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Reading Order

Doom Patrol Reading Order (The Silver Age, The Bronze Age, Grant Morrison, Gerard Way…)

Doom Patrol Reading Order

Created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, and artist Bruno Premiani, the Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The first iteration of the team appeared for the first time in My Greatest Adventure #80 (June 1963). At the time, the book was not selling well and something was needed to revive it. Arnold had the idea about “freaks who banded together and the man in the wheelchair guiding them.” (see American Comic Books Chronicles: The 1960s).

From the start, The Doom Patrol was not an ordinary superhero team. Also dubbed at first the Legion of the Strange, these were victims of catastrophic accidents who became freaks–the actress Rita “Elasti-Woman” Farr, the race car driver Cliff “Robotman” Steele, the pilot Larry “Negative Man” Trainor, and there was their leader, Niles “Chief” Caulder. Garfield “Beast Boy” Logan and Steve “Mento” Dayton joined soon after.

The Doom Patrol has known multiple iterations of the team, but this was always a group of super-powered misfits whose “gifts” caused them alienation and trauma. And this is why they have sometimes been dubbed the “World’s Strangest Heroes.”

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Sweet Tooth Comics, a Reading Guide for the Jeff Lemire series

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Originally presented as a limited series (and now a Netflix Show!), Sweet Tooth was written and drawn by Jeff Lemire — and published by Vertigo (DC Comics) between 2009 and 2013. Now the series came back, and there are multiple editions. Here is a guide to help you navigate all this.

But first, what’s the story? Here is the official Sweet Tooth Synopsis: Seven years ago, the Affliction raged like a forest fire, killing billions. The only children born since are part of a new breed of human-animal hybrids. Gus is one of these children: a boy with a sweet soul, a sweeter tooth—and the features of a deer. But kids like Gus have a price on their heads.

When vicious hunters descend on his isolated forest home, a mysterious and violent man called Jepperd rescues Gus. The hulking drifter promises to lead Gus to the Preserve, a fabled safe haven for hybrid children. As the two cross this dangerous new American frontier, will Jepperd corrupt the boy he’s nicknamed “Sweet Tooth,” or will Gus’ heart change Jepperd?

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Batman by Scott Snyder Reading Order, Dark Knight’s stories from the New 52 to Rebirth, Metal and beyond

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The end of Grant Morrison’s famous run on the main Batman comics series in 2011 also marked the end of the long post-Crisis era, also known as the Modern Age. After that came the New 52 and Scott Snyder. With stories about The Court of Howls, Batman Eternal, the Dark Nights: Metal & Death Metal events, and more, Snyder became one of the major authors of the decade.

During that time, Scott Snyder mostly worked with artist Greg Capullo and writer James Tynion IV. He gave us one of the best Batmans and many great adventures. The impact of his work on the character is important, and there are many great stories to read.

But this didn’t end with that. In the fall of 2024, Snyder came back to the DC Universe to launch the Darkseid-fueled universe called the Absolute Universe and started writing a new type of Batman comics.

Also, even if this reading guide covers a lot of New 52 Batman, it’s not a full reading order for this era. For Snyder and everyone else’s Bat-titles reading order, follow that guide.

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Avengers Vs. X-Men Reading Order

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Avengers Vs. X-Men Reading Order

The Avengers and the X-Men, or the two most popular superhero teams in Marvel, go to war! Avengers vs. X-Men (also known as AvX or AvsX) is a 2012 crossover event involving the return of the Phoenix Force and the subsequent war between the Avengers and the X-Men. The 12-issue twice-monthly series features a storyline by Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, and Matt Fraction, with a rotating team of artists including John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel, and Adam Kubert.

One of the biggest Marvel events, Avengers vs. X-Men was a commercial success at the time and the repercussions resulted in the new status quo of the Marvel Universe presented in the company’s Marvel NOW! relaunch initiative.

What to read before Avengers Vs. X-Men?

As Avengers Vs. X-Men is the culmination of a decade of stories featuring the company’s two largest franchises, it is best to have read at least a number of stories before to know what the Scarlet Witch did and who Hope Summers is:

  • Avengers Disassembled
    Collects Avengers #500-503; Avengers Finale.
  • House of M
    Collects House of M #1-8
  • X-Men: Messiah Complex
    Collects X-Men: Messiah Complex One-Shot, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #492-494, New X-Men (2004) #44-46, X-Men (2004) #205-207, X-Factor (2005) #25-27
  • X-Men: Second Coming
    Collects X-Men: Second Coming (2010) #1-2, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #523-525, New Mutants (2009) #12-14, X-Men: Legacy (2008) #235-237, X-Force (2008) #26-28.
  • X-Men: Schism
    Collects X-Men: Second Coming (2010) #1-2, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #523-525, New Mutants (2009) #12-14, X-Men: Legacy (2008) #235-237, X-Force (2008) #26-28.

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Hack/Slash Reading Order, a comic book series by Tim Seeley

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First things first, an introduction. Hack/Slash is a horror/action comic book created by writer and sometimes penciler Tim Seeley (Nightwing, Revival) and published by Image Comics.

At the end of every horror movie, one girl always survives… in Hack/Slash, Cassie Hack not only survives, but she also turns the tables by hunting and destroying the horrible slashers that would do harm to the innocent! Alongside the gentle giant known as Vlad, the two cut a bloody path through those who deserve to be put down… hard!

There are multiple volumes of Hack/Slash, crossovers, and editions. Everything began in 2004 with one-shots and the first ongoing series started in 2007 at Devil’s Due Publishing before going to Image Comics.

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Zatanna Reading Order, the magician of the DC Universe

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There are a lot of characters in the DC Universe (in the Marvel one too) and it’s not always easy to track them down when they are not the star of their own ongoing series. Characters like Zatanna Zatara appeared in a lot of stories over the years, but rarely as the star of the show.

Created by Julius Schwartz, Gardner Fox, and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna made her first appearance in Hawkman #4 (published in November 1964). She is known to be a stage illusionist as well as an actual magician, like her father Giovanni Zatara.

Zatanna is controlling her powers by speaking the words of her incantations spelled backward. She is known for her involvement with the Justice League (Dark), John Constantine, and the rest of the magic side of the DC Universe.

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Marvel Civil War II Reading Order, Choose your side

Marvel Civil War II Reading Order

Presented as a sequel to 2006’s Civil War event (see Reading Order) putting heroes against each other, Civil War II is another big Marvel crossover event, with the mission to capitalize on the release of the 2016 Marvel Studios film Captain America: Civil War.

Written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by David Marquez and Justin Ponsor, Civil War II was published between June and December 2016 and opposed this time Iron Man to Captain Marvel. When a new Inhuman emerges, with the ability to profile the future, Captain Marvel wanted him to work with the Ultimates, in order to preemptively tackle disasters before they happen, but Iron Man opposed the idea, suggesting it was dangerous to take his visions for granted for several reasons. This is the beginning of a conflict with a lot of tie-ins!

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Inhumans Vs X-Men Reading Order (IvX)

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Inhumans Vs X-Men Reading Order (IvX)

Written by Charles Soule and Jeff Lemire with art from Leinil Francis Yu, Kenneth Rocafort, and Javi Garron, Inhumans Vs X-Men (IvX) is a 2016 Marvel crossover event about the fight for survival opposing the Inhumans against the X-Men.

The X-Men and Inhumans have been on a collision course ever since the link was proven between the Inhumans’ precious Terrigen Mist and the sickness and death of many mutants. And when the Beast discovers that mutantkind has only two weeks left before planet Earth becomes completely uninhabitable for them, an Inhuman/mutant war is unavoidable!

It all begins with one choice, and the world will never be the same! New Attilan comes under attack, and the Inhumans won’t surrender without a fight – but when the X-Men target the Terrigen cloud, will that mean the end of the line for the entire Inhuman legacy? Karnak vs. Fantomex! Emma Frost vs. Medusa! The Nuhumans vs. Magneto! IVX delivers sensational set pieces and gargantuan grudge matches that promise to shatter the Marvel Universe as you know it!

What to read before Inhumans Vs X-Men?

Death Of X is a 4-part miniseries set a few months before the events. It’s roughly an introduction. It’s optional, but it’s a way to start if you are not familiar with this universe.

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Batman Beyond Reading Order, Terry McGinnis is the Batman of the Future

Like Harley Quinn, Terry McGinnis was created for television, more specifically in his case for the Batman Beyond animated television series (1999–2001), as a continuation of The New Batman Adventures, originally meant as a character for the DCAU. And it would take 10 years for Terry to make his first appearance in the main DC Universe, in Batman #700.

Created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett, Batman Beyond takes place in a futuristic Gotham City where Terry McGinnis has taken over the mantle of Batman, under the tutelage of an elderly Bruce Wayne. He is a high school student and a former delinquent. Under the pretense of doing errands for Bruce, Terry fights crime as the new Batman.

Where to start with Batman Beyond/Terry McGinnis?

This is where we naturally recommend watching Batman Beyond, the animated TV Series, comprised of three seasons, 52 episodes, and one direct-to-video feature film.

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