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Secret Invasion Reading Order, a Marvel Event

Secret Invasion Reading Order

The reign of Brian Michael Bendis continues, one event after another. This one was published from April through December 2008. After Avengers Disassembled (reading order), House of M (reading order), Decimation (reading order), and Civil War (reading order) comes Secret Invasion. A story about trust that broke the superhero community, already shaken by the events of the Civil War. Dark times are ahead!

Here is the official synopsis: It begins with a brutal battle between the New Avengers and the Hand—one that claims the life of Elektra and reveals that she was a Skrull! What does this mean for Tony Stark and his Mighty Avengers? How about the Illuminati? Soon, the whole Marvel Universe will be asking: who do you trust? As the Secret Invasion stands revealed and the Skrulls attack Earth, which heroes will be exposed as alien impostors? Can the Secret Warriors turn the tide? And can anyone stop the Skrull queen Veranke?!

What to read before Secret Invasion?

Even if the Bendis’ Events were connected (see reading order), Secret Invasion is more self-contained than the other. But it was planned. You can start with Civil War (reading order), then read The New Avengers and The Mighty Avengers.

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Crisis on Infinite Earths Reading Order, The First DC Comics Major Event Crossover

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Published from April 1985 to March 1986, Crisis on Infinite Earths is the name of a 12-issue limited series written by Marv Wolfman and penciled by George Pérez at the heart of the major event of the same name. It’s the first universe redefining crossover comic book event ever, and it came from Wolfman’s desire to simplify and unify the DC Universe in order to help new (and old) readers to get a better understanding and reading experience. There’s a before and an after Crisis, and the industry as a whole changed after that.

Here is the official synopsis: A mysterious being known as the Anti-Monitor has begun a crusade across time to bring about the end of all existence. As alternate Earths are systematically destroyed, the Monitor quickly assembles a team of superheroes from across time and space to battle his counterpart and stop the destruction. DC’s greatest heroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman, assemble to stop the menace, but as they watch both the Flash and Supergirl die in battle, they begin to wonder if even all of the heroes in the world can stop this destructive force.

What to read before Crisis on Infinite Earths?

Nothing. Everything. This is the first event of this kind. Nowadays, DC Comics would have planned a long prelude to the event with some clues here and there, maybe a full storyline with a hero or two. But this was not the case in 1985. If you read a pre-crisis series, Crisis on Infinite Earths is the end. There’s probably a lot to read in order to be familiar with everybody involved, and it’s not feasible to list it here—The Monitor made non-consequential cameos before that could be listed, but it’s just him observing the action, not really useful. What you need to know is in the series anyway. That’s how comics worked back then.

To learn more about this classic event, complement with The History and Legacy of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

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X-Men Decimation Reading Order, the aftermath of House of M

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Before Civil War and right after House of M, Marvel offered us another event, a smaller one. In fact, the goal of Decimation was to deal with the aftermath of House of M for the X-Men.

Here is the official synopsis of the event: It was the worst day in X-Men history. Now it’s the day after. The House of M is over, but the effects will be felt for the rest of their lives. How do the X-Men pick up the pieces in a world that has completely changed?

Plus: Something’s amiss at the House of Xavier! A sneak attack forces the X-Men to re-evaluate just who their friends are, and to align themselves with former enemies!

What to read before X-Men Decimation?

Being a direct follow-up to “House of M,” I recommend starting with that. You can find the full reading order of this event here. Also, for more X-Men, you can take a look at our X-Men Reading Order. Here for the bare minimum:

  • House of M Omnibus 
    Collects House of M #1-8, Spider-Man: House of M #1-5, Fantastic Four: House of M #1-3, Iron Man: House of M #1-3, New Thunderbolts (2004) #11, Black Panther (2005) #7, Uncanny X-Men (1981) #462-465, Wolverine (2003) #33-35, Captain America (2004) #10, Pulse (2004) #10, Cable & Deadpool #17, Incredible Hulk (2000) #83-87, New X-Men (2004) #16-19, Exiles (2001) #69-71, Mutopia X #1-5, Decimation: House of M – The Day After, Giant-Size Ms. Marvel (2006) #1, Secrets of the House of M, Pulse: House of M Special, House of M 1 Director’s Cut, House of M Sketchbook, material from Hulk: Broken Worlds Book One.

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Marvel’s The Last Annihilation Reading Order (Guardians of the Galaxy)

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All of the “Annihilation” events are not created equal. In fact, it seems that “The Last Annihilation” is a minor event in comparison to the previous Annihilations, and it mostly involves the Guardians of the Galaxy written by Al Ewing with art by Juan Frigeri.

What is it about? Here is the official synopsis: The entire galaxy is under attack, the likes of which haven’t been seen since Annihilus first waged war. Now, five different planets are simultaneously under threat from a mysterious foe. This is what the new Guardians were built to do. But will it be too much? This summer… the war to end all wars begins. And not everyone’s going to come home.

What to read before The Last Annihilation?

The Last Annihilation being a cosmic event, you may also want to read the two previous events that had a considerable impact on the cosmic part of the Marvel Universe. First, there was Empyre (full reading order here), then we’ve got the King in Black event (full reading order here).

Al Ewing recently took over the Guardians of the Galaxy book. If you want to familiarize yourself with the new team, you can read the previous TPBs:

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Superman: Doomed Reading Order (from New 52)

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Superman Doomed DC New 52 Reading Order

Superman faces Doomsday in this Superman crossover story arc from the New 52 era co-written by Greg Pak, Charles Soule, and Scott Lobdell, with artwork by Ken Lashley, Aaron Kuder, and Tony Daniel.

Here is the official synopsis: Its name is Doomsday. It came from the Phantom Zone, where the Man of Steel had banished it once before. Bigger. Deadlier. Capable of killing life on Earth. Only Superman can stop it. But even that is not the end. Evil is in its blood. And when that blood is spilled, the innocent will fall — and Superman himself will discover the monster within. The Last Son of Krypton may become a destroyer of worlds himself, leaving the Earth without its greatest protector.

Superman and his allies each must make a choice. If they unleash the monster, will they lose the man? Is this Earth’s last shot at salvation, or are Superman and everyone he cares about…

What to read before Superman: Doomed?

Naturally, you can explore our complete reading order for Superman and Action Comics during the New 52 era. For a more specific start, as Superman: Doomed is mostly a crossover between the titles Action Comics and Superman/Wonder Woman, the setup for it takes place in those two series:

Totally optional, DC also teased Doomsday’s appearance in Batman/Superman #3.1 during Villains Month (part of Forever Evil and collected in DC Comics The New 52 Villains Omnibus).

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Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive Reading Order

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Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive Reading Order

In the middle of the Post-Crisis era, The end of the 1990s was quite exhausting for Batman with the “No Man’s Land” storyline during which Gotham City was ravaged by a large earthquake. Now, Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka started to write for the main Batman series and they put Bruce Wayne on the run in a two-part storyline called Bruce Wayne: Murderer? and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive.

Here is the official synopsis: After being found with the dead body of Vesper Fairchild in his arms, Bruce Wayne is arrested for her murder. Looking to prove Bruce’s innocence, Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl quickly begin an investigation to discover the true killer. But as the mystery unfolds, evidence of Bruce’s guilt mounts, and even his closest allies begin to question their mentor’s innocence. Tired of portraying himself as someone he is not and further embracing the freedom of his masked identity, Bruce decides to lay his millionaire playboy alter ego to rest and live life only as the Batman.

What to read before Bruce Wayne: Murderer?

After the No Man’s Land story-arc, Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker started to write Detective Comics/Batman stories, leading to this two-part crossover event. It was the New Gotham era. You don’t need to read them to understand the Murderer/Fugitive story, of course, but it’s still

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Extreme Carnage Reading Order: the follow-up to the King in Black event

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Extreme Carnage Reading Order

Introduced as a summer event in July 2021, Extreme Carnage is coming from Phillip Kennedy Johnson and other writers, telling us about the other symbiotes after what recently happened to the Marvel Universe.

As the dust continues to settle after the symbiote-redefining King in Black saga (full reading order here), Eddie and Dylan Brock aren’t the only ones adjusting to a new normal (see Venom Reading Order). The Life Foundation symbiotes — Scream, Phage, Riot, Lasher and Agony — are trying to reconcile the sometimes noble intentions of their hosts with the all-too-often bloodthirsty impulses of their others! But another symbiote is facing a stunning reinvention as well…and that means Carnage! What will happen when the refreshed Carnage symbiote targets the rest one by one? Be here for an event that truly lives up to its name!

What to read before Extreme Carnage?

There are probably too many comics to list here if we want to cover every character present in this Extreme Carnage event, but there’s a simple and logical road to follow, the event that preceded it:

  • Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Maximum Carnage (if you want to really go back)
    Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #378-380, Web of Spider-Man (1985) #101-103, Spider-Man (1990) #35-37, Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #201-203, Spider-Man/Punisher/Sabretooth: Designer Genes (1993) one-shot, material from Spider-Man Unlimited (1993) #1-2.
  • Absolute Carnage Omnibus (see also full reading order)
    Collects Absolute Carnage (2019) 1-5, Absolute Carnage Vs. Deadpool (2019) 1-3, Absolute Carnage: Captain Marvel (2019) 1, Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk (2019) 1, Absolute Carnage: Symbiote Spider-Man (2019) 1, Absolute Carnage: Symbiote Of Vengeance (2019) 1, Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors (2019) 1-3, Absolute Carnage: Avengers (2019) 1, Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales (2019) 1-3, Absolute Carnage: Weapon Plus (2019) 1, Absolute Carnage: Scream (2019) 1-3, Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety (2019) 1, Amazing Spider-Man (2018) 29-31, Venom (2018) 16-20, And Absolute Carnage Stinger Pages
  • King In Black
    Collects King In Black (2020) #1-5. For more, see the full reading order here.

Also, you can find more about Carnage with its reading order.

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Spider-Man Sinister War Reading Order

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Before leaving Marvel and The Amazing Spider-Man behind him, Nick Spencer teamed up with Mark Bagley for a new epic Spider-Man event storyline that bring back a lot of Spidey’s enemies.

In fact, as the official synopsis tells it, Doctor Octopus is Back! Ock’s got a new Sinister Six and if you think he’s thought big in the past, think again. What Ock DOESN’T know is that the VULTURE has a sextet of his own: THE SAVAGE SIX! It’s an all-out WAR between two of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe, and the only person they hate more than each other is SPIDER-MAN!

What to read before Spider-Man Sinister War?

It’s the tradition to start teasing a new event in advance and, in the case of Sinister War, it started with Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #64. Of course, being the last event of the Nick Spencer era, you could go back earlier and read everything, why not? Go to our Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer reading order for more information.

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Batman Knightfall Reading Order

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Batman Knightfall Reading Order

The famous ’90s saga, during the Post-crisis era, the back-breaking introduction of Bane! “Knightfall” is a 1993–1994 story arc. More precisely, it’s a trilogy of storylines: “Knightfall”, “Knightquest”, and “KnightsEnd”. It’s the Batman equivalent of “The Death of Superman” storyline. An event that was destined to change the hero forever (to sell more comics). It’s the fall of Batman, his replacement by Jean-Paul Valley (a.k.a. Azrael) who ended up tarnishing Batman’s reputation, and Bruce Wayne comeback, with some Robin drama in the middle.

This is how the story started: the inmates of Arkham Asylum have broken free and Batman must push himself to the limits to re-apprehend the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Killer Croc, and more. Pushed to the limits, he comes face-to-face against the monstrosity known as Bane, who delivers a crippling blow destined to change the Caped Crusader forever!

What to read before Batman Knightfall?

There are two books you can read before Batman Knightfall. The First is Batman: Sword of Azrael, a storyline from Dennis O’Neil, Joe Quesada, and Kevin Nowlan that introduced Azrael, a prominent figure in the crossover. Then, the aptly named Batman: Prelude to Knightfall.

For more information and readings about the two big characters introduced at this time, check out:

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Heroes Reborn 2021 Reading Order, a world without the Avengers

What would be the Marvel Universe without the Avengers? That is the storyline explored in Heroes Reborn, the last Marvel event written by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness, which has no relation to the 1996–97 storyline of the same name.

In this Heroes Reborn from 2021, the Marvel Universe was altered so that the Avengers were never formed. Tony Stark never built an Iron Man armor. Thor is a hard-drinking atheist who despises hammers. Wakanda is dismissed as a myth. And Captain America was never found in the ice. So who is the biggest superhero team of this altered Marvel Universe? The Squadron Supreme of America.

But there is one man alive who seems to remember that the entire world has somehow been… reborn: Blade. And so begins his search for the cause behind this ominous shift in reality.

What to read before Heroes Reborn?

The event is pretty new reader-friendly, so you don’t have to read anything before if you want to.

But if you want, this event is actually an extension of Jason Aaron’s Avengers run, and the following is a list of his run in collected editions:

To know more about Squadron Supreme, you can read the limited series from 1985 by Mark Gruenwald:

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