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Star Wars Legends Comics Reading Order (The Star Wars Expanded Universe)

Star Wars Legends Comics in Order

Since the release of the first Star Wars movie, the universe created by George Lucas has never stopped expanding. Beyond the movies, TV shows, games, novels, comics, and more have been created to cover many stories in the Star Wars galaxy, spanning more than 25, 000 years of history.

It was called the Star Wars Expanded Universe. But when Disney bought the Star Wars franchise, the company simply blew up this Expanded Universe in order to create a new official canon. So everything that have been published before April 25, 2014, was now part of the Star Wars Legends, the new name given to the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

A lot of comic books have been published during the past 35 years, before April 2014. Star Wars Comic books were first published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. After, Dark Horse Comics owned the license exclusively from 1991 to 2014. Pendulum Press (1978) and Blackthorne (1987–1988) also published some Star Wars Comics, and Star Wars comic strips have been distributed in the newspapers, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and Watertown Daily Times, between 1979 and 1984.

This article is devoted to the Star Wars Legends or Expanded Universe, to the Star Wars comic books published before April 25, 2014. For the ongoing Star Wars Canon, you can find the reading order over here.

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The Complete Guide to Marvel Omnibus Releases in 2024

It’s the end of the year 2024 and, as far as Marvel Comics goes, the publication of new omnibus collected editions was aplenty and varied. As every comic book collector knows, those big books are not published in large quantities. That’s why Marvel also re-printed a good selection of them this year as new subsequent volumes are published.

It may be hard to follow what is announced and when a book is coming out, and that’s why we have a page dedicated to the release schedule of the Marvel Omnibuses (and for the DC Omnibuses too). We are updating it once a month as Marvel announced from time to time a new batch of future releases.

It’s a continuing flow of new comic books and you may have missed something during the last 12 months. That’s why it’s time to take a look back with a complete listing of all the omnibuses published (or republished) in 2024 by Marvel Comics.

Also, you can find most of these in the reading orders dedicated to their main superheroes.

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The Complete Guide to DC Comics Omnibus Releases in 2024

As 2024 concludes, it is time to reflect on the last 12 months of collected omnibus editions published by DC Comics. Unlike the continuous flow of new releases and reprints of omnibus coming from Marvel Comics, DC Comics was still lagging far behind during the year’s first half. But after almost two years of slow releases, things are picking up.

DC Comics launched new collections, the popular DC Compact Comics and its version of the Epic Collection, DC Finest. And of course, the publication of new omnibuses became a lot more regular, with some welcome reprints added to the schedule.

Nevertheless, new comic books are still hitting the shelves every week and you may have missed something during the last 12 months (if you didn’t follow our page–updated once a month!–dedicated to the release schedule of DC Omnibuses). That’s why it’s time to take a look back with a complete listing of all the omnibuses published (or republished) in 2024 by DC Comics.

Also, you can find most of these in the reading orders dedicated to their main superheroes.

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Goodbye 2024. What’s Next for Comic Book Treasury in 2025?

Like our favorite Marvel and DC superheroes, life often feels like an endless chain of events—and sometimes, we wish we could skip a few of them!

2024 was a challenging year for many, and Comic Book Treasury was no exception. As we shared a few months ago, the changes to Google’s search algorithm had a massive impact on the site, and not in a good way, cutting our traffic in more than half. For a small website like ours, that’s a big hurdle.

While I know some creators have shifted towards video, Comic Book Treasury is—at its heart—dedicated to written guides and articles that you can bookmark and revisit to explore and follow the stories of your favorite characters or the latest events.

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Naoki Urasawa Manga List: Exploring the Work of Japan’s Master of Suspense

Naoki Urasawa is one of the most renowned Japanese manga artists, often regarded as a successor to the legendary Osamu Tezuka. While Tezuka’s work has without a doubt influenced Urasawa, he quickly established his own style, securing his place as one of the most celebrated names in manga today.

Urasawa first found success with Yawara!, a sports manga, but it was with Monster that he developed his distinctive style and reached international acclaim. Far from the lighthearted tone of Yawara!, Monster is a psychological thriller that showcases Urasawa’s talent for suspense and his fascination with darker, more complex themes—particularly the moral ambiguity that often exists between good and evil.

Known for creating two series simultaneously for much of his career, Urasawa is one of Japan’s best-selling authors. His works are frequently listed among the most highly regarded manga of all time. He has received multiple honors, including three Shogakukan Manga Awards, two Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prizes, the Kodansha Manga Award, and two Eisner Awards.

Below is a guide to discovering the works of Naoki Urasawa, designed to help you explore his most essential series and to help you find the best place to start reading!

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Captain Atom Reading Order (Nathaniel Adam)

Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko in 1960, Captain Atom first appeared in Space Adventures #33 published by Charlton Comics, a publishing company later acquired by DC Comics. Back then, the character was named Allen Adam, a technician who was trapped in a rocket that exploded. He should have died but instead became a superpowered atomic hero. His series continued for a few years (until December 1967). Back then, he had a red and yellow outfit and pretty generic powers.

In 1983, DC Comics acquired Charlton Comics’ action heroes and asked Alan Moore to do something with them. That’s how Captain Atom became Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen. Moore’s take on the characters was not what DC’s editors had in mind for them and the British writer had to rewrite some of them to create his own version while the publisher introduced Charlton’s super-heroes (like Blue Beetle) in its Post-Crisis universe. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was established that they were on Earth-4. After that, they found their way into the main continuity.

Captain Atom was then reinvented as Nathaniel Christopher Adam, a United States Air Force officer and Vietnam War veteran. Framed and condemned for a crime he didn’t commit, his only option to survive was to join the military experiment called ‘Project: Captain Atom‘ during which he was placed in an alien craft positioned next to an atomic bomb. The goal was to test the resistance of the ship, but the result was ultimately the creation of a superhero. During the explosion, Nathaniel was disintegrated, but he mysteriously reappeared 18 years later, now bonded with the alien metal that has the ability to tap into the “Quantum Field”. Captain Atom can absorb energy to a certain point (beyond that, he jumps in time).

In 1986, as Captain Atom just reappeared, the military forced him to work for them. He eventually joined the Justice League and later became the leader of Justice League Europe. Through the years, he joined other teams, fought his enemy through times, and became a villain before returning to normal.

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12 Scrooge McDuck Christmas Stories, Ranked!

While not a Christmas movie, I watched DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp many times during the holiday season, associating the film with that time of year by extension.

No Disney character is more tied to Christmas than ‘Unca Scrooge.’ Created by Carl Barks in 1947, Scrooge made his first appearance in the Christmas story ‘Christmas on Bear Mountain’ and was named after the classic character Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Since his debut, Scrooge has celebrated many Christmases with his nephew Donald Duck, his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and other family members. While Scrooge often plays the grumpy and stingy uncle, there’s no doubt he’s warmed up to his relatives and enjoys spending time with them (though he’s still reluctant to part with his money—that hasn’t changed!).

As we count down the days to Christmas, it’s the perfect time for a few trips to Duckburg and Bear Mountain to get into the holiday spirit with some classic Duck stories starring your favorite Uncle!

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Madman Reading Order, Explore Mike Allred’s Comics Universe

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In 1992, Tundra Publishing had a large lineup of comic book series by independent creators. One of them was Madman by Mike Allred who quickly gathered a few nominations for prestigious awards (it won the Harvey for Best New Series). It was a superhero comic with a unique vision and an atypic aesthetic for the time, as Allred’s Pop Art style certainly made the book immediately distinguish itself from the rest.

From its initial success, Madman Adventures moved to Dark Horse Comics–when Denis Kitchen bought Tundra–where it gained even more popularity and colors (by Laura Allred). As the Madmanverse developed new characters were introduced and spin-off series were created. Madman himself made some appearances in other books, even from other publishers.

The story follows the adventures of Frank Einstein, a man who was revived by two scientists, Dr. Egon Boiffard and Dr. Gillespie Flem. With no memory of his past, he took the name “Frank Einstein” after his creators’ heroes, Frank Sinatra and Albert Einstein. Now reborn with enhanced abilities—superhuman agility, reflexes, and a touch of precognition—Frank remembers little of his past life. His identity as “Madman” is inspired by his childhood comic hero, Mr. Excitement. Despite his Frankenstein-like appearance, including blue skin and scars, he has a girlfriend, Joe Lombard, and is joined by allies like the alien Mott, invisible scientist Gale, and robotic companions Astroman and Machina.

The publication history of Madman is not the simplest as the book changed publishers multiple times. It started at Tundra in the Grafik Muzik anthology before getting a solo book titled Madman Adventures, went to Dark Horses where it evolved to become Madman Comics for a few years, then Allred established his own publishing company, AAA Pop Comics, where he continued Madman’s story with The Atomics–a new comic book series focused on Frank’s superhero team, the Atomics. It stopped in 2001, but Frank Einstein returned in Madman Atomic Comics launched at Image Comics in 2007.

The Madmaniverse is a superhero universe like no other, the colorful vision of one independent cartoonist who developed a cult favorite. Below, you’ll find a guide to reading everything.

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Jessica Cruz Reading Order, member of the Green Lantern Corps

The Green Lantern Corps has at least 7,200 members! It would be easy to be just one among many, living in the shadows of brighter stars like Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner. Despite initially being forced to accept the famous ring and join the Corps, Jessica Cruz quickly made a name for herself with DC Comics readers.

For her co-creator Geoff Johns, Jessica Cruz is all “about fear.” In a Comic Book Resources interview, he explained that her character was about “a lot of emotional fears and someone dealing with crippling anxiety, depression, and worry. That was a totally different type of fear to tackle.” Jessica Cruz embodied this, starting with the ring as a curse—from Earth-3’s Power Ring—and eventually overcoming her own fears and personal struggles to earn a Green Lantern ring. Johns felt it was “a compelling story and a very different one than the other Lanterns.”

Jessica Cruz wasn’t the most willing member of the Green Lantern Corps, but she has left her mark, becoming an inspiration to readers facing anxiety. Like many DC superheroes and fellow ring-bearers, her journey is full of challenges, obstacles, and the determination to face her fears.
 
Discover now our Jessica Cruz reading order, guiding you through the essential comics and story arcs featuring the first female human Green Lantern!

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Patsy Walker Hellcat Reading Order, From the Teen Comics to Marvel Superhero

Patsy Walker is an old character. She came from the Golden Age of Comics, at a time when Marvel Comics wasn’t called Marvel Comics yet–but it turns out that Patsy Walker #95 was the first (with Journey into Mystery #69) to be labeled a “Marvel Comics” on its cover. Created in 1944 by Stuart Little and Ruth Atkinson in Miss America Magazine #2, Patsy Walker was not a superhero. She was the star of a teen romantic-comedy series–up until 1967.

This version of Patsy entered briefly the world of Superheroes with a cameo in Fantastic Four Annual #3 in 1965, but this had no consequences on who she became. It turns out that–with the help of a retcon–those Patsy Walker comics were the work of Dorothy Walker who used her daughters and her friends (notably Hedy) as an inspiration for this fictional series that exists in the Marvel Universe.

In 1972, Steve Engleheart who remembered that FF cameo and was familiar with the Patsy comics thought it would be a fun idea to make her a real character in the Marvel Universe. With artist George Pérez, he did just that in the feature he was doing in the anthology book Amazing Adventures #13. She only appeared in three issues (and was not “Hellcat” yet), but came back two years later for a few issues of The Avengers, and officially took the name of “Hellcat” and the costume of another hero, Greer Grant Nelson’s The Cat. In 1977, she joined The Defenders and met (in issue #92) Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan. They got married and went on to do some supernatural investigations. Eventually, like all of Marvel’s heroes at some point, she died (in the mid-1990s).

Hellcat was resurrected in 2000 and got her first miniseries. More would come as she’s still active today, mostly working alongside her friend She-Hulk.

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