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Dead Boy Detectives Reading Order, From the Sandman Universe

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Neil Gaiman’s Sandman (reading order here) led to the creation of multiple spin-offs, not all became as successful as Lucifer (reading order here). It was the case with The Dead Boy Detectives, two young sleuths that are also ghosts.

Created by Gaiman and artist Matt Wagner in Sandman #25, The Dead Boy Detectives are Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine. Edwin was murdered at his boarding school in 1916 and he went to Hell. But when Hell was emptied of its residents, Edwin and the souls of past teachers and pupils came back to the boarding school when Charles and a few teachers stayed for the holidays.

They didn’t survive and Charles became a ghost, like Edwin. The two boys decided to forego going to the afterlife with Death and became detectives investigating crimes involving the supernatural.

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Spider-Island Reading Order

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Even if Spider-Man is the most popular Marvel superhero, the events centered around him are not as regular as we may think. There are a few though, like 2011’s Spider-Island written by Dan Slott with art by Humberto Ramos.

Here is the official synopsis: Between keeping New York City safe as Spider-Man, being a member of two Avengers teams and the FF, and his day job at Horizon Labs, Peter Parker’s life is as crazy as it’s ever been. And it’s about to get even crazier.

Welcome to Spider-Island, where a million New Yorkers suddenly possess Spider-Man’s powers – but none of the responsibility! Can Spidey play world-saving superhero while the Big Apple gets eaten alive from the inside out when he’s suddenly not quite so special? When he’s surrounded by a million people just as powerful as him? When even his girlfriend is web-swinging through the city? And just wait until you meet J. Jonah Jameson, the Spectacular Spider-Mayor!

What to read before Spider-Island?

Being the first event of the Dan Slott era, there were not a lot of Spider-Man books prior to it. You can take a look at our The Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott Reading Order for a full listing.

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X-Factor Reading Order

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Launched in 1986 by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice as a spin-off from the X-Men franchise, X-Factor was a team formed by the five original X-Men – Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), and Iceman – in response to the outlaw status of the then-current X-Men team.

The five original members X-Men disassociate with the current team because Professor X had placed Magneto as its leader. Quickly, they decide to set up a business advertised as mutant-hunters for hire in New York City, pretending to be “normal” (non-superpowered) humans to their clients. Eventually, the X-Factor team decides that the “mutant hunter” angle was bad for everybody and stops. Louise Simonson took over the title (with art by Walt Simonson) and quickly introduced Apocalypse and other major elements of the X-Mythos.

At that time, the series was massively connected to the other X-Titles and events. In 1991, the original members of X-Factor rejoined the main X-Men team. Marvel didn’t kill the title though. Peter David became the main writer (with art by Larry Stroman) and began by reintroducing X-Factor with new members (with Havok, Multiple Man, Polaris, Quicksilver, Strong Guy, Valerie Cooper, and Wolfsbane).

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Astro City Reading Order, Kurt Busiek’s classic comi book series

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Created and written by Kurt Busiek, the Astro City comic book series is an American superhero anthology comics (mostly) illustrated by Brent Anderson (of X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills’ fame), with character designs and painted covers by Alex Ross.

The series debuted under Image Comics’ Homage imprint in 1995 before changing publishers–it moved to WildStorm when Jim Lee’s imprint was sold to DC Comics and, in 2013, it was relaunched as part of DC’s Vertigo Comics before continuing under DC’s main publishing line. Now, it is back at Image Comics.

Composed of three volumes, some miniseries, and special issues, the Astro City comics are about the superheroes of the City, a mid-sized American metropolis, and the citizens who are affected by the many super-beings who live there since the end of World War I. It’s an exploration of the relationship between society and heroes, and how they shape each other.

It was seen as a modern reinvention of the genre, an exploration of the possibilities coming with a shared universe as Astro City is home to an entire original superhero universe, with its own history, legacy characters, and classic superhero archetypes.

While individual issues often tell complete stories, they contribute to a larger mythos. Kurt Busiek uses the comic book series to deconstruct and celebrate superhero storytelling, blending Silver and Bronze Age sensibilities with modern storytelling depth. Due to its anthological format, you can easily jump into the Astro City comics at any point.

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Marvel Cosmic Reading Order, The Modern Saga by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (2004-2011)

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Marvel Cosmic Reading Order

What is called “Marvel Cosmic” is mostly every story in the Marvel Universe not connected to Earth. It’s not the perfect definition, because it’s more about what’s connected to Thanos, The Guardian of the Galaxy, Nova, The Silver Surfer, and others. Well, it’s still not a very good definition. Today, we are talking about the cosmic saga that started in 2004 with the crossover event Annihilation. Orchestrated by Keith Giffen, this storyline relaunched most of the outer-space series from Marvel.

It was just the beginning as one crossover event led to the other, from Annihilation to Annihilation: Conquest, to War of Kings, to Realm of Kings to Annihilators. A huge saga that was overseen by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning that reintroduced Nova & the Nova Corps, The Guardian of the Galaxy, and Ronan the Accuser. A captivating and epic story without the usual big names of the Marvel Universe.

We already published individual reading orders for the three main events (Annihilation, Annihilation: Conquest, and War of Kings), but here is a complete guide from that era.

What to read before the Marvel Cosmic Saga?

If you want to take a look back at the origins of some of the main characters used in the coming Annihilation saga, Marvel published a book for you:

  • Annihilation Classic
    Collects Bug #1, Tales To Astonish #13, Nova #1, Quasar #1, Rocket Raccoon #1-4, Marvel Spotlight #6, Logan’s Run #6, Marvel Premiere #1.

You can also explore the previous Marvel Cosmic Sage with our Jim Starlin’s Infinity Saga Reading Order.

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Harrow County Reading Guide to Cullen Bunn’s Horror series

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Published by Dark Horse Comics, Harrow County is an Eisner-nominated horror comic book series created by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Tyler Crook that blends elements of folk horror, dark fantasy, and Southern Gothic traditions. It’s also part of our list of Horror Comic Books to read and the Best Dark Horse Comics Series.

The concept originated as a serialized prose story titled Countless Haints, written by Bunn and released online. When adapted into a comic form in collaboration with Crook, the story underwent substantial reworking, evolving into a visually rich, serialized narrative that debuted in May 2015. The story follows Emmy Crawford, a young woman in rural Harrow County, who discovers on the eve of her eighteenth birthday that she is mystically connected to the land around her and the supernatural beings—ghosts, haints, and monsters—that inhabit it.

The original Harrow County series ran for 32 issues from 2015 to 2018. It has since been collected in multiple formats, including trade paperbacks, library editions,  deluxe hardcover omnibuses, and a compendium.

Following its conclusion, the franchise continued with the spin-off series Tales from Harrow County (2019–2021), not to be confused with the Tales of Harrow County short stories, written by Bunn with art by Naomi Franquiz and later Emily Schnall. These stories expand the mythology and explore events set after the main series, focusing on Emmy’s friend Bernice and the lingering supernatural forces in Harrow County.

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Invasion! Reading Order, a DC Crossover Event

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DC Invasion Reading Order

Published in late 1988-early 1989 by DC Comics, Invasion! is crossover event plotted by Keith Giffen (from Justice League International) with the main series scripted by Bill Mantlo (with art from Todd McFarlane, Bart Sears, and Giffen). It was the biggest DC event since Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it was about the heroes of Earth facing a massive Alien invasion. It is now known for its introduction of the metagene as the explanation within the DC Universe as to how some people gain superhuman abilities. Also, it’s the inspiration for the 2016 TV crossover event between the series from the Arrowverse on The CW.

Here is the official synopsis: Resilient. Overpowering. Unstoppable. By their very nature, our planet’s superheroes have become a threat to the rest of the universe. Now, an alliance has formed between the fiercest, most calculating alien races (led by the war-like Dominators and Khunds) to pursue a single goal: the elimination of Earth’s guardians. As war erupts all over the world, Superman leads the charge against these would-be alien conquerors. Can our planet’s greatest champions repel an army of invaders, each with the strength to rival the Man of Steel? One thing is certain: surrender is not an option!

What to read before Invasion?

You don’t really need to read anything specific before Invasion!, but these (optional) issues contain minor references to the event to come.

  • Wonder Woman (vol. 2) Annual #1 & #24
  • Adventures of Superman #448
  • The Flash (vol. 2) #20
  • Swamp Thing (vol. 2) #80
  • Spectre (vol. 2) #22

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Azrael Reading Order (aka Jean-Paul Valley)

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Introduced in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (October 1992), Azrael is a DC Comics character created by Denny O’Neil, Joe Quesada, and Peter Milligan. When we met Jean-Paul Valley, he was a Gotham University graduate student and his father had just died and made him his successor in the Sacred Order of St. Dumas.

He became their warrior known as the vigilante Azrael. He was not an enemy of Batman and eventually joined him and his allies in their fight to protect Gotham City—he also played a controversial role during the Knightfall event.

We later discovered that Jean-Paul was created by “Mother,’ a villain who worked with the Order of St. Dumas. For a time, Azrael did the dirty work the Order needed him to do, but Nightwing put him on the right path so he could help people. He then started to fight crime.

Azrael is an antihero, a conflicted warrior who fights his violent nature and the twisted sense of justice forced on him by his indoctrination in the Order. Because of that, he had to earn his place in the BatFamily, and he often has to prove he is good enough to keep it.

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Robin War Reading Order

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Robin War Reading Order

Published by DC Comics between December 2015 to January 2016, Robin War is a crossover event featuring most of the incarnations of Batman’s crime-fighting partner, Robin, including Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, and the original, Dick Grayson. It was set during that time when Commissioner Gordon replaced Batman by using a robotic Bat-suit (see Batman New 52 or Batman by Snyder & Capullo) and the We Are Robin movement put the spotlight on the young crimefighters.

Here is the official synopsis: In a Gotham City turned upside down, Robin has become more than a single hero—Robin is a movement. With Bruce Wayne sidelined and the Batman co-opted by the police, a legion of teens are putting on the yellow “R” and following in the footsteps of their crime-fighting icons. But all it takes is one tragic accident for everything to go wrong. And when it does, the crackdown on the Robins is swift and merciless. Now, all of the original Boy Wonders—Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne—are back in Gotham, determined to save the kids who have taken up their legacy.

This Robin War is not as spontaneous as it seems. From their shadowy lair, Gotham’s oldest and most powerful secret society is manipulating all sides of the conflict—and not even those who trained for years with the World’s Greatest Detective can guess the true purpose behind the Court of Owls’ intricate plan—for more information about the Court here.

What to read before Robin War?

As the Robin War event is connected to the Court of Owls, I invite you to take a look at our reading guide dedicated to this secret society. But the essential is:

Before reading Robin War, you may want to be up-to-date with the new “Robins” group. It’s in the pages of the We are Robin series.

Optional, but if you want to know more about Gordon as Batman, take a look at Batman, Vol. 8: Superheavy, Pt. 1.

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Love and Rockets Reading Order, by the Hernandez brothers

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Love and Rockets is a long-running comic book series by brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, launched in 1981 with a self-published issue co-edited by their brother Mario. After the first issue gained attention, it was picked up by Fantagraphics Books in 1982, which has published the series in various formats ever since. The series blends science fiction, magical realism, and slice-of-life storytelling in an anthology format. Each brother works independently, developing separate but occasionally intersecting narratives that follow a large cast of characters across decades.

Jaime’s stories are grouped under the title Locas, an ongoing story centered on Margarita “Maggie” Chascarrillo and Esperanza “Hopey” Glass, two queer women navigating friendship, love, and adulthood in the fictional Southern California town of Hoppers (also known as Huerta). His characters age in real time, and the series traces their evolving relationships and personal growth over the years.

Gilbert’s contributions are more varied in structure, combining serialized stories and stand-alone shorts, often with elements of magical realism. His central narrative, Palomar, is set in a fictional Central American village and focuses on characters such as Luba, a strong-willed bathhouse owner; Chelo, a midwife who becomes the town’s sheriff; and Fritz, a voluptuous actress known for appearing in sexploitation films. These stories branch out into later volumes centered on Luba and her extended family.

Gilbert and Jaime’s stories are self-contained and can be read independently of one another. Together, they helped define the alternative comics movement of the 1980s, pushing beyond the superhero genre with grounded, character-driven stories. Love and Rockets has been praised for its nuanced depictions of Latinx, queer, and working-class lives, as well as its complex female characters. The series has influenced generations of cartoonists and remains one of the most critically acclaimed independent comics of all time.

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