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Titans/Teen Titans Reading Order

Not long after the Justice League made its debut in 1960, the sidekicks came together to form their own team: The Teen Titans.

The first partnership between Robin (Batman’s sidekick), Aqualad (Aquaman’s sidekick), and Kid Flash (Flash’s sidekick) happened in the pages of The Brave and the Bold #54 (1964), written by Bob Haney and penciled by Bruno Premiani.

This team-up must have been a success as they came together again five issues later — this time with Wonder Girl and a name for the group: The Teen Titans. After another adventure in Showcase #59, the Teen Titans finally had their own title.

Soon enough, the team was expanded ranks with characters like Speedy (Roy Harper), Aquagirl (Tula), Bumblebee (Karen Beecher), Hawk (Hank Hall), Dove (Don Hall), Harlequin (Duela Dent), and three non-costumed heroes: boxer Mal Duncan, psychic Lilith, and caveman Gnarrk.

But success will really knock at their door in the 1980s with the revival titled the New Teen Titans and today’s classic Marv Wolfman and George Pérez’s run. The group was more adult and independent, while still maintaining their status as teenagers.

New characters were introduced: Cyborg (Victor Stone), Starfire (Koriand’r), and Raven (Rachel Roth), as well as the former Doom Patrol member Beast Boy (Garfield Logan). The team also created one of the most iconic critical and commercial storylines with The Judas Contract.

In short, the New Teen Titans established the standard for all the Teen Titans/Titans that were to come. Throughout the decades, Teen Titans were canceled and relaunched many times, had seen its roster change with new and old members coming and going, and fought many enemies.

There have been many versions of the Teen Titans, and you can explore all of them with our reading order!

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Who is Poison Ivy? The origins of Dr. Pamela Isley

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Batman Rogues Galleries is, almost without a doubt, one of the most iconic, and Poison Ivy is no exception to the rule. She’s also one of the most visually striking characters, often barefoot with a green costume made of leaves and vines.

Poison Ivy was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, at a time when Batman was massively popular thanks to the 1960s live-action television series. As a result of the show and Catwoman’s popularity in it, they wanted more female villains. To respond to this demand, Carmine Infantino and Robert Kanigher created Poison Ivy who made her debut in Batman #181 in June 1966 (where she was penciled by Sheldon Moldoff). The character never made it to the show.

The character was in part inspired by the short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is about a young woman who tends a garden of poisonous plants and becomes toxic herself. Her design was modeled on Bettie Page, with Ivy having the same haircut and figure.

Poison Ivy is a woman with a poisonous touch who can manipulate all plants. She also possesses a complex and rich history and became more and more powerful with time and several retcons…

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Fantastic Four Reading Order

On November 1961, a page of comic book history was written when the Fantastic Four comic debuted. The first issue was an unexpected success, and the public simply fell in love with the First Family. It played a massive role in making Marvel the company we know, launching and influencing the superhero comics in a new direction.

Traditionally, the Fantastic Four are Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), scientific genius and leader; Susan “Sue” Storm (Invisible Woman), Reed’s partner and co-leader; Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), Sue’s little brother; and Ben Grimm (The Thing), pilot and best friend. They all gained superpowers following exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific mission to outer space.

The Fantastic Four are maybe the most famous superheroes in the Marvel Universe, as they chose to become celebrities instead of hiding their real identities from the public.

If the name of the team implies they are only four members, the roster of the famous ‘family’ has changed several times, and sometimes, other characters have been members. Crystal, Medusa (from the Inhumans), She-Hulk, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Storm and Black Panther, and even Spider-Man have been at some point or other members of the team.

They fought and stop more than once the Supreme Leader Doctor Doom but also had several encounters with Galactus, Ronan the Accuser, Namor, Silver Surfer, the Mole Man, the Frightful Four, and more. They worked with the Avengers, the X-Men, and other Marvel superheroes to save the world.

This most emblematic team has lived a lot, and it’s time to explore those adventures with a Fantastic Four reading order!

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Darth Vader Reading Order (Star Wars)

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Does Darth Vader really need an introduction? Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains of all time. Created by George Lucas, he is the central antagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy.

But Darth Vader was not always Darth Vader. Before, he was Anakin Skywalker, The Chosen One. He was destined to bring balance to the Force and was trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi to become a Jedi. He was one of the main protagonists of the prequel trilogy.

When Skywalker chose to turn to the dark side of the Force, and pledged his allegiance to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, his alter ego, Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, was created.

This is the story of a tragic hero who turned villain and became one of the most famous fictional characters ever. It’s no surprise that several stories have been featuring him in the Star Wars Universe, Legends or Canon timeline.

For this reason, Darth Vader deserves, without a doubt, his own comic reading order (with a few books). For an expanded experience, check out our Star Wars Canon Comics Reading order or our Star Wars Legends Comics Reading Order.

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Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) Reading Order

From the beginning, Captain America wasn’t fighting AXIS alone. He had a sidekick: Bucky. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Bucky made his first comic appearance in Captain America #1 (March 1941) and didn’t leave Cap’s side during the war.

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes Jr. lost both of his parents when he was quite young. Soon, he was separated from his sister Rebecca and grew up at Camp Lehigh as a ward of the state. There, he became a camp mascot before receiving special training in England.

His life took a turn when he met Steve Rogers and discovered he was Captain America. He joined him in his first mission against Red Skull, then underwent another intensive training program to become the sidekick known as Bucky. With Cap, he fought Nazi operations, joined the Invaders, formed the Young Allies, and more.

Toward the end of the war, Captain America and Bucky Barnes vanished and were declared dead during a classified mission. And it stuck for a very long time. Bucky was part of a very small circle of comic book characters (with Jason Todd and Uncle Ben) known to stay dead.

Like Jason Todd, Bucky was brought back to life. Or more precisely, after a long period of time, it was revealed that he hadn’t died at all. After being retrieved by a Russian submarine, he was brainwashed to become the deadly assassin called the Winter Soldier.

Back among the living, a whole new chapter was being written for Bucky, from the brainwashed killing machine to Captain America and a quest for redemption, and back to the Winter Soldier.

A popular hero in the MCU where he is played by Sebastian Stan, Bucky Barnes is a Golden Age character that has been smartly reinvented in the Modern Age. Below, you’ll find a reading guide exploring Bucky’s history in the Marvel Universe.

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Earth 2 New 52 Reading Order

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Earth-Two (or Earth 2) is famously known as the home of DC Golden Age heroes, including the Justice Society of America. The setting was, after all, introduced in The Flash #123 (1961) to explain the differences between the Golden Age and the Silver Age versions of the characters.

When Crisis on Infinite Earths happened, Earth-Two was merged with other planets into one, and thus was the end of the Multiverse… for a time. The Multiverse was indeed reborn following the events of Infinite Crisis, although Earth-Two was not the same world.

It was the first time, but not the last time that the setting of Earth-Two was revised. The DC Universe was rebooted following another event, Flashpoint. The series changed the DC Status quo and lead us into New 52 and a new Earth-Two, now called Earth 2.

Earth 2’s history was different with an added tragic backstory. This was the home of a group of superheroes named the Eight Wonders of the World, led by Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. They have defeated grave threats from Apokolips, but not at a grave price.

Left in their stead is a group of young, untrained heroes who pick up the pieces in the dusty aftermath. The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and the Atom are humanity’s nascent guardians, but not the ones we’ve all known and revered. These are different heroes, in a strange and foreign world with dangerous new villains.

Dive into Earth 2’s history during New 52 with the following reading order!

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Duke Thomas Reading Order (member of the Batfamily, The Signal)

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This has been less than ten years since Duke Thomas made his debut in the DC Universe. Created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo during their already classic run on Batman, Duke first appeared in Batman (vol. 2) #21, as an unnamed character, then he made his real entry in Batman (vol. 2) #30 as Duke Thomas.

Raised in the Gotham Narrows by his mother Elaine, a social worker, and Doug Thomas, a humble construction worker, Duke had an ordinary childhood. He was then unaware of who his biological father was (a villain named Gnomon) and that he was a metahuman and had powers.

Anyways, no one in Gotham can claim to have an ordinary life too long. Like so many Gothamites, Duke’s life was changed by the Joker during the events of Endgame with the disappearance of his parents. He was placed into the foster system and soon after, became the leader of a youth movement inspired by Robin.

Duke’s parents were later found, but permanently jokerized. Following this discovery, Bruce officially took Duke under his wings to make him his latest ward and partner-in-crime-fighting. He officially became The Signal in Batman and The Signal #1 (March 2018). He also joined the Outsiders, under Black Lightning’s supervision. You can’t miss him in the streets of Gotham with his yellow armor! 

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Namora: The Origin and History of Namor’s Cousin

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Less than ten years after Namor made his debut, his female counterpart was introduced on the pages of Marvel Mystery Comics #82. Namora – full name Aquaria Nautica Neptunia – is, like her cousin Namor, a hybrid and one of Marvel’s first mutants.

Soon played by Mabel Cadena on the big screen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namora was created by artist Ken Bald (and an unknown writer), though several of her Golden Age appearances were written by Bill Everett who also designed her costume.

She’s the daughter of an Atlantean father and a human mother who lived several adventures next to her cousin in the Golden Age but was unfortunately killed off in the ‘60s. Namora continued to appear in a number of flashbacks but only made her permanent return to the Marvel Universe in 2006.

Though Namora didn’t have the chance to become a major player in the Marvel Universe, she still had the time to become a hero and make the undersea world safer!

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Inhumans Reading Order (with Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Lockjaw and Maximus)

Not to be confused with the X-Men, The Inhumans are another group of Marvel Superpower beings created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The difference resides in the way each group comes into their meta-human abilities. To put it simply (as nothing is really that simple in the comic book world), Mutants are a group of people possessing the X-Gene that generally comes into their powers during puberty. Inhumans are the result of a Kree science experiment and only get their powers if they are exposed to Terrigen Mist and undergo a transformation called Terrigenesis. Inhumans were created with a purpose, as weapons to assist the Kree in their war against the Skrulls.

So what is Terrigen Mist, you ask? Well, this Mist is produced when Terrigen Crystals, a rare mineral created by the Kree, are exposed to water at a specific temperature. So when an Inhuman inhales the Mist, it activates the Inhuman gene and he becomes a meta-human.

Inhumans also differentiate themselves by usually being a close-knit society preferring to trust no one but its own people. Living in isolation, they are ruled by the Royal Family and the Genetic Council. They even had their own kingdom on the moon before humanity learns of their existence.

The most famous Inhumans out there are part of the Royal Family. Black Blot is the king of the Inhumans and has a destructive hypersonic voice whose slightest whisper will release his power. For this reason, he remains silent. He is married to Medusa, Queen of the Inhumans, which has prehensile hair. Crystal, Medusa’s sister, can manipulate the elements, and Maximus, Black Bolt’s brother has the ability of mind-control and thirst for power.

There are also Gorgon with legs that can create massive shockwaves; Karnak, a martial art artist, priest and philosopher to the Inhumans who chose to never be exposed to the Terrigen Mist; Triton, who can breathe underwater; Good ol’ boy Lockjaw, a bulldog that can teleport; and more…

More recently, the NuHumans, or Inhumans Hybrids, were introduced, and with this new tribe came a lot of new characters like Daisy Johnson, Kamala Khan, Lunella Lafayette.

Introduced in Fantastic Four #45 in december 1965, The Inhumans have more than 50 years of history, where their complex origins, their relationships and their place in the Marvel Universe have been explored. Now is the time to jump into the Inhumans Reading order to know what to read!

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Namor the Sub-Mariner Reading Order, Imperius Rex!

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Namor the Sub-Mariner is one of the first Marvel characters, even sometimes considered the very first original Marvel character. He was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for the comic Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1. The title was never released and Namor made his real first appearance in Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939), next to the Human Torch. At the time, he was one of the most popular characters of Timely Comics (Marvel’s predecessor) along with the Human Torch and Captain America.

Though Namor is not as popular today as he was in the Golden Age era of comics, the character remained a historically important figure and still a popular character, with a history spanning over 80 years of publication.

Also known as the Sub-Mariner, Namor McKenzie is the mutant son of a human sea captain and an Atlantean princess. As the current king of Atlantis, he will do anything to protect his people. For this reason, Namor can be a villain, a hero, or an antihero, depending on the circumstances, for the surface dwellers. He’s almost always a hero for the people of Atlantis.

Namor is also a very powerful character, with Superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, senses, and reflexes. He can breathe underwater like all Atlanteans and can communicate and command sea life. He possesses vestigial “wings” on both of his ankles which permits him to fly, he is capable of manipulating the weather like Storm and much more. With all these powers comes a quite volatile and arrogant personality!

He is now played by Tenoch Huerta in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making his live-action debut in Black: Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Let’s dive into the Sub-Mariner’s history with this Namor Reading Order!

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