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Carole

Co-founder and owner of Comic Book Treasury. The woman behind the Batfamily Guide (and the many Robins Guides), the Fables Universe and some of your favorite Spider-People among others!

Elsa Bloodstone Reading Order (and Ulysses Bloodstone)

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Not everyone is a superhero in the Marvel Universe. Some are Monster Hunters! This is the case of Elsa Bloodstone who, since her first appearance in Bloodstone #1 (Dec. 2001), has made a name for herself as such.

Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Michael Lopez, Elsa Bloodstone is the daughter of another famous Monster Hunter, Ulysses Bloodstone, and the sister of Cullen Bloodstone. Her father was killing monsters with other monster hunters during the Bronze Age. He made a few appearances before meeting his maker, but Ulysses captured the public’s imagination and was after that still referenced in several issues. 

Today, his legacy in the Marvel Universe takes clearly the form of his children, especially Elsa. Introduced in the Bloodstone miniseries, Elsa Bloodstone could be perceived at the time as a mix between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the adventurer Lara Croft, and didn’t make a lasting impression on readers. A few years down the line, the character was rebooted by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen on Nextwave: Agents of HATE, where Elsa really came into her own as a foul-mouthed and violent young woman.

Though Elsa didn’t have a specific place in the Marvel Universe at this time, she became a more prominent character in the 2010s. She was a playable character in several video games, joined the Legion of Monsters, worked with the Thunderbolts and the Defenders, teamed up with Wolverine and Deadpool, and more.

Now, she is making her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the television special “Werewolf by Night,” where she is played by actress Laura Donnelly.

Following is an Elsa Bloodstone reading order (including information about her father Ulysses and her brother Cullen!) to help you become more familiar with the character and her family!

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Kick-Ass Comics, a Reading Guide for the Mark Millar series (including Hit-Girl)

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What would it look like to be a superhero in the real world? This is a question writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr. explored in the famous Kick-Ass comic book series, originally published by Marvel Comics under the Icon Imprint, and later republished under Image Comics, between 2008 and 2019. The universe was expanded with two spin-off series, including one focusing on Hit-Girl. And it has been adapted by director Matthew Vaughn into a successful movie, followed by a less successful sequel.

But let’s go back to the beginning. Dave Lizewski is an ordinary New York teenage boy who loves superheroes. One day, he decides to cross the line, put on a costume, and become a vigilante. Soon enough, he discovers it’s very dangerous and way more real than what he reads in the comic book pages.

Despite the punch and the blood, his actions have some effects, inspiring others. And in his fight against crime, he meets the young Mindy McCready aka the ruthless Hit-Girl…

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The Joker’s Last Laugh Reading Order

The Joker was disrupting the DC Universe at the beginning of the noughties. He was  first accidentally given nigh-unlimited reality-shaping powers by Mr. Mxyzptlk and reshaped the universe in his image in Superman: Emperor Joker. Not long after that, the Joker was at it again, spreading chaos in the way less received event The Joker’s Last Laugh (also known as The Joker: Last Laugh), written by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty with art by Pete Woods.

What The Joker’s Last Laugh is about? The Joker is a prisoner at the Slabside Penitentiary when a prison doctor informs them that they have found a malignant tumor after a brain scan. The Joker is going to die. Facing this news, The Clown Prince of Crime decides he wants to go out with a bang. He concocts a scheme to carry on his legacy by transforming his fellow villains into “jokerized” versions of themselves.

Published in 2001, this storyline comprises a six-issue miniseries and 25 tie-ins, covering almost everything that was published at the time, from the Batman titles to the Superman family, and more.

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Captain America Reading Order

Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Captain America was introduced in March 1941 to fight the Axis powers during the Second World War. He was Timely Comics’ (a predecessor of Marvel Comics) most popular character during the wartime period before fading into obscurity amid falling sales in the 1950s.

Like many early superheroes of the era, Captain America might have remained a relic of the past. Instead, Steve Rogers found his way back into the public eye when he was reintroduced in Avengers #4 in 1964, having been frozen in ice and discovered by the Avengers. He became a man out of time, trying to adapt to a world that had moved on while still holding onto his ideals.

Although he sometimes struggles to maintain his ideals, Captain America never gives up and always stands up for what he believes is right. It’s no wonder that he has become such a highly respected figure, one of Marvel’s central characters and a long-standing leader of the Avengers.

You can discover Captain America’s full history with our Complete Reading Order.

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Young Justice Reading Order

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They are the next generation of superheroes and want to live on their own adventures, far from their mentor. They are the Young Justice! The team was founded by Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (Kon-El), and Impulse (Bart Allen), but will soon become a beacon for the young superheroes in the DC Universe.

Created by Todd Dezago and artist Todd Nauck, the Young Justice made its first appearance in 1998, in Young Justice: Secret #1, at a time when the Teen Titans had become the Titans and there was no current superheroes’ teen team.

The team’s base was established in the empty JLA headquarters in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, where they met Red Tornado. The sentient android stayed with the team as an adult supervisor and adviser. Soon enough, some new members were added to the team: Wonder Girl (Cassandra “Cassie” Sandsmark), Arrowette (Cissie King-Jones), and Secret (Greta Hayes). Other heroes would come and go from the team: Empress, Li’l Lobo/Slobo, The Ray, but also Teen Lantern, Jinny Hex, and Amethyst. Red Tornado was also eventually replaced with civilian Snapper Carr.

If Young Justice was created on paper, the team also made a name for itself on television, thanks to the Young Justice animated television series, launched in 2010 on Cartoon Network. It is not an adaptation of the comic book series (and not in continuity), but the adventures of another version of the team from another Earth. And there are tie-ins to the television adventures!

To find out more about Young Justice, take a look at this complete reading order!

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Green Lantern Rebirth Reading Order

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After almost five years, the New 52 era came to an end to make way for a new era, a new beginning: Rebirth! It had, from a continuity point of view, minimal impact on the Green Lanterns, as their story simply continues from the previous era.

From a more behind-the-scene angle, new creative teams worked on the title. Or titles should I write, as the main Green Lantern series was replaced by two books. Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz headlined Green Lanterns, written by Sam Humphries for its first 32 issues and for the most part penciled by Robson Rocha. Humphries was followed by Tim Seeley (#33-47), Aaron Gillespie (#48-49), and Dan Jurgens (#50-57) with art from Ronan Cliquet, Carlo Barberi, V. Ken Marion, Mike Perkins and Marco Santucci. Our two Green Lanterns were also members of the Justice League during this period. At the same time, Hal Jordan was still flying with writer Robert Venditti and artist Rafa Sandoval in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. 

Things changed not long after Dark Nights: Metal. Grant Morrison took over and teamed up with British comic book artist Liam Sharp for a run on Green Lantern. There was also some shake-up in the Justice League, following the No Justice arc, with the creation of different teams. Simon Baz stayed with the classic Justice League, but Jessica Crews joined the Justice League Odyssey, a team formed to bring order to the newly created space sector known as the Ghost Sector. And a little bit later, a new Green Lantern was introduced…

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Cable Reading Order

Cable looks straight at you with his signature intensity

Meet Nathan Summers, time-traveling soldier, powerful mutant, and original X-Force leader, with this Cable comics reading list, covering everything from his first appearance to his team-ups with Deadpool, his X-Men days, the Messiah Trilogy, and more.

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

Few characters at Marvel have a backstory as complicated as Cable (with the possible exception of Psylocke). Born Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, Cable is the time-traveling son of Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Madelyne Pryor (a clone of Jean Grey). Behind his conception lurks the mad geneticist Mr. Sinister, who planned to use the child as a weapon to destroy his archenemy, Apocalypse.

As an infant, Nathan was infected by a deadly techno-organic virus incurable in the present. To save him, Cyclops gave Nathan up, sending him 2,000 years into the future (Earth-493) where he could be treated and raised. There was no hope for Scott to ever see his son again… or so he thought.

In this future world, Nathan was raised by the Askani Clan to become the warrior known as Cable, a sworn enemy of Apocalypse. The religious order was led by Mother Askani, a time-displaced version of Rachel Summers, Cable’s half-sister.

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Big Trouble in Little China Comics, a Reading Guide

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Jack Burton is not your ordinary hero… because he’s not a hero at all! He is the iconic sidekick who thinks he is the leading man. This gave us the 1986’s cult classic Big Trouble in Little China, directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong.

Although Jack Burton was born ready, the amazing and hilarious adventure he had was almost impossible to predict. The wisecracking truck driver found himself embroiled in an ancient battle between good and evil when his friend Wang Chi’s fiancée was kidnapped by bandits in San Francisco’s Chinatown and had to be rescued.

Despite its lack of success at the box office upon release, the film has become a cult favourite. In fact, almost 30 years later, Boom! Studios continued Jack’s journey through multiple ongoing stories. Today, we are taking a closer look at the adventures of Jack Burton in comics for some serious trouble and serious fun. 

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Superman Reading Order, The Modern Age (Post-Crisis)

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It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman! Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in Action Comics #1 (1938), Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton who fights crime in Metropolis and the rest of the world. Under the costume is Kal-El, who was sent to Earth as a baby and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark Kent and raised him in the small town of Smallville. As Clark developed superhuman abilities, his parents taught him to use his talents to help humanity.

Clark relocated to Metropolis to pursue a career in journalism. He landed a job at the Daily Planet, where he met the love of his life and journalist Lois Lane, photographer Jimmy Olsen, and editor-in-chief Perry White. In parallel, he put on a colorful costume and used the codename Superman to fight powerful enemies, including General Zod, Brainiac, and the most emblematic of them all, the narcissistic-genius Lex Luthor.

The superhero genre wouldn’t be the same without Superman. Although there were others before him who could be said to fit the bill, he established the conventions and popularized the entire genre, being the best-selling superhero in American comic books until the 1980s.

As the DC Universe was becoming more complicated and sales were declining, a new page of history was written following a Crisis like no one else: Crisis on Infinite Earths. This was the beginning of the Modern Age and the creation of new instant-classic stories. The event was used to retcon the history of most characters. The idea was to clean up the timeline (something DC is still trying to do, in vain) and to update the superheroes to appeal to a contemporary audience. 

This is when this Superman reading order begins. From his new origin story by John Byrne to his iconic death, The Triangle Era, and much more, this guide covers the Superman comics released over 25 years, before DC Comics relaunched their universe with New 52.

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Black Panther Reading Order, The King of Wakanda

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, Black Panther made his first comic book appearance in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966). He was introduced as T’Challa, the ruler and protector of Wakanda, a fictional African nation that is the most technologically advanced country in the Marvel Comics Universe. This hidden nation owes much of its advancements to Vibranium, a nearly indestructible metal that crash-landed in Wakanda centuries ago, shaping its scientific and cultural evolution.

T’Challa is not only a formidable warrior but also one of the most intelligent minds in the Marvel Universe. He ranks among the top ten smartest characters, alongside Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Amadeus Cho. His genius extends to physics, engineering, and political strategy, making him an exceptional leader. Beyond his intelligence, T’Challa possesses enhanced physical abilities granted by the Heart-Shaped Herb, which links him to the Panther God, Bast. This connection allows him to access the knowledge and experiences of every Black Panther who came before him. His combat skills, agility, superhuman strength, endurance, and heightened senses make him one of the most formidable heroes in Marvel Comics.

Initially introduced as a guest character in Fantastic Four, Black Panther soon became a recurring hero, later joining The Avengers. He starred in Jungle Action during the 1970s, a critically acclaimed series that explored themes of colonialism and racial identity. Over the years, he has played major roles in Marvel storylines, serving as a member of the Illuminati, The Ultimates, and various Avengers teams.

Black Panther made his live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Chadwick Boseman. His first appearance in Captain America: Civil War (2016) was quickly followed by the solo film Black Panther (2018), which became a cultural and box office phenomenon. The film’s success cemented Black Panther as one of Marvel’s most iconic and influential characters.

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