Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Comics Guides

The State of Star Wars (2021)

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When Marvel re-acquired the license to create new Star Wars comics in 2015, they quickly launched a core group of series chronicling the adventures happening long ago in everyone’s favorite far away galaxy. As an added bonus, for the first time, following two decades of Dark Horse holding the license to make Star Wars comics (which, in turn, followed Marvel’s initial licensing of the characters back in the 70s), these stories would be considered canon, “official” continuations of the overall narrative depicted in the films & TV shows. Since then, the assorted Marvel Star Wars comic book series have been relaunched, renewed, and built out into their own little sub-universe of comic books. Now, as fans wait patiently for the next Disney+ series to launch and the next movie to start filming, it’s the perfect time to give the Star Wars comic book universe a chance.

But with so many different books out there, it’s not always clear where to start or what might suit your tastes. To help, here’s a brief rundown of each current series, when it takes place, what it’s about, what creators are involved, to help guide your journey. May the Force be with you! [Read more…] about The State of Star Wars (2021)

The Best DC Comics of 2021 (So Far!)

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2021 is a recovery year for DC Comics, emerging from the final fumes of DC Rebirth, Death Metal, and the Dan Didio editorial reign, with a unique opportunity to carve out a new vision for the publisher. The year began with the two month “Future State” timeline, before segueing into a wide variety of series relaunches and creative turnover in DC’s Infinite Frontier.

The sheer amount of change makes this year a little more difficult than previous years in determining best ofs and entrance points, but honestly, it also makes for one of the most interesting lineups DC’s had in a few years.

Below you’ll find the best DC Comics of 2021, updated throughout the year as new comics are released and I read new favorites! [Read more…] about The Best DC Comics of 2021 (So Far!)

The Best of Batgirl Comics!

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The title of Batgirl has been held by several characters in DC’s history. Betty Kane, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown: all have made their mark on the mantle, whether they were the first or the one most often identified by the role. We have taken into account all of the Batgirls when compiling this list, and while some are going to be favoured over others, every Batgirl deserves her chance to shine.

This list is presented in chronological order, rather than a definitive ranking. Despite its infamy, The Killing Joke will not be included here. While it is important to Barbara Gordon’s story, as it resulted in Barbara being paralysed, it is not a Batgirl story and does not focus on Barbara. The Killing Joke also has questionable canonicity, as there are conflicting statements as to weather it is an Elseworlds entry or fully canon (though Three Jokers may have changed this). [Read more…] about The Best of Batgirl Comics!

The Best of WEBTOON Comics!

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Originally launched as a platform exclusively for hosting Korean manhwa in 2004, Naver Webtoon, LINE Webtoon, or (more frequently) just Webtoon has become a monolith in webcomic circles for good reason since its expansion into Western comics hosting and translation in the mid-2010s.

Providing an intuitive, accessible, and highly functional digital-first desktop and mobile platform for both international and local readers and creators—including a female readership and creatorship in excess of 60%—Webtoon has ushered in an indisputable but often critically overlooked revolution in comics publishing with its dramatic take on comic democratization, narrative and visual formats, and finely tuned publishing practices. It’s also irrefutably (at times impenetrably) dense, hosting a wide array of romance, action, supernatural, sports, and horror comics updated weekly.

Yes, Webtoon’s annual readership in excess of 100 billion is deserved, but also daunting. Where does one start with the 500+ weekly comics, most (if not all) of which are worthy of your time? With our list of the best of both ongoing and completed offerings on the platform below, of course! [Read more…] about The Best of WEBTOON Comics!

Best 5 Hawkeye (Marvel) Comics & Graphic Novels!

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Hawkeye, the resourceful sharpshooting marksman of the Avengers, has always stood out amongst the other members of the team’s core roster, mainly due to his particular skill set and its lack of a real “wow” factor. Because of this, Hawkeye’s history has been a bit of a mixed bag, causing him to be a fan favorite that doesn’t sell well—an interesting conundrum. When compared to the other world-shattering powers/capabilities of his superhero teammates and counterparts, it’s hard to define the precise role that Hawkeye appears to serve in the heat of battle, and hard to ignore how damaging that has been to the perception of the character.

In addition to his time as an Avenger, Clint was also a member (and frequently a leader) of other superhero teams such as the West Coast Avengers, the Secret Avengers, and the Thunderbolts, just to name a few. With that being said, since his debut into the Marvel Comics foray, Hawkeye has been given a number of solo series, each tasked with creating a persona for Hawkeye outside of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Luckily, there exists a handful of storylines that do our bowman justice, and around the mid-2000s readers were treated with a revamping of sorts that reinvigorated Hawkeye’s lore/mythos and finally carved out a lane for him to no longer lurk in the shadows of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. With the mononymous MCU show coming to Disney+ soon, it would make sense to discuss the most incredible storylines that the mantle has had so far. So, let’s look at the five best Hawkeye storylines from the character’s entire existence. [Read more…] about Best 5 Hawkeye (Marvel) Comics & Graphic Novels!