Of all Jack Kirby’s creations, the Eternals sure are one of them. The King of Comics, and co-creator of a nearly incalculable majority of the Marvel Universe as we know it, Kirby attempted to put a light spin on his New Gods with the late 70’s creation of Marvel’s Eternals.
For my money, it largely doesn’t work, but Kirby was perhaps incapable of lending his boundless creative vision to anything truly uninteresting. There are compelling designs and mythology throughout his original twenty issue Eternals saga, and various creators have attempted to mine those treasures throughout Marvel history.
Kirby’s Eternals, Deviants, and Celestials have gone on to notable future appearances, including the realization of Thanos as a Deviant of Titan.
Below you’ll find a complete chronological guide to Eternals comics.
Related Reading Orders:
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The Eternals Reading Order
The Eternals: The Complete Saga Omnibus
Collects: Eternals (1976) #1-19, Eternals Annual (1977) #1; Eternals (1985) #1-12; Eternals: The Herod Factor (1991) #1; New Eternals: Apocalypse Now (2000) #1; Iron Man Annual (1971) #6; Avengers (1963) #246-248; Material From What If? (1977) #23-30
Ok, right up front there’s a modern Marvel Omnibus release of a huge chunk of Eternals comics to coincide with the release of the Eternals movie in the MCU. I list out a majority of these issues in smaller collections, and in order below as well.
Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection
Collects: Eternals #1-19 & Annual #1
The entire Jack Kirby part of the story is collected here.
Collects: Eternals #1-19 & Annual #1
This is an older version and may be hard to find in print!
Collects: Eternals (1976) #1-11
Collects: Eternals (1976) #12-19 & Annual #1
Issues: #23 to #30
During this timeframe, Marvel’s “What If?” line ran “Untold tales of the Marvel Universe” in the back of the comic, and writer Mark Gruenwald expands the Eternals mythology from issue twenty-three to thirty.
Thor: Eternals Saga Vol 1: Eternals Saga v. 1
Collects: Thor #283-291 & Thor Annual #7
Thor: The Eternals Saga Vol. 2
Collects: Thor (1966) #292-301
Collects: Iron Man Annual #6
Collects: Eternals #1 To #12
By Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema.
Collects: Avengers #246 To #248
Enter the Eternals!
Collects: Fantastic Four #330
Eternals on Avengers!
Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus
Collects: West Coast Avengers (1985) 42-46; Avengers West Coast 47-62, Annual 4; Avengers (1963) 305-318, Annual 18
Avengers Epic Collection: The Collection Obsession
Collects: Avengers (1963) 334-344, Annual 20; Avengers: Deathtrap – The Vault; Material From Incredible Hulk Annual 17, Namor The Sub-Mariner Annual 1, Iron Man Annual 12, Avengers West Coast Annual 6
Avengers Epic Collection: Operation Galactic Storm
Collects: Avengers (1963) 345-347, Avengers West Coast 80-82, Quasar 32-36, Wonder Man (1991) 7-9, Iron Man (1968) 278-279, Thor (1966) 445-446, Material From Captain America (1968) 398-400
Sersi (no, not that Cersi) is a regular Avenger from about Avengers #314 to Avengers #375. In addition to representing the Eternals, Sersi is well known for crushing a bomber jacket. As you’d expect, this is a more Avengers-centric read than anything specific to Eternals, but it’s one of the highest profile regular crossovers their lineup has had in Marvel history.
Collects: Eternals: The Herod Factor #1
The New Eternals: Apocalypse Now
Collects: The New Eternals #1
Collects: The Eternal #1 To #6
Marvel Knights series written by Chuck Austen.
Collects: Eternals #1 To #6
Collects: Eternals #1 To #6
Collects: Eternals Annual #1, Eternals #7-9
It’s definitely worth noting that “Manifest Destiny” is loosely connected to an X-Men crossover. The Eternals and X-Men inhabit the same Celestial occupied San Fran, and the good old dreaming Celestial will continue to play a role in X-Men comics (most notably in Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen
Eternals: Fresh Start
Avengers by Jason Aaron Vol. 1: The Final Host
Collects: Avengers #1 to #6
The Celestials are coming for Earth, so the Avengers turn to the Eternals for the answers. They find something… else.
Eternals by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribic
2021 series launch!
1) Thor Annual #7 should be read before Thor #283-301. Iron Man Annual #6 follows after them.
2) Re: Cesar. Avengers #246-248 are set directly before the Eternals (1985) limited series, which refers to a new status quo established in these three Avengers issues several times.
3) Fantastic Four #330 is not worth reading. It happens in a dream and does not affect the general fate of Eternals.
You include a lot of Avegers material seemingly only because Sersi is present, but what about the Extended time period Makkari spent as a guest star in Quasar, his apperances in Marvel Universe (with the Monster Hunters) his apperance as Captain Mercury in Lost Generation, or Thena’s time in the late 90’s Heroes For Hire series. Or the Eternals appearing in the New Warriors series vol 5 (creating the villians the Evolutionaries who would go on to be a problem for the X-Men).
Avengers 246 to 248 seems to happen right before Eternals 1985, instead of after it.
In the eternals in avengers section, are there any highlight smaller arcs you recommend? Given the length (one omnibus and two complete collections) and the comment that its mostly avenger centric I’m considering skipping those and focusing on the eternal centric ones.
I’m really glad I read the Thor saga, though, so any recommendations of which ones are better/more relevant are welcome 🙂
the list that there is of the comics of the eternals are all ? or missing some
I’ve never read any Eternals stories, but the idea of an MCU Eternals movie has me curious – what stories do you think would make a good primer and/or essential for an understanding of the Eternals and their current role in the Marvel Universe?