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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW Reading Order

Originally published by Mirage Studios in 1984, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a black-and-white, self-published comic created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that quickly gained traction, helping to ignite the independent comics boom of the 1980s.

Unlike many of its contemporaries, which faded into obscurity, TMNT evolved into a long-lasting franchise. The original comics follow four mutated turtles—Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo—who are trained in ninjutsu by their rat sensei, Splinter. Living in the sewers of New York City, they battle crime, alien threats, and supernatural forces, expanding their adventures across multiple dimensions in comics, television, and film.

While the original Mirage series ended in 1995, TMNT publications continued in various forms. The property moved to Image Comics in 1996, returned to Mirage in the early 2000s, and was later acquired by Nickelodeon in 2009. Since 2011, IDW Publishing (Transformers, G.I. Joe) has produced an ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series, spearheaded by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, writer Tom Waltz, and artist Dan Duncan. This iteration introduced a revised origin story and an expanded mythology, ensuring that the heroes in a half shell continue their legacy in fresh and ambitious ways.

After 150 issues, IDW decided to relaunch the main Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series and announced Volume 2 now written by Jason Aaron. A new era of the Turtles began.

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Flash Thompson Agent Venom Reading Order Guide

So few characters really change in the comic book world, but there are exceptions like Eugene “Flash” Thompson. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), the same comic that introduced Spider-Man. A high school jock, Flash was one of Peter Parker’s biggest tormentors, constantly mocking him for his bookish nature, but also Spider-Man’s number one fan, never suspecting that the hero he idolized was the same teenager he bullied daily. From that, he would go on to become one of Spider-Man’s most unlikely allies, a war hero, and even the host of the Venom symbiote!

Flash Thompson: The Early Years

Flash was never a villain, his story is not one of redemption, but one of growth as a human being. Despite his antagonistic behavior, Flash had moments of kindness, and over time, he began to mature and became a more noble human being. His admiration for Spider-Man always indicated his sense of justice. After high school, Flash enlisted in the military to serve in the Vietnam War and returned later, eventually becoming Peter’s roommate. At that point, their relationship had already evolved into a more cordial territory, and they developed a true friendship.

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The Phantom Zone Explained: The Evolution of the Kryptonian Prison

Before Marvel Comics introduced its Negative Zone, DC Comics had presented to its readers a different type of zone, one connected to Superman‘s world, The Phantom Zone. Created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp, this prison parallel dimension first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 in 1961. Back then, Superboy found a stash of Kryptonian weapons that included the Phantom Zone Projector. Since then, the subject has been developed by multiple authors and retconned by others.

The Pre-Crisis Origins of the Phantom Zone

As explained in Superboy #104 by Edmond Hamilton and Papp, the Phantom Zone was created by Kryptonian scientist Jor-El. He introduced it as a humane alternative to replace the “orbit exile system.” Following that, Krypton’s legal system sentenced the criminals to an intangible, timeless exile in a pocket dimension. Within the Phantom Zone, prisoners exist as spectral entities, unable to interact with the physical world but still conscious and aware—essentially, ghosts stuck in eternal imprisonment without the ability to age or die.

With the Phantom Zone Projector saved from destruction, those Kryptonian prisoners survived the explosion of their planet and found their way to Earth. The evil Jax-Ur was the first to escape and torment Superboy, but not the last. The Zone quickly became a recurring plot device in Superman used for decades.

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Marvel Knights Comics, The Imprint That Rescued Marvel with Daredevil, Punisher, and more!

In 1998, Marvel Comics was not in the best of shape but was starting to look better. Even if the Heroes Reborn publishing initiative had not been the expected success, as it was an expensive affair, the idea of contracting exterior talents to package comics for the company was still explored. This time, though, Marvel president Joe Calamari wanted to do it at a reasonable cost. He consulted Gareb Shamus (Wizard magazine publisher), who recommended his two friends, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti.

At the time, the two men were the founders of the independent comic book publisher Event Comics (Ash, Painkiller Jane…) and took the contract as a way to make money for their company and try to promote their books by association with the popular Marvel Comics characters. Unlike what Image Comics had to do with Heroes Reborn, their deal was not to relaunch some of the biggest comics of the company but to take over some of the weakest and try to save them. And that’s how Marvel Knights came to be.

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Elvira, Mistress of the Dark Comic Book’s History, From DC to Dynamite

Amateurs of horror are certainly familiar with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Played by Cassandra Peterson, Elvira is a campy horror-themed TV hostess with a razor-sharp wit and an iconic gothic sense of style–her plunging black dress and beehive hairdo are immediately identifiable. She rose to fame in the early 1980s as the Movie Macabre star, a show featuring her clever, satirical, and innuendo-filled commentary on low-budget horror films. 

Her popularity led her to host another type of horror show, as she became one of the caretakers of DC’s House of Mystery, the horror anthology comic book. Since then, her adventures in comics have taken a different path, as she became the protagonist of a long-running series—not just the hostess—before coming back in a pop-culture-heavy series that Dynamite regularly publishes. So today, we are taking a look at Elvira’s comics history.

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ROM: Marvel’s SpaceKnight, from failing toy to hit comics

In the late 1970s, the success of the Star Wars comics led to even more licensed comics. One of them was The Micronauts, a set of action figures that Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden turned into a successful comic book series. A success that Parker Brothers noted and hoped to be reproduced with one of his new toys, ROM the Spaceknight.

From The ROM Toys to The ROM Comics

Then Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter asked writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema–two creatives who were open to work on non-superhero comics, in fact, Buscema was the only artist who agreed to do it—to develop a story as the toy came with close to no story element.

Mantlo was not aware of the toy before that and immediately thought about doing something in the vein of 1950s sci-fi with a touch of Arthurian myths. He added tragedy and Brandy Clark, ROM’s human ally, who eventually becomes romantically linked with him. But Jim Shooter and editor Al Milgrom himself provided a few ideas.

The final result has often been compared to the Silver Surfer, but ROM the Spaceknight had his own rich mythology that helped him stand apart. ROM is a noble warrior from the utopian planet Galador who volunteers to become a Spaceknight—a cyborg warrior—to battle the Dire Wraiths, a shape-shifting alien species threatening the universe—his primary weapon is the Neutralizer, which banishes Dire Wraiths to Limbo. Rom sacrifices his humanity to become a Spaceknight, clad in powerful armor that enhances his abilities but also isolates him emotionally.

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John Stewart’s Evolution: From Green Lantern Backup to Corps Leader

Among the Green Lanterns from Earth, John Stewart is one of the most popular and he may be gaining more fans soon as he is one of the main characters in the Green Lantern TV Show coming on HBO–played by actor Aaron Pierre.

Created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams in Green Lantern vol. 2 #87 (1971), John Stewart was one of the first African-American superheroes to appear in DC Comics. Still, he didn’t immediately become one of the most prominent ones.

In fact, after this first appearance, he only came back four years later for a team-up with the Justice League of America (in Justice League of America #110, in 1974). He then continued to pop up only sporadically in Green Lantern comics until the mid-1980s with Crisis on Infinite Earths and his time as the main protector of sector 2814 in Green Lantern (from #182 to #200).

It was a slow start but John Stewart’s cosmic adventures are still going strong today.

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Metamorpho: DC Comics’s Element Man, Rex Mason

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Metamorpho DC Comics Elemental Man

During the mid-1960s, unconventional comic book heroes like the Doom Patrol or the Metal Men found a bit of success at DC Comics. To build some more on what seems to be a trend, writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon were asked to create a new character in the same vein. The result was Metamorpho, who debuted in The Brave and the Bold #57 (January 1965).

Also known as the Element Man, Metamorpho found immediate success and started appearing in other popular comics like Justice League of America (even if he refused to become a full-time member). He also got his own ongoing comic book series, but it lasted only 17 issues. However, this was by far the end of the character.

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Micronauts: Marvel Comics went into the Micro Verse

In 1977, Marvel Comics was not doing that well until the movie Star Wars helped propel the newly launched comics based on George Lucas’s creation to the top of the charts. It was such a massive hit that the company started looking into more licensed comics, from Godzilla to Hanna-Barbera cartoon adaptations, Edgar Rice Burroughs comics, and Battlestar Galactica. It represented 20% of Marvel Comics’ production and some fans were not too happy about that. But it was a commercial success and it was not going to stop any time soon.

Introduced in 1974 by Japanese toy maker Takara (also known as Tomy in English), Mircoman was included in the line “Henshin Cyborg” but was not an 8 or 12-inch action figure, as it was the standard back then, but was 3.75-inch tall. The marketing used the size to sell the idea that this miniature bionic alien came from a place called Micro Earth. It was so successful that Microman got his own line. Soon, the American company Mego started importing them into the US under the name Micronauts.

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Lady Mechanika Reading Order, A Guide to Joe Benitez’s Steampunk Comics

Created by comic artist Joe Benitez, Lady Mechanika is a steampunk-inspired comic book series that debuted in 2010 with the one-shot Lady Mechanika #0 (later subtitled “The Demon of Satan’s Alley“). Originally published by Aspen Comics, then later under Benitez Productions, the series is composed of multiple miniseries.

Set in a steampunk world full of advanced Victorian-era technology, alchemy, and supernatural elements, the Lady Mechanika comic book series follows the adventures of a woman with mechanical limbs who has no memory of her past. Lady Mechanika is a detective and adventurer who is using her skills to uncover mysteries, battle villains, face off against shadowy organizations, and piece together the story of her origins.

Called by the tabloids “Lady Mechanika,” she’s the only survivor of a mad scientist’s cruel experiments that gave her mechanical limbs. With no memory of her past or captivity, she started a new life as an adventurer and private investigator, solving cases others couldn’t or wouldn’t. Still, she never gave up searching for the truth about her past.

With the help of Mr. Lewis, her loyal engineer who assists her with gadgets and technology, and later the young Winifred “Winnie” Huxley, Lady Mechanika navigates a world rich with clockwork automatons, airships, and a blend of science and magic. Read More »Lady Mechanika Reading Order, A Guide to Joe Benitez’s Steampunk Comics