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Deadman Reading Order (DC Comics)

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Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino for DC Comics in the pages of Strange Adventures #205 (October 1967), Deadman was a tough sell at first as the Comics Code Authority frightened the editor into staying away from potential horror material. After all, Deadman is a ghost.

It’s a bit more complicated than that as the late 1960s saw an interest in the mystic growing in America. Drake was interested to use the Zen movement, Hare Krishna, and things like that in a story to explore the “notion of a being that was neither living nor dead.”

The story begins when Boston Brand, a circus trapeze artist who performed under the name Deadman, is shot dead during a performance by the mysterious murderer known as the Hook. Brand didn’t really die as a Hindu god named “Rama Kushna” gave his spirit the power to possess any living being in order to find his killer.

Even if Arnold Drake left the title after two issues over creative differences, Deadman continued his search—and found the truth. After that, when Neal Adams took over the series, Deadman got a new mission: to establish a balance between Good and Evil. Nevertheless, Strange Adventures was canceled soon after.

Deadman became a recurring supporting character in the DC Universe. In the mid-1980s, he finally got a new series, but it was a short one. It also was not the last one as the character continued to appear in limited series as well as a guest star in other titles. He became part of the mystical part of the DC Universe, which led him to the Justice League Dark (during the New 52 era and beyond).

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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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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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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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The Joker’s Last Laugh Reading Order

The Joker was disrupting the DC Universe at the beginning of the noughties. He was  first accidentally given nigh-unlimited reality-shaping powers by Mr. Mxyzptlk and reshaped the universe in his image in Superman: Emperor Joker. Not long after that, the Joker was at it again, spreading chaos in the way less received event The Joker’s Last Laugh (also known as The Joker: Last Laugh), written by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty with art by Pete Woods.

What The Joker’s Last Laugh is about? The Joker is a prisoner at the Slabside Penitentiary when a prison doctor informs them that they have found a malignant tumor after a brain scan. The Joker is going to die. Facing this news, The Clown Prince of Crime decides he wants to go out with a bang. He concocts a scheme to carry on his legacy by transforming his fellow villains into “jokerized” versions of themselves.

Published in 2001, this storyline comprises a six-issue miniseries and 25 tie-ins, covering almost everything that was published at the time, from the Batman titles to the Superman family, and more.

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Young Justice Reading Order

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They are the next generation of superheroes and want to have their own adventures, far away from their mentor. They are the Young Justice! The team was founded by Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (Kon-El), and Impulse (Bart Allen) but will soon become a beacon for the young superheroes in the DC Universe.

Created by Todd Dezago and artist Todd Nauck, the Young Justice made its first appearance in 1998, in Young Justice: Secret #1 at a time when the Teen Titans had become the Titans and they were no current superheroes’ teen team.

The team’s base was established in the empty JLA headquarters in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, where they met Red Tornado. The sentient android stayed with the team as an adult supervisor and adviser. Soon enough, some new members were added to the team: Wonder Girl (Cassandra “Cassie” Sandsmark), Arrowette (Cissie King-Jones), and Secret (Greta Hayes). Other heroes would come and go from the team: Empress, Li’l Lobo/Slobo, The Ray, but also Teen Lantern, Jinny Hex, and Amethyst. Red Tornado was also eventually replaced with civilian Snapper Carr.

If Young Justice was created on paper, the team made also a name for itself on television, thanks to the Young Justice animated television series, launched in 2010 on Cartoon Network. It is not an adaptation of the comic book series (and not in continuity), but the adventures of another version of the team from another Earth. And there are tie-ins to the television adventures!

To know more about the Young Justice, let’s dive into this reading order!

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From Crisis to Crisis: A DC Comics Reading Order

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For decades now, every DC Comics reader has been dealing with continuity issues. Some see that as a problem and, in order to fix it, multiple reboots/relaunches were introduced, installing a new status-quos, and launching new “eras.” All that with the use of what are called “Crisis” events.

The original “Crisis” took place in Justice League of America #21, titled “Crisis On Earth-One!” The story introduced the idea of two different realities, explaining how the heroes of the Justice League teamed up with their predecessors from the Justice Society of America. This led to multiple crossovers between Earth-One and Earth-Two.

But what cemented “Crisis” as a synonym for “universe-altering event” was the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths, the famous crossover storyline from Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. This 12-issue limited series is now credited with popularizing the idea of a large-scale crossover in comics. At the time, the goal was to create a single and unified DC Universe.

Crisis on Infinite Earths was used to launch what is now called the Modern-Age era. It became–and still is for a lot of readers–a good entry point into the DCU. The event didn’t fix everything and other Crisis events try to do more. The DCU was just destined to become a confusing affair once more.

Nevertheless, reading from Crisis to Crisis is not a simple task as the series are numerous, as well as the crossovers. If you want to explore this rich story, the task is overwhelming. There are a lot of roads to follow, but you may only want the short version–or at least, the essential reading recommendation.

This reading guide is here to offer one possible road to follow. It’s not definitive, feel free to submit more books to read in the comment section (and tell us why they are a must-read!).

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Green Lantern Rebirth Reading Order

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After almost five years, the New 52 era came to an end to make way for a new era, a new beginning: Rebirth! It had, from a continuity point of view, minimal impact on the Green Lanterns, as their story simply continues from the previous era.

From a more behind-the-scene angle, new creative teams worked on the title. Or titles should I write, as the main Green Lantern series was replaced by two books. Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz headlined Green Lanterns, written by Sam Humphries for its first 32 issues and for the most part penciled by Robson Rocha. Humphries was followed by Tim Seeley (#33-47), Aaron Gillespie (#48-49), and Dan Jurgens (#50-57) with art from Ronan Cliquet, Carlo Barberi, V. Ken Marion, Mike Perkins and Marco Santucci. Our two Green Lanterns were also members of the Justice League during this period. At the same time, Hal Jordan was still flying with writer Robert Venditti and artist Rafa Sandoval in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. 

Things changed not long after Dark Nights: Metal. Grant Morrison took over and teamed up with British comic book artist Liam Sharp for a run on Green Lantern. There was also some shake-up in the Justice League, following the No Justice arc, with the creation of different teams. Simon Baz stayed with the classic Justice League, but Jessica Crews joined the Justice League Odyssey, a team formed to bring order to the newly created space sector known as the Ghost Sector. And a little bit later, a new Green Lantern was introduced…

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Superman Reading Order, The Modern Age (Post-Crisis)

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It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman! Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in Action Comics #1 (1938), Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton who fights crime in Metropolis and the rest of the world. Under the costume is Kal-El, who was sent to Earth as a baby and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark Kent and raised him in the small town of Smallville. As Clark developed superhuman abilities, his parents taught him to use his talents to help humanity.

Clark relocated to Metropolis to pursue a career in journalism. He landed a job at the Daily Planet, where he met the love of his life and journalist Lois Lane, photographer Jimmy Olsen, and editor-in-chief Perry White. In parallel, he put on a colorful costume and used the codename Superman to fight powerful enemies, including General Zod, Brainiac, and the most emblematic of them all, the narcissistic-genius Lex Luthor.

The superhero genre wouldn’t be the same without Superman. Although there were others before him who could be said to fit the bill, he established the conventions and popularized the entire genre, being the best-selling superhero in American comic books until the 1980s.

As the DC Universe was becoming more complicated and sales were declining, a new page of history was written following a Crisis like no one else: Crisis on Infinite Earths. This was the beginning of the Modern Age and the creation of new instant-classic stories. The event was used to retcon the history of most characters. The idea was to clean up the timeline (something DC is still trying to do, in vain) and to update the superheroes to appeal to a contemporary audience. 

This is when this Superman reading order begins. From his new origin story by John Byrne to his iconic death, The Triangle Era, and much more, this guide covers the Superman comics released over 25 years, before DC Comics relaunched their universe with New 52.

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