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Namor the Sub-Mariner Reading Order, Imperius Rex!

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Namor the Sub-Mariner is one of the first Marvel characters, even sometimes considered the very first original Marvel character. He was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for the comic Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1. The title was never released and Namor made his real first appearance in Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939), next to the Human Torch. At the time, he was one of the most popular characters of Timely Comics (Marvel’s predecessor) along with the Human Torch and Captain America.

Though Namor is not as popular today as he was in the Golden Age era of comics, the character remained a historically important figure and still a popular character, with a history spanning over 80 years of publication.

Also known as the Sub-Mariner, Namor McKenzie is the mutant son of a human sea captain and an Atlantean princess. As the current king of Atlantis, he will do anything to protect his people. For this reason, Namor can be a villain, a hero, or an antihero, depending on the circumstances, for the surface dwellers. He’s almost always a hero for the people of Atlantis.

Namor is also a very powerful character, with Superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, senses, and reflexes. He can breathe underwater like all Atlanteans and can communicate and command sea life. He possesses vestigial “wings” on both of his ankles which permits him to fly, he is capable of manipulating the weather like Storm and much more. With all these powers comes a quite volatile and arrogant personality!

He is now played by Tenoch Huerta in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making his live-action debut in Black: Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Let’s dive into the Sub-Mariner’s history with this Namor Reading Order!

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Little Nemo in Slumberland, Winsor McCay’s influential comic strip

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Little Nemo in Slumberland, New York Herald, January 7, 1906

One of the most famous Little Nemo in Slumberland comic strips today was published in July 1908. Considered a masterpiece, it shows the young Nemo atop his bed which had grown crazy long legs and was walking among buildings.

At this stage, creator Winsor McCay was working for the New York Herald for a few years and had already produced many illustrations and comic strips. He came to work for publisher James Gordon Bennett in 1903 where he was doing caricatures of officeholders. But it was in Telegram that he began experimenting with the comic strip form: a sequential panel called “Hubby Goes Shopping with the Usual Results” was published on December 24, 1903.

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Ghost Rider Reading Order

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Marvel introduced a western character named Ghost Rider in 1967, but he is now known as the Phantom Rider. The Ghost Rider we are talking about here made his burning entrance in 1972 in Marvel Spotlight #5 and was created by Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, and Mike Ploog.

The original idea behind Ghost Rider came from Gary Friedrich as he developed a villain to be used in the page of Daredevil. Intrigued, Roy Thomas decided that the character should have his own series. He even suggested that the costume should be inspired by one Elvis wore in his comeback special in 1968. Mike Ploog took their concept and designed the biker, introducing the head on fire just because he thought it looked cool.

There is more than one Ghost Rider. The first was Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who gave his soul to Mephisto to save his adopted father’s life. After that, he discovers that he was bonded with the demon Zarathos. Now, he is forced to punish the wicked and evil as the Ghost Rider, a violent biker with a flaming head. Though, he only transformed when he is in the presence of evil.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Marvel introduced a new Ghost Rider, the young Danny Ketch. In 2014, it was the turn of Robbie Reyes, a Mexican-American resident of East Los Angeles, who’s not a biker. His ride is a muscle car.

Others became temporarily Ghost Riders, and the mythology behind the characters, as well as its history, evolved through the years. As the host or the ride changed, the Ghost Rider’s abilities also changed. Every rider is different, but the fight against Evil never stops.

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Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) Reading Order

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The Huntress is a DC Character considered part of the Bat-family. But there is also more than one Huntress in the DC Universe, though the one that interests us today is one of the most famous women to bear the name: Helena Bertinelli. She was also the last one to date to become the Huntress…

Way before Helena Bertinelli made her debut, Huntress was a recurring villainess with no name from the Golden Age. Created in the pages of Sensation Comics #68 by artist Mort Meskin and an unnamed writer in 1947, she was retconned in the Bronze Age by writer Roy Thomas.

He gave her the name Paula Brooks and built her a real backstory in Young All-Stars, a title set in DC’s Golden Age. Over the course of the series, Thomas recounted Paula’s transformation, from the superheroine to the villainess named Huntress.

During her short stint, Paula stayed an obscure character. It was a certain Helena Wayne who popularized the name Huntress during the Bronze Age. Created by Paul Levitz and Joe Staton, she made her debut in DC Super Stars #17  (1977).

The daughter of Batman and Catwoman from Earth-2, Helena became a vigilante to avenge her mother’s death and choose the code name The Huntress when she decided to continue to fight crime. Later, Helena found herself fighting against Paula Brooks and winning the right to the name Huntress in All-Star Comics #72.

She bore the name until the destruction of the DC Universe in Crisis of Infinite Earths.

Following the reboot, Helena Wayne died and her family never existed. In this new continuity, Helena Bertinelli is introduced as the Huntress.

Created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton, Bertinelli was conceived at first as a new interpretation of Helena Wayne. Making her debut in The Huntress #1 in 1989, this Helena has no link with Batman/Catwoman, but was born in one of the most powerful mafia families. She became a ruthless vigilante, ready to do justice by any means necessary. It puts her at odds with Batman, and she was for a long time the black sheep in the Bat-family, before Jason Todd/Red Hood was attributed that role. Her origins have been rewritten more than once, and she became the third member of the team Birds of Prey.

She was also recently played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the 2020’s film Birds of Prey.

To avoid confusion with Helena Wayne, what follows is a comprehensive reading order for Helena Bertinelli.

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Thanos Reading Order

The Marvel Comics supervillain Thanos first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55 in February 1973. He was created by writer and artist Jim Starlin, who was inspired by Jack Kirby’s work on DC’s New Gods. He was Marvel’s response to Darkseid, following instructions from Roy Thomas, but Starlin also drew inspiration from his college psychology classes when creating Thanos and Drax the Destroyer.

Hailing from Titan, Saturn’s moon, Thanos is the son of the Eternals A’lars and Sui-San. After falling in love with the physical embodiment of Death, Thanos finally became the murderous nihilist monster feared by the universe. He killed millions on Titan, but that was just the beginning. In order to do more, he started seeking universal power in the form of the Cosmic Cube.

This quest led to the creation of his enemy, Drax the Destroyer, and confrontations with Captain Marvel and other superheroes. But his story ended… for a time. He was resurrected in the 1990s, when Jim Starlin launched his Infinity Saga — a classic Marvel tale of epic proportions. Thanos resumed his quest to find the Infinity Gems.

After that, he became a constant menace, concocting evil plans that only made sense to him. Even when defeated, he always came back.

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Mister Miracle Reading Order

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During his brief but influential stint at DC Comics in the 1970s, Jack Kirby introduced revolutionary ideas that continue to affect the DCU to this day. He was the king of comics for a reason.

His most notable work for DC Comics was known as “The Fourth World“, which consists of several interconnected series based on a new mythology surrounding the New Gods. The core titles of the Fourth World saga were New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle. The latter is the focus of our article today.

Introduced in Mister Miracle #1 (April 1971), Scott Free is the son of the sage Highfather, ruler of New Genesis, the positive counterpart to the hellish planet Apokolips ruled by Darkseid. To stop the war between the two planets, heirs were exchanged. As a result, Scott Free was raised in the brutal “Terror Orphanages” overseen by Granny Goodness on Apokolips, without knowledge of his true origin. Despite his indoctrination, Scott rejected the oppressive regime and eventually escaped.

While part of the underground Resistance movement on Apokolips, Scott encountered Big Barda, a formidable warrior who would later become his wife. He ultimately fled to Earth, where he met Thaddeus Brown, a retired circus performer known by the stage name Mister Miracle. Following Brown’s death, Scott adopted his mentor’s identity and continued the legacy of escape artistry, aided by Brown’s assistant Oberon.

Though residing on Earth, Scott remained engaged in the broader struggle against Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips. Alongside Big Barda, he continued to oppose their tyrannical influence and later aligned himself with the Justice League. Like the other New Gods, he died at some point and was later resurrected.

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Spider-Man Reading Order, The Complete and Amazing Adventures of Peter Parker

With issue #15 (May 1962), the anthology comic book Amazing Adult Fantasy was renamed Amazing Fantasy, because teenagers were not comfortable buying a book with “Adult” in the title. It was a good choice as this issue was introducing “The Spiderman,” a teenage superhero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko who was destined to become the headliner of the book, but the Amazing Fantasy comics was canceled. As you know, Spider-Man (the hyphen was added soon after) became an instant hit and, a few months later, got his own comic book series.

The story starts with Peter Parker, a geeky high school student from Queens, New York, and an orphan who was living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. After being bitten by a radioactive spider at a science exhibit, Peter acquires the agility and proportionate strength of an arachnid! At first, he decided to use his heightened athletic abilities to make money as a wrestler on television. But when the thief he chose not to stop ended up being responsible for the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter learned a hurtful lesson: “With great power there must also come—great responsibility!”

From that point on, Peter Parker fought criminals, with or without superpowers. But he also struggles to help his widowed aunt pay the rent and to study at the same time. He started working as a photographer for the Daily Bugle, selling pictures of Spider-Man to its loudest opposition, newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson. It was difficult, but he kept on going, joining Empire State University where he met his new roommate and best friend, Harry Osborn, and girlfriend Gwen Stacy—also, his aunt soon introduced him to the beautiful Mary Jane Watson.

Peter’s life is punctuated by tragedies as he fights his enemies like the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, the Sinister Six, and a lot more. He lost friends and lovers (but gained new ones along the way). Aunt May had a lot of health issues, as well as money problems. The Marvel Universe expanded and Spider-Man had to fight cosmic entities, insect and animal-themed villains. He sometimes worked with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, and he teamed up with almost everybody.

With J. Jonah Jameson telling his readers that Spider-Man was a menace, Peter Parker is as much loved and hated by the public, but Marvel Comics certainly loves him as he became the most popular superhero at the company.

Spider-Man doesn’t really need an introduction. He is the most recognizable comic book hero next to Batman and one of the most popular characters in all fiction. He is the star of movies, TV shows, video games, and even a Broadway show… His face is on lunch boxes, pens, and every other thing you can put it on.

Today, we are only talking about comic books, though, and there are a lot of them. We already covered the biggest part of the last thirty years in previous articles, but we are going back to the beginning.

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Thunderbolts Reading Order

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Following the events of 1996’s Onslaught, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were declared dead. A new group of ‘superheroes’ decided to step in to help protect the world: The Thunderbolts!

Considered the equivalent of DC’s Suicide Squad, The Thunderbolts was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley and they made their first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #449 (January 1997) before the launch of their ongoing series the following month.

What seemed to be a basic superhero team then changed on the last page, when it was revealed that The Thunderbolts, led by Baron Zemo, were actually the Masters of Evil in disguise! This is known as one of the most famous twists in Marvel history.

With themes of redemption and heroism, The Thunderbolts will walk away from their evil nature, choosing to reject Baron Zemo and try to become heroes in their own right. Throughout the years, this team of anti-heroes has worked to do good things when led by Hawkeye, Luke Cage, and the Winter Soldier, but has also been used as a dangerous and malevolent force by leaders like Norman Osborn and Wilson Fisk. As you can imagine, between changes in leadership and direction, the roster of the team has changed a lot over the years.

A new version of Thunderbolts will soon be on the big screen, as a movie featuring the team will be released in 2024. Before that, you can start reading The Thunderbolts, and exploring their past (and present) history with this reading order!

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Supergirl Reading Order (Kara Zor-El, Matrix, Cir-El)

It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Supergirl! One of Superman’s happiest moments in life was discovering he had a long-lost living relative when Supergirl made her first appearancee in Action Comics #252 (May 1959). This was also one of the most important events in the development of the Superman Universe. Sent to Earth in a rocket by her father, Zor-El, Supergirl is Superman’s cousin from Krypton and she was chosen to star in the backup story of Action Comics even before making her debut.

The first adventures of the Girl of Steel were conceived with the idea of appealing to female readers who “were thought to be more interested in seeing a girl use super powers closer to home.” (American Comic Book Chronicles, The 1950s). While her earlier stories were clearly not as thrilling as the adventures of her more famous cousin, this was only the start for Supergirl, as the character would grow in popularity and complexity.

Since her creation, Supergirl has been killed off, replaced, rebooted, retconned and much much more. The Last Daughter of Krypton has used several names and been part of various teams, including the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Justice League, the Red Lantern Corps, and the DEO. Her history is not simple, complicated by the fact that Kara-Zor-El isn’t the only person to have taken on the mantle of Supergirl!

There’s also no doubt that the Girl of Steel gained popularity thanks to the several iterations of the character on the big and small screen. She first appeared in the film Supergirl (1984), played by Helen Slater. On TV, She has been played by Laura Vandervoort in Smallville and Melissa Benoist in the Arrowverse. Sasha Calle recently portrayed the character in The Flash (2023) while a new version of the character has been announced with Milly Alcock playing the character in Superman: Legacy (2025) and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2026). Naturally, she has also appeared in several animated movies and television series!

Let’s now explore the comic book history of Supergirl, from her first appearance in Action Comics as the Supergirl from Krypton to her recent adventures in space and beyond! Check out our Supergirl Comics Order for a guide to the many stories featuring the Maid of Might!

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Elsa Bloodstone Reading Order (and Ulysses Bloodstone)

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Not everyone is a superhero in the Marvel Universe. Some are Monster Hunters! This is the case of Elsa Bloodstone who, since her first appearance in Bloodstone #1 (Dec. 2001), has made a name for herself as such.

Created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Michael Lopez, Elsa Bloodstone is the daughter of another famous Monster Hunter, Ulysses Bloodstone, and the sister of Cullen Bloodstone. Her father was killing monsters with other monster hunters during the Bronze Age. He made a few appearances before meeting his maker, but Ulysses captured the public’s imagination and was after that still referenced in several issues. 

Today, his legacy in the Marvel Universe takes clearly the form of his children, especially Elsa. Introduced in the Bloodstone miniseries, Elsa Bloodstone could be perceived at the time as a mix between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the adventurer Lara Croft, and didn’t make a lasting impression on readers. A few years down the line, the character was rebooted by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen on Nextwave: Agents of HATE, where Elsa really came into her own as a foul-mouthed and violent young woman.

Though Elsa didn’t have a specific place in the Marvel Universe at this time, she became a more prominent character in the 2010s. She was a playable character in several video games, joined the Legion of Monsters, worked with the Thunderbolts and the Defenders, teamed up with Wolverine and Deadpool, and more.

Now, she is making her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the television special “Werewolf by Night,” where she is played by actress Laura Donnelly.

Following is an Elsa Bloodstone reading order (including information about her father Ulysses and her brother Cullen!) to help you become more familiar with the character and her family!

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