Realm of Kings is a bit of an outlier in the Marvel Cosmic space. Hot on the heels of War of Kings, the Realm of Kings story arcs mark a transition period for the Marvel Cosmic landscape.
As such, there’s no real “event” within Realm of Kings. The Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, and all the other titles you know and love find themselves dealing with the catastrophic conclusion to War of Kings. There’s a clear sense throughout the Realm of Kings stories that all this is building to something huge, and of course, it is.
Don’t worry, though, Realm of Kings isn’t just filler. Far from it. The stories here largely continue to push the Marvel cosmic narrative arc for the better, ultimately leading us to the major showdown I can’t even name here for fear of spoilers.
And if that’s not incentive enough, Realm of Kings also represents the end of Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova in their Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning incarnations. You definitely don’t want to miss how these phenomenal series wrap up.
Previously: War of Kings
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Realm of Kings Trade Reading Order
Guardians of the Galaxy: Realm of Kings (#20 – #25)
If Realm of Kings can be said to have any “event” issues, it’s the one-shot included with the Guardians of the Galaxy trade.
Personally, I read this one-shot first, and it sets the stage for all of the impending action with The Fault. You could, conceivably, read the one-shot after the Guardians of the Galaxy issues, but I prefer to get the full feel of the event myself.
Realm of Kings: Inhumans + Imperial Guard + Son of Hulk
Worth noting that these issues don’t really move the needle on the major plot elements. If you’re invested in the state of the Inhumans and Shi’ar following War of Kings, then these five issue minis are for you. I haven’t read the Son of Hulk tie-in, so you’re on your own there.
Nova: Realm of Kings (#29 – #35)
Definitely should be read after the Realm of Kings one-shot.
And there you have it. Barring the event book below, this marks the end of the Marvel Cosmic era for the decade. We’ll always have Knowhere.
Next: The Thanos Imperative
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Jayden Sullivan says
November 3, 2017 at 9:31 pmHey Dave! Great reading order, however I believe the War of Kings one shot is included with the Inhumans trade, not the Guardians.
Thanks!
Mormegil says
April 25, 2017 at 2:26 pmWhat about Nova #36. Should that be read before Thanos Imperative?
Sonicalm says
April 7, 2017 at 5:31 pmIs there a deeper reading order of this? or just read them as it is listed above?
Matt says
December 19, 2016 at 11:29 pmDave, you didn’t miss much not reading Son of Hulk. What a waste of time that was.
David Prime says
February 6, 2017 at 12:31 pmSon of Hulk should only be of interest to you if A) You follow the Hulk and his sons B) You were a fan of the old Micronauts comic, because two of the original members are in this and it leads into their mini series (along with their old friend Bug) Enigma Force.
Chris says
January 31, 2018 at 12:43 amYeah, Son of Hulk was not good, and as far as I can tell had nothing to do with Realm of Kings aside from mentioning the Fault. Unless it ties into the Thanos Imperative (reading that next) I’d recommend people just skip it. I wish I had.
Martinex says
April 20, 2016 at 1:14 pmI still am in realm of kings, mainly because I don’t want my favorite “series” to end. Anyways I’m assuming thanos imperative is the big finale, so that’s cool. And I saw that there are those annihilators pr whatever by abnett and lanning, which I am excited about too.
I was just wondering if u were going to add abnett’s new guardians stuff (3000 and infinity). Since they seem to be follow ups. Not as good, but still awesome.
Chuck says
August 15, 2015 at 8:09 pmIs there a reading order to realm of kings to make the story clearer?