie Sawyer.

Doom patrol (V2) 10, Superman 20

Superman 21, Adventures 444, Superman 22

World of Metropolis 1-4 -- Four separate stories that take place before title starts, can be read whenever.

Byrne then left despite having another year of plot planned for dealing with the fallout of Superman 22. I’m not much of a Superman fan so I didn’t intend to keep reading post-Byne but enjoyed the world so much I ended up continuing, partially because Byrne handed those ideas off to the new writing teams. That last year is told in Superman: Exile, the contents and order of which you can find here.

#superman #clark kent #john byrne #lois lane #jimmy olsen #perry white #maggie sawyer #cat grant #superman the exile #lucy lane #man of steel #lex luthor #lana lang

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comicreadingorder · 4 years

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X-Factor by Louise Simonson Reading Order

When this series started the main X-Men team was full of all new people while Angel, Iceman and Beast had left to bump around between college and groups like the Champions, Defenders and Avengers. Jean was dead, and Cyclops ceded leadership of the team to Storm before retiring to Alaska with his wife and newborn son. ...But fans missed the originals so Marvel jumped through some silly hoops and retconned everyone back to their original versions.

The basis of the team is that X-Factor advertises themselves as humans who hunt down mutants, taking advantage of prejudice to get people to call on anyone they suspect of being a mutant. Once alerted the team would confront the person and, if they actually were a mutant, try to help them by inviting them back to base to stay and learn their powers.

While I wrote lists for other X-Men runs, each is supposed to function by itself rather than part of some master list. I’m sure you could piece them together easily enough if you wanted, but this is made with the mindset of someone only reading X-Factor. Bold=important or official part of the story Italics=optional with a note to let you decide for yourself

Avengers 263, Fantastic Four 286 -- These issues set up the return of the main team and lead into X-Factor 1.

X-Factor (V1) 1-4

XF Annual 1

XF 5-8 -- Louise Simonson takes over with 6 and lasts through 62.

Mutant Massacre

This was the first of the big 3 crossovers uniting the X titles. Despite being the newest, it really thrived during these crossovers, telling such big stories that they almost felt like the main title.

Uncanny X-Men 210, XF 9, UXM 211, XF 10, NM 46, Thor 373, Power Pack (V1) 27, UXM 212, Thor 374, XF 11, UXM 213

XF 12-16

Thor 377, 378 -- A big change to Iceman that lasts through the entire run.

XF 17

XF Annual 2

XF 18-20

Incredible Hulk 336, 337 -- XF 20 leads into these 2 issues. It doesn’t lead back into their title or get mentioned again but they ARE a significant part of the story.

Fall of The Mutants

The second “crossover” of X-titles, except they all pretty much tell their own story in different, unrelated parts of the world so I didn’t include everything. Hulk is just a transition issue for UXM, PP shows an extended XF fight, Cap closes up a loose end, FF is an epilogue. The UXM issues are there because they’re mentioned in Inferno, where the two titles come together.

XF 21-23, UXM 220-224, Incredible Hulk 340, XF 24, 25, PP 35, UXM 225-227, Captain America 339, XF 26, FF 312

XF 27-29

XF Annual 3 -- Part of the Evolutionary War Annuals crossover but each annual’s story is pretty self-contained to their title.

XF 30-34

Inferno

Here the titles cross-pollinate heavily, ending up with some characters jumping over to other books. New Mutants also tells a significant part of Inferno that mostly precedes the XF/UXM issues, but I felt like the X-Terminators miniseries explained enough of that story. Plus there’s already so much convolution in this event that I wanted to narrow the view. UXM 239, X-Terminators 1, XF 35, XT 2-3, XF 36, UXM 240-241, XF 37, XT 4, UXM 242, XF 38, UXM 243, XF 39

XF 40

NM 76

XF 41, 42

XF Annual 4 -- Part of Atlantis Attacks, works as one-shot, follows up on the previous NM issue.

XF 43-58*

Days of Future’s Present: FF Annual 23, NM Annual 6, XF Annual 5, UXM Annual 14

XF 59

XF: Prisoner of Love -- Self contained one-shot about Beast. Mostly just adding to let you know it exists; as far as I know it’s never mentioned again.

X-Tinction Agenda: UXM 270, NM 95, XF 60, UXM 271, NM 96, XF 61, UXM 272, NM 97, XF 62 -- The last big X-over of the three titles during the Claremont era, also the last issues written by Simonson.

XF 63-64**

UXM 273 -- X-Tinction Agenda epilogue by Claremont, also the last issue of his original run where he did both the plot and script.

Kings of Pain: NM Annual 7, New Warriors Annual 1, UXM Annual 15, X-Factor Annual 6 -- Story across annuals about NW and X-Force with backups about Freedom Force. Totally skippable if you’re not reading those. Put here for breathing room between it and the Muir Isle saga.

XF 65-68

Muir Isle Saga: UXM 278-279, XF 69, UXM 280, XF 70

X-Men (V2) 1-3 -- This serves to show all the characters together before they split into teams.

At this point Peter David takes over writing and creates an entirely new team, starting a run that’s popular in its own right.

To follow Cyclops and Beast continue with the Blue team in X-Men (V2) 4.

For Jean Grey, Iceman and Archangel jump to the Gold team starting with Uncanny X-Men 281. See Also:

*X-Men Legends 3, 4 -- X-Men Legends is a 2021 anthology title that had original creators return to tell stories set during their era. The Simsonsons wrote this to take place immediately “before 43″ but like every prequel type thing it spoils later stuff.

**X-Factor Forever 1-5 -- Out of continuity mini from 2010 by Simonson set after her departure in XF 64, it allowed her to show what her future plans for the team were before leaving. Best read after you've finished everything, like a deleted scene or bonus content.

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comicreadingorder · 4 years

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New Mutants Volume 1 Reading Order

With the X-Men’s success Marvel editorial demanded the brand be expanded into more titles. Claremont, after fighting this as long as he could, made the compromise to do one, but his way. The result was New Mutants. This focuses on a diverse group of teen (13-19) outcasts, most having nowhere else to go, joining the school to get a handle on their powers. The goal was not for them to be a backup team or the next generation of the X-Men, but for Professor X to return to his base goal of a safe space for raising mutants. This is also where the Hellfire Club, particularly Emma Frost, and their inner workings are more fully explored, largely because they have a rival group of young mutants called Hellions that mirror the NM. While I wrote lists for other X-Men runs, each is supposed to function by itself rather than part of some master list. I’m sure you could piece them together easily enough if you wanted, but this is made with the mindset of someone only reading NM. Bold=important parts of the main story Italics=optional (with explanations)

Marvel Team-Up (V1) 100 -- The first appearance of Xi'an Coy Manh, also known as Karma, which leads into 165 and then the GN.

Uncanny X-Men (V1) 165 -- There are only couple relevant pages to the NM here but it’s significant for Professor Xavier’s choice to bring in new students.

New Mutants Graphic Novel -- The official name is Marvel Graphic Novel #4. It’s the first appearance of most of the team and how they came together.

New Mutants (V1) 1-3

UXM 167 -- During the previous issues the X-Men were in space fighting the Brood, this is their return and first time meeting the new students.

NM 4-12

Marvel Team-Up (V1) Annual 6 -- Relevant to future stories.

NM 13

Magik 1-4 -- Miniseries showing Magik’s upbringing shortly before joining the team.

NM 14

UXM 180 -- It’s only the last few pages that lead into NM 15.

NM 15-21

NM Annual 1

NM 22-25

UXM 192

Firestar 1-2 -- Introduction to the character from the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends cartoon into comics canon. It takes place over years which is why I cut UXM 193 in between.

UXM 193

Firestar 3-4

NM 26-29

Secret Wars Two #1

NM 30-34

NM Special Edition 1 (1985), UXM Annual 9

UXM 200

NM 35-37

Secret Wars Two #9

NM 38-44

NM Annual 2, UXM Annual 10

NM 45-51

NM Annual 3

NM 52

Fallen Angels (V1) 1-3 -- Miniseries following Sunspot and Warlock. Doesn’t really affect the main title besides those characters not being around for a few issues.

NM 53-54 -- Claremont departs*.

Fallen Angels 4-8

NM 55-57 -- Louise Simonson takes over.

Power Pack 33 — What happens to Warlock and Sunspot after Fallen Angels but before their return to the team.

NM 58-66

NM Annual 4 -- Part of the Evolutionary War event across annuals. Works fine as a solo story.

UXM 231

NM 67-70

X-Terminators 1-3 -- Miniseries mostly following some kids from X-Factor during Inferno. Gives more background to explain what causes Inferno.

NM 71

X-Terminators 4

NM 72-76

X-Factor 41, 42 -- The team briefly stays with the kids from X-Factor (a book also written by Simonson) who will shortly join the team.

NM 77-87 -- Rob Liefeld takes over art duties with 86

NM Annual 5 -- Same as Annual 4 but with Atlantis Attacks.

NM 88-91

NM Summer Special (1990) -- One-shot by Ann Nocenti

NM 92

Days of Future Present: Fantastic Four Annual 23, NM Annual 6, XF Annual 5, UXM Annual 14

NM 93-94

X-Tinction Agenda: UXM 270, NM 95, XF 60, UXM 271, NM 96, XF 61, UXM 272, NM 97, XF 62 -- Louise Simonson departs.

UXM 273 -- XA epilogue and Claremont’s real final issue of the X-Men. After this he was relegated to scripting a few issues before leaving altogether.

NM 98-100 -- At this point Liefeld/Nicieza take over on script/plot/pencil duties and set up the team’s reboot into X-Force.

Kings of Pain: NM Annual 7, New Warriors Annual 1, UXM Annual 15, X-Factor Annual 6 -- Has a New Mutants annual despite happening after the change to X-Force; I guess they figured it was too soon for that title. Focuses on X-Force and New Warriors with backups about Freedom Force. Totally skippable unless you’re reading those.

If you want to follow Wolfsbane you have the option of reading the Muir Island Saga (UXM 278, 279, XF 69, UXM 280, XF 70) that leads into X-Factor 71 where that team is completely remade, or just jump to XF 71. If you want to follow Sam and Boom-Boom continue with X-Force 1 If you want to follow other New Mutants you’ll probably have to check wiki because it’s a while before they’re around again. See also:

*New Mutants Forever 1-5 -- Out of continuity mini from 2010 by Claremont, set after 54, imagining the story he would’ve told had he never left and providing a chance to close some threads left hanging by his departure. Best read after you've finished the list, like a deleted scene or bonus content.

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comicreadingorder · 4 years

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Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont Reading Order

With each list made I felt better about trying harder ones, but this was still the most intimidating comic reading list there is. It encompasses so many years, titles, minis, GNs and characters that I didn’t know what to bother with and what not to, or where they led. It took me a long time and a lot of mixing and matching of other lists to find a basic framework that I could then nudge as I read it.

This is an attempt at presenting the entire mutantsphere as it evolves. When New Mutants/X-Factor/Excalibur start I add what you need to know to introduce them - things that you would’ve known about if you were reading at the time of release just because of the climate or through osmosis. That said, I only mention the basics for setting up the title before returning to UXM, rather than integrating them all. Because of that not everything is by Claremont, but I’d say at least 80% is, and if I included anything that isn’t then there's a reason.

I chose to start with Classic X-Men, a reprint comic published in the late 80s to catch people up. Each issue has some corrections and cleaning up of panels or dialogue, plus a new short story (usually by Claremont) taking place around the time of each issue. I read these instead of the original issues because of the extras and benefit of hindsight.

Bold=important parts of the main story Italics=optional (with explanations)

Classic X-Men 1

Giant-Size Uncanny X-Men 1 -- Even though Classic 1 is supposed to be a modified reprint, it skips a lot of stuff in here, so I think both portray a more complete picture. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty messy reading both of these back to back cause Classic rewrites like 2/3 of the story, but that kind of big overhaul and confusion is only for the first issue.

Classic 2-13 (UXM 94-105)

UXM 106 -- Wasn’t in the Classic run because it wasn’t part of the “main” story but it’s a fun one shot.

Classic 14-16 (UXM 107-109)

UXM 110 -- A fill-in story that also wasn’t included in Classic, which is a crime because it’s the first time they played baseball!

Classic 17-30 (UXM 111-124)

UXM Annual 3

Classic 31-44 (UXM 125-138)

Bizarre Adventures 27

Phoenix The Untold Story -- Sort of a high-end “what if” issue that contains round table transcripts of the creators and editorial team, plus artwork of how they came to the conclusion of the story, and other possibilities along the way.

UXM Annual 4

Classic 45 (UXM 139) -- The end of the reprints adding new content. They continue on but without bonus stuff.

UXM 140

Marvel Team-Up (V1) 100 -- Introduces a future new mutant plus a short backup story about the first meeting between Storm and Black Panther as children. Written by Claremont.

UXM 141-149

Avengers Annual 10

UXM 150

UXM Annual 5

Marvel Fanfare (V1) 1-4

UXM 151-153

Uncanny X-Men and the Teen Titans -- Out of continuity crossover written by Claremont. Takes place around this time but can be read anytime after the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Marvel Treasury Edition 26, 27 -- The short backups near the end of each issue.

UXM 154-166

The New Mutants Graphic Novel -- Introduces the new students.

New Mutants 1-3 -- Leads into 167 better than just the graphic novel.

UXM 167

UXM Annual 6

UXM Special Edition (1983) — Reprint of giant-size 1 but includes a new kitty Pryde backup story.

X-Men: God Loves; Man Kills -- Wasn’t meant to be canon but future writers retcon it in.

UXM 168-171

Wolverine (V1) 1-4 -- Relevant to the main story.

UXM 172-175

UXM Annual 7

Magik 1-4 -- Shows how Illyana grew up and what she went through.

UXM 176-180

NM 15, 16 -- These (and later 17) follow Kitty’s journey with the NM while the rest of the X-Men are on Warworld in SW.

Secret Wars One 1-12 -- If you’ve read this before or don’t want to read the whole thing you don’t have to, but you should at least skim it for the X-Men bits, as the Colossus parts are particularly relevant. Magneto and Prof X also refer back to it sometimes.

UXM 181, 182

NM 17

UXM 183-188

Kitty Pryde & Wolverine 1-6

UXM 189-192

UXM Annual 8

Firestar 1, 2 -- Introduction to the character from the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends cartoon into comics canon. It takes place over years which is why I cut UXM 193 in between.

UXM 193

Firestar 3, 4

X-Men and Alpha Flight 1-2 -- Muddy continuity things prevent it from clearly being put anywhere. Apparently the explanation is that it takes places between the middle and end of a single issue... Becomes relevant later.

UXM 194

Nightcrawler (V1) 1-4 -- Cockrum writes and draws Nightcrawler fucking around for four issues. Gets the briefest of acknowledgements later.

Power Pack (V1) 12, UXM 195

Secret Wars Two 1

UXM 196-198

Longshot 1-6 -- Introduces Longshot, Spiral, Mojo and Mojoworld.

UXM 199

NM Special Edition 1 (1985), UXM Annual 9

UXM 200, 201

X-Men: Heroes for Hope -- Special charity issue by every big name writer/artist at the time. Self-contained.

UXM 202-206

Avengers 263, Fantastic Four 286, X-Factor 1 -- These show how the Original 5 X-Men members come back together to form X-Factor. Can be read anywhere between 202 and 210, I just stuck them here for an attempt at pacing.

Marvel Fanfare 33 -- Doesn’t fit super well anywhere because this issue was meant as a video game tie-in. Other lists put it after annual 11 but that’s publication order and definitely doesn’t fit there.

NM Annual 2, UXM Annual 10

UXM 207-209

Mutant Massacre

UXM 210, X-Factor 9, UXM 211, XF 10, NM 46, Thor 373, Power Pack 27, UXM 212, Thor 374, XF 11, UXM 213 -- NM adds some backdrop -- like creating a medical area -- to the events but doesn’t progress the main story.

UXM 214-219

Fantastic Four vs The X-Men 1-4

X-Men vs Avengers 1-4 -- Provides closure to the story in 200.

UXM Annual 11

Fall of the Mutants

I dropped some titles you’ll see in other lists like Daredevil and New Mutants because they either add nothing or have their own, unrelated story that really just keeps you from the main title longer. Everything italicized is related to X-Factor, which also tells its own story but has some links to UXM which carry over into Inferno. It’s broken up with UXM issues for impact and spoilers. If you don’t care about X-Factor you can skip all that and just read 220-227.

XF 18-23, UXM 220-224, Incredible Hulk 340, XF 24, 25, PP 35, UXM 225-227, Captain America 339, XF 26, FF 312 -- Hulk is mostly a transition issue between 224 to 225, Power Pack just shows an extended version of a fight, Cap closes a loose end, Fantastic Four is an epilogue.

UXM 228-231

Excalibur Special Edition (1988) -- Alternate title “Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.” This shows what happens to the leftover X-Men members who weren’t around for FotM and ties up their loose ends before launching Excalibur.

Marvel Comics Presents 1-10, Wolverine (V2) 1-8, 10 -- These take place over the months between 227 and 232. They’re just Wolverine solo stories I included because there are a couple easter eggs that distinctly place them during this time and because Claremont wrote them.

UXM Annual 12

UXM 232-238

Inferno

UXM 239, X-Terminators 1-3, XF 36, UXM 240-241, NM 71, XT 4, NM 72-73, XF 37, UXM 242, XF 38, UXM 243, XF 39

UXM 244, 245

UXM Annual 13 -- Atlantis Attacks tie-in that’s pretty confusing if you’re not following the whole event. Jubilee backup that shows what happens to her between 244 and her next appearance. The Jubilee story is kinda worth it.

Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown 1-4 — I didn’t add this originally because it’s disappointing and self-contained but eventually it’s mentioned again, years after these lists end, in X-factor 112.

UXM 246-267

Days of Future Present: FF Annual 23, NM Annual 6, XF Annual 5, UXM Annual 14

UXM 268, 269

X-Tinction Agenda: UXM 270, NM 95, XF 60, UXM 271, NM 96, XF 61, UXM 272, NM 97, XF 62

UXM 273-274

Kings of Pain: NM Annual 7, New Warriors Annual 1, UXM Annual 15, X-Factor Annual 6 -- Story across annuals about NW and X-Force with backups about Freedom Force. Totally skippable unless you’re reading those. Put here for breathing room between it and the Muir Isle saga.

UXM 275-277

Muir Isle Saga: UXM 278-279, XF 69, UXM 280, XF 70

X-Men (V2) 1-3

For some epilogue stories, see also

X-Men (V2) 4-11 -- Jim Lee stuck around on pencils through 11. And while I have opinions about his effect on the series, he drew the hell out of the book.

Weapon X (Marvel Comics Presents 72-84) — Barry Windsor-Smith tells the original story revealing Logan’s transformation and escape from Weapon X.

X-Men/Spider-Man -- A series of one-shots about crossovers between the team and SM across their careers. It’s fine by itself but excels at finding points in each title’s continuity to unite them. Like 4 issues of fun references and interactions.

X-Men: Grand Design -- A truncated retelling of the X-Men’s years from the start up to Claremont’s exodus, including most future retcons. It might seem weird to suggest a retelling of stories you just read but this is done so well while seamlessly including retcons and making small adjustments with the benefit of hindsight that it is itself a great reading experience. Sort of like when you watch a movie series after finishing the books to compare.

X-Men Forever: Alpha, 1-20, Annual 1, 21-24, Giant-Size 1, XMF 2: 1-16 -- This was an ongoing that Claremont started in 2009, picking up from X-Men #3 to tell the stories he’d had planned as if nothing happened afterwards, which he does for some (like pairing kitty with gambit) while others he just kills off because he decides he’d rather add some stuff he couldn’t have done back then. It’s still fun to see all the rumored plotlines and hints coming to fruition. Or being somewhat confirmed. The story itself isn’t satisfying, but at least it’s interesting. Alpha reprints those 3 issues from 1991 but also has a short story bridging the gap between it and issue 1. You should read it before starting the first issue because they didn’t even include that in the trade. After 24 it then has a giant-size one shot and reboots into X-Men Forever 2, which lasts up to 16.

I’ll occasionally add some stuff so if you didn’t catch something last time it might not have been there! Like the X-Men Forever entry, which I read almost 7 months ago but didn’t decide to put in until now.

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Deadpool by Joe Kelly Reading Order

This is the origin of Deadpool as we know him: breaking the fourth wall, making random references, and cementing his motormouth, all while introducing the pieces for almost everything in the first movie. It also has an unexpected amount of depth, introspection, character progression, vulnerability, and long form storytelling. Even, or especially, if you’re not a fan of the character (like me), I’d recommend this run. Bold=Main story Italics=Optional but explained

Deadpool (1997) 1-5

Deadpool -1 (negative one) --Flashback issue. Technically this was published after 6 but it’s a one-shot and this way it’s between arcs.

Deadpool 6-7

Annual Deadpool & Daredevil ‘97 --Both this and the next annual are part of the arcs in the issues preceding them .

Deadpool 8-17

Annual Deadpool & Death ‘98

Deadpool 18-19

Deadpool 0 --Self-contained one shot. I couldn’t find anywhere to fit this so I stuck it here. Can be read any time before 20.

Deadpool 20-33

Baby’s First Deadpool Book #1 --A bunch of random short stories like you’d find in a child’s book. It’s not related to any kind of narrative. It was published around the same time as #22 but can be read whenever.

#deadpool #wade wilson #joe kelly #marvel comics #blind al

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New 52 Earth 2 - Earth 2 Society Reading Order

After a failed invasion by Apokolips, Steppenwolf was left behind on Earth and has been in hiding. During that time superpowered people have disappeared. The series starts 5 years later with the slow resurgence of new-but-old heroes. The title got sloppy after #26 and the addition of weekly World’s End issues but always told a story on a grand scale and found ways to introduce new and interesting versions of old characters.

Update: I guess this also works as a Val-Zod reading order/introduction since I’ve noticed this post getting more attention as the rumor of a movie with him grows. If that’s all you’re interested in you can start at #17 with Tom Taylor’s run. Though he continues a lot of things from Robinson’s cut-short-story, so I’d still suggest starting from the beginning. It’s only an extra 18 issues, and they’re good! Bold=important parts of the main story Italics=optional (with explanations)

Earth 2 1-6, 0,

DC Universe Presents 0 -- The Mister Terrific story.

Earth 2 7-12

Earth 2 Annual 1

Earth 2 13-16

Earth 2 15.2 -- 16 ends Robinson’s run so there’s no reason to read this filler issue about Solomon Grundy before it. Or at all.

Earth 2 17-20 -- After Robinson left, Tom Taylor takes over for a short but good stint.

Earth 2 Annual 2

Earth 2 21-26

Earth 2 15.1 -- I put this villain issue here because the character doesn’t appear until World’s End starts and I had to re-read this around then because I’d already forgotten what happened. Even then it’s not really helpful.

Earth 2 Future’s End 1 -- Kind of a sneaky What If about the future of Earth 2. It’s written by Daniel H. Wilson, who orchestrates and writes most of World’s End and Earth 2: Society.

Earth 2: World’s End

The main reason I made this list is because Earth 2: World’s End was a weekly comic while Earth 2 was monthly, but they’re telling the same story and cross over. What that means is I had to figure out where to intersect regular Earth 2 issues with WE ones. Which turned out to be incredibly annoying.

Earth 2 World’s End 1

Earth 2 28 -- This is a one-shot that explores the backstories of some characters introduced in WE1. I stuck it before 27 because one doesn’t affect the other and I think it works best right after those characters are introduced.

WE 2, 3

Earth 2 27

WE 4-8

Earth 2 29

WE 9-13

Earth 2 30

WE 14-17

Earth 2 31

WE 18-22

Earth 2 32 -- This doesn’t fit anywhere, this section is also where some weird gaps happen. My guess is the issue was supposed to bridge some things but ended up telling a completely different story, as sometimes happens in events, and the intended stuff fell between the cracks.

WE 23-26 -- Leads into...

Convergence 0-8 -- While not good, I think part of the reason this was received so poorly is because it’s very much a continuation of Earth 2, with those heroes being the protagonists of the story. The event connects things between World’s End and Earth 2: Society.

Earth 2: Society Sneak Peek -- Each title in the short-lived DCYou era got an 8 page prologue. Usually they were added onto another full comic, but as far as I can tell this one existed by itself as a free online preview. (Link in the name.)

E2S 1-14

E2S Annual 1

E2S 15-22

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Agents of Atlas by Jeff Parker Reading Order

This under the radar title ran from 2006-2010 across various volumes and miniseries because it always had trouble with sales. It makes real an old “What If” issue about the forgotten Marvel heroes from the 50s (before the Fantastic Four boom when the company was called Atlas) making an Avengers-type group. The title had a lot of charm and fun finding its own niche in the universe while at the same time touching every corner of it. The joy was even expressed outside the story with creative intro pages, backups, and an extra page or 2 of prose at the end. All of this while doing justice to every character, which isn’t easy when your cast consists of... -Jimmy Woo: Asian FBI agent from the 50s whose long career ended with becoming an aged desk jockey for SHIELD. -Gorilla Man: Immortal man trapped in a gorilla body. -Marvel Boy: A regular human raised on Uranus with psychic powers and a spaceship. -Venus: The goddess of love whose song can enthrall anyone and everyone who hears it. -Namora: Namor’s equally powerful underwater cousin who’s spent the past 50 years frozen in ice. Also mother to Namorita. -M-11: A mute killer robot with a heart of gold that powers his murder lazer. Bold=important parts of the main story Italics=optional (with explanations) (TBH if you’re going to read this, every issue is worth it.) Titles in “quotes” are the name of the short story in an anthology issue.

What If #9 ...the Avengers Had Been Formed During the 1950's? (1978) -- This is where the idea of the team first arose. It’s completely unnecessary and I went through the entire run twice before reading it but it’s pretty fun. If you enjoy the series I’d suggest coming back to this to see how accurately the later comics followed it, as It was eventually retconned to be canon.

The rest is by Parker.

Agents of Atlas (V1) (2006) 1-6

X-Men: First Class (2006) 8-- Flashback team-up between the original X-Men and Gorilla Man.

Spider-Man Family 4 “The Producers” -- Atlas team-up with Spidey.

Wolverine: Agent of Atlas 1-3 -- These were digital exclusive short stories set in WW2. They were added as backups to the 2009 issues.

Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? “The Resistance”

Dark Reign: New Nation “The Heist”

Agents of Atlas (V2) (2009) 1-11

X-Men vs Agents of Atlas 1-2 -- After the second volume got cancelled the story continued in miniseries and backups.

The Avengers vs Atlas 1-4

Godmarked -- This compiles backup stories from The Incredible Hercules 138-141.

Hercules: Fall of an Avenger 1-2 -- More backup stories.

Marvel Boy: The Uranian 1-3-- Details the character’s time in the 50s and cleans up his muddy continuity.

Gorilla Man 1-3

Namora 1 -- One shot with art by Sara Pichelli and Rachelle Rosenberg

Enter the Heroic Age “Heroes For the Ages” -- Yet another short story. Gotta give it to Marvel, they supported the title as much as they could.

Atlas (2010) 1-5

Secret Wars: Agents of Atlas -- This isn’t part of the Parker run but it’s literally the only other Atlas material so why not mention it? A one-shot set during the SW event. Written by Tom Taylor of Injustice fame.

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Hellblazer Reading Order

This is for the original run of Hellblazer 1-300 from 1987-2013 along with all relevant miniseries, one-shots and specials. I wanted to read this for a long time and it’s worth it. There’s a chunk of issues that I disliked, but I’m less mad that they weren’t good and more disappointed at being robbed of 80 or so issues with the character. Reaching the end felt like losing a friend, and now, as a reader watching the title end, I know what it was like for John to see all his friends die around him. So cheers to John Constantine: while there will be reboots and adaptations and alternate versions, there will never be another character like the original. Bold=important parts of the main story Italics=optional (with explanations) Constantine was created by Alan Moore in the pages of Swamp Thing so it feels necessary to add that as an optional start. However, aside from a few quick references in the first few Hellblazer issues you can enjoy that run without this. Still, it’s a good story and a good introduction. Technically he first appeared in ST 32 but that’s a retcon for a single panel of a guy in the background. Like how Jessica Jones “technically” first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #4 in ‘63 despite not being created until the early ‘00s.

Swamp Thing Volume 2 #37-51 – The main story ends with 50 but Constantine’s exodus happens in 51.

Hellblazer 1-9 – Beginning of Delano’s run.

Swamp Thing 76-77 – The crossover timeline is funky but it works out midway through Hellblazer 10.

Hellblazer 10-13

Annual (1989)

Hellblazer 14-17

Sandman (V2) 3 – John’s in basically the entire issue as he and Dream team up to find Dream’s missing shit. The end of this story is shown in the middle of issue 19, so nowhere you put it will really fit because 18 ends in a cliffhanger immediately picked up in 19. I’d say read it before 18 or after 19, if you decide to read it at all.

Hellblazer 18-40

Shade the Changing Man 42-44 – Not much of a Constantine story as he’s barely in it. Technically this takes place before his Swamp Thing appearances because of time travel stuff, making the chronology wonky. I only mention this because the same writer eventually does a Hellblazer run and this arc becomes part of it. Can be read any time before Hellblazer 251.

Books of Magic 1-4 – A sort of team comes together with Constantine being one of the four. Written by Neil Gaiman.

Hellblazer 41-69 – Start of Ennis’ run.

Vertigo Jam 1 – Short story by Ennis.

Hellblazer 70-71

Hellblazer: Special 1 (1993) – Another one-shot by Ennis.

Hellblazer 72-83

Heartland – Epilogue to Ennis’ run. doesn’t have Constantine but it’s about one of his close supporting cast and is pretty good. They even include this in the collected editions.

Hellblazer 84

The Horrorist 1-2 – It’s collected with Delano’s run but it didn’t really fit with where the character was at that point so I put it between runs near-enough to the published date. Though it doesn’t really “fit” anywhere, at least it’s self-contained.

Hellblazer 85-120 – 85-88 is a fill-in arc that Jenkins follows up on immediately with the start of his run in 89.

Hellblazer/Books of Magic 1-2 – Crossover with the main character from Books of Magic, which became an ongoing after the Gaiman mini. It’s even written by Paul Jenkins, who was writing Hellblazer at the time.

Hellblazer 121-124

Winters Edge 1 – Short story (8 pages) by Jenkins that takes place between arcs

Hellblazer 125-133 – Short Ennis arc.

Winter’s Edge 2 – short story by Ennis. could be read any time after his run.

Trenchcoat Brigade 1-4 – The occult crew from Gaiman’s Books of Magic mini get together again. Not actually written by Gaiman.

Hellblazer 134-143 – Ellis’ run.

Shoot – The infamous one-shot story about school shootings that was set to come out right after Columbine and Vertigo refused to publish, causing Ellis to back out of the title. An issue everyone should read.

Sandman Presents: The Love Street 1-3 – Self-contained story that has Constantine at 15. Also weaves in well with the first issue of Sandman.

Winter’s Edge 3 – Prose short story

Hellblazer 144-145

Secret Files 1 (2000/2005) – A short prose story by Delano and comic by Azzarello, the rest are character bios, timelines and snippets of writer interviews. The 2005 one is the same but with updates to the timeline. If you have the 2005 one instead you can stick it after 174.

Bad Blood 1-4 – Self-contained Delano mini. Set in 2025 about future politics of the crumbling English monarchy on its last gasp vs the republicans pushing for a presidency. Basically an Elseworld or What If story.

Hellblazer 146-174 – Azzarello’s run.

Lady Constantine 1-4 – Self-contained mini written by Diggle (who has a short run later) that takes place in 1785 and follows one of John’s ancestors, Johanna, who has also popped up in Sandman a few times. If you care about Sandman chronology, this occurs before issue 13 of Sandman where she was first introduced.

Hellblazer 175-188 – Beginning of Carey’s run.

Papa Midnite 1-5 – Tells the origin of Papa Midnite during the 1700s in NYC and is largely about slavery. One line of dialogue places it directly before 189 but it doesn’t affect Hellblazer; Constantine is barely in it and plays no real role.

Hellblazer 189-229 – Denise Mina’s run from 216-228.

Hellblazer 245-246 – Jason Aaron wrote a standalone 2 parter in between Diggle’s run which interrupts it, and putting it after the run wouldn’t work.

Hellblazer: All His Engines – OGN by Mike Carey. This was published around #200 but I feel like jamming it there would interfere with the run’s momentum while also making the OGN feel like just another arc. It gets referenced in Diggle’s run so I stuck it before the start of that.

Hellblazer 230-244, 247-250 – Diggle’s run.

Chas: The Knowledge 1-5 – Despite following Chas and not being the main title, in terms of tone, art and story this is very much a Hellblazer book.

Hellblazer: Dark Entries, Hellblazer: Pandemonium, Hellblazer: City of Demons – These are OGNs that came out in ‘09, ‘10, and ‘11 but shouldn’t interrupt Milligan’s run. They’re all pretty good and each is standalone.

Hellblazer 251-286 – Start of Milligan’s run which closes out the title.

Hellblazer Annual (2012)

Hellblazer 287-300