You don’t see nearly as many successful legacy characters in Marvel as you do in DC, but Captain Marvel (and Ms. Marvel) makes for one of Marvel’s strongest progressions through time. You have sevearl separate core characters that have occupied a “Marvel” title over time, and to make matters even more complicated, DC of course has their own Captain Marvel and Marvel Family! [Read more…] about Captain Marvel / Ms. Marvel 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!
Blue Beetle Reading Order!
From the classic tales of Ted Kord to the modern exploits of Jaime Reyes, Blue Beetle has undergone an incredible evolution over the years, offering one of the more intriguing examples of legacy in the DC Universe. The mantle is deeply rooted in comics history with Golden Age origins, transformation by Steve Ditko, seeds of what would become Watchmen, and ties to the best to come out of post Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Comics. [Read more…] about Blue Beetle Reading Order!
Massive-Verse Comics Reading Order: From Radiant Black to Rogue Sun & Beyond!
I was in a weird place with superhero comics. After about 10 years of reading them I found myself more frequently going through dry spells. Before I was a Wednesday Warrior, reading comics as soon as they came out each week, but now I would go months without picking one up. I’d still read through 100s of issues a year between these dry spells but I was just consuming the stories, not really connecting with them. The funny part is that I didn’t even realize this until a recent Sunday morning.
The day before, my wife and I had stopped by the local Half Price Books, which definitely has more than just books based on my wife’s haul of $1 vinyls. We were very happy with the Barry Manilow Greatest Hits find. I personally had found my way to the comics section and found copies of the first volumes of Radiant Black and Radiant Red. I had heard of Radiant Black; if you’re reading this there’s no doubt that you’ve seen the hype surrounding the book. I feel like I heard “Invincible meets Power Rangers!” more times than I can count. Plus a good friend, hey Denham, had spoken highly of it.
Power Rangers is something I am supposed to love. I’m the perfect age for it to have been a hit for me as a kid but for whatever reason it completely missed me. Let’s just say I have more of a fondness for Toei Spider-Man than any of his Tokusatsu counterparts. Despite that I picked up Radiant Black and Radiant Red. The next morning I was so glad I did.
The thing I love about the Massive-Verse aren’t just the neon colored costumes that are dripping with coolness, even though that helps: it’s the characters. Behind each mask, each catchphrase, and each energy blast there’s a person. The people that make up the Massive-Verse feel like real people with complete lives before any powers get involved. They feel like me and the people I love. The blend of grounded human stories with larger than life sci-fi fantasy finds a balance that is just sublime. Radiant Red in particular is where I rediscovered that spark that made me fall in love with comics all those years ago. I hope you find that spark when you read them too.
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Magneto (Krakoa Era) Reading Order & Analysis!
The Krakoan Era of X-Men comics has done tremendous work invigorating, resetting, creating, and returning characters. Magneto is the only major character in the franchise to die a Permanent Death. How could one of Krakoa’s founders and a principal X-Men character be taken off the board indefinitely? Moreover, why?
Magneto’s journey across this era mimics a full day. House of X & Powers of X are the dawn of his new epoch. He awakens, rinses himself clean of his past, and heads out into the world as a New God. From there, he spends the bulk of the daytime adjusting to Krakoa and its ramifications for his people, his family, and himself. During the daytime of his Krakoan story, Magneto tries to “build something…A great work. The great work” as he later tells Fisher King. That day at work is hard, harder than he imagines and, as dusk settles in, Magneto is left “shattered to pieces.” The evening of Magneto’s tale sees the breakdown of his triumvirate with Moira and Charles, the Trial he endures with his family, and the loss of trust between himself and his fellow Mutant. At night, Magneto lays down to rest but “[he does] not fear a life that ends” because he has raised up a new generation of political leaders to carry on and improve his legacy should he not wake from his sleep.
He did not wake.
That is how Magneto was taken off the board, but the reason why is more subjective. The Krakoan Era has revealed a lot about the three “traditional” leaders of Mutantkind that form the Autumn Seats of the Quiet Council: Apocalypse revealed his true self, [A], and the deep Mutant history that comes with him; Xavier has allowed power and secrets to reveal the depths of his narcissism and egomania; and Magneto struggles between his classic self (vicious, egomaniacal, and grandiose) and his best self (familial, heroic, and commemorative). His best self wins out in the end.
Since his story has come to a close, for now, I wanted to develop a comprehensive reading order for Magneto. Each issue below characterizes Magneto and his relationship with various characters. To that end, I have marked each issue with “thematic signifiers” to help guide reading. “Founders” marks issues that focus on Magneto and Prof. X and/or Moira X. Often, these issues demonstrate Magneto out front as statesman with Prof X., working in the shadows with the founding triumvirate, or both. Issues marked “Family” illuminate the complex familial relationships between Magneto and his relatives. Over the course of the Krakoan Era, his relationships with his daughters are an absolute treat, highlighting the importance of healing intergenerational trauma, and demonstrating the diversity of familial relationships people may have. While not family, Cyclops, Jean, Storm, and eventually Legion and Hope are marked as “Heirs” to Magneto’s name. They aren’t simply leaders of Mutantkind like the Quiet Council, but Mutants who take on Magneto’s legacy by charting their own course and developing new blocs and movements within Mutant politics, specific to the Krakoan Era. Interactions with the current leaders of Krakoa are denoted as “QC” for the Quiet Council.
Similarly, “GR” marks interactions with the Great Ring of Arakko. These two thematic signifiers often demonstrate Magneto’s political maneuvering, for better or worse, and tend to be ripe with exquisite banter and charm. Frequently paired with “GR” is “Brotherhood” for the Brotherhood of Arakko. The “night” of Magneto’s life cannot be understood without seeing him building the Brotherhood of Arakko with Storm and giving his legacy and the legacy of a “Brotherhood of Mutants” to her and Sunspot. “Community” marks the issues that demonstrate what Magneto means to his people and show him interacting with the broader community, negatively or positively. Lastly, “Illuminati” designates important interactions with the Illuminati. While never a member, Magneto is clearly of their caliber in the Krakoan Era and outright challenges their positions and authority in a time of Mutant ascendancy.
Here is the Krakoan reading order for Magneto:
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Who Watched the Watchmen? Watchmen and The Darkness Within
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