Fabien

Co-founder of Comic Book Treasury, your Hellboy Specialist and the man behind the Batman Modern Age and the Amazing Spider-Man Guides.

Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers Reading Order

by Fabien
Updated: February 26, 2026

After completing his acclaimed run on Fantastic Four and several years before becoming the mastermind behind the famous Krakoa era of The X-Men, Jonathan Hickman was the main writer of Marvel’s Avengers line during the Marvel NOW! initiative, following Brian Michael Bendis’s departure in 2012.

In Avengers (vol. 5), Hickman introduced a series of escalating threats while significantly expanding the team’s roster and operational scope, shifting the Avengers from a primarily Earth-based defense force to one operating on a global, cosmic, and interplanetary scale. This approach laid the groundwork for a reality- and cosmos-threatening conflict that would define his run.

In the companion series New Avengers (vol. 3), Hickman focused on the Illuminati—Black Panther, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Mister Fantastic, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Beast—depicting their clandestine efforts to confront the phenomenon of “Incursions,” in which parallel Earths collide across the multiverse. Armed with the Infinity Gems, the group attempts to prevent the collapse of all realities while grappling with profound moral and political consequences.

All of Hickman’s work on the two series ultimately culminated in Secret Wars (2015), the famous line-wide crossover event that depicted the collapse of the Marvel multiverse and its subsequent reconstruction. This miniseries concluded his long-running story by effectively redefining the structure and history of the Marvel Universe going forward.

Batman All In Reading Order

by Fabien
Updated: February 23, 2026

During the Absolute Power event, Amanda Waller tried and ultimately failed to neutralize the superhero community and the wider metahuman population. In fact, this prompted the formation of a new and improved Justice League, featuring the largest roster ever. The heroes are All In the JL, while the Absolute Universe, a parallel reality shaped by Darkseid that redefines familiar characters and power structures across the DC multiverse, is created.

With the Batman titles, the transition from the Dawn of DC era to All In is not marked by a big break. With delays in the publication of Hush 2, the direct sequel to the classic Hush story, written by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, Chip Zdarsky’s run on Batman was slightly extended, and, eventually, Matt Fraction took over Batman (Jorge Jiménez is still the artist on the book). Detective Comics is now written by Tom Taylor with art by Pete Woods. And while Batman is not dominating the DC Universe as he once did, Superman has been pushed forward recently, there are still a lot of Bat-Family adventures to read.

Of course, there is also the popular Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, which reinvented Bruce Wayne’s life, creating a working-class version of the character who confronts crime with limited resources. This universe has a dedicated reading guide.

The Question Reading Order (Vic Sage, Renee Montoya)

by Fabien
Updated: February 20, 2026

Like the Peacemaker, the Question was not a DC Comics character as he originated at Charlton Comics, making his first appearance in Blue Beetle #1 (1967), in a backup feature. Created by writer-artist Steve Ditko, the Question is Vic Sage, a television investigative journalist who wages a private war on crime. He conceals his identity behind a featureless mask made of “Pseudoderm,” an artificial skin invented by his former professor, the scientist Aristotle Rodor. When applied, the mask renders Sage a man without a face. He possesses no superhuman abilities, relying instead on physical conditioning, investigative skills, and an absolute, black-and-white moral code.

The Question was closely related to Ditko’s independently created character “Mr. A,” who embodied the creator’s Objectivist moral philosophy. While Mr. A was an uncompromising, overtly ideological figure, the Question was conceived as a more accessible, if still unusually severe, superhero for a mainstream comics audience.

His first run was short. After a handful of appearances in Blue Beetle, he disappeared, only to reappear briefly in the anthology Charlton Bullseye years later, before joining DC Comics in the 1980s. He officially joined the DC Universe during Crisis on Infinite Earths, before joining the new Blue Beetle solo series. The Question gained a clear identity within DC continuity in 1987, when he received an ongoing solo title written by Dennis O’Neil and primarily illustrated by Denys Cowan. This series fundamentally redefined Vic Sage.

As it happened with other crimefighters in the world of comics, there will be more than one person wearing the costume of The Question. Notably, Gotham City cop Renee Montoya will eventually take on the role, and while Vic died and came back, she still fights crime, hidden under the faceless mask today. But let’s explore the long history of The Question, in order, naturally.

Adventure Time Comics Reading Order

by Fabien
Updated: February 18, 2026

The world of Adventure Time is still expanding on television with the spin-off Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake on HBO Max, and more spin-offs to come. The popular franchise started with a short film created by Pendleton Ward that aired on Nicktoons in 2007, which led to the long-running series on Cartoon Network (10 seasons, 283 episodes).

Set in the Land of Ooo, a fantastical world shaped by the remnants of a long-past catastrophe known as the Mushroom War, the fantasy series follows the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his close companion Jake, a magical dog with the ability to stretch and change shape, as they navigate a landscape populated by candy people, wizards, monsters, and ancient entities.

Adventure Time‘s influence extends beyond television into comics (obviously), but also video games, and other media, expanding the world of Ooo through original stories, alternate continuities, and explorations of secondary characters. The first comic book series came from Boom! Studios and was launched with Ryan North as a writer, with art by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb. It was a success and led to its own spin-offs.

Today, however, Boom! Studios have lost the license to produce new comics, and it’s Oni Press that publishes new ones. But there’s a lot to read for fans.

Mockingbird Reading Order, Bobbi Morse’s Adventures from the Savage Land to the Avengers

by Fabien
Updated: February 11, 2026

Not all Avengers start with a cool codename. Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Morse was first introduced under her civilian identity in Astonishing Tales #6 (June 1971), created by writer Len Wein and artist Neal Adams.

Bobbi started as a brunette seeking Ka-Zar. By the time she reached the Savage Land (two issues later), she was blonde, and her first name was revealed. Her story is quickly entangled with Man Thing’s, but also with S.H.I.E.L.D., as she was recruited and trained to become one of their undercover agents because she’s a highly accomplished biologist.

Bobbi Morse stayed for a while with Ka-Zar. Eventually, she transitioned into her role as a costumed superheroine in Marvel Super Action #1 (1976), but only became known as Mockingbird in Marvel Team-Up #95 in 1980. She soon became associated with Hawkeye, joined the Avengers, became a founding member of the West Coast Avengers, died, came back to life, was abducted, got married, then divorced, teamed up with Spider-Man, fought invasions of all kinds, and so on.

As an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. or an Avenger, Mockingbird is a force to be reckoned with.

Masters of the Universe Comics Reading Order

by Fabien
Updated: January 28, 2026

Developed to support Mattel’s Masters of the Universe toy line, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation and first broadcast in syndication from 1983 to 1985, for a total of 130 episodes.

Blending sword-and-sorcery tropes with science-fiction elements, the series is set on the planet Eternia and follows a wandering barbarian named Prince Adam, who transforms into the hero He-Man to battle his enemy Skeletor, who seeks to take over Castle Grayskull. Who controls the ancient Castle Grayskull will become the Master of the Universe.

Since its debut, Masters of the Universe has expanded into a long-running multimedia franchise. Extensions include theatrical and direct-to-video animated series, a live-action feature film (Masters of the Universe, 1987), several television reboots and reinterpretations, and multiple comic book lines. The first one was the now cult minicomics that were put in the original action figures’ packaging. There was a second wave of minicomics produced by DC Comics, and more came later. There was also a newspaper comic strip, a Marvel series, and finally, DC Comics developed a true line of comics during the 2010s, until Netflix relaunched the TV Show and Dark Horse Comics took over the books.

The Best Vertigo Comics Series: 20 must-read comics books

by Fabien
Updated: January 26, 2026

In 2026, Vertigo Comics is officially back in business. DC Comics discontinued the imprint in January 2020 and announced its return 4 years later, but nothing significant came of it until now. New series, including spin-offs of old hits, are coming, and this makes for the perfect time to look back at the greats that earned Vertigo its reputation.

If you are not familiar with the history of Vertigo, it was launched in 1993 under the direction of editor Karen Berger. Dedicated to creator-driven comics for mature readers, the imprint was freed from the constraints of DC’s main continuity and the Comics Code Authority (CCA), providing writers and artists with a level of creative autonomy that led to some of the medium’s most influential series.

Its true origin can be traced to DC’s mature-reader experiments of the 1980s and to landmark works such as The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, which demonstrated a growing audience for adult-oriented comics. But everything truly began when DC stopped submitting The Saga of the Swamp Thing to the CCA. Under Alan Moore, the series helped usher in a new wave of writers (many from the United Kingdom) often referred to as the “British Invasion.”

Ghostbusters Comics Reading Order (IDW and Dark Horse)

by Fabien
Updated: January 22, 2026

If there’s something strange in your comics, who you gon’ call? Ghostbusters! And to do that, you’ll have to check out IDW Publishing’s catalogue, as it has been the house of the Ghostbusters comics since 2008.

The Ghostbusters franchise started with the 1984 movie, directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It introduced us to this team of ghost hunters, professors Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore. They had to face the evil Zuul to save New York City. It was only the beginning of their adventures.

The property subsequently expanded into animated television series, most notably The Real Ghostbusters (1986–1991) and Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), as well as video games, novels, and comic books. In comics, The Real Ghostbusters was adapted in the late 1980s by NOW Comics in the United States and by Marvel UK in the United Kingdom, both drawing directly from the animated series. In the 2000s, the Quebec-based publisher 88MPH Studios also produced The Real Ghostbusters comics. There was even a one-shot Manga in 2008.

In 2008, IDW Publishing acquired the license to produce Ghostbusters comics. Unlike previous publishers, IDW shifted away from the animated continuity and instead focused on the primary film continuity established by Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), later incorporating elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009), which was co-written by Aykroyd and Ramis and is often treated as a canonical sequel. IDW lost the license in 2020 to Dark Horse Comics, putting an end to this continuity.

To navigate through all those comics, no need to call anybody, just follow our reading order!

Marvel Infinity Reading Order, Jonathan Hickman’s event (+Inhumanity)

by Fabien
Updated: January 16, 2026

Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by a rotating team of artists including Jim Cheung, Jerome Opeña, and Dustin Weaver, “Infinity” is a 2013 cosmic-scale crossover centered primarily around two series: Avengers (Vol. 5) and New Avengers (Vol. 3). Published during the Marvel NOW! initiative, the event is the culmination of plotlines Hickman had been developing since taking over both series, like the expansion of the Avengers roster, the rise of the multiversal threat known as the incursions, and the political maneuverings of the Illuminati.

The storyline unfolds on two major fronts. In deep space, a unified galactic alliance faces an existential threat from the Builders, an ancient race responsible for shaping early cosmic evolution. Their arrival, triggered as every Origin Site on Earth suddenly activates, initiates a destructive campaign across space. Led by Captain America, The Avengers join the interstellar coalition, leaving Earth temporarily unguarded as Iron Man stays behind in the hope of finishing the preparation for the last line of defense.

This absence creates the opening Thanos has been waiting for. Motivated by a long-hidden secret concerning Earth’s new Inhumans, The Mad Titan launches a coordinated invasion of Earth with the members of his Black Order, each targeting strategic locations and individuals.

As the Avengers wage a desperate war against the Builders in space, the remaining heroes on Earth struggle to repel Thanos’s forces and uncover the true purpose of his return.

Renee Montoya Reading Order

by Fabien
Updated: January 14, 2026

Harley Quinn may be the most famous character created for Batman: The Animated Series to join the main line of DC Comics, but she was not the only one. Created in 1992 by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian for the same show, Renee Montoya first appeared as a uniformed officer partnered with Harvey Bullock.

Renee Montoya made her comics debut in Batman #475. She was introduced to readers as Commissioner Gordon’s new assistant. She was later promoted to homicide detective and became Bullock’s partner. At that point, she had become one of the most notable recurring members of the GCPD, appearing in major story arcs, often in relation to Two-Face.

In the Gotham Central comics, by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, Renee Montoya took a turn when she was forcibly outed as a lesbian and framed for murder. This had an impact on her career and personal life. Her following struggles led her to resign. But this was not the end of her career fighting crime. She would eventually find herself on a quest that put her under the mask of The Question.

Through the years, she became professionally and romantically involved with Batwoman, teamed up with other crime fighters, but eventually, as DC Comics underwent relaunches, she was put aside before returning as a cop and later as The Question. In recent years, she rejoined the GCPD and became commissioner, but then joined the Justice League…