Brainiac is unquestionably one of Superman’s all-time greatest foes (we’re not going to sit here and rank them, but he’s only demonstrably behind Lex Luthor in my power rankings!), although the versions of the character through eight decades of comic book continuity can initially seem intimidating and dumbfounding. Don’t panic! This Comic Book Herald guide will walk you through the character’s history and all the Brainiac comics you should read to best enjoy and understand the classic DC villain. [Read more…] about Brainiac Reading Order
Comic Book Herald Reading Orders
Click the following link if you're looking for the CBH Marvel Reading Order. Otherwise, enjoy a smattering of comic book reading orders below!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books In Order!
Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of the best-selling children’s book series of all time, fusing the worlds of comics and novels into some of the best books for new readers in the 2000s. Ask a child of the 2000s the first book series they obsessively read over and over, and there’s a strong chance you’ll hear Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Raina Telgemeier Books, Comics & Graphic Novels in Order!
Raina Telgemeier is a towering figure in comics of the 2000s, with her middle-grade graphic novel memoirs kicking off a goldrush of similar books for kids. It’s honestly hard to remember now, but autobiographical comics for kids barely existed before Telgemeier’s Smile and now I can hardly turn around without another e-mail promoting the latest graphic memoir hitting me square in the nose! [Read more…] about Raina Telgemeier Books, Comics & Graphic Novels in Order!
Investigators Reading Order
John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators will always have a special place in my heart as the first graphic novels I enjoyed together with my kids. Green’s pun-laden goofball literal Alligator spies inhabit a world of anthropomorphized animals and humans doing their best to solve essential mysteries like what happened to the best cupcake making chef in town? The funny, charming graphic novels went from read-alouds where I got to work on my voice acting (y’all haven’t lived until you’ve heard my Brash) to books my kids could repeatedly and obsessively read for themselves.
So yeah, the question isn’t should you read InvestiGators. It’s how many times and in what order? I’d argue the continuity of InvestiGators is a bit more intricate than the competition (Dog Man or Big Nate, for example), as moments and characters from previous books will leave you scratching your head if you’re not reading the stories in order. As with most things, kids are smarter than you think, and they’ll probably figure it out, but what is Comic Book Herald good for if not meticulous and arguably unnecessary guides!
Below you’ll find a complete guide to InvestiGators books in order, including extras outside the graphic novels, and of course the Agents of S.U.I.T. spinoffs. [Read more…] about Investigators Reading Order
Big Nate Reading Order
Never in my life did I anticipate Lincoln Peirce’s Big Nate would become one of the best-selling series of kids graphic novels, and a personal favorite of my son throughout first, second and third grade! As a young strapping lad, I churned the butter, kindled the fire, and used the outhouse while reading Big Nate as a comic strip alongside Peanuts, Pickles and Dilbert (I’m still trying to untangle how Dilbert became preposterously popular among my 5th grade friends in the late 90s, but that’s a story for another time). This isn’t a knock on Peirce or Big Nate – I just never guessed the strip would re-enter my life 20+ years later as an absolute comics juggernaut!
The Big Nate comic strip debuted in 1991 and enjoyed plenty of success before really exploding to another level when Peirce released the first Big Nate novelization in 2010. This means new readers effectively have the choice to start with the classic comic strips, or with a series of illustrated chapter books, a la the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. While I’m loathe to recommend literally anything over comics, the 8 book novel series (which, let’s be real, is also full of comics broken up by slightly longer blocks of text) is a more focused narrative with a clearer sense of building off the previous volume. The comic strips are very easily accessible, but more in the model of Calvin and Hobbes where virtually any strip could be your first because that was the daily newspaper environment they were working in (newspapers, kids, are like TikToks that we printed out and then used to wrap Christmas presents). For most kids, whether they start with the novels or comics, once they get a taste of Big Nate’s world, they’re going to want to hop between formats to laugh at more.
Regardless of your approach, Nate Wright’s 6th grade antics are a highly entertaining way to encourage a 6 to 11 year old audience to read more. Plus, there are now animated TV series and a musical. Below you’ll find a complete guide to the world of Big Nate, from novels to graphic novels to comic strips to Lincoln Peirce written fantasy comics! [Read more…] about Big Nate Reading Order