I’ve gotten variations on this question several times, typically recommending readers looking for a Marvel NOW! fast track check out the back end of my favorite 100 Marvel comics from 1998 to 2015. Victor asks:
I’ve been following the essential guide from 2000 to 2012, giving a little more attention to the avengers and a little less attention to x-men (so much timelines, it’s confusing)… I’m really struggling on how to tackle Marvel Now until secret wars, as I don’t want to read everything, just the essentials leading to secret wars… you have any tips?
While I stand by the “best of” approach for the best way to enjoy Marvel stories after 2012, it isn’t necessarily the best way to pick up on the continuity of the time period before you dive in to Secret Wars and ultimately move on to All-New All-Different Marvel.
Note that this fast track guide is not the same thing as a comprehensive set of recommendations for Marvel NOW!. For example, X-Men: Legacy
As the name implies, this guide is intended to help you enjoy some of the best and most important Marvel NOW! books before Secret Wars. If you want it all, there’s always the Marvel NOW! reading order.
The Essential Marvel NOW! Comics From 2012 to 2015
All-New X-Men
The Brian Michael Bendis led X-Men (including Uncanny X-Men) are middle of the road comics for me, but the All-New X-Men explain a lot of the Marvel Universe as it stands. Skipping these first issues will raise a lot of troubling and timey-wimey questions, and nobody wants that.
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Keep in mind that All-New X-Men follows in the footsteps of Avengers vs. X-Men, so you’ll want to carry that event in your knowledge banks before proceeding.
Issues: #1 to #10
Venom by Rick Remender
The back half of Rick Remender’s status quo devouring run on Venom is technically Marvel NOW!, so you might as well just go ahead and enjoy the entire excellent series.
Issues: #1 to #25
Hawkeye
Creative Team: Matt Fraction, David Aja
Issues: #1 to #23
I’ve written all sorts of effusive praise for most of the comics on this list elsewhere, so let’s just say there’s a reason Hawkeye is on my shortlist for favorite Marvel Comics of all time. Minimal continuity implications, but an essential read on quality alone.
Captain Marvel
Creative Team: Kelly Sue DeConnick, Filipe Daniel Moreno De Andrade
Issues: #1 to #12
Carol Danvers has become an absolutely essential component of the Marvel Universe fabric, perhaps nowhere more evident than Civil War 2. Carol’s evolution into Captain Marvel begins here, and it begins excellently.
Superior Spider-Man
Creative Team: Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman
Issues: #1 to #31
There were all sorts of offensive, moronic reactions to the announcement of Superior Spider-Man from misoneists cosplaying as comic book fans, so thank Doom Dan Slott and Ryan Stegman didn’t listen to them. Superior Spider-Man is brilliant from start to finish, and the best 30 issues of Spider-Man in at least a decade.
FF
Creative Team: Matt Fraction, Mike Allred
Year(s): 2012 to 2014
Era of Continuity: Marvel Now
Issues: #1 to #16
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man
Creative Team: Nick Spencer, Steve Lieber
Issues: #1 to #17
Uncanny Avengers
Creative Team: Rick Remender, John Cassaday, Daniel Acuna
Issues: #1 to #23
There are basically three author-dominated visions of the Marvel Universe during Marvel NOW!, in what I would call the Bendis-verse, the Hickman-verse, and the Remender-verse.
Each creator’s vision for their slice of the Marvel pie extends across the titles they write. For Rick Remender, this includes Venom (already listed), Captain America, and Uncanny Avengers (and later Axis and Uncanny Avengers (rebooted).
You could easily argue that Remender’s Captain America
Thor: God of Thunder
Creative Team: Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic
Issues: #1 to #25
Age of Ultron
Do you actually need to read Age of Ultron? In a weird twist, Age of Ultron has the biggest impact on the Marvel Ultimate Universe. That said, this is the first event of Marvel NOW!.
Young Avengers
You can do the whole series at once.
Issues: #1 to #15
Inhumanity / Inhuman
#1 to #8
The Inhumans have become more and more important throughout the 2010’s, and it all begins here.
Magneto
Issues: #1 to #8
Bunn’s Magneto is excellent, and helps redefine the master of magnetism for the umpteenth time.
Original Sin
The 2014 Marvel event, with a strong 4 issue start and a wild and weird 4 issue finish.
Rocket Raccoon
Issues: #1 to #6
A ton of fun, and legitimately my favorite comic book sound effects and lettering this decade.
Axis
Listen, if there’s a way we could just pretend Axis never happened, I promise I would, but this is not that list.
Spider-Verse
Far from tight story-telling, but a lot of fun.
The Trial of Jean Grey
+ The Black Vortex
The Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men team up in middling affairs from Bendis. I’m a defender of the man who brought us Ultimate Spider-Man, Alias, and early 2000’s Daredevil, but hoo boy I can not stomach this version of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Personally, I need a swig of late 2000’s Abnett and Lanning after every page of dialogue, but to be fair, these characterizations play true to the Guardians of the MCU.
All-New Captain America
Sam Cap!
Thor: Goddess of Thunder
Thor’s a lady but don’t call her Lady Thor!
Ms. Marvel
Creative Team: G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona
Issues: #1 to #15
Moon Knight
Creative Team: Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey
Issues: #1 to #6
Death of Wolverine
Creative Team: Charles Soule, Steve McNiven
Issues: #1 to #4
Ant-Man
Issues: #1 to #5
You wouldn’t think an Ant-Man ongoing would be one of the most fun and essential reads from Marvel Comics, but Nick Spencer pulls it off with tiny Paul Rudd.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
Issues: #1 to #8
You definitely would’t think an Unbeatable Squirrel Girl ongoing would be one of the most fun and essential reads from Marvel Comics, but Ryan North and Erica Henderson pull it off with ease.
Howard the Duck
Issues: #1 to #5
You ABSO-DUCKING-LOTUELY wouldn’t think a Howard the Duck ongoing would be one of the most fun and essential reads from Marvel Comics, but Chip Zdarsky is Chip Zdarksy.
Spider-Gwen
Issues: #1 to #6
Great concept, great art, alternate Spider-reality. It’s like they made it for me in a lab.
Hickman-Verse – New Avengers, Avengers
No comic will prepare you better for Secret Wars than Marvel NOW! Avengers and New Avengers, and in my opinion, only a select few comics are better.
You’re definitely going to want to pay attention to the Avengers reading order here, as the Hickman-verse Avengers basically drive Infinity, and weave beautifully into Original Sin. They are unimpacted by Axis, thank Galactus.
Infinity
Creative Team: Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung
Issues: #1 to #6
As mentioned above, make sure you place this in the Avengers context.
Secret Wars
Creative Team: Jonathan Hickman, Esad Ribic
Issues: #1 to #9
It feels a little wrong that you didn’t include Captain America’s Dimension Z run in this list. I guess I could be wrong cause I’m not quite caught up in terms of Cap’ continuity but that seems like it has pretty major ramifications on Steve Rogers as a whole.
Is this list in order ? You put Infinity just before Secret Wars but wasnt this event earlier than f.e Original Sin ? I just started to follow this guide (finished 200-2012 and it was amazing), and I dont want to miss continuity.
Thanks !
I haven’t read a lot from this era yet but the Rocket Raccoon series was amazing. I think i literally laughed out loud at every issue, especially the first two.
Deadpool by Duggan/Posehn was really good too. They did a good job adding some serious elements to the character.