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Marvel Cosmic Reading Order, The Modern Saga by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (2004-2011)

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Marvel Cosmic Reading Order

What is called “Marvel Cosmic” is mostly every story in the Marvel Universe not connected to Earth. It’s not the perfect definition, because it’s more about what’s connected to Thanos, The Guardian of the Galaxy, Nova, The Silver Surfer, and others. Well, it’s still not a very good definition. Today, we are talking about the cosmic saga that started in 2004 with the crossover event Annihilation. Orchestrated by Keith Giffen, this storyline relaunched most of the outer-space series from Marvel.

It was just the beginning as one crossover event led to the other, from Annihilation to Annihilation: Conquest, to War of Kings, to Realm of Kings to Annihilators. A huge saga that was overseen by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning that reintroduced Nova & the Nova Corps, The Guardian of the Galaxy, and Ronan the Accuser. A captivating and epic story without the usual big names of the Marvel Universe.

We already published individual reading orders for the three main events (Annihilation, Annihilation: Conquest, and War of Kings), but here is a complete guide from that era.

What to read before the Marvel Cosmic Saga?

If you want to take a look back at the origins of some of the main characters used in the coming Annihilation saga, Marvel published a book for you:

  • Annihilation Classic
    Collects Bug #1, Tales To Astonish #13, Nova #1, Quasar #1, Rocket Raccoon #1-4, Marvel Spotlight #6, Logan’s Run #6, Marvel Premiere #1.

You can also explore the previous Marvel Cosmic Sage with our Jim Starlin’s Infinity Saga Reading Order.

Read More »Marvel Cosmic Reading Order, The Modern Saga by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (2004-2011)

Harrow County Reading Guide to Cullen Bunn’s Horror series

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Published by Dark Horse Comics, Harrow County is an Eisner-nominated horror comic book series created by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Tyler Crook that blends elements of folk horror, dark fantasy, and Southern Gothic traditions. It’s also part of our list of Horror Comic Books to read and the Best Dark Horse Comics Series.

The concept originated as a serialized prose story titled Countless Haints, written by Bunn and released online. When adapted into a comic form in collaboration with Crook, the story underwent substantial reworking, evolving into a visually rich, serialized narrative that debuted in May 2015. The story follows Emmy Crawford, a young woman in rural Harrow County, who discovers on the eve of her eighteenth birthday that she is mystically connected to the land around her and the supernatural beings—ghosts, haints, and monsters—that inhabit it.

The original Harrow County series ran for 32 issues from 2015 to 2018. It has since been collected in multiple formats, including trade paperbacks, library editions,  deluxe hardcover omnibuses, and a compendium.

Following its conclusion, the franchise continued with the spin-off series Tales from Harrow County (2019–2021), not to be confused with the Tales of Harrow County short stories, written by Bunn with art by Naomi Franquiz and later Emily Schnall. These stories expand the mythology and explore events set after the main series, focusing on Emmy’s friend Bernice and the lingering supernatural forces in Harrow County.

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Avengers & X-Men: AXIS Reading Order

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Avengers & X-Men: AXIS Reading Order

Avengers & X-Men: AXIS, also just called AXIS, is a 2014 Marvel Event written by Rick Remender and penciled by Adam Kubert, Leinil Francis Yu, Terry Dodson, and Jim Cheung. This event put the Avengers, the X-Men, and a group of villains against Red Skull after he succeeded to harness the powers of Onslaught and the recently deceased Professor Xavier.

From Marvel Official synopsis: The Red Onslaught is broadcasting waves of telepathic hate across the globe, and Marvel’s greatest heroes have turned on their moral axis! What will the Avengers and X-Men find in the Red Skull’s bleak re-education camps? What is Tony Stark’s dark secret? And with the heroes “inverted” to evil, who will stand against them? Witness the good go bad, as AXIS turns the Marvel Universe on its head! 

What to read before Avengers & X-Men: AXIS?

following the conclusion of the Avengers vs. X-Men, a superhero team composed of members of the Avengers and X-Men came together, known as the Avengers Unity Squad. This team has been created by Rick Remender and John Cassaday in the title Uncanny Avengers, their stories can be used as a build-up towards the event.

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Invasion! Reading Order, a DC Crossover Event

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DC Invasion Reading Order

Published in late 1988-early 1989 by DC Comics, Invasion! is crossover event plotted by Keith Giffen (from Justice League International) with the main series scripted by Bill Mantlo (with art from Todd McFarlane, Bart Sears, and Giffen). It was the biggest DC event since Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it was about the heroes of Earth facing a massive Alien invasion. It is now known for its introduction of the metagene as the explanation within the DC Universe as to how some people gain superhuman abilities. Also, it’s the inspiration for the 2016 TV crossover event between the series from the Arrowverse on The CW.

Here is the official synopsis: Resilient. Overpowering. Unstoppable. By their very nature, our planet’s superheroes have become a threat to the rest of the universe. Now, an alliance has formed between the fiercest, most calculating alien races (led by the war-like Dominators and Khunds) to pursue a single goal: the elimination of Earth’s guardians. As war erupts all over the world, Superman leads the charge against these would-be alien conquerors. Can our planet’s greatest champions repel an army of invaders, each with the strength to rival the Man of Steel? One thing is certain: surrender is not an option!

What to read before Invasion?

You don’t really need to read anything specific before Invasion!, but these (optional) issues contain minor references to the event to come.

  • Wonder Woman (vol. 2) Annual #1 & #24
  • Adventures of Superman #448
  • The Flash (vol. 2) #20
  • Swamp Thing (vol. 2) #80
  • Spectre (vol. 2) #22

Read More »Invasion! Reading Order, a DC Crossover Event

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Wonderland, a Comic Reading Order from the Zenescope Universe

Let’s Go Down The Rabbit Hole and return to Wonderland to discover a new version of Alice and her family in the Grimm Fairy Tales universe from Zenescope.

Taking inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s children’s book, Wonderland was the first Grimm Fairy Tales spin-off and one of the realms of this Multiverse, alongside Myst, Neverland, Oz and Earth. It’s a realm of wonder and imagination, full of gore and violence. Zenescope puts its own dark spin on it, following the adventures of the Liddle family — with Alice, Calie and Violet.

The following books take place in the Zenescope universe where you can also meet Dorothy Gale, Robyn Hood and Van Helsing, but the stories are, generally, independent (with a few connections with the Grimm Fairy Tales series with some events and a few storylines)
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Azrael Reading Order (aka Jean-Paul Valley)

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Introduced in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (October 1992), Azrael is a DC Comics character created by Denny O’Neil, Joe Quesada, and Peter Milligan. When we met Jean-Paul Valley, he was a Gotham University graduate student and his father had just died and made him his successor in the Sacred Order of St. Dumas.

He became their warrior known as the vigilante Azrael. He was not an enemy of Batman and eventually joined him and his allies in their fight to protect Gotham City—he also played a controversial role during the Knightfall event.

We later discovered that Jean-Paul was created by “Mother,’ a villain who worked with the Order of St. Dumas. For a time, Azrael did the dirty work the Order needed him to do, but Nightwing put him on the right path so he could help people. He then started to fight crime.

Azrael is an antihero, a conflicted warrior who fights his violent nature and the twisted sense of justice forced on him by his indoctrination in the Order. Because of that, he had to earn his place in the BatFamily, and he often has to prove he is good enough to keep it.

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Love and Rockets Reading Order, by the Hernandez brothers

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Love and Rockets is a long-running comic book series by brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, launched in 1981 with a self-published issue co-edited by their brother Mario. After the first issue gained attention, it was picked up by Fantagraphics Books in 1982, which has published the series in various formats ever since. The series blends science fiction, magical realism, and slice-of-life storytelling in an anthology format. Each brother works independently, developing separate but occasionally intersecting narratives that follow a large cast of characters across decades.

Jaime’s stories are grouped under the title Locas, an ongoing story centered on Margarita “Maggie” Chascarrillo and Esperanza “Hopey” Glass, two queer women navigating friendship, love, and adulthood in the fictional Southern California town of Hoppers (also known as Huerta). His characters age in real time, and the series traces their evolving relationships and personal growth over the years.

Gilbert’s contributions are more varied in structure, combining serialized stories and stand-alone shorts, often with elements of magical realism. His central narrative, Palomar, is set in a fictional Central American village and focuses on characters such as Luba, a strong-willed bathhouse owner; Chelo, a midwife who becomes the town’s sheriff; and Fritz, a voluptuous actress known for appearing in sexploitation films. These stories branch out into later volumes centered on Luba and her extended family.

Gilbert and Jaime’s stories are self-contained and can be read independently of one another. Together, they helped define the alternative comics movement of the 1980s, pushing beyond the superhero genre with grounded, character-driven stories. Love and Rockets has been praised for its nuanced depictions of Latinx, queer, and working-class lives, as well as its complex female characters. The series has influenced generations of cartoonists and remains one of the most critically acclaimed independent comics of all time.

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X-Force Reading Order (including Uncanny X-Force & X-Statix)

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X-Force Reading Order

In 1991, the first volume of New Mutants (see the reading order) just ended, but Rob Liefield jumped to a new series called X-Force (introduced in New Mutants #100) with the help of writer Fabian Nicieza. In the beginning, this new (and more military) team included Boom-Boom, Cable, Cannonball, Domino, Feral, Shatterstar, Warpath, and Siryn.

But what is X-Force about? Here is the official synopsis of the beginning of the series. Beset from all sides by a growing roster of vicious foes, the New Mutants and their mysterious mentor Cable have no choice but to transform into a proactive, butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners mutant strike team! But can the new X-Force survive head-on clashes with Deadpool, the Morlocks, Proteus, Stryfe and his Mutant Liberation Front, the Juggernaut, the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and…S.H.I.E.L.D.? 

Being part of the X-Men Universe, you can find how to read X-Force with the other X-series in our complete X-Men Reading Order.

Read More »X-Force Reading Order (including Uncanny X-Force & X-Statix)

DC One Million Reading Order

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Dc One Million Reading Order

Get ready to go to the 853rd Century! DC One Million was a 1998 event written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Val Semeiks set a million issues in the future – meaning, in the 853rd Century 

In this possible future, Earth remains safe, thanks to the heroics of the JLA of the future. The descendants of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and others remain united in combating forces of evil but perhaps have never met anything as deadly as the sentient super-computer Solaris, the Tyrant Sun. As this villainous threat becomes too much to handle, these heroes of the future turn to the only group they know can help: the original JLA.

The core of the event was a four-issue mini-series, and the thirty-four other series then being published by DC also put out a single issue numbered #1,000,000, which either showed its characters’ involvement in the central plot or gave a glimpse of what its characters’ descendants/successors would be doing in the 853rd century.

What to read before DC One Million?

DC One Million is a stand-alone event, meaning that you don’t need any pre-plot knowledge before diving into it.

It takes place during Grant Morrison’s run (see reading order) and more precisely, after JLA #23, as the final two pages of this issue lead into the story. But, those famous two pages have almost never been included in the several reprints (from JLA: Strength in Numbers trade paperback to the digital version available on ComiXology to even the DC One Million Omnibus hardcover or trade paperback collections). 

If you want to read those two pages (which includes the return of Diana as the team’s Wonder Woman), you will have to get hold of JLA Deluxe Edition Vol. 3 hardcover. 

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The Boys Reading Order, A Guide to Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s Satirical comic book series

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The Boys Reading Order

The Boys is a hit TV series on Amazon Prime Video since 2019. Before the TV show, there was the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

The comic book takes place in a world where superpowered individuals are recognized as heroes by the general public and work for the powerful corporation Vought International. In public, those superheroes are exemplary, but away from the camera, they are, most of them, arrogant, corrupt, depraved, and more.

The Boys are a team of vigilantes led by Billy Butcher, working for the CIA in order to keep an eye on the superhero community. And like the superheroes they worked so hard to stop, they are also fuck up people. Everything starts when Wee Hughie – based on Simon Pegg – watched his girlfriend being killed in front of him by a superhero who didn’t care about the collateral damages. Butcher invites him to join his team in the US and teaches him all he needs to know about the birth of superheroes and how they are just propaganda material for a failed military consortium.

The Boys is full of Marvel and DC references, there’s also an Animal House storyline and a lot of really dark and disturbing things, you know, like in a Garth Ennis comics. It’s a satirical comic, with The evolution of Hughie and Butcher at the heart of the story. And like a classic Ennis comic, it’s full of rage, violence, and dark and twisted humor, with interesting characters and some pure emotions.

Read More »The Boys Reading Order, A Guide to Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s Satirical comic book series