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Reading Order

Spider-Man Noir Reading Order (member of the Spider-Verse)

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In December 2006, french writer Fabrice Sapolsky (creator of Comix Box Magazine) pitched the idea of a 1930s pulp version of Spider-Man to David Hine.  This led to Marvel Noir, a Marvel Comics alternative continuity combining elements of film noir and pulp fiction with the Marvel Universe. The Marvel Noir line was launched with Spider-Man: Noir #1 and X-Men Noir #1, in February 2009. For Spidey, Carmine Di Giandomenico drew the first stories and Marko Djurdjevic his cool costume.

Earth-90214, sometimes also called Earth-Noir, is a hard-boiled world. Spider-Man’s story begins in the 30s, during the Great Depression when New York is dealing with some economical issues and most of the people do not have jobs. Norman Osborn mostly rules the city, with Vulture, Kraven, and the Enforcers as members of his crew. Peter Parker has been raised by his paternal aunt and uncle, activists May and Ben Parker, and gained arachnid powers after being bitten by a supernatural spider. If you’re a fan of Batman, this Spider-Man is the closest version there is of the character in the Spider-Verse — his alias is The Spider-Man, for a good reason.

Spider-Man Noir became quickly a popular character, earning a sequel, but also appearing as a playable character in the 2010 video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions — a year after his first comic appearance. Despite existing for less than 15 years, Spider-Man has featured already in a few crossover stories and quite a number of video games, but also in television and film (like in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse). No doubt, Spider-Man Noir is photogenic!

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Snowpiercer, le Transperceneige: A Reading Order Guide

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Created by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, Le Transperceneige, or Snowpiercer, is a french post-apocalyptic graphic novel where the last survivors of humanity are locked in a gigantic train that never stops.

Because even when humanity is on its last leg, we can’t get rid of social hierarchy, the train is organized with the rich at the head, in golden wagons going back to the poor at the end of the convoy. Coming from the tail wagons, Proloff is determined to go back up the train in order to understand the situation following some horrible events. 

Le Transperceneige has been adapted as a movie in 2013 by Bong Joon-ho and has also inspired a television series (on cable channel TNT). Following the movie’s success, several new albums have been published.

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War of Kings Reading Order, a Marvel Cosmic Event (leading to Realm of Kings and The Thanos Imperative)

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War of Kings Reading Order

After Annihilation event (see reading order) and its direct sequel as part of the modern Marvel Cosmic saga, Annihilation: Conquest (see reading order), the Marvel Cosmic Universe kept going forward for a good year, then a new crossover storyline written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning titled War of King happened.

Here is the official synopsis: Intending to restore their strength and security in the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt finds he has to lead the Inhumans into direct confrontation with the Shi’Ar Empire and their insane ruler, Vulcan. What happens when an Inhuman-led Kree go to war with the Shi’ar led by the crazed Summers brother Vulcan? When these mighty powers turn their rage upon one another, what happens to those caught in the crossfire? When two mighty rulers wage war, who will rule?

What to read before War of Kings?

A lot happened since Annihilation: Conquest with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, but also the X-Men and the Secret Invasion. In order to go in fully prepared, you’ll want to take a look at those books:

  • War of Kings Prelude: Road to War of Kings Omnibus
    Collects Son Of M #1-6, X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6, Silent War #1-6, Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1-4, Guardians Of The Galaxy (2008) #1-12, Nova #13-22, Nova: The Origin Of Richard Rider, War Of Kings Saga.

War of Kings Prelude Road to War of Kings Reading Order Omnibus

Or in trade paperbacks:

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Anya Corazon Reading Order (Araña, Spider-Girl)

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Created by writer Fiona Avery and artist Mark Brooks, Anya Sofia Corazon is a member of the Spider-Verse since 2004 and is more known right now as being Spider-Girl. But she was Araña when she made her first appearance in Amazing Fantasy vol.2 #1.

She didn’t acquire her abilities following a bite by a spider, but after having her life saved by the mage Miguel Legar from the Spider Society. He performed a ritual on her by giving her a spider-shaped tattoo that endows her with spider-like powers and recruits her to be a Hunter for the Spider Society (a secret society worshipping Spider-Totems, created by J. Michael Straczynski during his run on Spider-Man).

The Latina daughter of a Puerto Rican father and a Mexican mother, she had been the star of her own (short) series and been affiliated with the Spider Society, the Young Allies (during the Heroic Age), the Avengers Academy, and the Web Warriors. Simply put, like all respected members of the Spider-Verse, Anya Corazon has her fair share of adventures, and to discover them, we made this reading order

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Doctor Who Comic Reading Order (by Titan Comics)

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Doctor Who Comic Reading Order

Launched in 1963, the iconic sci-fi television series Doctor Who evolved to become a multi-media franchise controlled by the BBC. The program depicts the adventures of the Doctor, a Time Lord — meaning an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor traveled through time and space in his spaceship, the Tardis, a blue British police box, which is much bigger on the inside. Those adventures are shared with a companion, often a human character, which acts as a friend or an assistant, as someone who reminds the doctor of his moral duty and helps the Doctor to combat foes and help people in need.

Today, we are going to explore the Doctor Who comic published by Titan Comics, who obtained the license in 2014 and released plenty of stories since then, mostly about modern incarnations of the Doctor, but also with some classic Doctors and a few crossovers!

Whereas you are new to the Whovian universe, a regular viewer, or an expert, Titans Comics has worked to make it accessible for everyone.

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Devil’s Reign Reading Order, a Daredevil Event by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto

 

Daredevil fans rejoice! The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen hasn’t had an event around him since 2010, with Shadowland. The actual Daredevil team, Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto rectify that with Devil’s Reign, a Marvel event confronting our superheroes to the mayor of the biggest city in America, Wilson Fisk!

Per Marvel’s official Synopsis, Wilson Fisk has risen from Kingpin of Crime to mayor of the biggest city in America. Now he’s going to bring his full criminal and political power to bear on the superheroes who call NYC home!

The man who once destroyed Daredevil has targeted the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and more. Fisk has an army of supervillains at his command — including Crossbones, Taskmaster, Typhoid Mary, Shocker, Whiplash, Rhino, and Kraven — and that’s just his opening salvo. Wait until you meet his Thunderbolts!

But Mayor Fisk isn’t the only one with ambitions…and you know what they say about honor among thieves. From the blockbuster creative team of DAREDEVIL comes the final act in Wilson Fisk’s master plan!

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May “Mayday” Parker Reading Order (Spider-Girl/Spider-Woman from Earth-982)

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May Mayday Parker, alias Spider-Girl / Spider-Woman

Across the multiverse, several characters call themselves or have called themselves ‘Spider-Girl’. For example, Anya Corazon has used the codename since 2010. But one of the most famous ‘Spider-Girl’ is May “Mayday” Parker, from the MC2 (Marvel Comics 2) continuity — or Earth-982.

Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, May Parker is the teenage daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. She has made her first appearance in a What if? #105 story published in February 1998 before becoming the star of her own ongoing title. 

Marvel Comics 2 was then an imprint depicting the events taking place in the alternative timeline presented in the What If? issue. The events are the same as the main 616 continuity until the end of Clone Saga with the issue Spider-Man #75, in which Peter and Mary Jane’s baby daughter dies.

In the MC2 universe, Peter and Mary Jane were reunited with their baby daughter thanks to Kaine, who discovered the child living with Alison Mongraine—a con artist who had kidnapped the baby under the Green Goblin’s orders.

The Spider-Girl comic series takes place in the future, following Mayday Parker as a teenager. At age 15, she begins developing versions of her father’s spider powers and decides to become the new “new web-slinging wonder!”

To discover more about Spidey’s daughter from Earth-982, here is the May “Mayday” Parker Comics Reading Order!

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Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order, a Marvel Cosmic Event

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Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order

Almost directly after the first Annihilation event (see reading order), Marvel published its sequel as part of the modern Marvel Cosmic saga. Annihilation: Conquest is a 2007-08 crossover storyline that focuses on Marvel’s cosmic heroes defending the universe against the Phalanx, now led by Ultron. 

Here is the official synopsis: In the aftermath of the Annihilation War, a devastated galaxy struggles to rebuild. The Nova Corps are destroyed, leaving only Richard Rider. Who will rise to guard the galaxy against the threat of Ultron? When the Kree homeworld is invaded by the techno-organic Phalanx, Star-Lord must lead a ragtag team into battle behind enemy lines with a lineup that includes Mantis, Bug, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon! Meanwhile, the new Quasar seeks a mysterious savior — and Nova and Gamora are taken over by the Phalanx! Who is the haunted loner called Wraith? Can the New Mutants’ Warlock free Nova? And what are Ultron and the Phalanx really after?

What to read before Annihilation: Conquest?

Being a direct sequel to Annihilation, it is necessary to read that first cosmic event (see reading order). Once this one ended, only three Nova issues were published before Annihilation: Conquest began – they are collected with the rest of the event or here.

  • Annihilation Omnibus
    Collects Drax The Destroyer #1-4, Annihilation: Prologue, Annihilation: Nova #1-4, Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4, Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4, Annihilation: Ronan #1-4, Annihilation #1-6, Annihilation: Heralds Of Galactus #1-2 And Annihilation: Nova Corps Files.

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Batman The Court of Owls Reading Order

Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (see their Batman Reading Order), The Court of Owls made its first appearance in Batman (vol. 2) #2 in 2011, at the beginning of the New 52 era. Before that, the Owls were not part of the DC Universe, but Snyder put some hints about it in his previous Batman work, Batman: Gates of Gotham.

The shadowy Court of Owls is an organized crime group and secret society made up of wealthy Gothamites who has secretly existed since colonial times in Gotham City. For a very long time, the Court was just an urban legend until Batman discovers one of their secret bases of operations. There he found a series of old photographs representing the members of the court with one of their assassins, the Talon (William Cobb)—The Court kidnaps child performers from the circus to train and transform them into their assassins, known as Talons.

Composed of some of Gotham City’s oldest and wealthiest families, The Court of Owls has controlled Gotham City for centuries, using murder and money to wield political influence throughout history. When they decide to send their killer after Bruce Wayne after he announced plans to rebuild and reshape Gotham City for the future, they revealed themselves to Batman.

“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,
Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed.
Speak not a whispered word about them, or they’ll send the Talon for your head.”

After a major storyline, The Court of Owls became a recurring villain in the DC Universe, not just Batman’s antagonists. Sometimes, the Court is just present in the background, sometimes it’s the target.

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Chew Comics in Order: An appetising reading guide to John Layman/Rob Guillory’s series

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Written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory, Chew is a comedy-mystery series with a twist that won two Eisner Awards and two Harvey Awards. It was published by Image Comics from June 2009 to November 2016.

Now the series came back with a spin-off called Chu, and there are multiple editions of the original one. Here is a guide to help you navigate all this.

But first, what’s the story? Here is the official Chew synopsis: Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he’s a hell of a detective ― as long as he doesn’t mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit and why.

He’s been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.

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