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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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Irredeemable/Incorruptible Reading Order

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What If Superman Was Evil? is a question that has inspired writers for a very long time. One of the most famous examples out there right now is certainly Homelander from The Boys, designed as an evil version of Captain America and Superman. This is also the subject at the center of the alternate universe of Injustice, a trope explored by Mark Millar in his now-classic story Superman: Red Son, and many many more stories.

This is also the question asked in a way by Irredeemable. To be more specific, the comic asks: what if the world’s greatest hero decided to become the world’s greatest villain? Writer Mark Waid and artist Peter Krause answers this question with Plutonian, the world’s most powerful hero, who snaps and turns into the world’s greatest villain, with only his former teammates having a chance at stopping his rampage. But while on the run from the world’s most powerful and angry being, will these former teammates discover his secrets in time? How did he come to this? What became of the hope and promise once inside him? What happens to the world when its savior betrays it? What makes a hero irredeemable?

And when the more powerful hero goes bad, what happens to the super villain? Mark Waid partnered with Jean Diaz for the companion piece Incorruptible, about a super villain trying to become a superhero.

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Legion of Super-Heroes Reading Order, the team from the future

When Superboy met three teenagers and members of the Legion of Super-Heroes for the first time in the comic book Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958), he couldn’t predict how popular this young team would become. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino for a one-off story, the Legion is a team of young superheroes from the 30th and 31st centuries.

They proved so popular that they returned again and again, eventually becoming a regular feature in Adventure Comics #300. Sharing the spotlight with Superboy for years, the Legion finally earned its own comic title in the 1970s.

By the 1980s, the Legion of Super-Heroes was among DC’s best-selling series, alongside Uncanny X-Men and New Teen Titans. During this time, Paul Levitz wrote some of the most iconic stories in Legion history, including The Great Darkness Saga. Later, Keith Giffen took the series in a darker, more experimental direction, but not without its share of continuity challenges.

To reconnect with a lighter and simpler Legion, the Legion of Super-Heroes title was rebooted by Mark Waid, Tom McCraw, and Stuart Immonen In 1994. Ten years later, sales were failing, and despite good reviews, Waid and Barry Kitson rebooted the series again, creating a third incarnation of the Legion.

Generally, when a new version of the Legion was introduced, the previous team was usually erased from continuity, as they all occupied the same place in history. Each team was meant to represent a different possible future for DC. In 2008, writer Geoff Johns changed this concept with Final Crisis, revealing that the different versions of the Legion come from separate worlds but still interact with the main Earth’s history. This allowed all the Legion teams to coexist, and the pre-Crisis team was restored to continuity for the occasion. In 2019, a new version of the team was introduced by Brian Michael Bendis.
 
The Legion became a beloved team, with a history that’s anything but simple. Full of stories ranging from lighthearted to dark and serious, from soap opera to high sci-fi, and everything in between, you can now explore their rich past with our Legion of Super-Heroes Comics reading order!

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Thor Reading Order

 

Based on the Norse mythological god of the same name, Thor Odinson–or simply Thor–is a Marvel Superhero created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby that was introduced in Journey into Mystery #83 (August 1962)–possibly as an unofficial equivalent to DC’s Superman.

In order to make the Asgardian god of thunder (whose enchanted hammer Mjolnir–called the ‘Uru Hammer’ at first–enables him to fly and manipulate weather) relatable for the average American reader, Stan Lee imagined a secret identity (à la Clark Kent). Partially disabled human medical student Donald Blake only had to strike his walking stick to transform into the thunder god.

As Donald Blake, the hero took care of his patient in his private practice, working with nurse Jane Foster. As Thor, he defended humanity from his numerous Evil enemies, and notably his adoptive brother Loki, but also the Absorbing Man, the Destroyer, the Wrecker, Zarrko, the Radioactive Man, the Lava Man, the Cobra, Mister Hyde, the Enchantress, the Executioner, and more.

Thor joined the Avengers, fall in love with Jane Foster, opposed his father’s will, and went on epic adventures, alone or with allies from Earth and Asgard. As the years went by, we learned more about Thor and Asgard’s real origins, the Gods, and their enemies. Also, Thor was freed from Donald Blake. Like a lot of Marvel heroes, Thor died (Loki and Odin too), but came back to life. Asgard was destroyed and rebuilt. Even Mjolnir disappeared at one point.

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Blue Beetle Reading Order (Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes)

Officially created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski in 1939 (working for the Eisner and Iger shop), Blue Beetle is a superhero who started his career at Fox Comics. Charlton Comics acquired FOX Comics and, ultimately, was itself bought by DC Comics. That’s how Blue Beetle joined the Justice League. In truth, the original Blue Beetle was not the same as the one that became friends with Booster Gold.

Everything began with Dan Garret, the original Golden Age Blue Beetle. Introduced in Mystery Men Comics #1 (August 1939), Dan was a Rookie patrolman and the son of a police officer killed by a criminal. He simply became a vigilante, without powers, who wore a bulletproof blue costume–looking a lot like The Phantom. At some point, he temporarily gained power with the help of a special vitamin. He even got a sidekick named Sparky. Also, during World War II, Garret became a government agent–he got his cop uniform back after the war ended. As time went by, he gained even more powers, but that didn’t save him from Fox Comics going out of business.

Charlton Comics reprinted some Blue Beetle comics for a time and, during the Silver Age of comics, launched a new series–in 1964, written by Joe Gill. This time, Dan Garrett (with two “t”) was an archaeologist who discovered a mystical scarab during a dig in Egypt. This artifact gave him superpowers. Like Shazam, he only needed to say the word (“Kaji Dha!” in his case) to transform into the Blue Beetle. This Dan Garrett only got two years on the newsstands before getting replaced.

Introduced by Gary Friedrich and Steve Ditko in a backup story in Captain Atom #83 (November 1966), Ted Kord was a genius-level inventor and a gifted athlete without superpowers who operated out of his airship, “the Bug”. When he died, Garrett passed the torch to Ted–years later, DC Comics retconned his origins by adding that Ted was a former student of Dan Garrett. The series was canceled shortly after its launch.

When Charlton Comics went out of business in the early ’80s, AC Comics bought the right to the character, among others, did some stories, then the rights reverted back to Charlton, and DC Comics purchased them.

Using the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, DC Comics introduced Charlton’s characters into its newly revised universe. After the Crisis ended, Len Wein wrote a new Blue Beetle series after penning Secret Origins Vol. 2 #2 in which he rewrote Ted Knight’s origins. After 24 issues, the series was canceled, but Blue Beetle joined the Justice League International not too long after and found a new life. Ted became Booster Gold’s best friend, a relationship that defined the hero as a proper character in the DC Universe.

In 2006, DC Comics decided to retcon and expand upon the Blue Beetle mythos with the help of Jaime Reyes. Introduced in Infinite Crisis #3 (February 2006), he really became the new Blue Beetle in Infinite Crisis #5. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, Jaime bonds with the scarab, and it is revealed that it is an artifact alien in origin. Soon, Jaime became friends with Booster, and joined the Teen Titans and even the Justice League.

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Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Reading Order

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Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Reading Order

In the early 1970s, a “Kung Fu craze” swept across the United States, forever changing the landscape of pop culture. It was during this particular cultural time that Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, was born. Originally conceived by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, the character’s origin is a fascinating tale of creative ambition and corporate licensing.

The duo originally hoped to adapt the television series Kung Fu into a comic book. Because Warner Communications (DC’s parent company) owned the rights to the show, they first approached DC Comics with their proposition. The publisher passed on this opportunity, doubting the longevity of the martial arts trend. On the other hand, Marvel was all in this craze, having acquired the rights of the licensed pulp world of Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu. At the House of Ideas, Shang-Chi was reimagined as the villain’s rebellious son.

When Marvel eventually lost the rights to the Fu Manchu characters, Shang-Chi entered a period of relative obscurity, with fewer appearances. His father was also renamed Zheng Zu to distance the character from the expired license, and with time, the character simply transition as a Martial art hero more immersed in the world of superheroes, joining teams like the Heroes for Hire, The Avengers, and The New Agents of Atlas, and even mentoring heroes like Spider-Man. Today, Shang-Chi is even part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), played by Simu Liu. 

You can, right now, Trace the path of the Dragon, and explore the martial arts corner of Marvel  with our complete Shang-Chi comics reading guide.

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Vampirella Reading Order

Created by writer Forrest J Ackerman and artist Trina Robbins, Vampirella is a vampire who made her first appearance in the black-and-white horror comics magazine Vampirella #1 (Sept. 1969) from Warren Publishing.

The Vampirella magazine was a horror anthology like Creepy and Eerie, and Vampirella was the hostess. But unlike the others like her, she also starred in her own stories (with a lot of art by Jose Gonzalez). Once Warren Publishing filed for bankruptcy, Harris Publications started to publish Vampirella stories. From 1991 to 2007, Harris launched multiple series and miniseries, but also reprinted old materials.

In 2010, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the rights to Vampirella from Harris Comics and started a new ongoing series. Through the years, the vampire got multiple spin-offs, her series was rebooted more than once, and she took part in crossovers.

With a publishing history like that, it’s not surprising that her (back)story changed through the years. At first, Vampirella was from the planet Drakulon where the Vampiri live, and blood is their water. With droughts menacing their future, the Vampiri needed a new blood supply. After an American space shuttle crashed on Drakulon, Vampirella traveled to Earth.

Later, Harris Comics tasked writer Kurt Busiek to write a new origin story. Vampirella became the daughter of Lilith. Other retcons followed later, changing Drakulon into a place in Hell, and the relationship between Lilith, Vampirella, and God. The variations were multiple for sure. The writers working for Dynamite incorporated a lot of elements from the past and developed a more solid continuity.

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Aquaman Reading Order, the King of Atlantis

Aquaman emerged from the sea during the Golden Age, making his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73. It was only one month after Wonder Woman‘s first appearance, and it was the same issue as Green Arrow and Speedy. Since then, he has been one of the more enduring heroes of DC Comics. Yet, the King of the Sea is still often overshadowed and overlooked. Even his splash on the big screen where he was played by Jason Momoa didn’t change the situation.

Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, Aquaman from the Golden Age was quite different from the hero we know today. First, this version of the character – known today as the Aquaman of Earth-2 – was not a true denizen of Atlantis. He had no particular powers. His father was a scientist and undersea explorer who discovered the ancient city of Atlantis. He taught his son how to survive and breathe underwater, and how to use all the power of the sea to make him strong and swift. Then, he was erased from existence with Crisis on Infinite Earths.

His origin story has been revised a few times since then. He is now known as Arthur Curry, half Atlantean, half-human, and undersea royalty. Since his debut and his gained popularity from his 1960s animated appearances, DC worked at making Aquaman more powerful and edgier, but failed to give him a more defined role and purpose. For a very long time, DC Comics didn’t know what to do with the character.

If Aquaman is more of a joke for some people, the character has lived some great, strange, colorful, and exciting adventures. He has gained a devoted fan base and the respect that he is due as one of the top-tier DC superheroes. Long live the King!

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Batman: Hush Reading Order

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Not unlike The Batman Who Laughs, Hush is a DC Comics supervillain, and more precisely, an adversary of Batmanto created during the Modern Age (aka the Post-Crisis era). Recognized for his distinctive visual design and lethality, Hush has become one of the more memorable additions to Batman’s rogues’ gallery in the 21st century.

The character was created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee, making his debut in Batman #609 (2003), the opening chapter of the 12-part story arc Batman: Hush. In this storyline, we learn that Hush is Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Elliot, a brilliant surgeon and childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. Elliot orchestrates an elaborate campaign against Batman, manipulating several of Gotham’s most notorious villains while concealing his own identity beneath his trademark bandaged visage.

Following the conclusion of the Hush storyline, the character reappeared in multiple Batman titles and related media, cementing his status as a recurring foe. However, with the launch of DC Comics’ New 52 initiative in 2011, which rebooted much of the company’s continuity, Hush’s presence temporarily diminished. He was later reintroduced in the weekly series Batman Eternal (2014–2015), where aspects of his backstory and motivations were reinterpreted. During the DC Rebirth (2016), elements of pre-New 52 continuity were reintroduced, and new developments followed. Hush returned once more, clashing not only with Batman but also with members of the extended Bat-Family.

Outside the mainline comics, Hush has appeared in various adaptations, including the animated film Batman: Hush (2019), video games, and merchandise, further solidifying his cultural impact.

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Star Wars: Crimson Reign Reading order, the follow-up to War of the Bounty Hunters

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If the War of the Bounty Hunter is over, the story continues in another Star Wars event, Crimson Reign. Written by Charles Soule and penciled by Steven Cummings, this is the second part of a trilogy that is supposed to reshape the Star Wars galaxy during the Age of Rebellion! 

As the official synopsis reveals, “The criminal organization known as the Crimson Dawn has risen — but what is their goal, and how do they plan to achieve it? And how will the Rebel Alliance and the Empire both react to this new galactic power player? Featuring the return of beloved characters, shocking twists, epic feats of the Force, and a story that will reach from the darkest underworld all the way to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant.”

What to read before Star Wars: Crimson Reign?

This event takes place during the Age of the Rebellion. Check out our Star Wars Comics Canon Reading Order to learn more about it.

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