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Romance Comics: The Rise, Fall, and Legacy of a Genre

Cover of Young Romance #150

Nowadays, comics are de facto synonymous with superheroes. In reality, it’s just one genre among many, but it’s the one that has constantly dominated the market for the longest time and it’s now hard to get away from it. This was not always the case. At some point, horror and crime comics were all the rage, and there was even a romance comics craze.

Post-war America was tired of superheroes. It was 1947 and the comic book market was forced to evolve. At Timely Comics (it was not Marvel Comics yet), Martin Goodman started reducing the number of superhero books and replacing them with humor titles. It was a trend that Archie Comics Publications started with his teenage-oriented comics. Others followed, bifurcating into teenage romances.

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Milestone Comics Reading Order (Hardware, Icon, Blood Syndicate, and Static)

In 1993, DC Comics launched two major lines: Vertigo and Milestone. The first was developed to cater to an older, more mature audience, than the regular DC Comics line. The second was historically more significant as Milestone Comics was the first minority-owned comic book company, cofounded by four African-Americans who wanted to introduce a more realistic cultural diversity in American Superhero comics.

Dwayne McDuffie, Derek T. Dingle, Denys Cowan, and Michael Davis made a deal with DC Comics. Milestone would control the copyrights, the characters, the merchandising, and the creative direction, while DC Comics would print, license, and distribute the comics for a share of the profits. And so, Milestone Comics was launched in February 1993 with the publication of Hardware #1 by Dwayne McDuffie and Jimmy Palmiotti. Then came Blood Syndicate by Ivan Velez Jr. and Chris Cross, Icon by McDuffie and M.D. Bright, and Static by McDuffie, Robert Washington III, John Paul Leon, and Steve Mitchell.

The launch was a total success, but it didn’t last long. Milestone Comics ceased regular publication in 1997 due to financial difficulties. Its cultural impact was nevertheless important (and still is) and its return was discussed for a long time. It finally happened in 2021 and came with a modernized take on the now-classic comics.

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Typhoid Mary Comics Reading Guide, a Marvel List

Not long after Frank Miller concluded his iconic run on Daredevil, Ann Nocenti came along to put Matt Murdock through hell—literally. While still exploring the darkest corners of our hero’s soul, Nocenti didn’t rely on the same elements as Miller, who introduced Elektra and pitted Daredevil against ninjas. Instead, her more political approach led, among other things, to the creation of Typhoid Mary, one of Daredevil’s most emblematic archenemies today.

Though she has appeared in fewer than 200 issues to this day, Mary Walker cannot be ignored. From her striking beauty (and beautiful hair!) to her psychological instability—she suffers from dissociative identity disorder—Mary leaves an impression wherever she goes. She is undoubtedly a dangerous woman—highly trained as an athlete and martial artist, with the added abilities of pyrokinesis and telekinesis.

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Batman By Grant Morrison Reading Order

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Grant Morrison’s 7-year long run on Batman remains one of the most celebrated, influential, and divisive takes on the Caped Crusader. It all started in 2005 when editor Peter Tomasi approached  Morrison about writing the monthly Batman comic. As Morrison later explained, he thought at the time he had “said most of what had to say about the character with Arkham Asylum, Gothic, and Batman’s appearances in JLA. Clearly, I was wrong.” (Batman Incorporated Special #1, October 2013).

Morrison’s work on Batman started at the end of the Modern Age and concluded at the start of New 52. His approach—treating the entire publishing history as Batman’s life story—created one of the most iconic sagas featuring the Dark Knight. It’s an epic, metaphysical tale filled with weird sci-fi elements, colorful and dangerous villains, unexpected plot twists, and, at its core, the tragic effects of trauma and broken families. As often, Bruce Wayne’s loss of his parents is still at the heart of the story, the same way that Damian Wayne, Son of Batman, is.

Structured in three parts, Morrison’s epic tale takes the reader on a wild ride, from the deconstruction of Batman’s history in the first part, to the playful spirit of adventure in the second, and finally, to the ambitious, James Bond-style story of the third. Not everything works, but there is no doubt that when it is, it is sort of magical.

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White Tiger Reading Order (Hector Ayala, Angela del Toro, and Ava Ayala)

In 1974, Marvel Comics was in the business of publishing magazines. One of them was The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, a black-and-white martial arts comics magazine that introduced in its first issue The Sons of the Tiger, a trio of crime fighters. Created by Gerry Conway and Dick Giordano, these characters each possessed an amulet (a tiger’s head and two tiger claws) that increased their fighting skills.

But this didn’t last and after many adventures, the three sons call it quits and throw away their amulets. However, in The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19, an issue from writer Bill Mantlo and artist George Pérez, they are found by a young Puerto Rican named Hector Ayala who combined them and gained the power that transformed him into the hero called White Tiger!

Like the three sons, Hector Ayala used martial arts but acted like a more traditional superhero with a costume and a secret identity. With The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #33, the comics magazine ended, and the black-and-white adventures of White Tiger with it (his ended in #32 though). A few months later, he made his comeback, in color this time, in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #9 written by Bill Mantlo who kept using the character that way.

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The Best of Magneto Comics, our Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)

He is a Master of Magnetism. He is one of the most complex and ambiguous figures among the X-Men. We’re talking about Magneto, alias Max Eisenhardt, or Erik Magnus Lehnsherr.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, Magneto started as a one-dimensional foe for the young X-Men team led by Professor Xavier, mostly defined by his mutant-versus-human ideals. The Magneto we know today was developed by Chris Claremont, who transformed him into a more complex, three-dimensional character. The first turning point came with the classic Uncanny X-Men #150, which introduced the first notion of Magneto’s past as a Holocaust survivor.

Over the next few years, Magneto continued to evolve, leading to the milestone Uncanny X-Men #200—”The Trial of Magneto”—which concluded with a major change in the status quo for the mutants. Magneto’s potential for redemption became central to his character, pushing him into a more complex grey area, often shifting between good and evil depending on the writer’s interpretation.

Here’s a guide to some of the most important and recommended comics featuring Magneto, Marvel’s Master of Magnetism!

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The Rocketeer Reading Order, A guide to Dave Stevens’ cult comics and the IDW miniseries

First appearing as a backup feature in Starslayer #2, published by Pacific Comics in 1982, The Rocketeer is a now-cult comic book created by Dave Stevens (1955-2008) who was heavily inspired by the aesthetic of pulp magazines, early Hollywood serials, and vintage aviation.

Set in 1930s Los Angeles, the story of The Rocketeer follows Cliff Secord, a young and cocky stunt pilot trying to make a name for himself. Cliff’s life takes an unexpected turn when he discovers a mysterious rocket pack hidden in his hangar. This experimental device allows him to fly, making him a target at the same time as it was originally stolen by gangsters during a botched robbery and ends up in Cliff’s possession. They want it back, as does its creator, Howard Hughes. Soon, Cliff’s girlfriend, an aspiring actress and model named Betty, becomes entangled in Cliff’s adventures when villains attempt to use her to get to him. To make matters worse, the Nazis view the rocket pack as a potential weapon that could give them a significant advantage in their plans for world domination and want to get it for themselves.

A skilled storyteller and an exceptionally gifted artist, Stevens injected everything he liked in the comics. From his love of the iconic pin-up model Bettie Page to retro-futurism and aviation culture, the aesthetic of pulp magazines and early serials, and the glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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Outsiders Reading Order, A DC Comics Team (featuring Batman!)

When Wayne Enterprises manager Lucius Fox goes missing in Markovia, Batman recruits the Justice League of America (JLA) to find him, only to have Superman informing him that he promised the State Department that no member of the team would interfere in the Markovian Revolution.

As a result, Batman resigns from the JLA and goes to Markovia with Black Lightning. The duo encounters Metamorpho along with new heroes Katana, Halo, and Geo-Force. At the end of their mission, Batman convinces them to come together as a team. And thus, The Outsiders were formed!

Created by writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jim Aparo, The Outsiders first appeared in a preview of The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983), the final issue of that series, before making their official debut in the own title, Batman and The Outsiders, the following month.

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One World Under Doom Reading Order, a new Dark era in the Marvel Comics Universe

It’s a new day and a new world in the Marvel Comics Universe. It’s One World Under Doom!!! The Sorcerer Supreme is launching his Dark Reign era in 2025.

To Save the world from the Vampire invasion, Doctor Strange had to give Doctor Victor Von Doom his title as Sorcerer Supreme. After that, Latveria’s leader retreated to his country. Months passed without any news but the wait just ended: Doctor Doom, Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, has magically taken over every broadcast medium on the planet and declared himself Emperor of the World — the ruler of a new United Latveria!

Leaders of the World complied but Earth’s heroes are not so easily manipulated. The resistance is forming, but will they succeed in stopping Doom’s machinations? The answers will come, written by Fantastic Four author Ryan North and artist R. B. Silva in their “One World Under Doom” limited series. Of course, it would not be a Marvel event if the story was confined to one book. Everybody is affected by this power shift.

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Marvel Epic Collection: The 2025 Release Schedule

Everybody is not collecting costly omnibuses and Marvel Comics knows that. That’s why the House of Ideas launched, in 2013, the more affordable Marvel Epic Collection. This collection of trade paperbacks reprints large parts of Marvel Comics’ back catalog in chronological order. 

Each Epic Collection is focused on a specific character, team, or title–popular ones like Spider-Man, X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and lesser-known characters like Moon Knight and Iron Fist–, presenting the stories in the order they were originally published and, unlike some other collected editions, these books don’t rely on being read in sequential order.

A single volume might contain 20-30 issues of a comic, including main series issues, annuals, tie-ins, and sometimes related series that add to the storyline, offering a comprehensive block of stories, and making it easy to jump into a character or series without needing previous volumes. This helps with the fact they are not published in strict chronological order, meaning a volume released this year might cover the 1960s, while another might focus on the 1980s. Over time, the line is designed to fill in all the gaps.

Sadly, these books may be affordable, but they are not printed in large quantities. It’s too easy to miss out on a new one. We will try to list here what’s coming, what’s already published, and if there are reprints.

You can also take a look at the release schedule for DC Comics’ DC Finest Collection.

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