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Batman and Superman: A Reading Guide to DC’s Finest Team-Ups

Batman is one of the smartest superheroes in the DC Universe, while Superman is one of the most powerful. Together, they make up the World’s Finest team! 

Their friendship is one of the most enduring and iconic in comic books. These are two men with very different approaches to crime-fighting who have learned to respect and admire each other. They’ve faced many hardships, challenges, and conflicts together. While they don’t always agree and have had their share of fights, their partnership has stood the test of time and their victories and team-ups are legendary.

Batman and Superman’s relationship dates back to the Golden Age, where their Earth-Two counterparts were honorary members of the JSA, though they weren’t present in the title, to busy living many adventures in the pages of their solo titles at the time. It wasn’t until the Silver Age that their partnership truly took off, beginning with World’s Finest Comics #71 and continuing nearly uninterrupted until the series ended with issue #323.

More than 70 years later, the two heroes still work regularly together—whether it’s for a single issue, a complete storyline, a major comic book event, or as co-leads in an ongoing comic series.

If you’re curious about Superman and Batman’s friendship but don’t know where to start and what to read, this reading guide is here to help you read about one of the best team-ups in the comic book universe!

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The Best of Juggernaut Comics, A Recommended Reading Order

There may be no other family tree as complex as the Grey-Summers one in the X-Men Universe, but it doesn’t mean that other characters haven’t had their share of pain and problems with their relatives. Case in point with Marko Cain, better known as Juggernaut, who is also the stepbrother of Professor X!

Unlike Charles Xavier, Juggernaut is not a mutant, but a human empowered by an ancient jewel powered by the deity Cyttorak, which transformed him into the unstoppable Juggernaut. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he made his first appearance in X-Men #12 (1965) as an enemy of the X-Men. For a long time after his introduction, Juggy was a one-note villain, popping up in one or two issues to rampage and disappear (or get thrown into prison for a while). Still, that didn’t stop him from making a name for himself as a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and as the criminal partner and BFF of Black Tom Cassidy. For many decades, he fought against the X-Men, as well as Spider-Man and the Hulk.

Things changed for Juggernaut in the early 2000s during Chuck Austen’s infamous run on Uncanny X-Men. While that era is often panned, it is also when Ol’ Jughead got some noticeable character development as he joined the X-Men and officially crossed the line between villain and hero, becoming more of an anti-hero (or anti-villain).

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Comic Book News of The Week: Powers celebrates 25 Years and More

What’s going on in the Comic Book World? Life can be pretty busy, so we highlight recent news and articles that may catch your interest in our seventh edition of Comic Book News.

While there is no bigger anniversary this year than Peanuts’ 75th Diamond Anniversary, it’s not the only one. Creators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Oeming are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Powers with a new project titled Powers 25. Here’s Dark Horse’s description, now the official publisher after several reprints across different publishers:

This new tale is a fun, dangerous, adult look at a world of heroes through the eyes of special homicide officer Detective Kutter and her brand-new partner, and the first power to ever make the powers division, Moebius Moon. Under the watchful eyes of legendary Captains Deena Pilgrim and Enki Sunrise, the new detectives run through a minefield of all-new dangers. A new unsolvable powers murder has Kutter and Moon questioning EVERYTHING about the world and their place in it.

Powers 25 will take the form of a 12-issue ongoing series, with each issue featuring art from Dark Horse creators including Mike Mignola, Stan Sakai, David Mack, Scott Hepburn, Eric Powell , Jill Thompson. The first issue will be released on September 10.

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Marvel Runaways Reading Order

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First published by Marvel Comics in July 2003, The Runaways is a comic book series created by writer Brian K. Vaughan (Saga) and artist Adrian Alphona. It launched as part of Marvel’s “Tsunami” imprint, an initiative designed to attract readers who were fans of manga and other youth-oriented genres. Although the Tsunami line was discontinued after a brief period and despite modest initial single-issue sales, The Runaways found new readers with the help of the trade paperback collections, which led Marvel to revive the title in 2005 after an initial cancellation.

This starts as the story of six teenagers from Los Angeles: Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Gertrude Yorkes, Molly Hayes, and Alex Wilder. They have little in common beyond the annual gatherings of their wealthy parents. When they accidentally discover that their parents are part of a secret criminal cabal known as the Pride, an organization that has covertly controlled much of the city’s underworld, their lives are upended. Shocked by the revelation, the teens band together and flee from their homes, determined to put an end to their parents’ criminal activities while struggling to survive on their own.

Over time, the group members each develop distinct roles and abilities that aid them in their fight against the Pride and other adversaries. Nico Minoru wields a powerful magical artifact called the Staff of One; Chase Stein utilizes advanced technology stolen from his parents; Karolina Dean learns she is an alien with the ability to manipulate solar energy; Gertrude Yorkes bonds telepathically with a genetically engineered dinosaur; Molly Hayes manifests superhuman strength and invulnerability; and Alex Wilder emerges as a strategic leader, though his loyalty becomes a pivotal point in the early narrative.

Following Vaughan and Alphona’s departure after 30 additional issues, The Runaways was continued by other creative teams, including notable writers such as Joss Whedon and Terry Moore. The Runaways inspired a 3-season (2017-19) live-action adaptation for the streaming service Hulu.

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Etrigan The Demon Reading Order

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Created by Jack Kirby for DC Comics, Etrigan the Demon made his debut in 1972. The character was first teased in the last issue of The Forever People (issue #10), announcing the launch of the new series simply titled “The Demon.”

Inspired by a character from Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant comics, Etrigan is a demon from Hell whom Merlin originally summoned to help him seek and protect the Eternity Book. The Wizard bound him to Jason Blood, one of his loyal knights. This fusion condemned Jason to immortality and a constant inner struggle with the demonic entity he now shared a body with. Blood worked with Harry Matthews, Glenda Mark, and Randy Singh to face powerful foes, including Morgaine Le Fey and her followers.

Jack Kirby only wrote and drew the original 16-issue series, but The Demon came back a few years later, in 1977, first in his second team-up with Batman in Brave and the Bold #137 ( the first one was in B&B #109 by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo, the only Demon story not by Kirby at the time, in 1973). After all, Jason Blood was based in Gotham City, so he had to meet the Caped Crusader from time to time. DC Comics continued to bring Etrigan back in Batman Family, Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, and DC Comics Presents, before appearing notably in The Saga of Swamp Thing.

That’s when a change appeared in The Demon’s characterization. In SOTST #26 (1984) by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, and John Totleben, Etrigan started to speak exclusively in rhyming verse, which quickly became a defining trait of the character. Other renowned writers and cartoonists continued to bring The Demon back after that, like Matt Wagner, Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola, John Byrne, and more. The character was recurring inside the DC Universe with his story being developed from one book to the other, but he never became a major one. Still, he is a memorable and captivating figure.

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Re:ZERO Manga Order (Starting Life in Another World)

Let’s start life in another world! That’s exactly what happens in Re:Zero — also known as Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World — one of the most popular stories in the isekai genre today, a subgenre of fiction where someone is transported to another world and must learn how to survive in this new world.

In Re:Zero, Subaru Natsuki is a young man who suddenly finds himself in a medieval fantasy-like world. He quickly discovers how dangerous this new place can be when he dies… only to revive a few hours in the past! He learns that he has the power to return to a specific point in time after each death (much like a checkpoint in a video game). These deaths are not without pain, and Subaru also has to deal with memories of what happened before his death, while everybody else has forgotten.

Created by Tappei Nagatsuki, Re:Zero began in 2012 as a web novel on the user-generated content site Shōsetsuka ni Narō (and is still ongoing). Media Factory later acquired the series for print publication, starting the light novels in 2014 with illustrations by Shin’ichirō Ōtsuka. As of now, forty volumes have been released, along with six side story novels and eleven short story collections.

Subaru Natsuki’s adventures don’t stop there. Re:Zero has naturally been adapted into an anime, as well as several manga series and spin-offs — the subject of our article today!

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X-Men: From The Ashes Reading Order (Part. 8)

Welcome back to the world of the X-Men with part 8 of our ultimate reading guide. Once the “Krakoan Age” came to an end, Marvel Comics launched a new era called “From The Ashes.” A complete relaunch of the X-Line of comics starting summer 2024.

This was teased in X-Men (vol. 6) #35 (legacy Uncanny X-Men #700), announcing a return to something similar to the old status quo with mutants rejoining the rest of the world and facing hatred and fear. 

The new era of X-Men kicks off with three flagship titles. First, in X-Men (vol. 7) by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper (formerly Oya), Magik, and Juggernaut come together to face emerging threats, fighting not just for survival, but for the future and guiding philosophy of mutantkind. Then, in Uncanny X-Men (vol. 6) by Gail Simone and David Marquez, outlaws once more, Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Wolverine are now based in the heart of the Big Easy, and they continue to defend a world that fears and hates them. Then, in Exceptional X-Men by Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero, Kate Pryde returned to her hometown of Chicago in the aftermath of the war with Orchis, hoping to leave the world of mutant affairs behind. But when she encounters three young mutants—Bronze, Axo, and Melee—in desperate need of training and guidance, she finds herself reluctantly drawn back in. And to make matters more complicated, Emma Frost wholeheartedly agrees.

Those X-Men comic book series are soon joined by NYX (vol. 2), Phoenix, Storm (vol. 5), Wolverine (vol. 8), X-Factor (vol. 5), X-Force (vol. 7), and some limited series and, soon, the first crossovers. 

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Clayface Explained: The Many Faces of Batman’s muddiest Rogue

It may not be surprising that a character made of clay has been reshaped multiple times. In the world of DC Comics (and superhero comics in general), legacy characters are now pretty common, but few have passed the baton–or the moniker–as much as Clayface. Known for being one of Batman’s Rogues Gallery members, this adversary is undoubtedly not a simple villain but “multiple.”

From actor Basil Karlo to firefighter Johnny Williams, the Clayface name is rooted in horror and tragedy, with each version bringing something different and reshaping the character’s relationship with the Caped Crusader.

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Comic Book News of The Week: Revival Trailer and More

What’s going on in the Comic Book World? Life can be pretty busy, so we highlight recent news and articles that may catch your interest in our sixth edition of Comic Book News.

As The Eternaut premiered over a week ago on Netflix, with ComicBeat calling the adaptation a “highly bingeable show,” another comic book adaptation is headed to the small screen. Syfy Channel has released the trailer for Revival, based on the comic series by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. Often described as a horror series, Revival is more of a crime series with a fantastic twist — and features on our list of the 15 Best Crime Comics to read.

If you haven’t yet read it, here’s the official synopsis for the TV Show starring Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna Earp herself!):

On one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin, the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the “revived” appear and act just like they once were. When local officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.

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Norman Osborn: The Evolution of Spider-Man’s Nemesis, from Green Goblin to Reformed Man

In the world of superhero comics, so many villains are just coming back, barely evolving as the decades pass. Still, some took on prominent roles and were forced to grow with the times as their continuing existence became so tightly connected to one of the superheroes that they couldn’t stop fighting. They may not be legion, but Norman Osborn is certainly one of them.

As one of Marvel Comics’ most complex and enduring antagonists, he is known primarily as the original Green Goblin. A personal nemesis to Spider-Man, Osborn’s career of villainy has led to some of the most impactful moments in Peter Parker’s life, but also in the Marvel Universe as a whole. 

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