Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Marvel Characters

60’s X-Men Comics Reading Order (The Silver Age Origins!)

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The vast majority of X-Men reading recommendations will start you with 1975’s X-Men Second Genesis (including right here on CBH!), but as the name implies, there is of course an original genesis! It’s funny because for the vast majority of Marvel characters created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (or Steve Ditko and friends!), the 60s origins are a great place to start and see how Marvel Comics began. This is true for Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Thor and so on. But for the X-Men, there immense success and popularity wouldn’t come until their second act.

Still, there’s a lot created in the early days that’s worth reading – Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! Sentinels! Professor X acting sus! – and I’ve cataloged the reading order and how to collect those first X-Men Comics here. [Read more…] about 60’s X-Men Comics Reading Order (The Silver Age Origins!)

Spider-Man Noir Comics Reading Order

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Fans of Spider-Man Noir, aka “The Spider,” aka “Voiced/Acted by Nicolas Cage,” are most likely to have fallen for the crime-noir version of Spidey via Into the Spider-Verse or (if you’re like me) the Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions video game where Noir was one of the four playable dimensions (alongside Amazing Spider-Man classic, 2099, and the Ultimate Universe). There’s not an especially deep comics history beyond those adaptations, but as always, the story does start in Marvel Comics, and I’ve put together a guide to all the Spider-Man noir comics!

The Spider-Man noir comics are set in an alternate Marvel Universe (Earth-90214) and the stories begin in the early 1930s during The Great Depression. Some great comparative 1930s noir reading here would be Dashiel Hammet’s Red Harvest (inspiration for the Coen Brother’s Blood Simple) and Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep.

Likewise, if you just want the best noir comics in the game, check out Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips Criminal!

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Wonder Man (Anti) Reading Order

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Wonder Man’s a lot like Wonder Bread in that there’s always a better option not far away. No comic book in history has ever been improved by the inclusion of Wonder Man. Honestly, the best thing Simon Williams ever did was accidentally lone his brainwaves to the creation of The Vision.

This of course begs the question, if I loathe Wonder Man so much, why am I wasting my time on a reading order. Aside from the obvious (I’m a dirty lil’ traffic man), I see it as my duty to recognize that with a Disney+ MCU series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Kingsley, and Ed Harris, there will be comics fans curious to read related comics. And given that sad fact, somebody – some hero – needs to stand up and point them in the right direction.

The right direction being other, better comics.

So, below you will find a complete Wonder Man reading order, alongside my recommendation for the comic book you should read instead. Enjoy the comics! [Read more…] about Wonder Man (Anti) Reading Order

The Maker (Earth-1610 Reed Richards) Reading Order

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In a world obsessed with asking the question, “What if Superman was, like, evil?” only Marvel’s Ultimate Universe dared ask the same of Reed Richards!

If you’re thinking “Woah, spoiler!” I see you, but I promise, it’s impossible to talk about The Maker without acknowledging he’s an alternate universe Reed Richards. This development occurs a near decade into Marvel’s original Ultimate Universe, though, meaning there’s a whole lot of classic (well, teen) Reed in Ultimate Fantastic Four prior to this point. If you’re an absolute maniac, you can start your journey into Reed’s descent with all the Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, but I assure you, that won’t be necessary.

Instead, I’m going to focus on the origins of The Maker, and their build up as one of the most interesting and significant villains in Marvel Comics of the 2010s and beyond, including in the New Ultimate Universe 2! You’ll find that complete reading order below. [Read more…] about The Maker (Earth-1610 Reed Richards) Reading Order

Angela Reading Order

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Angela has a complicated history, this time not because of convoluted plots or time-travel shenanigans. She started as an Image Comics character, but Neil Gaiman sued Todd McFarlane for some of his characters’ ownership and won the battle for Angela’s rights. After that, Neil Gaiman sold her to Marvel.

In Image, she was part of Spawn and was an Angel that started as an enemy of the titular character. She gained a lot of popularity, receiving many solo series and crossovers with other characters from the universe. She also became an ally of Spawn, appearing in a lot of his issues. Her last appearance was in a fight against Malebolgia, one of Spawn’s greatest enemies and his creator, in Spawn #100.

Later, in 2013, she was reintroduced in the Marvel Universe. Despite receiving a new origin, she still has many similarities. Her name is still Angela, her costume is pretty much the same (although it has seen a few more changes throughout the years), and she is an angel created to hunt evil creatures. Her new origin also makes her part of Thor’s family, so they have a few adventures together. Here’s hoping Al Ewing makes great use of her in Immortal Thor. [Read more…] about Angela Reading Order