Starting this summer, Judgment Day is the latest Marvel Comics crossover event! Written by Kieron Gillen and with art by Valerio Schiti, A.X.E: Judgment Day will put the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals in the heart of a deadly conflict.
Here is the official synopsis: The battle for the planet is here! The X-Men claim they’re Earth’s new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. And the Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have been keeping from them!
Years of tension are about to lead to a volcanic eruption — and two worlds will burn! Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world?
What to read before A.X.E: Judgment Day?
Being an event coming from Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti, you certainly need to be up-to-date with their Eternals’ run:
- Eternals Vol. 1: Only Death is Eternal
Collects Eternals (2021) #1-6. - Eternals Vol. 2: Hail Thanos
Collects Eternals (2021) #7-12.
But also with Kieron Gillen and Mark Brooks’ Immortal X-Men
- Immortal X-Men
- as well as other Destiny of X titles like X-Men (#11-12, X-Men – Hellfire Gala (2022) #1), X-Men Red. No Avengers reading really required.
A.X.E: Judgment Day Reading Order: Collected Editions
You can find the whole event in one big omnibus (944 pages):
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omnibus
Collects A.X.E.: Eve of Judgment (2022) #1; A.X.E.: Judgment Day (2022) #1-6; Immortal X-Men (2022) #5-7; X-Men Red (2022) #5-7; A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants (2022) #1-3; X-Force (2020) #30-33; X-Men (2021) #13-14; Wolverine (2020) #24, 25 (A story); Marauders (2022) #6; Fantastic Four (2018) #47-48; Avengers (2018) #60; A.X.E.: Avengers (2022) #1; Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #10; A.X.E.: X-Men (2022) #1; A.X.E.: Iron Fist (2022) #1; A.X.E.: Starfox (2022) #1; Captain Marvel (2019) #42; A.X.E.: Eternals (2022) #1; A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omega (2023) #1.
Previously collected in two paperbacks:
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day
Collects A.X.E.: Judgment Day #1-6, A.X.E.: Avengers #1, A.X.E.: X-Men #1, A.X.E.: Eternals #1, Free Comic Book Day 2022: Avengers/X-Men #1 (A.X.E. story). - A.X.E.: Judgment Day Companion
Collects A.X.E.: Eve Of Judgment, A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omega, A.X.E.: Death To The Mutants #1-3, A.X.E.: Starfox, A.X.E.: Iron Fist And Fantastic Four (2018) #47-48.
A.X.E: Judgment Day Reading Order: Issue by Issue
With tie-ins from Avengers, X-Men, X-Men: Red, Immortal X-Men, X-Force… This will be updated as the event progresses.
Prelude
- Eternals (2021) #10-12
- Free Comic Book Day 2022: Avengers/X-Men #1
- A.X.E.: Eve of Judgment #1
Main event
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day #1
- Immortal X-Men #5
- X-Men Red #5
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day #2
- A.X.E.: Death To the Mutants #1
- X-Men #13
- Avengers #60
- Amazing Spider-Man #10
- Captain Marvel #42
- A.X.E.: Iron Fist #1
X-Force #30(not an A.X.E. tie-in despite the banner on the cover)- A.X.E.: Judgment Day #3
- Fantastic Four #47
- Fantastic Four #48
- X-Men #14
- X-Force #31 (barely connected to the event)
- Wolverine #24
- Wolverine #25
- X-Force #32 (barely connected to the event)
- X-Force #33 (but comeback later to read the last spoilery page)
- A.X.E.: Death To the Mutants #2
- Immortal X-Men #6
- Marauders #6
- X-Men Red #6
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4
- Legion of X #6
- X-Men Red #7
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day #5
- Immortal X-Men #7
- A.X.E.: Death To the Mutants #3
- A.X.E.: Avengers #1
- A.X.E.: X-Men #1
- A.X.E.: Eternals #1
- A.X.E.: Starfox #1
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day #6
- A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omega
After A.X.E: Judgment Day
Now that A.X.E: Judgment Day concluded, things have mostly changed for the Eternals.
It is advertised that those events will reverberate in X-Men Red #9, Immortal X-Men #9, and Avengers Assemble Alpha #1
Fantastic Four #47 and Avengers #60 clearly takes place before A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4. I say they both take place after A.X.E.: Judgment Day #3 before issue #4 because the Celestial is still judging them during the issue #3, after issue #4 he already made his mind about destroying Earth.
Thanks! I didn’t have time to read them yet, I was planning on updating the list later this week, as usual. I’ll follow your recommendation, don’t hesitate to make more suggestions if needed.
Hello friend. Nice job trying to figure it out the reading order. I am too. I’ve read again Avengers #60 and Amazing Spider Man #10. I kind have the feeling that both issues take place right after AXE Judgment Day 2 before AXE Judgment Day 3. Both issues takes place during daylight, right after the Celestial announces that the World has 24 hours. AXE Judgment Day #3 is when the X-Men tries that assault attack against the Celestial and it turns out is all a lie, a psychic lie. As for Fantastic Four #48 the proper place is right where the issue is, after Judgment Day 3 because Mister Fantastic mentions that the direct attack against the Celestial has failed. So, that can only be the first assault from Judgement Day 3 because the attack from Judgement Day 5 ends up with the Fantastic Four getting killed along with several heroes.
What do you think? The release order of the issues is just that, the release order. Now is up to us to figure it out the chronological order of the events. Amazing Spider Man #10 only has a note saying that takes place before Judgment Day 4. It doesn’t say which issue is after. I say it could be right after Judgement Day 2, cause like I said is way early, Peter even gets to go to sleep to wake up on another day.
I really appreciate your help. I tried to make this kind of reading order at the time of publication, but I usually have to come back after to clean things up because things usually get messy at some point (we clearly have passed that point with A.X.E.).
I’ll take every suggestion you can offer!
Thanks. I’m glad to help.
Hello, I have some thoughts about the reading order. I’ve read X-Men Red 7 and there’s a note saying that the issue takes place after AXE Judgment Day 5 BUT I disagree. It is in Judgment Day 4 that Magneto and Storm fights Uranos and defeats them, leaving Magneto almost dying. It is my opinion that X-Men Red 7 takes place right after Judgment Day 4 before Judgement Day 5. In Judgment Day 5 the World is already being destroyed by the Celestial, it doesn’t care for the people anymore, already gave the World thumps down, so I don’t think X-Men Red 7 place after these events.
And as for AXE Starfox, I think takes place after AXE X-Men. In AXE X-Men Jean tries to see whats going on outside but she doesn’t see clearly, just the chaos, and in AXE Starfox, he’s trying to save people while the remaining heroes are inside of the Celestial. But that’s just my opinion, what do you think? I really think I’m right about this, but if you feel differently I’d love to read your reasons. Thanks.
I probably should stop to put them on the list before reading them all with the idea to update later after reading, it seems that the editors are not the more precise possible with their recommendations. I just had time for A.X.E.: X-Men #1 yesterday 🙂
I took a look à Red #7 and yes, the story clearly picked up after JD#4. For Starfox, It is said it starts 12 hours after Judgment Day, and we see the same type of chaos that Jean Grey briefly sees in AXE: X-Men #1. But AXE: Avengers #1 starts 1 day after Judgment Day. The Starfox book is a bit confusing with its non-linear narrative, it’s not easy to know if the events in the “present” are long after the 12 hours later note or no. Maybe between Avengers and X-Men would be preferable for now. I think we’ll know more in AXE: Eternals #1.
Today we had 9 tie-in issues, here where and how I placed them. Legion of 6 is after AXE JD4 before X-Men Red 7.
Immortal X-Men 7 is after AXE JD5 before AXE Avengers. AXE Death to the mutants is after Immortal X-Men 7 before AXE Avengers.
AXE Iron Fist and Captain Marvel 42 could be after Avengers 60 (kind of irrelevant books for the main plot)
Fantastic Four 48 is just the conclusion of Fantastic Four 47.
As for the X-Force and Wolverine issues, I feel like the order is like this
X-Force 30-31, Wolverine 24-25, X-Force 32-33. (Could be read after AXE JD3 in this specific order, all these before AXE JD4)
AXE Eternals clearly after AXE X-Men.
I guess that it.
X-Force 33 is not out yet but clearly will be after X-Force 32 due the scene that #32 ends.
Then I guess that’s it, we only have AXE JD6 left then Omega.
Got home late yesterday and didn’t have time to look at all those books! So many! I follow your suggestions and everything fit quite well.
I’m thinking of taking the X-Force out of the reading order at the end of it. We’ll see with #33.
Yes, some books aren’t very connected to the main event drama. For example, X-Force is just Kraven attacking Krakoa while at the same time is being attacked by the Eternals. Fantastic Four 47/48 also doesn’t contribute much for the event, is just them vs a villain who isn’t connected to the event at all.
The following books are just the heroes being judged by the Celestial with stories not connected to the main event at all, Avengers 60 (Hawkeye), Amazing Spiderman 10 (Peter), Captain Marvel (Carol), AXE Iron Fist (Loki and Iron Fist).
A reader interesting in the Main Event story focused on the fight between X-Men and Eternals. Can skip Avengers 60, Captain Marvel 48, Amazing Spiderman 10, Fantastic Four 47-48, X-Force 30-32(possibly 33 too), and AXE: Iron Fist. These stories bring nothing to the main plot. They’re basically the heroes of each book dealing with being judged by the Celestial, but they don’t contribute with anything to what’s going on in the world. Totally isolated cases here.
That’s typical of the big Marvel events. At first, it is announced that there will be 15 issues, the main event and the tie-ins, then when the event begins, the list has doubled in size, and some writers are clearly forced to quickly come up with some barely connected stories. The Captain Marvel one is mostly about her cat! the Spidey story is so forgettable I barely remember reading it; at least, the FF story is a bit fun but didn’t deserve two issues.
It’s Avengers/X-Men/Eternals: Judgment Day, but the Avengers tie-in issue is almost optional. Idem with some of the X-Titles, like X-Force.
My personal policy when it comes to reading Marvel events in recent years is to first read the main miniseries, then the tie-ins with the characters I like, it’s not always the best way to enjoy it, but it often works fine. Now that I think about it, it’s the same with DC!
Just read X-Force #33. I guess could be read right after X-Force 32 since pick it up right after the ending of that book. Even if it has a huge spoilers in the last page.
Now we just wait for the finale next week.
Hi guys, I’m enjoying your reading order analysis. And i’m wondering how did you reached the X-Men #14, AXE:DTTM #2 and Immortal X-Men #6? I can’t mount an order where the X-Men are on space and then back at Krakoa against the HEX again. And they seem to die at the end of DTTM #2. And when did exactly the HEX where ordered to attack Krakoa again?
And what do you think Marauders and Wolverine added to the storyline?
Thank you very much.
Bit of a pity, this was a mostly well constructed event (on account of Gillen writing the majority of the tie-ins as well as main book), but the timeline of Percy’s X-Force book just had to ruin the streak. What’s worse is it was so disconnected it probably didn’t even need to tie in at all. Oh well, still one of the better events in a while.
Ngl I might read this even tho have never read a x men comic