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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!

Star Wars Omnibus Reading Order!

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May the 4th Be With You! Since the movie’s release in 1977, Star Wars Comics have been produced with few interruptions. It all started at Marvel Comics with a six-issue comic book adaptation of the film. It was such a success that it helped Marvel survive the financial difficulties of the time. The series continued with original stories starting from issue #7 and became one of the top-selling titles. Marvel published the series until 1986, totaling 107 issues and three Annuals.

During this period, a newspaper strip was also distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and the Watertown Daily Times, while Pendulum Press released in 1978 a 31-page loose adaptation designed for classroom use. For several years after Marvel’s comic series ended, there was few Star Wars material. This changed in 1991 when Dark Horse acquired the license and revived the franchise with the release of the novel Heir to the Empire—the first book of a trilogy by Timothy Zahn—which was also adapted into a comic book. After that, the publisher launched dozens of series set in the Star Wars universe over the next 20 years.

A well-established fact now, Dark Horse lost the license in 2014 to Marvel Comics, which became the primary publisher of Star Wars Comics. It marked the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe and the beginning of a new continuity known as Star Wars Canon. In 2017, IDW Publishing launched the anthology series Star Wars Adventures, and in 2022, Dark Horse started publishing new Star Wars comics and graphic novels.

For Star Wars Day, we look closer at the many Star Wars omnibus editions—from Dark Horse’s older collections to Marvel’s ongoing omnibus line to help you navigate this vast galaxy!

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Best 1980s Marvel Comics: The Stories That Defined a Decade

These were good years for the comic book industry. Actually, they were great years. The 1980s were a period of tremendous financial and creative growth that transformed the medium. The emergence of the Direct Market, with specialty comic book stores, created more opportunities for creators and led to a wider range of publications.

It was during this decade that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, and Art Spiegelman’s Maus were published, breaking new comic book narrative ground for future writers. It was also during this decade that DC Comics was rebooted with Crisis on Infinite Earths and started its Renaissance with the British Invasion of creators. 

The comic book industry rose and fell during the 1980s, including Marvel Comics. The House of Ideas evolved in those years, embracing darker storytelling, launching new comic book series, trying new formats, hiring new talents, and releasing some of the most celebrated and iconic stories in its history.

Maybe one of the most important decades on the creative front, the 1980s helped redefine Marvel’s superheroes by pushing boundaries and going where the industry had never been before. Today, we explore the best Marvel stories of the decade!

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Assassin’s Creed Comics Reading Order

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First conceived as an entry in the Prince of Persia series, Assassin’s Creed is now one of the biggest video game franchises that includes thirteen mainline and several spin-offs that also spanned novels, audio drama, comic books, encyclopedias, board games, and a live-action film.

Created by Patrice Desilets and published by Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed is a mix between historical fiction, conspiracy thriller and sci-fi. It takes place across various periods and revolves around the secret war fought for centuries between The Templar Order, who wish for mankind to be united in peace under their control, and the Assassin Brotherhood, who believe in flawed humanity and fight to maintain the freedom of all humanity.

The Assassin’s Creed video game franchise is famous for telling its stories across two timelines. Most of the game takes place in the historical timeline where players control an Assassin. The Present-day timeline serves as a framing story, tying everything together, showing how past events influence the present and future.

This format is often respected in the Assassin’s Creed comic books. For this reason, this reading guide doesn’t follow a chronological order or a publication order. Instead, the comics have been organized based on storylines, key characters, or specific game tie-ins.

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Maxwell Lord: The Comic Book History of a Master Manipulator

« Lord was always sort of a nebulous, self-serving hard ass » said Keith Giffen (RIP) in a CBR interview twenty years ago. He’s talking about Maxwell Lord, power broker, master manipulator, cyborg for a time, spy and full-blown villain.

The Maxwell Lord appearing in the pages of DC Comics today is not the same man readers encountered when he made his first appearance almost 40 years ago in Justice League #1 (May 1987). His origins were rewritten post-Flashpoint to better align with his modern characterization. Once an amoral power broker, Lord has since become a more straightforward villain.

With a new version of Maxwell Lord set to appear in the upcoming Superman movie this summer, we take a look back at Maxwell Lord’s history, and how the character has changed over time.

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Mystique Reading Order (X-Men)

Some mutants are older than they look. We all know that Wolverine‘s healing factor slowed down the effects of aging granting him an extended lifespan. But he is not the only Marvel mutant to have quite a long life. This is also the case of the mysterious and dangerous Mystique.

Mostly known as Raven Darkhölme, Mystique has hidden behind many aliases, such as Sherlock Holmes, Foxx, Surge, Raven Wagner, and more. Her true identity is still a mystery, despite having made her first appearance in Ms. Marvel #16 (January 1978), more than 47 years ago.

This unknown past fit quite well with the shapeshifting mutant terrorist who found her way to the Marvel Comics page by accident. Artist Dave Cockrum simply drew a beautiful woman who was colored by Paty Greer (the future Mrs. Cockrum) and Marvel colorist Andy Yanchus. When Claremont saw the design, he asked for information about her and if he could use her. He came up with the name Mystique and included her in Ms. Marvel.

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45 Must Read Comics about World War II

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This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Armistice of the Second World War. Considered the largest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries, WWII shaped the world we live in today. Causing immense human suffering and physical destruction on an unprecedented scale, its conclusion resulted in a reshaping of the world’s political, economic, and social systems, laying the groundwork for international relations for the remainder of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century.

When it comes to our duty of memory, comics offer a unique way to revisit World War II. From historical accounts to personal experiences, they depict the war’s events, and figures, providing different perspectives on a conflict that shaped the modern world.

Explore our curated list of 45 World War II comics and graphic novels — from personal family sagas shaped by conflict to graphic depictions of the war’s most brutal battles. These stories capture the trauma, sacrifice, and enduring impact of WWII through intimate portraits and large-scale historical events.

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Life is Strange Comics in Order

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While the world of comic books has inspired many video games, such as Batman: Arkham, The Wolf Among Us, Midnight Suns, and more recently Marvel Rivals, many comics have also spun out of video games. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed, and the subject of today’s article, Life is Strange, are among them.

Created by Dontnod Entertainment, Life is Strange is an episodic adventure game following Maxine ‘Max’ Caulfield, an 18-year-old photography senior who discovers she can rewind time and change the course of events. Back in her hometown of Arcadia Bay after a five-year absence, Max reconnects with her old friend Chloe Price, and the two women start to track down Rachel Amber, Chloe’s missing friend. Their investigation exposes them to the darker side of Arcadia Bay. Meanwhile, Chloe and Max attempt to understand the consequences of Max’s new power, driven by Max’s frequent visions of a tornado destroying the town in four days.

Released in 2015, the Life is Strange video game found critical and commercial success and marked the beginning of a franchise that includes multiple video games, a comic book series, and other books. Today, we are exploring this universe—a guide to the Life is Strange franchise, from the original video game to the comics and beyond.

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The Best of Jubilee Comics, Your Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)

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Being part of the mutantkind comes with a different set of powers. Some people have telekinesis or pyrokinesis—and plenty of other -kinesis. Others can shoot energy from their eyes, control a planet’s magnetic field, or heal from any injury.

If your name is Jubilation Lee, you’re most known for your “fireworks”! While some people have called Jubilee’s powers one of the lamest, that didn’t stop her from becoming popular, especially in the nineties. And since it’s clear she can go nuclear on you, it’s safe to say you should never underestimate any power!

Created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri in 1989, Jubilee joined the X-Men and became Wolverine‘s sidekick, forming a father-daughter bond with him. Later, she joined Generation X and became a fan favorite on X-Men: The Animated Series. Over the years, Jubilee’s life took some wild turns: she had a stint in Hollywood, lost her powers, worked for a pro-mutant group, became a vampire, adopted a child, got her powers back, and even turned human again!

To discover these stories and more, you can follow our Jubilee reading order guide for the best comics to read about one of Marvel’s most popular Asian American superheroes.

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Squirrel Girl Reading Order, the Unbeatable Comic Book List!

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Many Marvel superheroes have been defined by tragedy, from the death of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben to Matt Murdock being hit by a truck full of chemicals and losing his father. While tragedy and bizarre accidents have created many heroes, it’s nice to be reminded sometimes that you can be happy and superheroic—just like Squirrel Girl!

Right now a playable character in Marvel Rivals (voiced by Milana Vayntrub), Squirrel Girl was created by Will Murray and Steve Dikto.  Also known as Doreen Allene Green, she made her first appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 2 #8, published in 1991. In this issue, she teamed up with Iron Man and defeated the villainous Doctor Doom with the help of her squirrel sidekick, Monkey Joe. After this one-off partnership with Iron Man, Squirrel Girl didn’t become an instant hit and largely disappeared from comics for years.

She made her return to the Marvel Universe thanks to Dan Slott, in GLA: Misassembled, a miniseries about the Great Lakes Avengers—a team of superheroes with seemingly “useless” or odd powers. This comic book series also introduced her new squirrel sidekick, Tippy-Toe. After that, she popped up occasionally, crossing paths with characters like Deadpool before taking on a job as a nanny for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s daughter in New Avengers (in 2010).

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DC Absolute Universe Reading Order

A new alternate reality has recently emerged in the DC Universe. As part of the DC All In Initiative, DC Comics has launched The Absolute Universe (AU), an imprint overseen by Scott Snyder that tells stories set on Earth-Alpha and features new versions of of DC’s iconic superheroes.

Similar to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, this Universe is friendly to new readers. You don’t need to have a PhD in DC’s complex history or its many crisis to enjoy these new comic series.

Ready to explore DC’s newest reality? Here’s a quick guide to the Absolute Universe and how to start reading.

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