Created by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and John Romita Sr, Wolverine is a short Canadian mutant who possesses animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, a powerful regenerative ability known as a healing factor, and three retractable claws in each hand.
But I’m pretty sure you already knew that, as Wolvie is also one of the most popular X-Men out there, helped by Hugh Jackman’s performance in the X-Men movie franchise (and he also has his own solo movies). He’s also the only X-Men character to have his own comic title consistently since his debut in 1988. There are a lot of X-Men stories (see our massive reading order!) and a lot of Wolverine comics!
Today, we explore Jason Aaron’s run on the character, written before his epic run on Thor. It’s after all thanks to Wolverine that Aaron finds his way into Marvel, after winning a contest…
Created by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw as recently as 2018, Cosmic Ghost Rider is such a wild concept that, despite being quite new, couldn’t do anything less than leave a big impression on the readers.
Who is Cosmic Ghost Rider, really? In an alternate future, he was known as The Punisher, before making a deal with the devil to become the Ghost Rider. An alliance with Galactus made him cosmic. And a dark bargain with Thanos made him … dead?!
So yes, the Cosmic Version of Ghost Rider is a version of Frank Castle (from Earth-TRN666) and you can discover his complicated timeline and history of those cosmic stories!
What to read before Cosmic Ghost Rider?
There is no pre-required reading for Cosmic Ghost Rider, before his first appearance in Cates’ run on Thanos. We still recommend reading the entire Thanos volume, beginning with Jeff Lemire’s issues (because why not):
Published by IDW, The October Faction is a horror series written by Steve Niles (Kick-Ass, 30 Days of Night) with art by Damien Worm (Dark Souls) that was adapted for television by Netflix (but canceled after only one season).
The October Faction tells the adventures of retired monster-hunter Frederick Allan and his family, his wife Deloris, and their two children Geoff and Vivian… which include a thrill-killer, a witch, and a warlock.
Named after the 1980’s comic of the same name, Iron Man 2020, is a six-issue event comic (and 12 tie-ins) by writers Dan Slott & Christos Gage and artist Pete Woods.
Now, Arno Stark is Iron Man—and has taken control of all Tony’s assets, including his company Stark Unlimited. As Iron Man 2020 steers humanity into a new, cutting-edge dawn, robots from around the world unite to stake their claim on a new Machine Age. Humanity vs. Artificial Intelligence—and only one will emerge victorious.
What to read before Iron Man 2020?
The Iron Man 2020 event is a continuation and conclusion of Dan Slott’s run on Iron Man. You can guess that, for a better experience, you’ll have to dive into this run. You can then read:
Or for a shorter version Iron Man: The Ultron Agenda – collecting Tony Stark: Iron Man #16-19, the story arc leading up to Iron Man 2020.
Wants to know more about Arno Stark?
Iron Man 2020 – Not to be confused with the event! Collecting the history of Arno Stark, especially the limited series Machine Man from 1984 written by Tom DeFalco
Kieron Gillen’s run on Iron Man introduced Arno Stark to present-day continuity:
Garth Ennis’s run on The Punisher Max is generally considered the definitive run on the character. The author used the freedom of the MAX imprint to write more realistic stories.
On a larger scale, The Punisher Max is in the continuity of Ennis’s run on the character that has begun under the Marvel Knights imprint, a period which helped revived Frank Castle’s popularity (and also worth reading).
Whatever the imprint, those series are known for their combining of crime-focused stories with a touch of black humor.
As for the story, here is the official synopsis of the first volume: The Punisher, aka Frank Castle, is a one-man army locked, loaded, and ready to take out anyone in his way. And Frank starts with Ma Gnucci and her entire crime family! Spacker Dave, Joan the Mouse, and Mr. Bumpo all await in one of the most celebrated Punisher stories ever told! And Frank’s war on crime continues as he targets disgraced General Kreigkopf, and has a very unique team-up with Spider-Man!
Written by Pierre Christin and drawn by Jean-Claude Mézières (RIP), the Valerian and Laureline series is a highly influential Franco-Belgian sci-fi comic book series that takes us to Galaxity, the capital of the Terran Galactic Empire in the 28th century.
There, we met Valerian and Laureline who are two agents of the Service Spatio-Temporel (SST) who protect mankind as they travel the universe through space and time.
Galaxity is an Earth megalopolis and the capital in the XXVIIIth century of a galactic empire. Earth has become, following a dark age, one of the great cosmic powers. The agents of the SST move in time and space to preserve the interests of Galaxity. The rules of the EST forbid them to modify the events of the past. Valerian and Laureline explore new planets, take part in historical experiments, help unknown peoples, settle planetary conflicts, represent Galaxity, etc. They do not intervene to prevent the death of the planet.
They do not intervene to prevent the nuclear explosion of 1986 which transforms the aspect and the organization of the Earth. But it is the future of Galaxity that they rewrite by helping the superintendent of the EST to prevent this cataclysm later. Unfortunately, in this high-risk temporal manipulation, they also cancel the future of their planet.
The Grimm Fairy Tales universe is a dark fantasy comic book world by Zenescope Entertainment that began publication in June 2005. It presents classic fairy tales with modern twists, sexy covers, and some gore inside. Following the success of Return to Wonderland, the first spin-off and limited series (and the other Wonderland titles that followed), Zenescope started to develop other series related to the Grimm Fairy Tales universe.
In 2012, they launched Robyn Hood, which reinvent, you guessed it, the myth of Robin Hood. In this version, Robin Locksley is a young woman born in the realm of Myst but raised on Earth in a horrible home life after her mother’s death. As a teenager, she returned to Myst and became a selfless hero and bandit known as Robyn Hood.
Batman: Arkham, sometimes called Arkhamverse, is the name for the shared continuity of the video games launched with Arkham Asylum in 2009.
The franchise consists now of four main installments (and an upcoming spin-off), a few mobile games, a virtual reality game, tie-in comic books, and an animated movie.
It is important to acknowledge that the games are what is canon. The tie-in comics sometimes contradict things introduced during the games (or future games retconned what has been written in the comics).
What is it about?Here is the official synopsis: The Dark Knight was young, inexperienced, and untested when he began his one-man war to save the soul of Gotham City. The vigilante known as Batman was new to the city’s dark streets, and his errors were costly. Though his mind, body and arsenal of crime-fighting gear were all honed to near-perfection, his methods were yet unproven. But Batman’s rookie lessons were just the prelude to far more desperate tales.
Despite becoming an outlaw himself after quelling the Arkham Asylum riots, the World’s Greatest Detective takes it on his shoulders to unravel why the new mayor, Quincy Sharp, wants to create Arkham City–a section of Gotham where heinous criminals and the insane can roam freely. Now not only is the Dark Knight up against City Hall, but also the amassing armies of his numerous enemies–the Penguin, Two-Face, and even The Joker himself.
On top of the machinations of Batman’s full rogues gallery, a new vigilante emerges–the Arkham Knight. It’s a life-or-death battle unlike any other for the Caped Crusader’s allies and enemies, with no end in sight!
What to read before Batman: Arkham?
The franchise Batman: Arkham is not just an adaptation of comic book stories, it is inspired by the character and the mythos in order to give us original stories (with its own timeline).
But of course, some comics have more influence than others and you can then read the two that have helped shape the first game:
Hilda is the star of her own animated TV series on Netflix, but the young heroine with blue hair originated from the graphic novels by cartoonist Luke Pearson.
The adventures of Hilda take place in a world that looks a little bit like a late 20th century Scandinavia place, inhabited by regular people and fantastical creatures like trolls, giants, elves, and spirits. In the beginning, Hilda lives with her mother in a cottage, before moving to the city of Trolberg. This fantasy world is inspired by Scandinavian folklore and The Moomins.
Hilda can never sit still for long without setting off on another adventure. She can’t resist exploring her enchanting world—a place where trolls walk, crows speak, and mountains move. The magic and folklore of the wild, windswept North come alive in this book about an adventurous little girl and her habit of befriending anything, no matter how curious it might seem.
Superman faces Doomsday in this Superman crossover story arc from the New 52 era co-written by Greg Pak, Charles Soule, and Scott Lobdell, with artwork by Ken Lashley, Aaron Kuder, and Tony Daniel.
Here is the official synopsis: Its name is Doomsday. It came from the Phantom Zone, where the Man of Steel had banished it once before. Bigger. Deadlier. Capable of killing life on Earth. Only Superman can stop it. But even that is not the end. Evil is in its blood. And when that blood is spilled, the innocent will fall — and Superman himself will discover the monster within. The Last Son of Krypton may become a destroyer of worlds himself, leaving the Earth without its greatest protector.
Superman and his allies each must make a choice. If they unleash the monster, will they lose the man? Is this Earth’s last shot at salvation, or are Superman and everyone he cares about…
What to read before Superman: Doomed?
Naturally, you can explore our complete reading order for Superman and Action Comics during the New 52 era. For a more specific start, as Superman: Doomed is mostly a crossover between the titles Action Comics and Superman/Wonder Woman, the setup for it takes place in those two series:
