Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

DC Comics

Who Watched the Watchmen? Watchmen and The Darkness Within

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There is a great lie about Watchmen.

They repeat the lie over and over again, pretending it says a lot, when it says very little. It is not a lie of malice, but a lie of ignorance. It is a lie predicated on omission of truth. It is a lie that only emerges when one understands history. It is a meaningless statement presented as meaningful to those who don’t know better.

It is the first lie of American comics that every new reader is confronted with, when surveying the scene of the superhero.

And it is a lie that holds, despite everything else.

The lie is this: [Read more…] about Who Watched the Watchmen? Watchmen and The Darkness Within

Static Shock Reading Order!

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Everyone knows Virgil Hawkins, or Static, from the Static Shock TV Show, but some (like me before writing this guide) might not know his history with Milestone Media. It was made by black creators who wanted a universe with black and more diverse heroes, and they nailed it. The comics discussed problems of the time – many that we still have today to some degree – and had characters of different ethnicities, nationalities, and sexualities, but that weren’t only defined by them. They were so much more. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to guarantee great sales.

Most of these stories were set in Dakota, making the universe also called the Dakotaverse. Virgil lives in Dakota and gained his powers during a gang fight there; making him a “Gang Baby,” what the people who obtained powers because of the fight are called. His best run by far is the original Static by Milestone, but he also has stories in the main DC Universe and the new initiative, Milestone Returns.

Since I was younger, I’ve loved Static; Virgil has all the great traces of the greatest teen heroes: he’s powerful, your age, and funnier than you. But what the comic does best is making him heroic and human. The chapters try to bring discussions, but it’s not a message you have to understand at the end, the characters are literally talking about it. Virgil, and many of the characters featured, seem like real people, with complex opinions and personalities. That’s something I really hope the newer comics manage to do too; it’ll definitely be great.

[Read more…] about Static Shock Reading Order!

Emiko Queen (Red Arrow) Reading Order!

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Created by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, she was introduced as Emiko Lacroix, the daughter of Komodo, an enemy of Green Arrow. Later she found out she was Oliver’s half-sister, and then she decided to start being his partner.

Emiko found out more about herself and became a hero, assuming the mantle of Red Arrow. She saved Star City alongside Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Arsenal. After that, she leaves them and joins the Teen Titans as Robin’s right hand. You can currently catch her in Teen Titans Academy and in the “Dark Crisis” event. [Read more…] about Emiko Queen (Red Arrow) Reading Order!

Screaming at No One (Lois Lane: Enemy of the State Review!)

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When reading Lois Lane, the question arises time and time again: Why is Greg Rucka writing a Lois Lane Maxi-Series in 2019? The meaning of that question changes as the series goes on. The first time the question is asked is before you begin reading it and you wonder why Greg Rucka is writing it. It’s not that Rucka is a bad author; He’s a bit too fond of the US Military for my tastes, I got tired of Lazurus after a couple of volumes, and “Candor” is quite bluntly the worst thing everyone involved ever wrote. But he’s written some stuff I’ve quite liked: Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia, “Severance Package,” and the Question/Montoya bits of 52 to name a few.

This is the first major series for the character of Lois Lane since 1974. Why is Greg Rucka and not, say, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Marguerite Bennett, or Magdalene Visaggio working on this title? It’s quite possible that Rucka really wanted to write a Lois Lane book and, after the kerfuffle surrounding his Wonder Woman: Earth One book, maybe this was a means of making it up to him. Yet, Lois Lane isn’t one of his traditional spy/criminal/soldier/cop protagonists. She’s a reporter who is often at odds with her militaristic family. Why would Rucka gravitate to such a character? [Read more…] about Screaming at No One (Lois Lane: Enemy of the State Review!)

Injustice Reading Order (DC Comics Universe)!

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Conceptually, I don’t actually *like* Injustice. The premise for this entire comics universe stems first from the 1 on 1 fighting video game, and the brief story of that video game is far from extraordinary.

The story of Injustice begins when Joker and Harley Quinn steal a nuke, launch it at Metropolis, and trick Superman from preventing the tragedy by tricking him into fighting an illusion of Doomsday that turns out to be his wife, Lois Lane. Enraged, Superman finally crosses the “no kill” line, murders Joker, and creeps deeper and deeper into an ironfisted tyrant of the world. As the face of DC’s “Kill No Man” campaign, Batman leads a rebellion against Superman. [Read more…] about Injustice Reading Order (DC Comics Universe)!