Skip to content

Marvel Runaways Reading Order

  • by

First published by Marvel Comics in July 2003, The Runaways is a comic book series created by writer Brian K. Vaughan (Saga) and artist Adrian Alphona. It launched as part of Marvel’s “Tsunami” imprint, an initiative designed to attract readers who were fans of manga and other youth-oriented genres. Although the Tsunami line was discontinued after a brief period and despite modest initial single-issue sales, The Runaways found new readers with the help of the trade paperback collections, which led Marvel to revive the title in 2005 after an initial cancellation.

This starts as the story of six teenagers from Los Angeles: Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Gertrude Yorkes, Molly Hayes, and Alex Wilder. They have little in common beyond the annual gatherings of their wealthy parents. When they accidentally discover that their parents are part of a secret criminal cabal known as the Pride, an organization that has covertly controlled much of the city’s underworld, their lives are upended. Shocked by the revelation, the teens band together and flee from their homes, determined to put an end to their parents’ criminal activities while struggling to survive on their own.

Over time, the group members each develop distinct roles and abilities that aid them in their fight against the Pride and other adversaries. Nico Minoru wields a powerful magical artifact called the Staff of One; Chase Stein utilizes advanced technology stolen from his parents; Karolina Dean learns she is an alien with the ability to manipulate solar energy; Gertrude Yorkes bonds telepathically with a genetically engineered dinosaur; Molly Hayes manifests superhuman strength and invulnerability; and Alex Wilder emerges as a strategic leader, though his loyalty becomes a pivotal point in the early narrative.

Following Vaughan and Alphona’s departure after 30 additional issues, The Runaways was continued by other creative teams, including notable writers such as Joss Whedon and Terry Moore. The Runaways inspired a 3-season (2017-19) live-action adaptation for the streaming service Hulu.

Read More »Marvel Runaways Reading Order

Etrigan The Demon Reading Order

Created by Jack Kirby for DC Comics, Etrigan the Demon made his debut in 1972. The character was first teased in the last issue of The Forever People (issue #10), announcing the launch of the new series simply titled “The Demon.”

Inspired by a character from Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant comics, Etrigan is a demon from Hell whom Merlin originally summoned to help him seek and protect the Eternity Book. The Wizard bound him to Jason Blood, one of his loyal knights. This fusion condemned Jason to immortality and a constant inner struggle with the demonic entity he now shared a body with. Blood worked with Harry Matthews, Glenda Mark, and Randy Singh to face powerful foes, including Morgaine Le Fey and her followers.

Jack Kirby only wrote and drew the original 16-issue series, but The Demon came back a few years later, in 1977, first in his second team-up with Batman in Brave and the Bold #137 ( the first one was in B&B #109 by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo, the only Demon story not by Kirby at the time, in 1973). After all, Jason Blood was based in Gotham City, so he had to meet the Caped Crusader from time to time. DC Comics continued to bring Etrigan back in Batman Family, Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, and DC Comics Presents, before appearing notably in The Saga of Swamp Thing.

That’s when a change appeared in The Demon’s characterization. In SOTST #26 (1984) by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, and John Totleben, Etrigan started to speak exclusively in rhyming verse, which quickly became a defining trait of the character. Other renowned writers and cartoonists continued to bring The Demon back after that, like Matt Wagner, Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola, John Byrne, and more. The character was recurring inside the DC Universe with his story being developed from one book to the other, but he never became a major one. Still, he is a memorable and captivating figure.

Read More »Etrigan The Demon Reading Order

Re:ZERO Manga Order (Starting Life in Another World)

Let’s start life in another world! That’s exactly what happens in Re:Zero — also known as Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World — one of the most popular stories in the isekai genre today, a subgenre of fiction where someone is transported to another world and must learn how to survive in this new world.

In Re:Zero, Subaru Natsuki is a young man who suddenly finds himself in a medieval fantasy-like world. He quickly discovers how dangerous this new place can be when he dies… only to revive a few hours in the past! He learns that he has the power to return to a specific point in time after each death (much like a checkpoint in a video game). These deaths are not without pain, and Subaru also has to deal with memories of what happened before his death, while everybody else has forgotten.

Created by Tappei Nagatsuki, Re:Zero began in 2012 as a web novel on the user-generated content site Shōsetsuka ni Narō (and is still ongoing). Media Factory later acquired the series for print publication, starting the light novels in 2014 with illustrations by Shin’ichirō Ōtsuka. As of now, forty volumes have been released, along with six side story novels and eleven short story collections.

Subaru Natsuki’s adventures don’t stop there. Re:Zero has naturally been adapted into an anime, as well as several manga series and spin-offs — the subject of our article today!

Read More »Re:ZERO Manga Order (Starting Life in Another World)

X-Men: From The Ashes Reading Order (Part. 8)

Welcome back to the world of the X-Men with part 8 of our ultimate reading guide. Once the “Krakoan Age” came to an end, Marvel Comics launched a new era called “From The Ashes.” A complete relaunch of the X-Line of comics starting summer 2024.

This was teased in X-Men (vol. 6) #35 (legacy Uncanny X-Men #700), announcing a return to something similar to the old status quo with mutants rejoining the rest of the world and facing hatred and fear. 

The new era of X-Men kicks off with three flagship titles. First, in X-Men (vol. 7) by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper (formerly Oya), Magik, and Juggernaut come together to face emerging threats, fighting not just for survival, but for the future and guiding philosophy of mutantkind. Then, in Uncanny X-Men (vol. 6) by Gail Simone and David Marquez, outlaws once more, Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Wolverine are now based in the heart of the Big Easy, and they continue to defend a world that fears and hates them. Then, in Exceptional X-Men by Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero, Kate Pryde returned to her hometown of Chicago in the aftermath of the war with Orchis, hoping to leave the world of mutant affairs behind. But when she encounters three young mutants—Bronze, Axo, and Melee—in desperate need of training and guidance, she finds herself reluctantly drawn back in. And to make matters more complicated, Emma Frost wholeheartedly agrees.

Those X-Men comic book series are soon joined by NYX (vol. 2), Phoenix, Storm (vol. 5), Wolverine (vol. 8), X-Factor (vol. 5), X-Force (vol. 7), and some limited series and, soon, the first crossovers. 

Read More »X-Men: From The Ashes Reading Order (Part. 8)

Clayface Explained: The Many Faces of Batman’s muddiest Rogue

It may not be surprising that a character made of clay has been reshaped multiple times. In the world of DC Comics (and superhero comics in general), legacy characters are now pretty common, but few have passed the baton–or the moniker–as much as Clayface. Known for being one of Batman’s Rogues Gallery members, this adversary is undoubtedly not a simple villain but “multiple.”

From actor Basil Karlo to firefighter Johnny Williams, the Clayface name is rooted in horror and tragedy, with each version bringing something different and reshaping the character’s relationship with the Caped Crusader.

Read More »Clayface Explained: The Many Faces of Batman’s muddiest Rogue

Comic Book News of The Week: Revival Trailer and More

What’s going on in the Comic Book World? Life can be pretty busy, so we highlight recent news and articles that may catch your interest in our sixth edition of Comic Book News.

As The Eternaut premiered over a week ago on Netflix, with ComicBeat calling the adaptation a “highly bingeable show,” another comic book adaptation is headed to the small screen. Syfy Channel has released the trailer for Revival, based on the comic series by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. Often described as a horror series, Revival is more of a crime series with a fantastic twist — and features on our list of the 15 Best Crime Comics to read.

If you haven’t yet read it, here’s the official synopsis for the TV Show starring Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna Earp herself!):

On one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin, the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the “revived” appear and act just like they once were. When local officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.

Read More »Comic Book News of The Week: Revival Trailer and More

Norman Osborn: The Evolution of Spider-Man’s Nemesis, from Green Goblin to Reformed Man

In the world of superhero comics, so many villains are just coming back, barely evolving as the decades pass. Still, some took on prominent roles and were forced to grow with the times as their continuing existence became so tightly connected to one of the superheroes that they couldn’t stop fighting. They may not be legion, but Norman Osborn is certainly one of them.

As one of Marvel Comics’ most complex and enduring antagonists, he is known primarily as the original Green Goblin. A personal nemesis to Spider-Man, Osborn’s career of villainy has led to some of the most impactful moments in Peter Parker’s life, but also in the Marvel Universe as a whole. 

Read More »Norman Osborn: The Evolution of Spider-Man’s Nemesis, from Green Goblin to Reformed Man

Best Joker Comics: Your Essential Reading Order for the Clown Prince of Crime

Everyone knows the Joker. He’s Batman’s archenemy and one of the most dangerous and unpredictable villains in Gotham City (and across DC Comics).

The origins of the Joker are as mysterious as the character himself. Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson—credited for the character’s conception—each offer their own version of the story. What can’t be denied was the influence of actor Conrad Veidt’s grinning visage from the movie The Man Who Laughs (1928) as inspiration for the Joker design.

Regardless of the story behind the Joker’s creation, Batman’s villain has become over time a larger-than-life character, an unstoppable force of nature representing everything Batman stands against. He is often used to represent unresolved societal issues and has been, throughout the years, a criminal mastermind, a comical prankster, an anarchist, and a classic trickster who shifts between violence and dark humor.

Read More »Best Joker Comics: Your Essential Reading Order for the Clown Prince of Crime

Star Wars Omnibus Reading Order!

May the 4th Be With You! Since the movie’s release in 1977, Star Wars Comics have been produced with few interruptions. It all started at Marvel Comics with a six-issue comic book adaptation of the film. It was such a success that it helped Marvel survive the financial difficulties of the time. The series continued with original stories starting from issue #7 and became one of the top-selling titles. Marvel published the series until 1986, totaling 107 issues and three Annuals.

During this period, a newspaper strip was also distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and the Watertown Daily Times, while Pendulum Press released in 1978 a 31-page loose adaptation designed for classroom use. For several years after Marvel’s comic series ended, there was few Star Wars material. This changed in 1991 when Dark Horse acquired the license and revived the franchise with the release of the novel Heir to the Empire—the first book of a trilogy by Timothy Zahn—which was also adapted into a comic book. After that, the publisher launched dozens of series set in the Star Wars universe over the next 20 years.

A well-established fact now, Dark Horse lost the license in 2014 to Marvel Comics, which became the primary publisher of Star Wars Comics. It marked the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe and the beginning of a new continuity known as Star Wars Canon. In 2017, IDW Publishing launched the anthology series Star Wars Adventures, and in 2022, Dark Horse started publishing new Star Wars comics and graphic novels.

For Star Wars Day, we look closer at the many Star Wars omnibus editions—from Dark Horse’s older collections to Marvel’s ongoing omnibus line to help you navigate this vast galaxy!

Read More »Star Wars Omnibus Reading Order!

What to Read This Month: The Best Comics of May 2025

Between Marvel Omnibus, DC Omnibus, the Epic Collection, DC Finest, Compact editions, and everything else publishers put out, there’s always way there’s always more to discover! Launched this past March, What to Read This Month highlights each month’s notable releases. Here’s our selection for May, featuring some great stories from the Suicide Squad, Mickey Mouse, and more. And if you missed last month’s picks, you can find them here.

May’s Comic Picks

All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher.

Suicide Squad by John Ostrander Omnibus Vol. 1
By John Ostrander

In a post-Crisis world, comics legend John Ostrander redefined the Suicide Squad for the modern age in this brutal tale of war and redemption. Still the most celebrated Suicide Squad run ever published, it is now collected in Omnibus!

When new threats emerge deemed too dangerous for the United States military, Batman, and even Superman, who is called in to answer the call of duty? Seems like a job for Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad. Led by the no-nonsense federal agent Amanda Waller, this band of notorious super-criminals are faced with a dilemma: accept these highly dangerous missions and stare death in the face to earn their freedom or rot forever in prison.

Read More »What to Read This Month: The Best Comics of May 2025