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Captain Marvel Reading Order, From Mar-Vell to Carol Danvers

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There are several characters known as Captain Marvel, and we are not here to talk about Shazam. As you may know, Fawcett’s Captain Marvel was enormously popular. Too popular for DC Comics who sued Fawcett Comics for breach of copyright. It was then claimed that Captain Marvel was too similar to Superman. This led Fawcett to stop the publication of Captain Marvel (He later came back to DC under the name Shazam). In the late 1960s, Marvel Comics gained the trademark “Captain Marvel” and, to keep it, needed to publish a Captain Marvel title. So, every few years, we’ve got ongoing series, limited series, and one-shots with “Captain Marvel” on the cover.

Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (December 1967), the first Captain Marvel from Marvel Comics was Mar-Vell, Captain of the Kree Imperial Militia. He was sent to observe the planet Earth and became a traitor when he decided to ally himself with the humans. At one point, he even ended up in the Negative Zone, after having been exiled by the Supreme Intelligence. There, his only way of (temporarily) escape is to exchange atoms with Rick Jones through special wristbands called Nega-Bands. He was finally freed from that prison when Jim Starlin took over the title and revamped the character, making him the “Protector of the Universe.” Of course, today his death is more famous than the rest of his career because of the success of Marvel’s first large-format graphic novel, “The Death of Captain Marvel,” published in 1982.

The second Captain Marvel was Monica Rambeau. She was created by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 (1982) and quickly became a member of the Avengers. She kept the name until the original Captain Marvel’s son entered the picture. That’s how Genis-Vell became the third Captain Marvel. His younger sister Phyla-Vell (created in Captain Marvel vol. 5 #16) became the fourth.

The fifth was Khn’nr, a Skrull sleeper agent who is bound with Mar-Vell’s DNA to lock itself into Mar-Vell’s form, who first appeared in Civil War: The Return (March 2007). And then, as part of the Dark Reign storyline, Noh-Varr – who first appeared in Marvel Boy #1 – was contacted by the Supreme Intelligence and received a copy of the original Captain Marvel’s Nega Bands. He became the sixth Captain Marvel.

Finally (for now), in July 2012, Carol Danvers graduated from Mrs. Marvel to Captain Marvel in the series written by Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Dexter Soy. 

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Barbara Gordon Reading Order (Batgirl and Oracle)

Barbara Gordon Reading Order

Created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox, and artist Carmine Infantino, Barbara Gordon first appeared in the pages of Detective Comics #359 published in January 1967 as Batgirl. As she was the by-product of the Adam-West Television show, following a request by Schwartz who wanted a new female counterpart to Batman, she was introduced into the television series in September of that same year, in the season 3 premiere of Batman.

Barbara Joan Gordon is the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon and one of the most female iconic vigilante super-hero in the DC Universe. She began her career as Batgirl, working close to Batman and the first Robin. Quite a popular character during the Silver era thanks to her presence in the media, Barbara has a tumultuous history, filled with violence and tragedy but also reinvention and successes and love.

Following the events of Alan Moore’s Killing Joke, where the Joker paralyzed her from the waist down with a gunshot, Barbara lost everything and was changed forever. After that, Barbara reinvented herself as Oracle (created by Kim Yale and John Ostrander in the pages of Suicide Squad). Behind a computer, Babs as Oracle became one of the most valuable assets to Batman and other DC superheroes, using her above than normal intellect, eidetic memory, and hacking talents to fight crimes. She became one of the most emblematic characters for disabled people, regarded as a symbol of empowerment.

So, it was controversial when DC decided, as part of The New 52 relaunch, that Barbara had finally recovered from her paralysis following a surgical procedure and returned as Batgirl. The character was still affected by posttraumatic stress disorder and had difficulty asking for help. Barbara Gordon is as much Batgirl as she is Oracle, and now, she embodies her two vigilante identities.

As both Batgirl and Oracle, Barbara Gordon has gone through a lot and has one of the richest histories in the Batfamily. And to know more about it, here is a Barbara Gordon reading order:

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A.X.E: Judgment Day Reading Order (Avengers/X-Men/Eternals)

Starting this summer, Judgment Day is the latest Marvel Comics crossover event! Written by Kieron Gillen and with art by Valerio Schiti, A.X.E: Judgment Day will put the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals in the heart of a deadly conflict.

Here is the official synopsis: The battle for the planet is here! The X-Men claim they’re Earth’s new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. And the Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have been keeping from them!

Years of tension are about to lead to a volcanic eruption — and two worlds will burn! Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world?

What to read before A.X.E: Judgment Day?

Being an event coming from Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti, you certainly need to be up-to-date with their Eternals’ run:

But also with Kieron Gillen and Mark Brooks’ Immortal X-Men

  • Immortal X-Men
  • as well as other Destiny of X titles like X-Men (#11-12, X-Men – Hellfire Gala (2022) #1), X-Men Red. No Avengers reading really required.

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Green Arrow Reading Order, DC Comics’ Archer

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Green Arrow Reading Order

Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, Green Arrow made his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His real name is Oliver Queen and, with his sidekick Speedy, he fights crime in his home city of Star City – or Seattle at some point. He doesn’t have superpowers. Like Marvel’s Hawkeye, he is an extremely skilled archer, but he’s more like Bruce Wayne than Clint Barton, because Oliver Queen is a wealthy businessman and owner of Queen Consolidated.

He is one of the rare Golden Age heroes who survived the 1940s and 1950s without a lot of alterations and entered the Silver Age without much trouble and he even joined the Justice League. That said, he was seriously retooled at the end of the 1960s by Neal Adams and Dennis O’Neil. He then lost his money and became an advocate for the underprivileged with a lot of left-wing views to express. At that time too, his teammate Black Canary became a love interest and his friendship with Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) became iconic – also, that’s when it was revealed that Speedy was addicted to heroin! Strangely enough, Green Arrow had to wait until the 1980s to be the star of his own series. And then came the Crisis on Infinite Earths that led to a retcon.

In 1987, Green Arrow came back with a series for a mature audience. No more gadgets and Star City. Oliver Queen moved to Seattle where he was faced with a lot of violence. Written and illustrated by Mike Grell, this series was not fully integrated into the DC Universe. That changed when Grell stopped writing. Green Arrow quickly found a place alongside the other heroes, and also discovered a son!

Dead for a few years, Green Arrow was revived in 2001. He then picked up his bow to again fight crime in Star City. He faced horrors, got married, and a lot more as each crisis (and relaunch of the DC Universe) changed the course of his life. Also, The CW TV Adaptation led DC Comics to introduce new elements to the story (mainly the character of John Diggle).

As his past was revisited and his relationships with his sidekicks and Black Canary were explored, Green Arrow evolved through the years (more than 80 now!).

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Blade Reading Order, Marvel’s Vampire Hunter

Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan in The Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973), Blade was at first a supporting character but quickly gained prominence.

Blade’s real name is Eric Cross Brooks. He is an Afro-American vampire hunter who used to sport 1970s-style Afro hair and wield teak-bladed knives. He really became a solid character during the 1990s, first in the team series Nightstalkers, then in his own ongoing series Blade the Vampire Hunter.

At first, he was presented as a human immune to vampire bites, but it was retroactively established that he was a “dhampir” (the son of a vampire and a mortal human) following his adaptation as such in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and the Blade film series. In the comics, he also became a “Daywalker” after being bitten by Morbius.

It took years to establish the definitive mythology of Blade in the comics because he never really got a long ongoing series, playing a supporting role between miniseries. That didn’t stop him from becoming a member of the Avengers.

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Ironheart (Riri Williams) Reading Order

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Ironheart Riri Williams Reading Order

Created by Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato, Eve Ewing, and Kevin Libranda, Riri Williams is a legacy character who made her first appearance in a cameo in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3 #7 during the Civil War II event (see reading order here).

Riri Williams is a 15-year-old certified genius. Born shortly after the death of her father Riri Williams Sr., Riri grew up in Chicago, was raised by her mother Ronnie, her stepfather, and alongside her sister Sharon. Soon enough, Riri was working on her own inventions and given a scholarship at M.I.T. After reverse-engineering technology from the outdated Iron Man Armor Model 41, Riri Williams decided to create her own Iron Man Armor, using stolen material from campus. After learning of her accomplishment, Tony Stark came to visit her and gave her his blessing to pursue her ambitions.

Following the events of Civil War II, Riri decided to carry on Tony Stark’s legacy as a hero. With the help of an A.I duplicate of Stark to guide her at the beginning of her journey, she took the name of Ironheart. She joined the Champions, and worked to become a heroine in her own right.

Riri Williams was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), where she is portrayed by Dominique Thorne. She is set to star in her own Disney+ series, Ironheart, scheduled for release in June 2025.

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Spawn Reading Order (and the Spawn Universe)

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In 1992, after leaving Marvel, Todd McFarlane and other high-profile illustrators launched Image Comics – you know the story… It was a gamble, to say the least, but it paid big. This success didn’t take long to come as the first issues published were smashing hits. Spawn was no exception. In fact, it was the most consistent one because of McFarlane, and that stayed that way.

In fact, in 2020, Spawn reached issue #300, a rare feat for an independently published comic. Now, there’s even a Spawn Universe with new spin-offs to expand the world of Spawn like never before.

Here is the story: Murdered during a mission in Botswana by fellow mercenary Bruce Stinson (aka Chapel), Al Simmons was sent to Hell because of his life as an assassin. There, he made a deal with the being known as Malebolgia to become a Hellspawn in exchange for being allowed to see his wife Wanda Blake one last time. He is now back in town, but five years have passed, and, off-balance and disoriented, Simmons quickly realizes that he couldn’t pick up things where he left them. As Spawn, he becomes some kind of hero in order to find a new purpose in life.

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Robin Reading Order: Your Guide to Batman’s sidekicks (from Dick Grayson to Damian Wayne)

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Robin War - Robin Reading Guide Order

Robin. The Boy Wonder. Batman’s sidekick. Originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson, Robin is the alias for Batman’s crime-fighting partner in the DC Comic Universe.

The initial incarnation of the character first appeared in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940), just one year after Batman’s debut. As there was rarely a Batman published story without the Boy Wonder, Batman and Robin became known as the Dynamic Duo or The Caped Crusaders.

As Batman is a dark and brooding hero with a personal vendetta against crime and injustice, Robin is a more light-hearted, joyous, and spontaneous character. The two characters complement each other, and together, they created one of the most iconic comic book partnerships.

Robin began to live his own short adventures as soon as 1947, published in Star Spangled Comics (we will have to wait until 1992 for Robin to have his own title). He would also be a founding member of the superhero team Teen Titans (in 1964), and since then, Robin is almost always part of the team.

Throughout the years, several characters have held the mantle of Robin, from the most popular Dick Grayson to our favorite little brat Damian Wayne. Discover all the Robins with the following guide.

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Suicide Squad Reading Order

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The Suicide Squad as we know it today wasn’t always like that. First created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru in 1959 in the pages of The Brave and the Bold #25, the first incarnation of The Suicide Squad was a team of good guys with a scientific edge led by Rick Flag Jr. They faced monsters and nuclear bombs. It didn’t last long, and we will not talk about it more here.

The Suicide Squad, as we know, was introduced by writer John Ostrander (with Len Wein) and artist John Byrne in the pages of the Legends miniseries in 1986, the first major DC Universe crossover after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. This governmental team controlled by the morally ambiguous Amanda Waller is really called Task Force X and is composed of supervillains like Blockbuster, Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and Enchantress. Rick Flag Jr. is still the leader. The team is sent on “suicide” missions—sometimes, everybody is not coming back.

From 1987 to 1992, John Ostrander wrote the Suicide Squad ongoing series with the help of Kim Yale, and art by Luke McDonnell and John K. Snyder III, among others. It lasted 66 issues. After that, the Squad didn’t retire but only guest-starred in other titles for a while. A new ongoing was launched in 2001, written by Keith Giffen, with art by Paco Medina. The members changed quickly and Sgt. Rock became the squad leader (the members changed regularly).

As part of DC New 52 continuity reboot in 2011, The Suicide Squad was once more relaunched—this time by Adam Glass, with art by Federico Dallocchio and Ransom Getty. Amanda Waller built a new team around Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark. This series concluded after 30 issues, but the Suicide Squad came back rapidly after that. In fact, it never really went away since.

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Tokyo Ghoul Manga Order

Tokyo Ghoul Manga Order

Our site is dedicated to American comics, but once in a while, we also wrote about European comic books. And now, we expand our horizons with our first manga order thanks to Tokyo Ghoul!

Written and illustrated by Sui Ishida, Tokyo Ghoul is a dark fantasy manga taking place in a world where Ghouls live among us. Ghouls are a cannibalistic humanoid race that can only eat human and other ghoul flesh. So, ghouls regularly attack humans to feed. The government tries to keep the situation under control with a special entity called the GCC and its investigators who specialize in exterminating ghouls.

Ken Kaneki was an ordinary college student with a passion for literature when a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

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