Welcome to our DC Comic Reading Orders Guide, a page dedicated to helping you navigate into the DC Universe, primarily by exploring the history of your favorite characters, but also with crossover events and other specific DC periods. We’re specialized in reading orders by trade paperbacks, but you’ll also find issue-by-issue orders for events.
New guides are published on a regular basis, so come to check out Comic Book Treasury often!
Don’t know where to start? Check out our 25 Best DC Comic Books to Read to discover some of the best stories DC has to offer!
DC Comics Timeline, Events & Eras
DC Comics Crossover Events & Crisis
DC Comics era:
- DC Comics Timeline: A Guide to each DC eras, from the Golden Age to Dawn of DC
- DC New 52 Reading Order
- DC Rebirth Reading Order: A Guide to the Best Comics of the Era
- DC Infinite Frontier Reading Order
You can also take a look at the Marvel Reading Orders.
For more information about characters and storylines, check out our Comic Book Mini Encyclopedia Index Guide!
DC Characters
Explore the DC Universe with reading guides covering a specific character (or a specific period in a character’s history).
The Bat-Family
- Meet the Batman Family: An Introduction to the Members of the Gotham Knights
- A Beginner’s Reading Guide to the Batfamily
Bruce Wayne/Batman
The Batman Guide (per era):
- Batman Comics Pre-Crisis
- Batman Reading Order, The Modern Age (Post-Crisis)
- Also, focus on Batman by Grant Morrison
- Batman New 52 Reading Order, from The Court of Owls to the end of the DC You
- Also, focus on Batman by Scott Snyder
- Batman Rebirth Reading Order, From the Monster Men to Batman’s Wedding, City of Bane, The Joker War and more.
- Also, focus on The Batman by James Tynion
- Batman Infinite Frontier Reading Order
- Batman Dawn of DC Reading Order (with Chip Zdarsky and Ram V)
Robin, Past and Present
See also: Robin: Your Guide to Batman’s Sidekick
- Dick Grayson, First Robin and Nightwing
- The Robin Years (Pre-Crisis)
- Dick Grayson as Nightwing
- Jason Todd Reading Order, Second Robin and Red Hood
- Tim Drake Reading Order, Robin III
- Damian Wayne Reading Order, Fifth Robin and Son of Batman
Batgirls
See also Batgirl: Your Guide to Batman’s ally
- Barbara Gordon Reading Order (Batgirl and Oracle)
- Cassandra Cain Reading Order (Batgirl, Orphan, Black Bat)
- Stephanie Brown Reading Order (Spoiler, Robin, Batgirl)
Other Members, Allies, or Enemies of the Bat-family
- Alfred Pennyworth, Best Comics to Read
- Azrael Reading Order (aka Jean-Paul Valley)
- Batman Beyond Reading Order (Terry McGinnis)
- Batman: Hush Reading Order
- The Batman Who Laughs Reading Order
- Batwing Reading Order
- Batwoman Reading Order (Kate Kane)
- Catwoman Reading Order (Selina Kyle)
- Duke Thomas Reading Order (The Signal)
- Harley Quinn Reading Order
- Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) Reading Order
- Kathy Kane, The First Batwoman
- The Penguin, Recommending Reading Order
The Superman Family
- Superman Comics Pre-Crisis
- Superman Reading Order, The Modern Age (Post-Crisis)
- Superman/Action Comics New 52 Reading Order (with also Superman/Wonder Woman and Batman/Superman)
- Superman/Action Comics Rebirth Reading Order (by Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason & Dan Jurgens)
- Superman/Action Comics by Brian Michael Bendis Reading Order
- Superman Infinite Frontier Reading Order
- Supergirl Reading Order (Kara Zor-El, Matrix, Cir-El)
- Jon Kent Reading Order (Superboy, Superman)
- Conner Kent Reading Order (Kon-El, Superboy)
- Power Girl Reading Order
Green Lanterns
- The Complete Green Lantern Reading Order
The following articles focus on a special era/run: - Kyle Rayner Reading Order
The Magical Side of DC
- Deadman Reading Order
- Doctor Fate Reading Order
- Hellblazer: John Constantine Reading Order, from the Swamp Thing to the Justice League Dark
- Swamp Thing Reading Order
- Shazam Reading Order (aka DC Comics’ Captain Marvel)
- Zatanna Reading Order, the magician of the DC Universe
Other Characters
- Animal Man Reading Order
- Adam Strange Reading Order
- Aquaman Reading Order, the King of Atlantis
- Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance) Reading Order
- Black Lightning Reading Order
- Blue Beetle Reading Order (Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes)
- Booster Gold Reading Order
- Cyborg Superman Reading Order
- Darkseid Reading Order
- Deathstroke Reading Order (Slade Wilson)
- Doomsday Reading Order (Coming Soon)
- Elongated Man Reading Order (Ralph Dibny)
- Emiko Queen Reading Order (Red Arrow)
- The Flash Reading Order (Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, Bart Allen)
- Focus on Wally West Reading Order
- Green Arrow Reading Order, DC Comics’ Archer
- Lobo Reading Order, The Main Man
- Hawkman Reading Order
- Martian Manhunter Reading Order
- Mister Miracle Reading Order
- Mister Mxyzptlk Recommended Reading Order
- Mister Terrific Recommended Reading
- Nubia Reading Order
- Plastic Man Reading Order (Coming Soon)
- Poison Ivy Reading Order
- The Question Reading Order
- Sandman (Wesley Dodds) Reading list, a pulp hero in the DC Universe
- The Spectre Reading Order
- Stargirl Reading Order (Courtney Whitmore)
- Starman Reading Order, the celebrated James Robinson run
- Wonder Woman Reading Order
- Focus on Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka
Group & Teams
- Birds of Prey Reading Order
- Creature Commandos Reading Order
- Doom Patrol Reading Order
- Justice League Reading Order, DC Comics’ Greatest Team of Superheroes
- Justice League International Reading Order, by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis
- Grant Morrison’s JLA Reading Order
- Justice League (New 52) Reading Order, the Geoff John’s era
- Justice League Rebirth Reading Order (with Justice League of America, Justice League Odyssey and Justice League Dark)
- Justice League Dark Reading Order
- JSA Reading Order, The Justice Society of America!
- Legion of Super-Heroes Reading Order, the team from the future
- Metal Men Reading Order, DC’s robotic superhero team
- Secret Six Reading Order
- Suicide Squad Reading Order
- Super Sons Reading Order, Damian Wayne and Jon Kent team-up
- Teen Titans/Titans, the complete reading order
- Young Justice Reading Order
Alternate Realities, Elseworlds, and more!
- Batman ’66 Reading Order
- Batman: Arkham Games and Comics in Order
- Batman: White Knight Reading Order (Murphyverse)
- Bombshells Reading Guide
- The Dark Knight Universe, Frank Miller’s Batman Series Reading Order
- DC Comics Black Label, The Reading List
- DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults
- DC Icons Series: The Complete list of the DC Young Adult novels
- DCeased Reading Order: A DC Zombie Apocalypse by Tom Taylor
- DC Vs. Vampires Reading Order, a DC Vampire Apocalypse by James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg
- Earth 2 New 52 Reading Order, home of the Eight Wonders of the World
- Injustice Reading Order, an alternate universe where Superman is bad (Earth-22)
- Scooby-Doo! Comics, Your Guide to All the Adventures of the Gang published by DC
- Watchmen Reading Order
Vertigo Imprint & Other Imprints
- The Best Vertigo Comics Series: 15 must-read comics books
- American Vampire Reading Order
- Books of Magic Reading Order, The Adventures of Tim Hunter
- Fables Reading Order, Bill Willingham’s Vertigo Classic series
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Reading Order (Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill)
- The Sandman Reading Order, Neil Gaiman’s comic universe
- Dead Boy Detectives Reading Order, From the Sandman Universe
- The Sandman’s Death Reading Order
- Sweet Tooth Comics, a Reading Guide for the Jeff Lemire series
- Tom Strong, Alan Moore’s Golden Age Superhero
- Y The Last Man Reading Order