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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!

Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge by Carl Barks, A Duck Comics Reading Order Guide

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Carl Barks is one of the most influential American cartoonists. Dubbed The Duck Man or The Good Duck Artist by his fans, Barks is known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and the creator of the iconic and rich duck, Scrooge McDuck.

If Scrooge McDuck is his most famous creation, he is not the only one as Barks is the architect of Duckburg, located in the fictional U.S. state of Calisota, and many of its inhabitants such as Gladstone Gander, Donald’s cousin and The Luckiest Person in the World; the Beagle Boys, the family clan of organized criminals who try (and fails) to rob uncle Scrooge; Gyro Gearloose, genius inventor and friend of Donald; Magica De Spell, the Italian sorceress; and more. Let’s simply say that if Disney created the Donald Duck universe, Carl Barks really built it–and for this reason, Don Rosa called it the Barks Universe.

Like many European people, I grew up with the Duck clan (and other classic Disney comics), and those stories were and still are popular in Europe. It was one of those things that most households had, with Asterix and Tintin.

If those comic books seem to not have the same iconic status in the US as in Europe, readers can at least now enjoy all of Carl Barks’ amazing Duck comics with the ongoing collection The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library by publisher Fantagraphics. It’s an amazing way to read Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s adventures.

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Frank Miller’s Batman Series Reading Order (The Dark Knight Universe)

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In 1996, Frank Miller reinvent Batman as a more controversial and ruthless figure in The Dark Knight Returns. And he followed up with Batman: Year One, cementing his version of Batman which will influence many writers.

In the DC Universe pre-flashpoint, all these tales are part of the Earth-31, also known as The Dark Knight Universe or Millerverse. On this Earth takes place the best and the worst of Batman’s stories.

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Loki Reading Order (with Kid Loki, Journey into Mystery, Agent of Asgard)

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Loki Reading Order

Based on the Norse deity of the same name, Loki is now part of the most famous Marvel characters, thanks to his presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where Tom Hiddleston played him. And he is now the star of his own television series.

Since his first appearance in 1949, Loki has been portrayed as both a supervillain and antihero. Half-brother of the superhero Thor, the God of Mischief is a master of manipulation and deceit with superhuman strength, speed, and longevity.

First stereotypically evil (but not really threatening), years and years of stories shaped him as one of the greatest villains of Marvel, and one of the most multi-faceted characters. There is, after all, more than one incarnation of Loki. Like most Marvel figures, he died multiple times and writers used those opportunities to have him come back changed — as a woman, as a kid, as a person searching for redemption and much more…

Where to start with Loki? The Recommended Reading Order List

  • Loki Omnibus Vol. 1 – Wants to discover Loki in the Silver Age era? Marvel released an omnibus collecting the major appearance of the character during this era, including his first appearance as modern-day Loki in Journey into Mystery #85.
  • Thor: Trials of Loki – A recent Loki’s origin story by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and illustrated by Sebastian Fiumara.
  • Loki: Journey Into Mystery by Kieron Gillen – With artist Doug Braithwaite. The god of lies has been reborn as Kid Loki but can he be Asgard’s savior? A run that helped redefined the character and can be an entry point for new readers.
  • Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie – Gillen continues to explore the character, but this time as a member of the Young Avengers.
  • Loki: God of Stories Omnibus – Want all the Loki series? This is the perfect omnibus for you as this collects all the stories starring the 21st-century trickster in all his glorious forms! From the first Loki series in 2004 to Agents of Asgards, Original Sin, Vote Loki and more!

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The Batman Who Laughs Reading Order (the breakout character of DC Comics’ Dark Nights Metal)

Batman Who Laughs Reading Order

Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo in 2017, Batman Who Laughs was the breakout star of Dark Nights: Metal. This evil version of Bruce Wayne comes from Earth-22 of the Dark Multiverse.

Presented as Batman’s worst nightmare, he is a sort of hybrid of Batman and Joker. He is stripped of all sense of ethics, with Bruce Wayne’s intelligence and physical strength and the Joker’s psychopathy and warped, sadistic sense of humor. Without surprise, he has no problem killing people.

When Batman Who Laughs is introduced, he is a member of The Dark Knights, a team he assembled for Barbatos who wants to destroy the regular Multiverse.

This reading order gives you a listing to discover his story.

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Peanuts Comic Reading Order: (Re)Discover Charles M. Schulz influencial Comic Strips

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Peanuts Comic Strips Reading Order

Before Calvin and Hobbes, there was Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts which is actually one of the influences of Bill Watterson’s creation.

One of the most popular and influential comic strips, Peanuts was a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz between 1950 and 2000. It has also been described as “the longest story ever told by one human being”.

Peanuts tells the story of a young boy named Charlie Brown, his dog Snoopy and his friends. Philosophical, psychological, and sociological overtones with complex humor made Peanuts one of the most celebrated comic strips.

You can now have the complete collection thanks to publisher Fantagraphics!

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The Best Aquaman Comics to Read, explore the Seven Seas with Arthur Curry

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Created by writer Mort Weisinger and artist Paul Norris, Aquaman debuted in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), where he co-starred with Doctor Fate, The Spectre, Johnny Quick, and Green Arrow (who made his first appearance in the same issue as Aquaman). In his first story, Arthur was saving refugees whose ship was torpedoed by a Nazi submarine.

A few years later, he left the pages of More Fun Comics in favor of Adventures Comics, but it was during the 1950s and 1960s that the character took a more important role. New elements to his backstory were introduced, as well as new supporting characters. And he was a founding member of the Justice League!

Still, despite growing popularity in the 1960s thanks to his animated series, and having his own title, Aquaman fails to grab readers the same way the other major DC superheroes did. Launched in 1962, his first solo series was canceled in 1971, before being revived in 1977 for a short time. After that, it would take 8 years for the character to have his own title again, yet again for a brief time.

Aquaman will have to wait for the nineties and Peter David to be redefined for a new generation, but the title will lose in popularity after the writer’s departure and poor Arthur Curry was again without a title.

Aquaman was not considered a bona fide superhero for a long time, and was perceived as a lesser one, even a joke — everybody who watched Entourage will never forget that Aquaman storyline in seasons 2 and 3!

But all of that changed with Geoff Johns, who confronted the public perception and rehabilitated the character. It was the beginning of a new era for Arthur Curry, one that launched the character towards good to great storylines. And of course, the cherry on the cake for his fans was the DC movie, where Jason Momoa plays the famous King of Atlantis, making him as mainstream as he has ever been.

Arthur Curry well deserved some love, and Comic Book Treasury has put together a recommended Reading list to discover the best Aquaman stories.

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Van Helsing Comics Reading Order: The adventures of Liesel Van Helsing from the Grimm Fairy Tales universe by Zenescope

Van Helsing Comics Reading Order

Meet Liesel Van Helsing, the daughter of the legendary vampire hunter, Abraham Van Helsing, who lives in the Grimm Fairy Tales universe by Zenescope Entertainment.

She spent years trapped in a hell dimension known as the Shadowlands. She has been brought to the present day and uses her skills to take on all forms of the undead, from Dracula and Frankenstein to mummies and werewolves. Liesel is a deadly force to be reckoned with for all creatures who stick to the shadows.

One of the most popular Zenescope characters, Van Helsing has inspired a Syfy television series. Beware, if you discovered the television version before, it does not have a lot in common with the comic version, except maybe the last name and vampires.

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Nightwing Reading Order (Dick Grayson, Titan member, Outsiders leader, hero of Bludhaven and Gotham)

Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, Dick Grayson is one of the most compelling characters from DC Comics. From The Flying Graysons to being Robin (aka Batman’s sidekick), then to becoming Nightwing and finding his own way in life, he’s the friend you need, the leader who listens, the guy who wants to help and does good because it’s the right thing to do. And he’s always working to become a better version of himself and to make the world a better place. What’s not to love here?

Dick Grayson made his first appearance as Robin in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940), and grew up to become a superhero in his own right as Nightwing. Dick also took on the mantle of Batman on different occasions and was known as Agent 37 at one point.

Find out more about Dick Grayson’s story in our Nightwing Reading Order, which covers everything from his transformation into Nightwing in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984) to the present day. You can read about his solo adventures, his time as Batman, his leadership of the Titans and the Outsiders, and much more!

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Amulet: The Complete Reading Order of the Graphic Novels

Started in 2008, Amulet is an American graphic novel series illustrated and written by Kazu Kibuishi. The story follows the adventures of Emily and Navin, two young siblings who moved into their great-grandfather’s country house after their father’s death in a car accident.

While exploring the house, the brother and sister discover a magical amulet that gives Emily extraordinary powers. As they try to uncover the amulet’s mysteries and protect their mother from the Elf King, the siblings find themselves having to fight a formidable and malevolent monster and battle for the freedom of a parallel world. Thankfully, they can count on the help of newfound friends to face all those new dangers.

Discover the fantasy adventures following the Amulet Reading Order!

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Darkseid War Reading Order, a Justice League Event (New 52)

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The end of New 52 is around the corner, as Justice League: The Darkseid War is the penultimate story of this era, leading into DC Rebirth. Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Jason Fabok, the story shows the return of Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips, but this time he’s set his sights on the world-shattering Anti-Monitor.

The Justice League is caught in a war between those two gods, and are they enough to protect Earth from becoming collateral damage in this fight?

What to read before Justice League: Darkseid War?

Darkseid War takes place at the end of the New 52 Justice League, written by Geoff Johns. There are hints and setup for the event throughout the series. That said, if you haven’t read his Justice League (you can find a full reading order here), you’ll find the most essential background in the first volume (with the introduction of Darkseid) and the sixth volume. Then, Forever Evil leads into the event…

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