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Reading Order

Flashpoint Reading Order, a DC Comics event by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert

Since the conclusion of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the DC Universe has existed in an era now referred to as the Modern Age. This period began in 1986 and ended in 2011 with Flashpoint. This comic book crossover story arc, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Andy Kubert, radically altered the status quo by ending the New Earth continuity and leading to the relaunch of the New 52.

Following his recent resurrection at the end of the Final Crisis, Barry Allen is back, fighting the Rogues in the streets of Central City. The world has moved on in his absence, but one thing has not changed: Eobard Thawne’s hatred towards him. The Reverse Flash is back with a plan to get his revenge, but something even bigger is lurking on the horizon. As he was ready to take his enemy down, Barry woke up in an altered DC Universe in which he seems to be the only one aware of significant differences between the regular timeline and the altered one.

In the Flashpoint version of the universe, Cyborg occupies the place of the world’s quintessential hero, much like Superman is in the main timeline, with Superman himself being held captive as a lab rat by the United States government within an underground facility in Metropolis. In addition, Thomas Wayne is Batman, and a war between Wonder Woman and Aquaman has decimated Western Europe.

Flashpoint consists of 61 issues, with sixteen separate three-issue miniseries, and a number of one-shots.

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The Goon Reading Order

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Making his first official appearance in 1998 in the pages of Avatar Illustrated, The Goon has since moved to other publishers (going back and forth between Albatross Funnybooks and Dark Horse Comics), completed a full run, had a few one-shots, a graphic novel, and eventually came back for a new run. It certainly is a tumultuous adventure in comics publishing, but it’s nothing compared to the craziness of The Goon and Franky’s daily life!

We first meet The Goon when he is working as an enforcer for a gangster named Labrazio. He is a hulking, rough-edged enforcer with a tragic past who runs his operation by collecting money, killing deadbeats and generally being violent, with the help of his best friend and foul-mouthed, wisecracking (and equally violent) sidekick, Franky.

We are in Lonely Street, a crumbling American town filled with zombies, mutant creatures, ghostly priests, fishmen, mad scientists, hobos, and monstrous babies, a grotesque caricature of 1930s-50s pulp Americana, with everything from dingy alleys to dilapidated carnivals.

The Goon and Franky must deal with any sort of craziness, taking us on a journey going from absurd comedy one day to grim tragedy the other. It’s a very violent life and, even drawn in a gorgeously painted and cartoonish manner, it’s a gory one, a dark comedy with a sad heart and an affinity for anarchy, mixing noir-style crime fiction, horror, slapstick humor, and supernatural. Definitely, it’s for a mature audience. 

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The Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer, a Fresh Start Reading Order

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After his controversial run on Captain America, which culminated in the Secret Empire crossover event, writer Nick Spencer was chosen to succeed long-time writer Dan Slott to relaunch The Amazing Spider-Man as part of Marvel’s Fresh Start Initiative.

It was a classic back-to-the-basics approach for Marvel’s favourite superhero that stripped Peter of his credentials and work at the Daily Bugle. He was, once again, broke and had to return to the University to earn his college degree while sharing an apartment with Randy Robertson and Frederick Myers, also known as the super-villain Boomerang. On the positive side, Peter had recently rekindled his relationship with Mary Jane, the first time since their relationship was retconned during the infamous One More Day storyline.

Nick Spencer’s run lasted three years, a period during which the Spider-Family was once again in peril during Spider-Geddon, the original Doctor Octopus returned, and major events such as One More Day, Sins Past and Kraven’s legacy were revisited.

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Young Avengers Reading Order

When Brian Michael Bendis took over the Avengers in 2004, the writer started by dismantling the team in the “Avengers Disassembled” crossover storyline. The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were no more, raising the question: who would protect the Earth? From the aftermath of this story, two new Avengers teams emerged. The New Avengers took over the place of the classic Avengers, with the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch, while another team was introduced not long after: The Young Avengers.

Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, the Young Avengers focused on teenage heroes who were either inspired by the classic Avengers or related to them. These young heroes united to fill the gap left by the original Avengers, despite facing disapproval from the Avengers themselves and skepticism from Marvel Comics and its readers!

The Young Avengers quickly gained both critical and public success, securing their place in the Marvel Universe despite only having two official runs. Since then, several members have become popular characters in the Marvel Universe.

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Stray Bullets Comics: Looking Back At David Lapham’s 30-year-old Crime Classic

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After starting his career as a penciller at Valiant Comics, David Lapham followed Jim Shooter when he left to launch Defiant Comics, but thirty years ago, in 1995, it was his turn to open his own indie publishing house: El Capitan Books. His flagship self-published title was something quite different from what he was known to draw. No superheroes, but black & white crime fiction with the award-winning Stray Bullets series.

Entirely written, illustrated, and lettered by Lapham himself (who won the Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist in 1996), the long-running series targets a mature audience with bleak stories of violence dipped in drama, romance, desperation, and disillusionment. It’s about regular people and criminals, children and adults, growing up and dying, at the periphery or in the heart of the crime world.

David Lapham’s Stray Bullets is not about one character going forward, as it follows a panel of different characters in stories told in a non-chronological fashion. It builds a large narrative, piece by piece, focusing on human experiences, developing thematically complex, rich tales defying clichés and tropes, notably about the consequences of violence and the cyclical nature of trauma. They are tragic vignettes revolving around people pushed to their limits. Every bullet makes an impact.

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Marvel Zombies Reading Order

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The year is 2005. At this time, The Walking Dead has not yet been adapted into a television series, but Rick Grimes and his group are in the early stages of surviving the Zombie Apocalypse in Image Comics. Undead beings were ready to infect the Marvel Universe, or at least one of its Earths. When Ultimate Reed Richards travels to another universe, he discovers a world in ruins, devastated by zombies—the Zombieverse!

Created by Mark Millar, Greg Land, and Robert Kirkman, the Zombieverse quickly expanded with a limited series, followed by a prequel and additional sequels. Since then, zombies have continued to ravage different worlds within the Marvel Universe, making regular appearances. They are set to invade Disney+ with the upcoming Marvel Zombies animated television miniseries, created by Zeb Wells and scheduled for release in October 2025.

Discover now the zombified versions of your favorite Marvel heroes and villains with our Marvel Zombie Reading Order, from the first appearance of the Zombieverse to various limited series and more recent Marvel zombie comics!

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Transformers IDW Reading Order

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Like with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Buffyverse, or the G.I. Joe comic book franchise, IDW took over the Transformers comics and launched its own continuity–and there are some discussions about the more legitimate continuity, but it’s not the subject of this article. We are here to talk about the third Transformers comics series.

The first was published by Marvel (from 1984 to 1991), and the second by Dreamwave Productions (from 2002 to 2004). After that, IDW Publishing took over with the third series (the Generation 1 continuity) written by Simon Furman starting with issue #0 in October 2005 and a regular series starting in January 2006 (and ending in November 2018). The fourth series is a relaunch at IDW that started in 2019.

And so, as the official synopsis tells it, it began on Earth, in 2006. The fate of the planet is already sealed, its destiny decided… by the marauding mechanical beings known as Decepticons. In their way stand an embattled crew of seven hardy Autobot warriors, sworn to prevent the impending Armageddon at any cost, and an unlikely trio of human misfits, pulled kicking and screaming into a hitherto hidden world of pain and hurt. The can of worms is open, the genie is out of the bottle… and nothing will ever be the same again! It begins again — here, now — the saga of the war-torn robots in disguise, the Transformers!

In 2022, IDW Publishing lost the license to publish Transformers comics. Skybound Entertainment (an imprint of Image Comics) took it over and created the Energon Universe.

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Hercules Reading Order (Marvel Comics)

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Everybody knows Thor, the God of Thunder and one of Marvel’s most popular heroes. When the Norse God was adapted into a Marvel character in the sixties, a pantheon of deities and heroes was also introduced, such as Hercules Panhellenios. 

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Hercules first appeared as a rival to Thor and is portrayed as a screw-up demi-god who is frequently cast out of Olympus by Zeus. From there, he quickly became a regular guest star in Thor’s adventures, went on to smash against the Hulk, and has been part of The Champions, The Avengers, and, more recently, the Guardians of the Galaxy. 

While Hercules may not be a big name in Marvel Comics, the Prince of Power has maintained a regular presence in the superhero community. From his origins to becoming The Incredible Hulk and his many battles alongside the Avengers, follow our guide to discover the Hercules comics to read!

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DCeased Reading Order, A DC Comics zombie apocalypse by Tom Taylor

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While the dead came back to life during Brightest Day, the superheroes of DC Comics didn’t face a full-blown Zombie Apocalypse that destroyed the world yet. On the main continuity, at least. Earth-55 has been ravaged by a Zombie Apocalypse in 2019 and became one of the most popular DC comics stories from this year, spanning several spin-offs and sequels. 

Coming from Tom Taylor (also behind the Injustice Comics), artist Trevor Hairsine, and inker Stefano Guadiano, DCeased tells the story of the biggest infection that the heroes of the DCU have to face. When a mysterious techno-virus is released on Earth, 600 million people are infected and turned instantly into violent, monstrous engines of destruction. No one and no place on this alternate Earth are spared. From whole cities to the undersea kingdom, the paradise islands, the virus is affecting every place, every soul. Can Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League save the World from complete annihilation, or is it already too late? 

This is a Zombie Apocalypse, after all, and anyone can die! Superheroes, supervillains, cops, and citizens are now fighting to stay alive in a devastated world filled with ravenous zombie-like creatures that will stop at nothing before everyone has fallen. 

Presented as DC Comics’ equivalent to Marvel Zombies, DCeased is the “DC universe meets the Zombie Apocalypse”, and you can now discover this tale in single issue, hardcover, paperbacks and omnibus! 

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Best Guy Gardner Comics, Your Essential Guide for the Green Lantern

History was made when Abin Sur chose Hal Jordan to be his successor as Green Lantern. However, under different circumstances, it could have been someone else selected for the role. It could have been Guy Gardner. Hal Jordan happened to be the closest choice, a good reminder that life is all about luck and timing. 

This alternate scenario was explored in Green Lantern #59 (1968), which marked the first appearance of Guy Gardner. He was then a physical education instructor from East City, relegated to being backup should anything happen to Jordan. This Silver Age version of the character, created by John Broome and Gil Kane, is quite different from the modern Guy Gardner, well-known for his bowl cut and brash personality.

Originally portrayed as a somewhat ordinary and non-dysfunctional individual, Guy Gardner was revamped in the 1980s thanks to writers Steve Englehart and Joe Staton. They redefined him as an obnoxious and hot-headed Lantern. And through the work of many writers, Guy Gardner has revealed many facets of his complex personality, going through numerous changes, retcons, and challenges. Despite his offensive and impulsive nature, Guy also demonstrates, with time, incredible loyalty, devotion, and determination, making him one of the greatest warriors in the universe.

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