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Shazam Reading Order (aka DC Comics’ Captain Marvel)

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The history of Shazam, originally known as Captain Marvel, is one of the most legal-heavy in comic book history. The character was created by writer Bill Parker and artist C. C. Beck in 1939, debuting in Whiz Comics #2 (1940) under Fawcett Comics.

By the early 1940s, Captain Marvel had become the most popular superhero of the Golden Age, outselling even Superman. However, this success led to a legal battle when DC Comics sued Fawcett, alleging that Captain Marvel was an infringement on Superman’s character. After years of litigation, Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel stories in 1953.

In 1972, DC Comics licensed the rights to the character, eventually purchasing them outright in 1991. However, by that time, Marvel Comics had secured the trademark for the name “Captain Marvel,” forcing DC to market the character and his associated heroes under the Shazam! banner from the 1970s onward.

Shazam’s story centers on Billy Batson, a 12-year-old orphan who is chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam to become Earth’s champion. By speaking the wizard’s name—an acronym representing the six mythological figures who empower him (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury)—Billy is transformed into the powerful adult superhero Captain Marvel.

Over time, he shares his abilities with his sister Mary Batson, and their friend Freddy Freeman, forming the Marvel Family, later rebranded as the Shazam Family. Together, they battle villains such as Doctor Sivana, Black Adam, and the sinister Mister Mind, leader of the Monster Society of Evil.

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America Chavez Reading Order (Marvel’s Miss America)

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America Chavez, also known as Miss America, is a fairly new character in the Marvel Universe as she made her first appearance in 2011. Created by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta, America Chavez believed for a long time that she was coming from the Utopian Parallel, an out-of-time reality where the Demiurge gave her powers. She left home, traveled across different realities, and ended up becoming a hero called Miss America on Earth-616.

Known as Marvel’s first Latin-American LGBTQ character to star in an ongoing series, America Chavez started in the 2011 limited series Vengeance (from Casey and Dragotta), but became popular as part of the Young Avengers, A-Force, the Ultimates, and West Coast Avengers.

Also, America Chavez is extremely powerful. Like a lot of superheroes, she possesses superhuman strength, speed, durability, and the power of flight, but she also has the power to kick open star-shaped holes in reality—the kind of thing that allows her and her teammates to travel through the multiverse and into other realities.

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Tim Drake Reading Order (Robin III, Red Robin, Drake)

Tim Drake (Robin) Reading-Order

After Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, Timothy Jackson Drake is our third Robin. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Pat Broderick, Tim Drake made his first appearance in Batman #436 in August 1989. He introduced himself to Dick Grayson in the storyline Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, and is convinced that “Batman needs Robin.”

Having great detective skills and Genius-level intellect, Tim Drake had discovered the real identity of Batman and the original Robin (though, I’m not convinced you need to be Sherlock Holmes to arrive at this conclusion!). As Dick refuses to become Robin again, Tim was the perfect young boy to take the mantle and become the third Robin. Though Batman will make him go through a rigorous training program for his own safety (to avoid history repeating itself), Tim Drake will obviously rise up to the challenge.

Recognized as the most intellectually gifted of the Robins, he speaks several languages, excels in computer science, and possesses a large knowledge in other scientific fields, including biology, engineering, and genetics. He is also the most calculated of all Robins in combat, and of course a great martial artist.

What to read before?

Though Tim is not present in this storyline, we invite you to read the now classic ‘A Death in the Family’, marking the end of Jason Todd as Robin, offering a better context about where Batman stands when Tim enters the scene and explaining some of his choices.

  • Batman: A Death in the Family
    Collects the original Death in the Family tale from Batman #426-429 plus “A Lonely Place of Dying” from Batman #440-442 and The New Titans #60-61.

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Secret Wars II Reading Order, the first massive Marvel crossover event

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Following the glowing success of the first Secret Wars, Marvel’s then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter decided to repeat the experience with a bit more ambition. Published from 1985 to 1986, Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic book limited series completed with tie-ins.

Historically, this was the first time Marvel published an event crossover following that model, asking the readers to purchase multiple titles in order to read the entire story. It certainly was not the last time.

Here is the official synopsis: Last time Earth’s heroes encountered the Beyonder, they fought for their lives. This time, they fight for all existence! A year after kidnapping the most powerful beings on Earth and pitting them against one another in a “Secret War” on a distant world, the omnipotent Beyonder comes to Earth to continue his study of humanity.

However, a being so powerful and so naïve is a dangerous combination. As the Beyonder’s understanding slowly grows, so too do his own desires – and even the lord of lies, Mephisto, fears what the Beyonder might finally decide he desires. Because if the Beyonder decides he wants to end all that is, even the combined might of the universe’s cosmic powers might not be enough to stop him! 

What to read before Secret Wars II?

The series was a sequel to the original Secret Wars miniseries, you can take a look at it:

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Madame Web Reading Order (Cassandra Webb and Julia Carpenter)

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Madame Web Reading Order (Spider-Family)

The original Madame Web made her first appearance in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #210 in 1980. Created by writer Denny O’Neil and artist John Romita Jr., Madame Web was not like other heroes, she wasn’t swinging through the streets or battling villains. Instead, Madame Web possesses psychic sensory powers, including telepathy, clairvoyance, prescience, and the ability to sense psionic powers in others. The first time Peter Parker heard about her and her clairvoyance abilities, he thought she looked like a fraud. But soon enough, Spider-Man would learn that she was anything but.

First introduced as the elderly, blind woman Cassandra Webb, she helped Spider-Man by delivering bad news or asking for his help. She also had the ability to transfer her powers to another individual. When the time came, she passed on her powers to Julia Carpenter (who had once been Spider-Woman), making her the new resident Madame Web.

Known as the ‘Creepy Clairvoyant,’ Madame Web is undeniably a mysterious character and certainly not your typical member of the Spider-Man Family. Her appearances are generally limited to just a few panels or issues within larger storylines. For a fuller understanding of her role, it’s recommended to read the complete story arcs in which she appears.

Forget everything you may have learned from watching Madame Web and explore the often cryptic role of Madame Web in the Spider-Verse with this comic book reading guide, tracing her appearances in Marvel Comics!

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Morbius Reading Order, Marvel’s Living Vampire

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Michael Morbius is a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and a living vampire in the Marvel Universe. Introduced as an enemy of Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971), Morbius became a tragic antihero.

After years of experimentation to eliminate his rare blood disease, he thought he had found a cure, but the side effects changed him dramatically. Now, he has enhanced senses, an aversion to light, and an insatiable thirst for blood. He is not dead. He is a kind of Dhampir, not really a vampire or a mortal human.

Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Morbius is more of a scientific creature than a supernatural one—like the lizard. After a few encounters with Spider-Man, he became the star of his own feature in Marvel’s bimonthly for a while, then he went on to make guest appearances here and there for a long time. He made a comeback during the 1990s. During the next two decades, Morbius joined teams, appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man, and sometimes in his own miniseries.

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DC Comics Bombshells Reading Guide, a reality where superheroines guard the homefront during World War II

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DC Comics Bombshells Reading Guide

First and foremost, DC Comics Bombshells is a line of variant covers and collectible statues created by Ant Lucia and featuring superheroines reimagined in a 1940s-era pinup style. The line was launched in 2013 with Wonder Woman and the brand became soon enough popular enough for DC Comics to expand the line with art prints, T-shirts, mugs but also an out-of-continuity series.

Written by Marguerite Bennett and illustrated by rotating artists, DC Comics Bombshells is a reality where female superheroes guard the homefront during World War II. When the story began, Kate Kane is the Batwoman, a player in an all-women’s baseball league where the players’ identities are kept secret to protect them from sexist backlash. Kate Kane plays baseball and fights crime in her Batwoman identity. Soon enough, she is recruited by Commander Amanda Waller who offers her to join her Bombshell, her team working to end the war.

Bombshells is an ensemble comic book series, in which you can also find alternate versions of Queen Mera Curry (Aquawoman), The Question (Renee Montoya)Stargirl (Kortni Duginovna), Supergirl (Kara Starikov), Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), Zatanna “Zee” Zatara, and more.

As a digital-first ongoing series, Bombshells ran for 100 digital issues (the equivalent of 33 print issues), with the final issue released in August 2017. That same month, the second digital-first series named Bombshells United was launched, picking up from the end of the previous Bombshells series. The first arc introduced Bombshells versions of Donna Troy and Cassie Sandsmark. This second series was less successful as the title was canceled after 38 digital issues and 19 print issues.

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Grant Morrison’s JLA Reading Order

In 1986, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis launched Justice League International, a series that quickly became popular (see the reading order for details). By the mid-1990s, though, the success had faded, and the titles were canceled. DC Comics tried to revamp the League with Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza’s miniseries Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare. But it wasn’t until 1997, when Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter launched the new JLA series, that the team found success again.

After years without A-listers, Grant Morrison brought the core team back together—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest—and introduced the idea of JLA as a modern pantheon of gods. To match this larger-than-life vision, the League moved into a new headquarters on the Moon, the Watchtower, and faced villains who threatened the world—or the entire universe. The creative team revisited and rebranded classic threats such as the White Martians, The Injustice Gang, and the Key, while also introducing new foes like Prometheus and Mageddon. Simply put, “JLA has rallied to save humankind from the brink of extinction. These are the adventures that have made them living legends.”

Grant Morrison’s run on JLA lasted four years, from 1997 to 2001. He wrote the series for the first 41 issues, along with a brief crossover during JLA’s “World War III” arc. During that time, the Justice League became one of DC’s best-selling titles and completely redefined the team for decades to come. It’s one of the most important runs in JLA history, and now you can explore it with our reading order!

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Elektra Reading Order, Marvel’s most deadly assassin

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Created by Frank Miller, Elektra Natchios is a dangerous woman and a true antihero. The daughter of a Greek ambassador with a troubled childhood, Elektra is a highly trained assassin and martial artist who never goes out without her pair of sai. She is also known as a love interest to Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, both of them having a very complicated relationship, where love, passion, violence, and ideals merge and collide.

As a character evolving in a gray area, between a hero and a villain, Elektra has been associated with several groups, one of the most important being the Hand, an order of evil mystical ninjas who are heavily involved in organized crime and mercenary activities. Since her first appearance, she has also been part of Hydra, The Shield, The Thunderbolts, and Heroes for Hire. Whatever the team she’s part of, Elektra is a deadly character who will prefer to die than show you what she feels.

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Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four Reading Order

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Jonathan Hickman Fantastic Four Reading Order

Following “Secret Invasion,” the 2008 crossover storyline, came the “Dark Reign” era which leads to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward “reformed supervillain” Norman Osborn. Mark Millar who was writing the Fantastic Four series – with art by Bryan Hitch – left the title and Jonathan Hickman took over and started to revamp and redefine Marvel’s First Family.

Here is the official synopsis: it all begins when Mr. Fantastic decides to solve everything! As the team contends with Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign, an older Franklin arrives from the future with an ominous warning! And as the Fantastic Four fight the War of the Four Cities, Mr. Fantastic assembles a band of genius youngsters. But when Nathaniel Richards returns, Galactus rises and a new Annihilation Wave threatens to invade from the Negative Zone, tragedy suddenly strikes. Grieving, the surviving members of the Fantastic Four dissolve the team – but from its ashes rises the Future Foundation!
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