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DC Rebirth, The Complete Reading Order (10th Anniversary!)

Now that DC All In is in full swing and has recently entered its second phase, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of another DC era: Rebirth! That’s right, it’s already been ten years since DC Comics restored the DC Universe to a form closer to the pre-Flashpoint era, following the darker, grittier New 52 era. Rather than a complete reboot, the idea was a soft relaunch that combined the best of the pre-New 52 DC Universe (Superman!) with the New 52 continuity and a few other elements that were also considered worth keeping.

Geoff Johns, President and COO of DC Entertainment, wrote the 80-page DC Universe: Rebirth #1, which introduced readers to the new status quo and marked the official return of Wally West to the DC Universe. The idea behind Rebirth was to celebrate and reconnect with DC’s past and present. The old continuity and some past concepts were reintroduced, while characters were redefined to embrace their history and going back to their roots.

The Rebirth era officially began on 25 May 2016 and ended on 2 March 2021 with the Infinite Frontier relaunch. It’s worth noting that the Rebirth branding stopped much sooner, at the end of December 2017, morphing into the larger ‘DC Universe’ banner. A soft relaunch called ‘New Justice’ happened in the aftermath of Dark Nights: Metal. Almost no one considers these to be official breaking points in the timeline.

For this reason, the following guide covers the period from 2016 to 2021, during which the classic Superman returned, Jon Kent and Damian Wayne teamed up, Aquaman enjoyed one of his most successful periods, and the Dark Multiverse threatened everything…

DC Rebirth: The Complete Guide

This is not a precise DC Rebirth Chronological order, as we prefer to limit the jumps between the different family titles. We believe this offers a better reading experience, while still trying to deliver an overall chronology. We try to balance the connections between titles without disrupting the flow of the stories. This article generally doesn’t list out-of-continuity stories (except in some specific trades), such as Black Label. Corrections and feedback are very much welcome!

DC Rebirth Omnibus Collection

Before getting to the full Rebirth comics reading order, many stories from this era have been reprinted in the popular Omnibus format (and a few Deluxe Edition, but not all!):

  • DC Universe: Rebirth Deluxe Edition
    The Relaunch and the return of Wally West in DC Universe: Rebirth #1
  • Batman by Tom King Omnibus Vol. 1 [
    Collects Batman: Rebirth #1; Batman #1-24; Nightwing #5-6; Detective Comics #941-942; The Flash #21-22; Batman Annual #1; Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1.
  • Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition
    Collects Batman #21-22 and The Flash #21-22. 
  • All-Star Batman by Scott Snyder: The Deluxe Edition
    Collects All-Star Batman by Scott Snyder: The Deluxe Edition
  • Batman: The Rise and Fall of the Batmen Omnibus
    Collects Detective Comics #934-981 and pages from issue #1000, Detective Comics Annual #1, Batman #7-8, and Nightwing #5-6.
  • Nightwing: Rebirth Omnibus
    Nightwing: Rebirth; Nightwing (vol. 4) #1-49, Nightwing: Rebirth #1, Batgirl #14-17, Batman #7-8, Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Nightwing vs. Hush #1, Detective Comics #941-942, Green Arrow #32, Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual #1, Suicide Squad #26, Teen Titans #12 and stories from Batgirl #25, DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 and Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1. 
  • The Flash by Joshua Williamson Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects The Flash: Rebirth #1, The Flash #1-35, Batman #21-22, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32, Justice League #32-33, and a story from DC Holiday Special 2017 #1 and features an introduction from Williamson and dozens of pages of behind-the-scenes development art.
  • The Flash by Joshua Williamson Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects Batman #64-65, The Flash #36-69, and The Flash Annual #1-2.
  • Super Sons Omnibus Super Duper Edition
    Collects Super Sons #1-16, Super Sons Annual #1, Super Sons/Dynomutt #1, Superman #10-11 and #37-38, Teen Titans #15, Adventures of the Super Sons #1-12, Challenge of the Super Sons #1-7, and a short story from Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1
  • Harley Quinn by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti Omnibus Vol. Three
    Collects Harley Quinn (2016 series) #1-34 and Harley Quinn: 25th Anniversary Special!
  • Superman by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason Omnibus
    Collects Superman: Rebirth #1, Superman #1-39, Superman #42-45, Teen Titans #15, Action Comics #975-976, Action Comics #1000, Super Sons #11-12, and Superman Annual #1. Also available in Deluxe Edition.
  • Superman: Action Comics by Dan Jurgens Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Action Comics #957-976, Superman: Lois and Clark #1-8, Superman #18-19, Justice League #52, Convergence: Superman #1-2, Superman: Rebirth #1, and DC Universe: Rebirth #1.
  • Superman: Action Comics by Dan Jurgens Omnibus Vol. 2 [2026]
    Collects material from Action Comics #977–1000, #1051–1057, Superman – Action Comics: The Oz Effect Deluxe Edition #1, Action Comics Special #1, The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1, and Superman: Lois and Clark – Doom Rising #1.
  • Deathstroke by Christopher Priest Omnibus
    Collects Deathstroke: Rebirth #1, Deathstroke #1-50, Deathstroke Annual #1, DC Holiday Special 2017 #1, Titans #11, Teen Titans #8, 28-30, and Titans: The Lazarus Contract Special #1.
  • Wonder Woman: Rebirth by Greg Rucka Omnibus [2026]
    Collects Wonder Woman #1-25, Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1, and stories from DC Holiday Special 2017, Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special #1, Wonder Woman Annual #1, and Wonder Woman #750!
  • Aquaman: Underworld Deluxe Edition
    Collects Aquaman #25-30.
  • Dark Nights Metal Omnibus
    Collects Dark Nights: Metal #1-6, tie-in stories from Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Days: The Casting #1, Batman: The Red Death #1, Batman: The Devastator #1, Batman: The Merciless #1, Batman: The Murder Machine #1, Batman: The Drowned #1, Batman: The Dawnbreaker #1, Dark Nights: The Batman Who Laughs #1, Batman: Lost #1, Hawkman: Found #1, Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1, Nightwing #29, The Flash #33, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32, Green Arrow #32, Suicide Squad #26, Teen Titans #12, and Justice League #32-33.
  • Doom Patrol by Gerard Way and Nick Derington: The Deluxe Edition
    Collects Doom Patrol #1–12 (2016–2018); tales from Doom Patrol Vol. 2: Nada and Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #1–7 
  • Batman by Tom King Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects Batman #33-69, The Flash #64-65, and stories from DC Nation #0 and Batman Secret Files #1
  • Justice League Dark: Rebirth Omnibus
    Collects Justice League Dark #1-29; Justice League Dark Annual #1; Justice League Dark 2021 Annual; Justice League Dark/Wonder Woman: The Witching Hour #1; Aquaman #66; Black Adam: Endless Winter Special #1; The Flash #767, #777-779; Justice League #58, #72-74; Justice League: Endless Winter #1-2; Superman: Endless Winter Special #1; Teen Titans: Endless Winter Special #1; Wonder Woman #56-57; Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour #1; and stories from Justice League #59-71, Future State: Justice League #1-2, and Secrets of Sinister House #1.
  • Batman: Detective Comics by Peter J. Tomasi Omnibus
    Collects Detective Comics #994-999, #1001-1016, #1018-1033, Detective Comics Annual #2-3, Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P. #1, And Material From Detective Comics #1000 And Detective Comics (2011) #27.
  • Batman by James Tynion IV Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Batman (2016) #86-100; Red Hood: Outlaw (2016) #48; Nightwing (2016) #70-74; Batgirl (2016) #47-49; Harley Quinn (2016) #75; Detective Comics #1020-1026; Catwoman (2018) #25; Batman Secret Files #3; The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1; And Stories From Batman Vol. 1: Their Dark Designs; Batman: The Joker War Zone #1
  • Justice League by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV Omnibus
    Collects the first half of Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s epic Justice League run leading up to Dark Nights: Death Metal, including Aquaman #41-42; Teen Titans #28; Justice League: No Justice #1-4; Justice League #1-18; Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth Special #1; Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth Special #1; Justice League Annual #1, , plus a story from DC Nation #0!
  • Justice League by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects Justice League #19-39, The Batman Who Laughs #1-7, The Batman Who Laughs: The Grimm Knight #1, DC’s Year of the Villain Special #1, and Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1-4.
  • Dark Nights: Death Metal Omnibus
    Collects Dark Nights: Death Metal #1-7, Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal Infinite Hour Exxxtreme! #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal Multiverse’s End #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal Robin King #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal The Secret Origin #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal Trinity Crisis #1, and Justice League #53-57.

Also, several landmark issues were published during this era, and reprinted in the Deluxe Format: 

DC Rebirth Phase I

The Return of Wally West. The DC History was changed with Flashpoint. After 10 years, it has changed again with the return of Wally West and the (uninspired) collision between the DC Universe and the world of Watchmen. There’s change and dangers to come, but until then, The Flash (Wally or Barry) never stops running.

Superman (2016) #1 by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

The Return of the Original Man of Steel. DC Comics introduced an (unpopular) younger version of Superman during New 52. The Pre-Flashpoint version of the character made his comeback in DC Rebirth, a man married to Lois Lane and the father of Jon Kent. For a better understanding of the Superman Family’s dynamics, we invite you to check out the Superman: Lois and Clark miniseries, which serves as a prelude to this particular era.

Solo Cyborg. Victor ‘Vic’ Stone headlines his own comic book for a short time in the DC Rebirth era, written by John Semper Jr. and illustrated by Will Conrad. The first volume re-establishes Cyborg’s status after the New 52, and the Justice League version that appeared in Vic’s mind has Hal Jordan as a member, making it better to read it before the Justice League featuring Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. Also, generally, the comic is self-contained. Although Cyborg is also a member of the Justice League, the two titles don’t influence each other. Vic mostly plays a supporting role as part of the JLA team effort.

Justice League Rebirth. The Justice League regrouped and added the Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz to their roster. On his side, Hal Jordan’s first mission is to discover what happened to the rest of the Corps. As the JLA is facing an alien invasion and a computer virus, Wonder Woman is trying to sort out the truth from the lies in her own story, as part of Greg Rucka’s second run on the character. Under Dan Abnett and Phil Briones, Aquaman is trying to improve his public image while dark forces are rising from the depths.

Rise of the Batmen. This is the Rebirth of the Batfamily, from the return of Dick Grayson as Nightwing (from Tim Seeley) after some superspy adventures to the creation of Batman’s new team to protect Gotham City in Detective Comics by James Tynion. And that’s not all! As Batman and Catwoman’s relationship slowly became the center of Tom King’s run on Batman, Batgirl went on a trip before joining the Birds of Prey, and Red Hood formed his own Dark Trinity with Bizarro and Artemis.

Young Animal Interlude. Young Animal was a DC Imprint developed in collaboration with Gerard Way, mostly to relaunch some characters in stories for mature readers and with a more experimental approach. While part of the DC Universe (Kate Kane appears in Mother Panic and Superman in Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye, for example), the first wave of Young Animals can mostly be read independently from the rest.

This wave was followed by Milk Wars, a crossover between the Justice League and characters from Young Animal – place later in this guide!

Titans (2016) #5 by Dan Abnett and Brett Booth

The Rebirth of Titans. Spinning out of the events of Titans Hunt (that you can read for some background) and DC Universe: Rebirth #1, is the newly reformed Titans team reunited by Nightwing and on a mission to investigate the case of their stolen memories. At the same time, Slade Wilson — aka Deathstroke — returned to his old ways under Christopher Priest’s classic nonlinear and flashback-driven storytelling.

The Emerald Archer Reborn. Oliver Queen had a tough time during the New 52 era, and Benjamin Percy’s work was instrumental in re-establishing the character as a politically conscious figure in support of social justice. This involved moving away from the brash, younger version of the character and returning to the older, wiser incarnation.

Heroes on the fly. With the restoration of the timeline, Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes could seek out former Blue Beetle Ted Kord for help. This title can mostly be read without interruption, sharing a few interactions with the rest of the DC Universe. The creative team of Keith Giffen and Scott Kolins retconned the Beetle’s origin, coming back to the original continuity, and used the series to deliver a sort of follow-up to their Justice League 3001 comic (collected in Justice League 3001 Vol. 1: Déjà Vu All Over Again and Justice League 3001 Vol. 2: Things Fall Apart).

Superman in Action. What’s going on with Clark Kent? Who is this mild-mannered reporter, really? There are many questions to be resolved for the Man of Steel and adventures to be lived with his son Jon Kent and it’s time to discover some of them.

Catching up with the Lanterns for All Hallows’ Eve. Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are celebrating Halloween on Earth (in issue #8), which is why this is the perfect moment to catch up with the duo as well as with Hal Jordan and pals!

The New Teen Titans. It’s Damian’s 13th birthday. Although his exact date of birth is unknown, he is apparently a winter baby, which means that our bratty Robin has brought the Teen Titans together for a new (mediocre) run around that time of the year. Deathstroke and Nightwing’s stories both continue after the events of Teen Titans.

Holiday Break

Ho Ho Ho! Discover some Christmas holiday tales featuring Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, the Flash and more. The new year also marks the start of a new semester at Gotham Academy, with Olive Silverlock and Maps Mizoguchi.

Justice League vs. Suicide Squad - reading order

Justice League vs. Suicide Squad. This is the first major event storyline of DC’s Rebirth era. The Justice League discovers the existence of the Suicide Squad, the famous black-ops team of super-villains with bombs implanted in their brains. The League is not too happy about it and wants to stop them, but you can bet that the Wall and her Task Force X won’t go down without a fight! So right now you can read the first missions of the antihero/supervillain team before their confrontation with the JLA.

Justice League (2016) #18, Variant Cover by Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn

II. DC Rebirth Phase II: DC Universe

The Justice League vs. Suicide Squad miniseries put an end to the first phase of Rebirth and set the stage for the second one, which officially began in February 2017, with the launch of several titles such as Justice League of America, Super Sons, and Batwoman. But before discovering the new titles, we are dealing with the aftermath of the war between the Suicide Squad and the Justice League, a League scattered through time, and the disappearance of The Flash’s Rogues.

Superman Reborn. When Jon Kent is kidnapped and Clark and Lois start to lose their memories of him, Superman must find out who’s behind their memory loss! This is the start of the first Superman-line crossover story, offering a few revelations and dealing with the different continuities.

Gotham under pressure. Tom King’s Batman run continues as Batman faces Bane again, leading into Bane’s later solo series. Meanwhile, members of the Bat-family are dealing with their past in very different ways: victims blaming vigilantes, Batgirl confronting a new Oracle, and Nightwing facing a twisted version of himself.

Batman Beyond Reading Order Icon

Batman Beyond.

Terry McGinnis’ Batman back to the future! Terry McGinnis is back to defend his city as Batman, with Dan Jurgens still serving as the title’s main writer. Although the title was relaunched during Rebirth, it is independent from the present continuity, so you can read it whenever you want.

Go Green. Oliver Queen must clear his name after becoming the prime suspect in a series of murders. In the meantime, the Lanterns are making some noteworthy team-ups: they are working with Batman on Earth and the Sinestro Corps in space.

Watchmen Button

Batman/The Flash: The Button. The road to Doomsday Clock begins here. As Batman and the Flash uncover a mystery that threatens to tear the DC Universe apart,one thing is clear: The end is here.

Justice League of America. Following the confrontation with Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad, Batman creates a new Justice League of America team consisting of Black Canary, Vixen, The Atom, The Ray, Killer Frost, and Lobo. You can read the first three collected editions of the title without any interruptions, as they are mostly self-contained.

Hellblazer interlude. John Constantine, the hard-hearted Hellblazer, returns home for some solo and self-contained stories coming from Simon Oliver, Richard Kadrey, Tim Seeley, and various artists. The series can be read as a whole, as John is in Europe, far away from most of the DC Universe troubles of the time.

Sixpack and Dogwelder: Hard Travelin’ Heroz is a six-issue miniseries written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Russ Braun. It is a satirical sequel to All-Star Section Eight. Like many of Garth Ennis’s books in this vein, it is an acquired taste, but it is also worthwhile for all Hellblazer fans out there, just for the scene in which John Constantine rants about his modern portrayal and how his old comics were better.

Gotham Knights in action. Batwoman is headlining her own solo series from writer Marguerite Bennett, as she takes on a new mystery while her team of fellow vigilantes face the League of Shadows, along with magic and mysticism. They are not the only ones confronting dark magic, as the Dark Trinity faces similar threats.

Catch up with Wonder Woman. Greg Rucka’s second run on Wonder Woman continues and comes to an end, bridging the gap between the Year On story to present day. Then, Shea Fontana steps in for a new story that follows directly from this run.

Hopes and Fears. Green and Yellow. Hal Jordan and Superman. In Space and on Earth…

The Lazarus Contract is a crossover story involving the Titans, the Teen Titans, and Deathstroke. The title is a nod to the classic New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract storyline. However, you can stop the comparison there, as this is not a memorable story. Slade Wilson has discovered that the original Wally West has returned and sees this as an opportunity to resurrect his son, Grant. This is Deathstroke we’re talking about, and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants. Standing in his way? The Teen Titans and the Titans! But will they be fast enough to stop him from changing the world as we know it?

Aquaman (vol. 8) #32 by Dan Abnett and Riccardo Federici

Underworld. While a war has been stopped in time, another conflict is brewing under the sea. The Crown of Atlantis is in peril as Dan Abnett launches the second part of his run with the now classic story The Underworld (pencilled by Stjepan Sejic). Mera also joins for a time the Justice League during this period.

A Lonely Place of Living. The vigilantes of Gotham City and Batman’s other allies continue to face challenges. While Bruce and Selina’s relationship takes centre stage again in Tom King’s story arc following the war between the Joker and the Riddler, Duke Thomas prepares to become Gotham’s protector by day, operating under the name the Signal. Meanwhile, Tim Drake is confronting his own future.

Kara Zor-El’s under attack. During Steve Orlando’s upbeat run, Supergirl is fighting against the Fatal Five (not to be confused with the Fearsome Five). She also flies to Shanghai to meet Kenan, the new Super-Man, and his master, I-Ching. This is a good place to keep reading about the New Super-Man and the Justice League of China.

On the Road with Green Arrow. In Dark Nights: Metal draws near, Oliver Queen hits the road to save America, crossing paths with heroes such as Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Superman. This allows him to make amends for his past.

Miniseries Interlude. Since the launch of Rebirth, DC Comics has released several self-contained miniseries, often focused on underutilized or less popular characters.

  • Vigilante: Southland
    Collects Vigilante: Southland #1-6. At the time, this miniseries, written by Gary Phillips, was cancelled after three issues. The last part was made only available in this trade.
  • Midnighter and Apollo
    Collects Midnighter and Apollo #1-6. Follow-up to Midnighter Vol. 2: Hard.
  • Death of Hawkman
    Collects Death of Hawkman #1-6. It brings the New 52 Hawkman story to a close before the events of Metal.
  • Captain Atom: The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom
    Collects The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #1-6.
  • Ragman
    Collects Ragman (2017) #1-6. Batwoman makes a short appearance in #3.
  • Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands
    Collects Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #1-6. This miniseries from co-creator Tony Isabella was launched around the same time than CW’s TV Show. Black Lightning is part of the new Outsiders team after Metal.

Harley Quinn Reading Order - Batman The Animated Series Icon

Harley Quinn in Coney Island.

After Paul Dini, the two most influential people on Harley Quinn’s portrayal are writers/artists Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti. The duo mostly defined the modern version of the character during New 52 and continued to write the character during the first years of Rebirth. However, Harley Quinn can be living in her apartment in Coney Island and be an inmate at Belle Reve as part of the Suicide Squad at the same time, right? Right? Simply put, this run plays fast and loose with continuity, or just doesn’t care. Conner and Palmiotti continued their story after Rebirth as if nothing had happened. Some fans have speculated that these stories take place after her time in the Suicide Squad. Others prefer to see these tales as simply taking place in another reality. The choice is yours!

Dark Nights: Metal: The Start of the Dark Multiverse Saga. The Multiverse is in peril! Evil Dark Knights have emerged from their most dangerous corners. Batman must join forces with the Justice League for DC’s greatest battle yet. This is Metal, the first chapter of the Dark Multiverse Saga. The whole event has been collected in a compendium, but you can also check out our complete Dark Nights: Metal Reading Order.

Before jumping into this Dark Multiverse, you can (re)read a few comics that will help you make more sense of what is going on: Hawkman: Endless Flight, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (part of Morrison’s run on Batman), and Multiversity will provide important backstories that will enhance your enjoyment of Metal.

  • Dark Nights: Metal Compendium
    Collects Dark Nights: Metal #1-6, Dark Nights: The Batman Who Laughs #1, Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Days: The Casting #1, Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1, Nightwing #29, The Flash #33, Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #32, Green Arrow #32, Suicide Squad #26, Teen Titans #12, Justice League #32-33, Batman: The Red Death #1, Batman: The Devastator #1, Batman: The Merciless #1, Batman: The Murder Machine #1, Batman: The Drowned #1, Batman: The Dawnbreaker #1; Batman: Lost #1, and Hawkman: Found #1.

    • Dark Days: The Road to Metal (Collects Dark Days: The Forge #1 and Dark Days: The Casting #1, as well as classic DC stories that built the foundations of Metal, including Final Crisis #6-7, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1, Batman #38-39, Nightwing #17 and more.
    • Dark Nights: Metal (Collects Dark Nights: Metal #1-6, and Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1 and Batman Lost #1.
    • Dark Nights: Metal: Dark Knights Rising (Collects the seven Dark Nights: Batman tie-in one-shots and Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1.
    • Dark Nights: Metal: The Resistance (Collects “Gotham Resistance” (Teen Titans #12, Nightwing #29, Suicide Squad #26, Green Arrow #32) and “Bats Out Of Hell” (The Flash #33, Justice League #32-33, Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #32), plus Batman Lost #1 and Hawkman Found #1.

Ho Ho Ho! The Sequel! While Metal was taking place, another Christmas season has passed! Discover new yuletide tales featuring Harley Quinn, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and more.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32 by Robert Venditti, Ethan Van Sciver and Liam Sharp

III. DC Rebirth Phase III: New Justice

DC Comics used the end of Dark Nights: Metal to offer a new entry point called New Justice! Naturally, it was promoted as if everything were to change forever (which never happens, of course!). Eight years later, the New Justice relaunch is mostly forgotten and is considered a part of the Rebirth era. The conclusion of Metal helped to set up new dynamics and launch the characters in a new direction. Before discovering the DC Universe post-Metal, there are still a few stories to read (and to conclude)…

Young Animat Imprint, Part 2. Characters from the DCU cross paths with characters from the pop-up imprint DC’s Young Animal in this epic crossover event. In the aftermath of this event, three of the series were then relaunched as Shade the Changing Woman, Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye, and Mother Panic: Gotham A.D. The line was put on hiatus in August 2018 and came back almost a year later with two new titles: Collapser and Far Sector.

  • DC/Young Animal: Milk Wars
    Collects JLA/Doom Patrol Special #1, Mother Panic/Batman Special #1, Shade, The Changing Girl/Wonder Woman Special #1, Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye/Swamp Thing Special #1, and Doom Patrol/JLA Special #1.
  • Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds
    Collects Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #1-7.
  • Mother Panic: Gotham A.D.
    Collects Mother Panic: Gotham A.D. #1-6. Set in a dystopian future.
  • Eternity Girl
    Collects Eternity Girl #1-6
  • Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye
    Collects Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye #1-6
  • Shade, the Changing Woman
    Collects Shade, the Changing Woman #1-6. Takes place before the destruction of D.E.O. during Event Leviathan.
  • Collapser
    Collects Collapser #1-6
  • Far Sector
    Collects Far Sector #1-12. Introducing Green Lantern Jo Mullein. One of her futures is explored in Future State at the end of this era. She became a part of the Green Lanterns series in Infinite Frontier.

Atlantis and Themyscira. Aquaman’s story of resistance against the nefarious King of Atlantis comes to an end. This exciting period for Aquaman fans was also notable for Mera starring in her own title for the first time (also written by Dan Abnett). Aquaman is now ready to enter a world post-Metal, like Wonder Womanv.A new era is beginning for the Amazon warrior, with James A. Robinson taking over as the main writer, focusing on Diana’s twin brother, Jason!

Apart and Together. While the Titans helped save the world in Metal, the team has also been through difficult times and is facing the consequences right now. Dan Abnett’s put them together and apart again to conclude this era of the Titans before Justice League: No Justice and a new lineup. Events from the Flash are taking place in parallel or after.

New Age of Heroes. In the aftermath of Metal, DC has launched a new comic book line called New Age of Heroes. If you don’t remember it, that is normal: it was considered a commercial failure. Damage by Robert Venditti and Tony S. Daniel was the first title published as part of this line, starring Ethan Avery, a soldier who submits to an experiment that turns him into a monster called Damage, leading him to question everything he believed about his cause. For his debut, the character faces Task Force XL and Wonder Woman, and crosses paths with Poison Ivy, Grodd, and Swamp Thing.

While a New Age starts, crime-fighters in Gotham City have been shattered as James Tynion’s run on Detective Comics comes to an end.

Super Sons #16 by Peter Tomasi, Carlo Barberi and Brent Peeples.

Sons and Daughters. We continue to deal with the repercussions of events that took place before Metal, starting with a crossover between Super Sons, Superman and Teen Titans that follows up on A Lonely Place of Living. As Talia al Ghul returns to her son’s life, Bruce Wayne’s paternity is questioned by Deathstroke, following his recent attempt to reconcile with his children. Between two Titans series, Raven has to stop her father and work with her estranged mother in a comic book from Marv Wolfman.

The People vs. the Justice League. The team is brought before the law to be held accountable for their actions in a trial, questioning the very existence of a Justice League withChristopher Priest taking over writing duties from Bryan Hitch for this last run before the big shake-up. For this occasion, the team crosses paths with Deathstroke.

Awakening. Carter Hall returns as Hawkman to the DC Universe in Dark Days: The Forge. Writer Robert Venditti is now bringing Hawkman’s entire, complex history to life in order to create a compelling and accessible redemption story, which became one of the most important runs in the character’s history.

  • Green Arrow Vol. 6: Trial of Two Cities
    Collects Green Arrow Vol. 6 #32-38. Starts mere days after the conclusion of Metal, but contains a minor reference to Teen Titans Vol. 3.
  • Sideways Vol. 1: Steppin’ Out
    Collects Sideways #1-6. Third series from the New Ages of Heroes line from Dan DiDio and Justin Jordan. Placed here because there are characters in common with The Unexpected.
  • Hawkman: Awakening
    Collects Hawkman #1-6.
  • The Unexpected: Call of The Unknown
    Collects The Unexpected #1-8. While launched later, this series from Steve Orlando has ties with Hawkman’s history. The character appears during half of the volume and there is a few info about the character’s past. Huntress and Signal also appears in issue #4.
  • Hawkman Vol. 2: Deathbringer
    Collects Hawkman #7-12.

The end of an era for Superman. After some challenging years during the New 52 period, the Superman that fans had grown to love made a comeback at the start of the Rebirth era, thanks to the creative team of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason for Superman, and Dan Jurgens for Action Comics. This era comes to a close here, as do the final adventures of the Super Sons (written later, but set before Bendis’ arrival on Superman), the conclusion of the Superwoman series, and the Justice League of China.

Evil’s Might. Similar to Man of Steel, this is also the end of an era for the Green Lanterns. Robert Venditti’s run on Green Lantern (which began during the New 52 era) comes to a close with a major battle, while writer Dan Jurgens penned the final arc of Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz’s Lanterns series.

Justice League: No Justice #3 by Riley Rossmo and Marcus To

New Justice! The universe has been transformed. Four forces govern all of existence, and now the godlike beings who embody them have awakened. All life is in jeopardy, and the only chance the superheroes of Earth have to stop the unthinkable lies in new alliances… Justice League: No Justice launches the famous team into new direction, or more specifically into three new comics: Justice League, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Jim Cheung and Jorge Jiménez; Justice League Dark, a supernatural team book written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Alvaro Martinez; and Justice League Odyssey, a space exploration comic written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Stjepan Šejić.

At the same time, a new era is ushered in for the Man of Steel as Brian Michael Bendis took over the adventures of Superman, writing the two main titles for the character and changing his family dynamics for years to come!

  • Justice League: No Justice
    Collects Justice League: No Justice #1–4, plus a story from DC Nation #0. No Justice takes place after Action Comics #1000
  • Justice League Vol. 1: The Totality
    Collects Justice League (vol. 4) #1–7
  • The Man of Steel
    Collects The Man of Steel #1-6 and stories from DC Nation #0 and Action Comics #1000. Reflects new justice.
  • Wonder Woman Vol. 8: Dark Gods
    Collects Wonder Woman (vol. 5) #46-50, Annual (vol. 4) #2. Wonder Woman Vol. 8 includes the League’s new lineup. It is set after The Totality
  • Wonder Woman Vol. 9: The Enemy of Both Sides
    Collects Wonder Woman (vol. 5) #51-55, The 75th Anniversary Special #1; stories from Justice League 100-Page Giant #1-2. Can be read directly after Vol. 8. A character from the Unexpected appears in this volume.

The Wedding. The Big Day is here (or not!). You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of Bruce and Selina, Batman and Catwoman. This are the events surrounding the Bat-Family, from the members reacting to the future events to the fallout of the wedding.

The New Age of DC Heroes continues with The Terrifics, DC’s version of the Fantastic Four, coming from Jeff Lemire and Ivan Reis. Metamorpho, Mister Terrific, Plastic Man and Phantom Girl found themselves cosmically tethered together to prepare for a threat from the Dark Multiverse (and also meet Tom Strong). A new version of The Challengers were also introduced, by Scott Snyder and Aaron Gillespie.

  • Deadman
    Collects Deadman (vol. 5) #1-6. Neal Adams returns to Deadman 50 years after the character’s debut to explore his past once and for all. This is a continuation of his work on the character rather than a story set in the Rebirth continuity. Adams’ Deadmon story sort of continues in Batman vs. Ra’s Al Ghul.
  • Plastic Man
    Collects Plastic Man (2019) #1–6. An origin story for Patrick “Eel” O’Brian after his reintroduction during Metal. You can read it whenever you like. It is placed here to coordinate with his appearances in the Terrifics.
  • The Terrifics Vol. 1: Meet the Terrifics
    Collects The Terrifics #1-6. The story takes place some time after Death Metal and No Justice.
  • The Terrifics Vol. 2: Tom Strong and the Terrifics
    Collects The Terrifics #7-14. The first two volumes reprint Jeff Lemire’s run on the series.
  • New Challengers
    Collects New Challengers #1-6.

Full Throttle. Damian Wayne is not taking his best decisions right now. As the leader of the Teen Titans, he is convinced that the old ways of fighting crime aren’t cutting it anymore and put a new team to do things differently.

  • Teen Titans Vol. 1 : Full Throttle
    Collects Teen Titans Special #1 and Teen Titans #20-24. Takes place before Flash War.
  • The Flash Vol. 8: Flash War
    Collects The Flash vol. 5 #46–51, a story from Annual #1. Explains Wally West’s problems and what will lead to his time at the Sanctuary.

    • Bart Allen makes his comeback in The Flash #50 as Impulse. He will go to live his own adventures in a revival of the Young Justice team, with Superboy, Wonder Girl and more.
Impulse in The Flash #50 by Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter.

Cold Days for the Batfamily. The Batfamily will go from one tragedy to another in the last years of the DC Rebirth era. And it mostly starts here. Between the fallout of the wedding, Nightwing’s life altering event in the line of duty, and Bruce’s hallucinations, those are Cold Days indeed…

The Killers of Krypton. The Bat-family is not the only one being put through great challenges; this is also the case for the Superman Family, especially with Jon Kent coming back from a trip in space completely changed! Supergirl is also dealing with the revelations of the epic ‘Man of Steel’ miniseries, and she is prepared to seek justice in every corner of the universe.

A New Age of Heroes break. Before some big changing events in the DC Universe, we reconnect with a few new heroes and even meet a new team: The Immortal Men. This group, created by James Tynion IV, consists of immortal heroes from different eras who protect the world from an ancient threat. Those titles are not connected to each other but can be read here, especially as the first two series contain references to Leviathan, a group that will soon take center stage.

Heroes in Crisis - Batman Rebirth Reading Order Tom King

Welcome to Tom King’s Sanctuary. This is Heroes in Crisis, a not-so-popular event dealing with trauma and murder (nothing out of the ordinary for King!). The Sanctuary is an ultra-secret hospital for superheroes and reformed supervillains who’ve been traumatized by crime-fighting and cosmic combat. When many patients wind up dead after something goes inexplicably wrong, it’s up to the DC Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman to investigate. Check out our Heroes in Crisis Reading Order for an issue-by-issue order.

Aquaman

Drowned Earth. The last part of Dan Abnett’s run on Aquaman was upended by two events. First, Arthur Curry has to stop Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad on a mission to infiltrate the city and send it back to the depths. Then, he must, with the aid of the Justice League, stop a deluge of destruction. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick took over for the last part of Rebirth, a run that can be started now as it directly follows the events of Drowned Earth and does not contain other elements of continuity.

Justice League Dark Rebirth Icon Reading Order

Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark#1 by James Tynion IV and Jesús Merino

The Witching Hour. Dealing with the mystical and supernatural threats of the DC Universe is the Justice League Dark, a group that was first formed by Madame Xanadu during New 52. Now that magic has been somehow broken, Wonder Woman has been given the task to lead the new formation of the team to face this new problem. She reunites Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom), Detective Chimp, Swamp Thing, Zatanna, and John Constantine to fight a magical crisis.

Deathstroke Icon - Reading Order Comic Book Treasury

The Terminus Agenda. The hunter becomes the hunted as Robin and the Teen Titans set out to end Deathstroke once and for all! This is another Teen Titans/Deathstroke crossover that will push the two titles towards their coming conclusion.

Ho! Ho! It’s another Holiday Season! Break out your best eggnog and enjoy 10 all-new stories featuring the World’s Greatest Heroes, including looks at the futures of Batman, Superman and the Flash, as well as many more denizens of the DC Universe.

  • DC Holiday Nightmares
    collects DC’s Nuclear Winter Special #1, Harley Quinn #55 and a story from Swamp Thing Winter Special #1.
  • Shazam and The Seven Magic Lands
    Collects Shazam #1-11 and #13-14. The story starts during the Christmas season.

    • Billy’s story continues in Year of the Villain: The Infected.

Lost in Space. The Titans are marooned in unknown space and all facing their personal demons with the help of Lantern Kyle Rayner, while Hal Jordan goes back to his role as the universe’s best space cop under the creative team of Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp in a run that can be read independantly from the rest.

The Fall and the Fallen. Many versions of Batman have been introduced over the years. As the DC Universe undergoes change through events such as the Doomsday Cloak and the Dark Multiverse Saga, Bruce Wayne comes face to face with several of his counterparts, from the Batman Who Laughs to his own father.

Doomsday Clock

The world of Watchmen collides with the DC Universe in a story that rewrites the past, present, and future of DC comics! This is a very difficult story to place, as it does not really fit well in continuity due to many contradictions. It is mostly after Heroes in Crisis, and there will be references to this event later on.

Catching up with Harley Quinn. A new era starts for Harley Quin. After a story from Frank Tieri, Sam Humphries is put in charge of a run “more closer to the DC Universe.”

Introducing Wonder Comics. Founded by Brian Michael Bendis, this pop-up imprint focuses on the young heroes of the DC Universe. It brought back the Wonder Twins, Young Justice and Dial H for Hero, and introduced new characters such as Naomi.

The Wonder Comics’ story continues in the middle of the “Leviathan stuff” as Tim Drake will say it!

DC’s Year of the Villain Special #1 Cover by Greg Capullo and FCO Plascencia.

Year of the Villain starts here! Evil is winning, and the bad guys are taking center stage in what has been called “the most treacherous event in DC Comics history.” As all those types of events that are more thematic and spread across too many titles, it is a messy, jumping from one title to another, and difficult to organize. You can check out the reading order for this year-long event.

The Offer. Lex Luthor is on a mission to recruit supervillains, and he comes with a gif. If they accept, he promised them a source of unlimited power. Most of the following volumes conclude with Lex’s appearance, making his offer to a character.

The Ghost Sector. It’s as good a place as any to catch up with the Justice League Odyssey, a team formed to bring order to the newly created space sector known as the Ghost Sector. As they are so far away, the events on Earth do not directly affect them, although the following events span from No Justice to Year of the Villain (Issues #11–15 are tie-ins, Lex Luthor can make his offer to everyone, wherever they are!).

Event Leviathan - Batman Rebirth Reading Order Tom King

Event Leviathan. Spinning out from Superman is the Event Leviathan miniseries written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Alex Maleev. It follows a team of a team of DC Comics’ detectives as they investigate the infiltration and apparent dismantling of multiple intelligence agencies by the mysterious organisation Leviathan.

The event Leviathan was followed by Checkmate, which was published during the Infinite Frontier era. As everyone knows, Bendis doesn’t care much about continuity, so you can read it here.

City of Bane. Bane has taken control of the city, releasing all the villains and appointing them as his new “police force” in his dystopian regime. As Bane holds hostage a dear member of the family to keep everyone in place, Batman is on the brink of death…

Batman #85 is the last issue of Tom King’s run. After he departed from the main Batman series, King returned to the Batman mythos with Batman/Catwoman, a 12-issue limited series with art by Clay Mann published by DC Black Label. It’s better to read it with his run in mind.

Batman (2016) #78 by Tom King and Clay Mann.

The Infected. No rest for the wicked. Batman and Superman are investigating the nefarious activities of The Batman Who Laughs, who has infected six heroes to be part of his own Secret Six!

Catching up with the rest of the DC Universe. Luthor has made many offers, and you can read about the follow-up in most of the volumes, where each superhero and supervillain deals with the proposition in their own way.

And now… the Conclusion of Year of The Villain.

  • Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen
    Collects DC’s Year of the Villain Special #1 and Year Of The Villain: Hell Arisen #1-5. The story picks up after the conclusion of Vol. 5 and serves as a conclusion for Year of the Villain.

The paradoxical timeline. Most stories between the end of Year of the Villain and the beginning of of Dark Nights: Death Metal takes place in the paradoxical timeline of Earth, in which multiple events across the DC Universe happen at the same time. Everything will merge at the end of Death Metal. In the meantime…

Those Justice League stories from Robert Venditti, Simon Spurrier and Jeff Loveness are fillers until Death Metal, but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out!

The second season of Grant Morrison’s run on Green Lantern is still a self-contained story that you can read right now if you like.

Flash Barry Allen - Flashpoint Reading Order

Flash Forward #5 by Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth.

Flash Forward. The Flash is racing towards its 750th issue. And you know that no major event at DC Comics happens without the Fastest Man playing a role. So make sure you check out Flash Forward, a subplot of Death Metal.

  • Flash Forward
    Collects: Flash Forward #1-6. A follow-up to the recent events and an important story for Death Metal.
  • The Flash Vol. 14: The Flash Age
    Collects The Flash vol. 5 #88, #750–755, Annual #3. The Flash Annual contains a story featuring Suicide Squad, set after SS #5 (see the trade below!)
  • Suicide Squad: Bad Blood
    Collects Suicide Squad #1–11

The Aftermath of City of Bane. Bane has been vanquished, but both the city and its champion are still struggling. Writer James Tynion IV take over the series starting with issue #86 and picks up the pieces before the Joker War.

Welcome to the 31st century! Take a trip through a thousand years of DC’s future history with Jon Kent, the son of Superman. This new version of the team is coming from writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Ryan Sook.

Joker Batman - Batman Rebirth Reading Order Tom King

The Joker War Saga is taking us to issue #100. Gotham City is a battleground as the Joker takes his war against the Dark Knight to the streets, using Bruce Wayne’s own fortune to mount a fully armed attack against Batman and his allies. For more information, you can check our Complete Joker War Reading Order.

Elements of Change. This is the last DC Stories before the Death Metal and the conclusion of this era.

  • Red Hood: The Hill
    Collects Red Hood #51-52 and Red Hood: The Hill #0-6. While Red Hood was published later, it was supposed to be set before Death Metal. A few notes in the book tell us it’s set around here.
  • The Flash Vol. 15: Finish Line
    Collects The Flash vol. 5 #756-762. The end of Joshua Williamson’s run. The volume concludes before the Dark Nights: Death Metal event.
  • Justice League Odyssey Vol. 4: Last Stand
    Collects Justice League Odyssey #19-25. Leads directly into Dark Nights: Death Metal.
  • Batman / Superman Vol. 2: World’s Deadliest
    Collects Batman/Superman #7-15 and Batman/Superman Annual #1. spans from before Hell Arisen to Death Metal and references events from Teen Titans Vol. 4 as well as Metal Men #6-9.
  • Metal Men: Elements of Change
    Collects Metal Men #1-12. This volume concludes at the start of the Death Metal event. We think it’s better to read it before.

Batman who laughs Icon Reading Order

Dark Nights: Death Metal. The Dark Multiverse Saga is coming to an end! When the Earth is enveloped by the Dark Multiverse, the Justice League is at the mercy of the Batman Who Laughs. Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman find themselves trapped in nightmare worlds within the Dark Multiverse. You can take a deep dive into the Dark Multiverse with our Complete Death Metal reading order.

It’s the end of DC Rebirth! The Multiverse has expanded into a large Omniverse, launching the superheroes of the DC Universe into a new era: The Infinite Frontier. But wait! Before, there’s still a few tales…

  • Future State – Spinning out of the finale of Dark Nights: Death Metal, Future State takes us on a journey from the near future to witness possible futures for the DC heroes. Some of those stories are more important than others, such as Future State: Superman
  • DC Comics: Generations
    Generations Shattered #1, Generations Forged #1, and material from Detective Comics #1027. Characters from different eras are assembled to face a threat of cosmic proportions
  • Justice League: Endless Winter
    Collects Justice League: Endless Winter #1-2, The Flash #767, Superman: Endless Winter Special #1, Aquaman #66, Justice League #58, Teen Titans: Endless Winter Special #1, Justice League Dark #29, and Black Adam: Endless Winter Special #1. See our Endless Winter reading order for more information. One last event with the Justice League to conclude this era!

Next: Infinite Frontier Guide

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