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Batman Origin Stories: Explore Bruce Wayne’s tragic past in the comics

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In 1938, the success of Superman prompt the company now called DC Comics—it was National Comics Publications at that time—to launch another one. Editor Vin Sullivan was tasked to do exactly that in the pages of Detective Comics.

The writer and artist Bob Kane came up with an idea based on Sherlock Holmes, Zorro, and other pulp heroes (like The Phantom), but also, apparently, a Leonardo da Vinci sketch of a bat-winged flying machine. He took all this to the writer Bill Finger who added his own inspiration like the Dracula movie (the one from 1931) and the 1926 silent film The Bat. He then suggested a new costume as Kane’s was then basically Superman with a mask and bat wings (the Da Vinci inspiration). Finger suggested a cape, a cowl, and a gray bodysuit. As a result, The Bat-Man silhouette really looked like a bat.

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James Bond Comics Reading Order (Dynamite Entertainment)

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His name is Bond. James Bond. 007. Created by Ian Fleming in 1953, the most famous British Secret Service Agent launched his career on paper, in the novel Casino Royale, became a movie star, had his own video games and radio drama, but also his own comic book line.

The first James Bond Comics spawned from the success of our Secret Agent after the start of the film franchise in 1962. It was a comic book adaptation of Dr. No published by Classics Illustrated in United Kindgom. It would take 20 years for another James Bond comic to be published afterward, with this time an adaptation of For Your Eyes Only, followed in 1983 by an adaptation of Octopussy.

Permission to Die was the first original James Bond comic published by Acme/Eclipse in 1989. Then, Dark Horse obtained the rights and released several original stories until 1996. Nothing new was to be released for the next 20 years, until the comic book publishing license was picked up by Dynamite Entertainment (Red Sonja, Evil Dead).

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The Spectre Reading Order

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Death is not always the end in comic books, especially for characters like the Spectre who embody vengeance from beyond the grave. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Bernard Baily, the Spectre first appeared in More Fun Comics #52, published by DC Comics in February 1940.

It all begins with Jim Corrigan, a hard-nosed police detective who is murdered by gangsters. Rather than passing into the afterlife, Corrigan’s spirit is bonded with a cosmic entity known as the Spectre, a supernatural force tasked with enacting divine vengeance. This entity is later revealed to be Aztar, a former angel who repented after joining Lucifer‘s rebellion and was subsequently transformed into the embodiment of God’s Wrath.

As the Spectre, Corrigan becomes one of DC Comics’ most powerful beings, capable of reality-altering feats. He also served as a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA), one of DC’s earliest superhero teams.

Jim Corrigan remained the Spectre’s primary human host for decades, but he has not been the only one. Notable successors include Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, and Gotham City Detective Crispus Allen. The Spectre has also existed without a human host at times, though his power is diminished in such states.

Over the decades, the Spectre’s mythology has been deepened through various storylines and reinterpretations, making him a unique and enduring figure in the DC Universe. For those interested in exploring the character further, a recommended reading order follows.
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DC Icons Series: The Complete list of the DC Young Adult novels

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In 2017, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment partnered with Random House Books for Young Readers to publish young adult novels naturally set outside DC Comics’ main continuity. Those are coming-of-age stories centered on the characters when they are younger and discovering who they are and what it means to be a hero.

Those are all original stories, and not retellings of classic origin stories, written by some of the most famous young adult novel writers right now. And if this all began in the book format, some of those stories have also been adapted into graphic novels (it’s DC Comics after all!).

The DC Icons Series is one of the lines developed by DC Comics to attract a younger and new audience to the world of superhero comics and for them to become more familiar with those pop culture icons that everybody knows by name.

Below you’ll find a list of the DC Icons book series, with Batman, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and more…

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The Two Arno Starks: from Iron Man 2020 to Earth-616

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Once upon a time, 2020 was to be an apocalyptic future. To be more precise, creators Tom DeFalco and Herb Trimpe created Earth-8410 in 1984, an alternate reality set in the then-future of 2020.

It wasn’t a glorious future, but one of those realities taken over by megacorporations. Many heroes disappeared in the 1980s, virtual realities became the main form of entertainment, the working class was replaced by robots, and humans were reduced to being slaves, except for the small upper class.

This earth was the homeworld of Iron Man 2020, a certain Arno Stark…

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Captain America Cold War Reading Order, Captain Vs Captain

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Captain America Cold War Reading Order

It’s been a while since Marvel gave us a Captain America crossover event. This one is a small one though, and it’s between the two Captain Americas! And more, of course, as it is presented as a battle between brothers.

Here is the official synopsis: Bucky Barnes, the newest player in a nefarious game that spans all of civilization, makes his most deadly move yet — teaming up with Sam Wilson’s nemesis, Hunter, the White Wolf! When Steve Rogers’ adoptive son Ian, A.K.A. Nomad, is abducted by someone Steve thought a friend, he suspects Bucky’s hand at work, and calls upon the people who know Ian best — Sam, Sharon Carter, and Misty Knight — to help him get to the bottom of the attack.

Why has Nomad been taken, and what does it have to do with a portal to Dimension Z opening over a secret battleground in Alaska? Has Bucky finally gone too far? And when Black Widow joins the fray, whose side is she on?

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DC Day of Judgement Reading Order, a DC Comics event by Geoff Johns

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DC Day of Judgement Reading Order

In 1999, Geoff Johns was not the DC superstar writer we know now, yet. Day of Judgement was the first event he had the chance to write, one that was going to open the way for his famous Green Lantern run a few years later.

This event is centered around The Spectre and involved the heroes and a few magical anti-heroes of the DC Universe. Here is the official presentation of Day of Judgment:

The story begins when Etrigan the Demon offers the fallen angel Azmodel freedom from captivity in Hell. If the fallen angel agrees to let the Demon rule Hell, Etrigan will give Azmodel access to the power to claim the ultimate prize: the destruction of Heaven itself! And the power in question? That of the Spectre who, without a human host, is ripe for Azmodel’s picking.

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Giant Days Comic, A Reading Guide

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Giant Days Comic Reading Order

Giant Days is a comedic comic book written by John Allison that was launched in 2015 by Boom! Studio (Lumberjanes, Buffy) with Lissa Treiman as the main artist for the first six issues, then Max Sarin for most of the next 48 issues—it won the Eisner Award for “Best Continuing Series” in 2019.

The story follows the lives of Susan Ptolemy, Daisy Wooton, and Esther de Groot, three students, and roommates at the University of Sheffield, England, from their first to last days, and a bit beyond. Susan is a grounded medical student who smokes a lot and often hides behind a tough attitude; Daisy is an optimistic archaeology student who’s a bit too sweet for this world; and Esther is a goth—and a bit of a drama queen—who’s into black metal and study English Literature.

There’s also Graham McGraw, a childhood friend and love interest of Susan who’s a bit too much into being handy; and Ed Gemmell, a friend and roommate of McGraw’s who’s in love with Esther, tragically for him.

For years, Giant Days offered fun, breezy slice-of-life stories with a lot of humor, romantic entanglements, British idiosyncrasies, and a lot of personality. And overall, it’s a great friendship story about becoming an adult.

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Wasp Reading Order (Janet van Dyne)

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Created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, and Jack Kirby, Janet van Dyne aka The Wasp made her debut in Tales to Astonish #44. She’s one of Marvel’s first female superheroes and a founding member of the Avengers. She’s even the one who gave the team its name!

Coming from a rich family, Janet van Dyne became the Wasp in order to avenge the death of her father, scientist Vernon van Dyne, killed by an alien entity unleashed during one of his experiments. With the help of Dr. Hank Pym (alias Ant-Man), she was exposed to the Pym Particles and biologically altered, giving her the ability to grow wings and shrink under four feet tall. She partnered with Pym, professionally and personally, and would eventually marry him. Their relationship was dysfunctional and Janet will eventually divorce him following an act of physical violence.

From this tragedy will emerge a more empathetic and efficient Avenger, a great leader with an amazing sense of fashion (Janet is also a fashion designer). Though Janet had some occasions to shine as Chairman of the Avengers, she was often sidelined in favor of other characters until she simply disappeared completely following the events of Secret Invasion. She made her return several years later and joined the ranks of the Unity Division, then became an Agent of Wakanda.

Though for too many years defined by her relationship with Hank Pym, Janet also had a tragic story with Havok and became entangled with Tony Stark in recent years. 

Her most important recent relationship is, without a doubt, with Nadia, the daughter of Hank Pym and his first wife, who also chose the alias the Wasp. Together, they are Unstoppable! And finally, after sixty years, Janet finally got her own solo series!

It’s time to buzz around and explore Janet’s publication history with this reading order!

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Batwing Reading Order (David Zavimbe, Luke Fox)

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When you hear the name Batwing, you could be thinking about Batman’s airplane which was introduced in Detective Comics #31 in 1939 — also known as the Batplane. Since 2011, Batwing is also the name of a member of the Bat-family. Despite having less than fifteen years of existence, there are already two people who had taken the alias of Batwing.

Created by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham, the first Batwing was David Zavimbe, a Congolese police officer who made his debut in the pages of Batman Incorporated #5 before headlining his own series. He was presented as the “Batman of Africa” and served as a representative of Batman Incorporated in the city of Tinasha, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The character appears to be inspired by a minor character, a young African-American boy from Batman #250.

David Zavimbe’s time as Batwing was, in the end, quite short, as he decided to resign as Batwing, leaving the mantle free to be taken by someone else in 2013.

Created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Eduardo Pansica, Luke Fox took over the mantle and was established as the second Batwing in Batwing #19. As you could have guessed, Luke is the son of Lucius Fox, born into a rich family who, like his father, is intellectually gifted. A world-class boxer before joining Batman in his fight, the Dark Knight trained him in martial arts.

Luke Fox already appeared in a few other media, including in the Arrowverse where he was portrayed by Camrus Johnson, and part of the distribution of the TV Series Batwoman. He was also voiced by Gaius Charles in the animated film Batman: Bad Blood.

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