Fabien

Summer of Symbiotes Reading Order, an entire season of symbiote insanity at Marvel

by Fabien
Updated on October 10, 2023
4 Comments

Summer of Symbiotes Reading Order

To celebrate 35 years of the first appearance of Venom, the flavor of the summer ’23 at Marvel will be coming from space. It’s the Summer of Symbiotes! It will be Symbiotes crossovers after Symbiotes crossovers with even more Symbiotes. Yes, a lot of Symbiotes.

In fact, everything begins this spring with Carnage Reigns, a crossover that is presented as Miles Morales vs Carnage written by Alex Paknadel and Cody Ziglar and featuring art by Julius Ohta, Jan Bazaldua, Federico Vicentini, and Francesco Manna. Here is how it starts:

Cletus Kasady is back, and of course, he is more powerful and bloodthirsty than ever before! “With his soul trapped within the Extrembiote Armor created by Tony Stark during the King in Black event, Cletus has the means to level an untold amount of chaos and, well, carnage on New York City and the entire Marvel Universe. But like any good Tony Stark invention, the Extremis coursing through Cletus’ symbiotic veins needs POWER, and that means Cletus is HUNGRY. Good thing Brooklyn’s very own Spider-Man is there to stand in his way! If he survives their first encounter, that is.”

Doctor Fate Reading Order

by Fabien
Updated on June 12, 2025

As with Captain Marvel or Robin, there have been multiple superheroes named Doctor Fate. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman in the Golden Age of Comics, appearing in More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940).

Wearing blue-and-yellow tights and a golden helmet, Doctor Fate operated from a windowless, doorless stone tower situated on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts – so you know it was magic-related. Beneath the costume was Kent Nelson, who accidentally awakened Nabu by opening its tomb while on an archaeological expedition in the Valley of Ur with his father, and killed his father in the process.

Nabu is a fictionalised version of the Mesopotamian god of the same name — a cosmic being allied with the Lords of Order. He takes Kent under his wing and teaches him how to become a sorcerer and fight his enemies, the Lords of Chaos. Twenty years later, Nabu gave Kent a mystical helmet, an amulet, and a cloak. Now well-equipped, Kent returned to America and began fighting crime and supernatural evil, such as armies of the undead, the green-skinned Wutan, fish creatures, and elder gods. He also became a founding member of both the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society of America.

Batman Origin Stories: Explore Bruce Wayne’s tragic past in the comics

by Fabien
Updated on April 24, 2023

In 1938, the success of Superman prompt the company now called DC Comics—it was National Comics Publications at that time—to launch another one. Editor Vin Sullivan was tasked to do exactly that in the pages of Detective Comics.

The writer and artist Bob Kane came up with an idea based on Sherlock Holmes, Zorro, and other pulp heroes (like The Phantom), but also, apparently, a Leonardo da Vinci sketch of a bat-winged flying machine. He took all this to the writer Bill Finger who added his own inspiration like the Dracula movie (the one from 1931) and the 1926 silent film The Bat. He then suggested a new costume as Kane’s was then basically Superman with a mask and bat wings (the Da Vinci inspiration). Finger suggested a cape, a cowl, and a gray bodysuit. As a result, The Bat-Man silhouette really looked like a bat.

Captain America Cold War Reading Order, Captain Vs Captain

by Fabien
Updated on November 18, 2023

Captain America Cold War Reading Order

It’s been a while since Marvel gave us a Captain America crossover event. This one is a small one though, and it’s between the two Captain Americas! And more, of course, as it is presented as a battle between brothers.

Here is the official synopsis: Bucky Barnes, the newest player in a nefarious game that spans all of civilization, makes his most deadly move yet — teaming up with Sam Wilson’s nemesis, Hunter, the White Wolf! When Steve Rogers’ adoptive son Ian, A.K.A. Nomad, is abducted by someone Steve thought a friend, he suspects Bucky’s hand at work, and calls upon the people who know Ian best — Sam, Sharon Carter, and Misty Knight — to help him get to the bottom of the attack.

Why has Nomad been taken, and what does it have to do with a portal to Dimension Z opening over a secret battleground in Alaska? Has Bucky finally gone too far? And when Black Widow joins the fray, whose side is she on?

DC Day of Judgement Reading Order, a DC Comics event by Geoff Johns

by Fabien
Updated on April 28, 2023

DC Day of Judgement Reading Order

In 1999, Geoff Johns was not the DC superstar writer we know now, yet. Day of Judgement was the first event he had the chance to write, one that was going to open the way for his famous Green Lantern run a few years later.

This event is centered around The Spectre and involved the heroes and a few magical anti-heroes of the DC Universe. Here is the official presentation of Day of Judgment:

The story begins when Etrigan the Demon offers the fallen angel Azmodel freedom from captivity in Hell. If the fallen angel agrees to let the Demon rule Hell, Etrigan will give Azmodel access to the power to claim the ultimate prize: the destruction of Heaven itself! And the power in question? That of the Spectre who, without a human host, is ripe for Azmodel’s picking.

Giant Days Comic, A Reading Guide

by Fabien
Updated on September 8, 2023

Giant Days Comic Reading Order

Giant Days is a comedic comic book written by John Allison that was launched in 2015 by Boom! Studio (Lumberjanes, Buffy) with Lissa Treiman as the main artist for the first six issues, then Max Sarin for most of the next 48 issues—it won the Eisner Award for “Best Continuing Series” in 2019.

The story follows the lives of Susan Ptolemy, Daisy Wooton, and Esther de Groot, three students, and roommates at the University of Sheffield, England, from their first to last days, and a bit beyond. Susan is a grounded medical student who smokes a lot and often hides behind a tough attitude; Daisy is an optimistic archaeology student who’s a bit too sweet for this world; and Esther is a goth—and a bit of a drama queen—who’s into black metal and study English Literature.

There’s also Graham McGraw, a childhood friend and love interest of Susan who’s a bit too much into being handy; and Ed Gemmell, a friend and roommate of McGraw’s who’s in love with Esther, tragically for him.

For years, Giant Days offered fun, breezy slice-of-life stories with a lot of humor, romantic entanglements, British idiosyncrasies, and a lot of personality. And overall, it’s a great friendship story about becoming an adult.

The Story of The Hulk: From Gamma Radiation to World-Breaking Power

by Fabien
Updated on April 3, 2023

The Story of The Hulk

The year was 1962. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were changing the face of the comics industry with the Fantastic Four—even if they probably didn’t suspect up to what point at the time. Of course, when it was time to find a replacement for the recently canceled Teen-Age Romance, the team came up with something that didn’t really have anything romantic in it: The Hulk.

Who is the Hulk? The story goes like this: Bruce Banner is a brilliant scientist who was exposed to gamma radiation during an experimental “accident.” As a result, he can transform into a massive, green-skinned (or gray!), superhuman creature with incredible strength and durability known as The Hulk.

The problem is that Banner struggles to control the transformation and as the unpredictable Hulk, he often causes widespread destruction in his wake. But not always. In fact, through the years, the Hulk has not always been a destructive rageful monster, his nature evolved as well as his relationship with the puny Banner.

DC Millennium Reading Order, a DC Comics Event

by Fabien
Updated on March 25, 2023

DC Comics Millennium Reading Order

Published through January and February 1988, Millennium was the first event of the year, and certainly the most ambitious for the production department with one new issue every week, plus tie-ins—something that was simply not done at that time.

Written by Steve Englehart, with art by Joe Staton and Ian Gibson, Millennium was a story about choosing the New Guardians of the Universe. Everything starts with the Guardian named Herupa Hando Hu, and his Zamaron mate, Nadia Safir, as they arrived on Earth to announce to the world that they were here to select 10 persons who would become the new Guardians of the Universe, and give birth to a new race of immortals.

The Authority Reading Order, The DC/Wildstorm series

by Fabien
Updated on January 17, 2025

The Authority Reading Order

Created in 1999, when Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics (After Jim Lee left Image Comics), The Authority is a dark and violent superhero comic created by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) and illustrated by Bryan Hitch (JLA).

The Authority is a spin-off set in the StormWatch universe. Following the events of the WildC.A.T.S/Aliens one-shot that saw the deaths of multiple characters, Jenny Sparks (aka “The Spirit of the Twentieth Century”), Jack Hawksmoor (aka “The God of Cities”), and Swift (aka “The Winged Huntress”), the survivors of the StormWatch Black team, went on to form a new team: The Authority.

Kang the Conqueror: Everything You Need to Know About the Infamous Marvel Villain

by Fabien
Updated on March 20, 2023

Kang the Conqueror

Since his first appearance in Avengers #8 in 1964 (he was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), Kang the Conqueror has been established as a Marvel Comics supervillain, a recurring enemy of the Avengers and other superheroes. “Established” may be a strong word as even his villainy can be debated (rarely, though) as his motivations are not always purely malevolent.

In fact, Kang the Conqueror is a time traveler from the future who has appeared in various forms throughout Marvel continuity, and this led the character to develop a complex and convoluted history. Even his true identity and origins have been the subject of much debate and speculation over the years.

When you’re talking about Kang the Conqueror, starting with “it’s complicated” is the best way to resume the characters’ apparitions through the years.