
Comic Book Treasury was launched five years ago today. On the web, where some institutions and cultural websites have existed for decades, it can seem like a short period of time. At the same time, the web has undergone significant transformations, driven by legislation, numerous Google updates, and the economic crisis of the past five years. So much that surviving it can feel like a lifetime!
Many events have taken place in the Comic Book World, and I’m not talking about the usual character deaths and quick resurrections. Over the past five years, Marvel Comics has released many new Omnibus and Epic Collections, recently announced putting on hold the long-running Masterworks line, unleashed Knull’s invasion of Earth, brought the Krakoa Era to an end, and introduced a new Marvel Ultimate Universe. DC Comics has relaunched three times, launched the Absolute Universe imprint, found success with its Compact Comics line and DC Finest line, and rolled out a soft reboot on the big screen. Meanwhile, Geoff Johns and others launched Ghost Machine; Robert Kirkman acquired the Hasbro licenses and built the Energon Universe; Kyle Higgins created the Massive-Verse; and the Valiant Universe was rebooted once again. Manga and webtoons have grown in popularity, while digital comics have expanded, with Marvel Unlimited surpassing 3 million subscribers in December 2024. And then came the AI boom with the release of ChatGPT, and debates over copyright protections and the role of generative AI in creative industries started a battle that is ongoing.
I’m sure there is more that I forget. During these five years, Comic Book Treasury has published almost 700 articles, most being reading orders to help you read and collect your favorite characters, explore major (and small) events, and famous runs. We have explored many parts of the DC Universe, the Marvel Universe, and beyond during those years, navigated between series with the same titles, and discovered many comic book series! Some guides are simple, others are like a jigsaw puzzle. More and more, as those worlds continue to expand, we are refreshing and updating those guides to stay up to date, including the new releases and/or new collections. Doing all that while still waiting for The Unwritten: Compendium Two, DC Comics, if you read me!
We are thankful for you readers, your words of encouragement, and your help to improve our guides! We have forgotten titles and made mistakes, and as we strive to deliver the best we can do, we are glad for the comments that help us improve our guides and make this website a fun place to be!
And to properly mark the occasion, here is a selection of 10 articles we published during that time, a little sample of our work, articles, and guides that we enjoyed creating, make us proud, and also really help us (and that we still consult) in our reading journey.
Thank you for reading us!
Read More »Happy Birthday, Comic Book Treasury: 5 Years of Comic Book Reading Orders