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Superman/Action Comics Rebirth Reading Order (by Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason & Dan Jurgens)

Superman Rebirth Reading Order, Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Following New 52, an era that rebooted DC continuity in 2011 (and have a whole reading order), comes DC Rebirth, a period focused on returning the characters to an earlier status quo while updating the premises for new audiences. For The Man in Steel, it means reconnecting with the Superman from Pre-Flashpoint, a man married to Lois Lane and father of Jon Kent.

Action Comics starring Superman is written by Dan Jurgens and Superman is launched by writers Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason.

What to read before Superman/Action Comics Rebirth?

For full context about Superman, Lois Lane, and the birth of Jon Kent, the answer lies in Convergence. Although it’s probably not strictly necessary, and generally considered not that important… and pretty bad! Superman: Lois & Clark serves as an introduction to Superman’s family.

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The Sandman Reading Order, Neil Gaiman’s comic universe

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Before becoming one of Vertigo’s hits, The Sandman was a DC Comics series created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and published between 1974 and 1976, not to be confused with Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman. When DC offered Neil Gaiman the possibility to write a new series, his only obligation was to keep the name.

This Sandman comic is about Dream, one of the seven Endless. He is the all-powerful master of the Dreamworld. In simple terms, he is the personification of dreams.

The story began with the capture of Dream (aka Morpheus). During his 70 years of captivity, nobody controlled the dream world and, when Dream won back his liberty, he needed to rebuild his kingdom to get back his powers. It’s a journey in a metaphorical world that blends mythology and history.

From the success of The Sandman comics grew a whole universe of series, miniseries, and one-shots, from the successful Lucifer to the cult Death miniseries.

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Dark Nights: Death Metal Reading Order, the sequel to Dark Nights: Metal

After the big success of the Dark Nights Metal event, writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo are back with Death Metal, the 2017–2018 massive follow-up with the help of James Tynion IV, Marguerite Bennett, Joshua Williamson, Peter J. Tomasi, Garth Ennis, Daniel Warren Johnson, Frank Tieri, Tony S. Daniel, Jamal Igle, Joëlle Jones, Daniel Warren Johnson, Riley Rossmo, Francesco Francavilla and more.

Here is the official synopsis: When the DC Universe is enveloped by the Dark Multiverse, the Justice League is at the mercy of the Batman Who Laughs (see the reading order dedicated to the character). Humanity struggles to survive in a hellish landscape twisted beyond recognition, while Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman have all been separated and must fight to survive.

Along the way, Wonder Woman roars across the horrifying Dark Multiverse landscape in the world’s most demented monster truck, with Swamp Thing riding shotgun! And when the Justice League launches its assault on New Apokolips, the team’s goal is to free Superman from his solar prison—but it all goes off the rails when they learn that the Man of Steel is gone for good thanks to the Anti-Life Equation.

What to read before Dark Nights: Death Metal?

When the Earth is enveloped by the Dark Multiverse, the Justice League is at the mercy of the Batman Who Laughs. But how did we end up in this situation? The following is a short guide through the Dark Multiverse to help you better understand the events taking place in Death Metal:

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Dark Nights: Metal Reading Order, a DC Comics event introducing the dark multiverse

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Published in 2017, Dark Nights: Metal is a Batman Event written by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. The two collaborators are back with a new ambitious story about the mysterious Nth metal and the dark multiverse.

Investigating a strange metal, Batman discovers the existence of a dark multiverse and eventually releases seven evil versions of himself into his own universe. That event is led by Barbatos, the dark god who plans to unleash darkness across every Earth. Stopping him will change the DC Universe forever.

What to read before Dark Nights: Metal?

Like any big comic book event, you don’t really need to read anything as all the information necessary should be provide in the story! The event kicked off with a two-issue prelude titled Dark Days, collected in Dark Days: The Road to Metal as well as in the Dark Nights Metal Omnibus – which are the issues you shouldn’t miss before diving into the main event.

For those interested in exploring for more backstories, Dark Nights: Metal event builds on elements introduced during Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run on Batman during the New 52 era. This run is collected in two omnibuses, but the most important issues for Metal are the last part of the run, collected in the second omnibus.

If you want to familiarize yourself a little with the myths of Barbatos, you can check out The Return of Bruce Wayne by Grant Morrison.

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Daredevil Reading Order, Matt Murdock’s Epic Comic Book Story

Daredevil/Matt Murdock Reading Order

Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with character design input from Jack Kirby, Daredevil is a Marvel classic case of a superhero burdened by his superpowers. Matt Murdock was blinded by a radioactive substance that fell from an out-of-control truck after he pushed a man out of the path of the oncoming vehicle. While he no longer could see, his exposure to the radioactive material heightened his remaining senses beyond normal human ability, and gave him a “radar sense.”

A lawyer by day, Matt took up a dual life of fighting against the criminal underworld in New York City, as the masked vigilante Daredevil – also known as The Man Without Fear and The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Matt uses his physical abilities and superhuman senses to help people and protect his communities against villains like the Kingpin or Bullseye.

Where to start reading Daredevil aka Matt Murdock? The Recommended Reading List

Daredevil made his first appearance in April 1964. There are more than 50 years of history to discover. For newcomers, here is essential reading for Daredevil:

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Batman: Zero Year Reading Order (Batman New 52)

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Zero Year is a yearlong crossover event published between June 2013 and July 2014 and written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV.

This story takes us back six years in the past and redefines the origin of Batman in The New 52 version of the DC Universe (go to The Batman New 52 Reading Order for more details).

Everything begins with Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City. He starts fighting the Red Hood gang. Those events will lead to the birth of the Batman and to a flood in Gotham that will leave him for dead. When he comes back, he has to free the city that has fallen and is now under the control of one of his worst enemies.

What to read before Batman: Zero Year?

Zero Year is a prequel storyline that was published after the Death of the Family storyline (go to Death of the Family Reading Order for more). The story takes place a few years before The Court of Owls.

You can read it here or at another moment before. Some people recommend reading it before The Court of Owls, but I think that being familiar with the style and direction of Snyder’s Batman is better to appreciate this story.

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Batman New 52 Reading Order, from The Court of Owls to the end of the DC You

In 2011, DC Comics launched the New 52 initiative, a company-wide relaunch that redefined the status quo of its characters, presenting new origins and updated continuity for many heroes. Some characters received a complete reboot, while others experienced more subtle revisions. Batman was among the latter.

When writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo assumed creative duties on Batman (Vol. 2), they did not discard the core elements of the character’s history from the Post-Crisis era. Instead, they integrated much of that history while introducing a revised backstory and developing a new mythology around Gotham City. Their run became one of the most influential of the modern era, beginning with the acclaimed “Court of Owls” storyline and continuing through major arcs such as “Death of the Family” and “Endgame.”

During the New 52 period, Batman appeared in multiple ongoing series, reflecting his central role in the DC Universe. These included: Batman, Detective Comics, Batman Incorporated by Grant Morrison, Batman and Robin by Tomasi and Gleason, Batman Eternal and Batman & Robin Eternal, and Batman: The Dark Knight.

What comics should you read before Batman New 52?

The DC Universe was rebooted as the New 52 following the events of Flashpoint (2011), which is not a necessary read before going into this era of Batman stories (but it’s still a good book to read). 

Although the New 52 was designed as a new entry point for readers, Batman’s continuity was not fully rebooted. Key elements of his Post-Crisis history were retained, and several storylines launched before Flashpoint remained relevant. In particular, you’ll need to take a look at Grant Morrison’s Batman Incorporated volume 1 before jumping into volume 2 and Batman and Robin by Tomasi.

Also, while optional, Batman: Gates of Gotham by Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins, and Trevor McCarthy is a miniseries that explores Gotham’s history and acts as a thematic prelude to Snyder’s run on Batman. And if you want more, you can go through our guide to reading the Batman: The Modern Age comics in order.

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Batman: Death of the Family Reading Order: How to read the Batman’s event by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo ?

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Batman: Death of the Family is a cross-over event in the Batman universe, a 23-issue story arc published in 2012-2013 including the titles Batman, Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Catwoman, Detective Comics, Nightwing, Red Hood, and the Outlaws, Suicide Squad, and Teen Titans. The event takes place during the Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo run.

The story deals with the Joker’s return to Gotham with a plan to get revenge on all the people Batman has come to rely on over the years, and then destroy the family. The title is, obviously, a reference to the classic story arc A Death in the Family, published in 1988.

What to read before Batman: Death of the Family?

There is no reading requirement before going into the Batman: Death of the Family event. At best, Detective Comics #1, collected in Detective Comics: Faces of Death can serve as a prelude, but completely unnecessary to understand the story as everything you need to know will be mentioned in the main storyline.

All there is to know is that the Joker cut his face off then vanished for a long time – a piece of information mentioned in the story. The main story takes place in Batman.

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X of Swords Reading Order: Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men 2020 crossover

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marvel x-men X of swords Reading Order crossover

Coming from writers Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard and artist Pepe Laraz, X of Swords is the X-Men crossover event of 2020 that marked the end of the Dawn of X era.

The story of X of Swords is about the X-Men as they must go to battle against the ancient, long-lost mutant champions of Arakko (the sister island of Krakoa). In order to save their home and country, the mutant nation must send ten of the X-Men’s best fighters to confront their enemy with ten special blades, each with their own unique properties. A war began.

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