Welcome to the 2015 Comic Book Herald reading club. We’ll be making our way through the modern Marvel Universe (with the occasional flash back to classic or overlooked comic book series) over the course of the year.
If you’re new, or just want to catch up on a missed week, you can see all of what we’ve read below. Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the reading club discussion in the forums!
2015 Reading Club Picks
Week 1 – Kurt Busiek and George Perez Avengers
Avengers 1-3, 19-22 (1998)
Welcome to Comic Book Herald reading club, and our week one dive into Kurt Busiek and George Perez’s Avengers.
From the Club discussion:
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KnightNight: I enjoyed both of the arcs on this weeks reads. I am relatively new to comics and have been working my way through the Marvel reading order. Both arcs had some tidbits that really helped some other things I had read make sense, or showed what else a character was doing, like in the case of Black Panther in the Ultron Arc.
Week 2 – Secret Wars
Secret Wars 1-12 (1984)
I’m extremely excited about covering Secret Wars in the reading club this week, especially with the
impending arrival of an all-new Secret Wars as Marvel’s 2015 event/universe changing implosion.
From the Club discussion:
Kaioshin: This was pretty much the first universe spanning Marvel event right? Considering that, I think it did a decent job. Despite the huge roster it didn’t get too bogged down with pointless fighting and offered more scheming and plot than you’d expect.
Week 3 – Daredevil, Spider-Man, Hulk “Color Series”
Daredevil Yellow, Spider-Man Blue, Hulk Gray
Welcome to week three of the Comic Book Herald reading club. This week we’ll be reading Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, and Hulk: Gray from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.
From the Club discussion:
Horrorhearts: Both of these characters have interesting lives out of costume and I found it refreshing to have the relationship take centre stage with a cut to the fight scene rather than visa versa. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy these charcters do much, to me they always come across as very ‘human’.
Week 4 – Amazing Spider-Man by JMS and John Romita Jr.
Amazing Spider-Man 30-38
For week 4, we’ll be reading Amazing Spider-Man #30 through #35, and issue #37. (Dave’s Edit: I should have included issue #38 here as well! Read through #38 if you can!) Issue #36 is a post 9/11 special, and definitely worth reading. I just leave it out here since it’s separate from the story.
From the Club discussion:
Horrorhearts: Great story arc, really enjoyed this one, from the enigmatic and mysterious Ezekiel to the new and very dangerous Morlun. Interesting spin on the origin story that even my wife knows, great art work and great writing.
Week 5 – New X-Men by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
New X-Men Annual 1, New X-Men 114-120
For week 5 of the reading club, I’m excited to propose New X-Men #114 to #120. I won’t blame you if you carry all the way on through to issue #154 – this is a tremendous, enormously influential X-Men run. (Dave’s Update: As brandonoh mentions below, you will also want to read New X-Men Annual #1 before New X-Men #117!)
From the Club discussion:
Kaioshin: This was the first complete X-Men run I read, before that I only read event cross-overs and a select few short stories like Days of Future Past or the Phoenix Saga, so I don’t have much to contrast them too. They seemed fine to me. I loved Emma Frost. I hear this was her big breakout story as truly one of the good guys? If so, good job on that.
Week 6 – Marvel Knights Sample Platter
Daredevil (1998) 1-5, Inhumans 1-3, Black Panther (1998) 1-5
If you have the time, I highly recommend reading Daredevil through to issue #8 (Smith’s “Guardian Devil” conclusion) and Inhumans all the way through to its issue #12 conclusion. Black Panther extends all the way to issue #49, and while I highly enjoy these issues, the commitment is of course up to you.
From the Club discussion:
Brandonh: I really enjoyed the Black Panther issues. Everett Ross is a character that is very funny and can be an audience stand-in in learning about the Black Panther. The nonlinear way he tells the story and the section titles make for a much more involving and entertaining read than the standard comic of the day.
Week 7 – Marvel Boy and Captain Marvel
Marvel Boy (2000) 1-6, Captain Marvel (2002) 1-6
A couple different looks at early Marvel Cosmic in the 2000’s. Fair warning for those we weren’t feeling New X-Men – Marvel Boy is another Grant Morrison creation, and one that resonated strongly with creators in Dark Reign, Dark Avengers, and even Original Sin.
From the Club discussion:
Dmikester: I’ve had a super busy week, so didn’t get to re-read the Captain Marvel issues, though I read the whole thing a while ago. Marvel Boy was new to me. Overall, Captain Marvel pretty great, and Marvel Boy was pretty meh. Not good, not horrible, just meh.
Week 8 – Super villain Team-Up: Identity Disc
Identity Disc 1-5
For week 8 we’re reading a fun, oddball super-villain team-up from 2004. The crew of Deadpool, Bullseye, Juggernaut, Sabertooth, Vulture, and Sandman assemble in.
From the Club discussion:
Kaioshin: My favourite villian here were probably Bullseye and Deadpool, their playful banter among each other carried the comic for me. When Bullseye slits Deadpool’s throat and he’s gurgling for air only to go “Ahahaha good one, forget about my healing factor did you?” as if it was simply a poke in his side was my favourite scene from the entire comic.
Week 9 – Dr. Strange Reimagined!
Strange (2004) 1-6
This is an approach Marvel would take with a handful of characters in the 2000’s, most notably Iron Man in Warren Ellis’ “Extremis.” Modernizing origin stories without going full on Ultimate Universe and changing the story.
From the Club discussion:
Brandonh: I had read the original stories in Strange Tales, so I was pretty familiar with the first origin story of Dr. Strange. It was not necessarily in need of updating, but it did make some characters like Clea more interesting straight off the bat
Week 10+11 – Daredevil’s Greatest Hits
Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson 168-182, Daredevil: Born Again 226-233, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear 1-5, Daredevil:Out 32-40,
For the next two weeks, we’ll focus on the Frank Miller era Daredevil, and make our way up to Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s early 2000’s run.
From the Club discussion:
Dmikester: actually enjoyed all of the issues this time around, so it’s hard for me to choose a “least favorite.” I guess the Nuke storyline feels a little out of nowhere to me, and gets resolved so quickly that it doesn’t seem to have much weight to it.
Week 12 – Avengers Month Begins: Disassembled and New Avengers
Avengers (1998) 500-503, Avengers Finale #1, New Avengers (2004) 1-6,
In keeping with the CBH Club reading to this point, we’ll be looking at how Marvel progressed from the Marvel Knights era into the modern era of events. And that all starts with the Avengers.
From the Club discussion:
Horrorhearts: Avengers Disassembled, I read the whole shooting match on this one and overall I thought it was pretty good. I’m not really going to talk about the side issues but they were all worth reading as tie ins except for Spiderman which had no relevance at all.
Week 13 – House of M
House of M 1-8
Our reading this week has us moving through the modern Marvel era of events with House of M. A reminder, that if you’re looking for a more complete overview of the universe, you can check out the Comic Book Herald guide to comics between Avengers Disassembled and House of M.
From the Club discussion:
Eniad: Which event do you prefer? Avengers Disassembled or House of M?
I love reading an event with all its tie-ins. The far reaching ripples are fascinating. But House of M is almost the opposite of that. Everything is contained in its own bubble. I can wrap my head around the full events. And the implications are still huge
Week 14 – Age of Ultron
Age of Ultron 1-10
From the Club discussion:
Horrorhearts: I thought the Age of Ultron was pretty good, I enjoyed the beginning, the how we get to the story, that one day Ultron will surpass what the Avengers (or indeed any hero) can do to stop him. It had a bit of a Terminator feel to the first few issues, a bit of humanity surviving underground here and there, humanity on the verge of going out forever and a great panel where Cap America is sitting on the floor looking beaten
Week 15 – Young Avengers
Young Avengers (2005) 1-12
This week we’ll be reading Young Avengers #1 to #12. If you’re new to the reading club, I highly recommend you go back to week 12 for Avengers Disassembled and New Avengers: Breakout before proceeding with Young Avengers.
From the Club discussion:
Matt Lehn: Conceptually, I don’t genuinely dig teen heroes. Historically, even when I was a teenager I was never that really all that into New Mutants (although, shamefully, I did gravitate more toward X-Force- it was a mullety kinda mindset). So, yeah, I passed.
Week 16 – Civil War Mega Read
Amazing Spider-Man 529-530, New Avengers: Illuminati, Fantastic Four 536-537, Amazing Spider-Man 531, Civil War 1-7, Captain America #25
This week we’re tackling Civil War, in eager anticipation of Captain America 3: Civil War. Yes I realize Avengers 2 isn’t even cold yet, but we’re looking ahead!
From the Club discussion:
Dmikester: One thing I will give Civil War a lot of credit for is that it makes choosing sides tricky. I totally understand both points of view, and yes, the SRA is reasonable in a lot of ways. But of course, villains knowing who they actually are can be devastating (just look at Kingpin and Daredevil). I think ultimately I’d come down on the side of the resistance, but it’s close. I guess I’d wish SHIELD was more competent than it usually is if I was choosing the SRA.
Week 17 and 18 – Marvel Cosmic Greatest Hits
-No summary-
Iron Man #55 , Captain Marvel #25 to #34, Strange Tales #178 to #181, Warlock #9 to #15, Avengers Annual #7, Silver Surfer #34 to #38, Thanos Quest #1 to #2, Infinity Gauntlet #1 to #6
From the Club discussion:
Dmikester: Overall, I loved this stuff. It was my first major exposure to Marvel Cosmic (I’d read a little bit of the Warlock series prior to Guardians of the Galaxy because it was the intro to Gamora), and I was totally engrossed the whole time.
Week 19 – Marvel Ultimate Universe
Ultimate Spider-Man #1 to #13, Ultimate X-Men #1 to #12, Ultimates #1 to #13
This week we’ll be diving into the Marvel Ultimate Universe. As many of you have likely heard, as Secret Wars is in full swing, the Marvel Ultimate U is fighting for its very existence. We’ll take a look at the Earth-1610 (this is the Ultimate U designation) origins and see how it compares to the old familiar Earth-616.
From the Club discussion:
Brandonh: Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man is a great take on the Peter Parker story. Its decompression means that it introduces characters much more slowly than the original series, but the writing is high quality, and of course the art is better.
Week 20 – Planet Hulk
Note that these Planet Hulk issues take place after House of M and before World War Hulk in the Marvel Reading Order.
From the Club discussion:
Mwalker6222: Now I’m actually caught up! I wanted to write a quick note that I agree with the comments about some of the pacing. I was half asleep when reading through some of the issues but I actually read part of the recap pages a couple times and had to go back an issue to see where I’d missed something (ie the “team” splitting up the one time I just totally gapped on).
Week 21 – Doomquest
Iron Man #149 – #150, #249 – #250, Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1 to #4
In the vein of essential Marvel stories that are now playing a role in 2015’s Secret Wars, we’ll be reading the Iron Man vs. Doctor Doom “Doomquest” trilogy this week. If you like armor, Camelot, or trilogies spanning decades, this is the reading club for you
From the Club discussion:
Dmikester: My overall reaction to this was “Meh.” Not great, not bad by any means, but just kind of average. It is impressive to me that Micheline was able to make this whole concept (Doctor Doom and Iron Man fight in Camelot) not seem overly cheesy or even silly. There was enough originality in the plot and a strong enough focus on Iron Man and Doctor Doom that the setting served the plot rather than distracting
Week 22 – Marvel Zombies!
Marvel Zombies #1 to #5, Marvel Zombies 2 #1 to #5 ,Marvel Zombies 3 #1 to #4 ,Marvel Zombies 4 #1 to #4, Marvel Zombies 5 #1 to #5
I have to admit, I find the concept entirely silly, but given my enjoyment of The Walking Dead comic (and the 1st and 5th seasons of the TV show), and Marvel Zombies’ importance in Secret Wars, I’m willing to give it a shot.
From the Club discussion:
Reading this (only Marvel Zombies 1 and 2, but you can be darn sure I’m going to read the rest of them throughout the week) is one of the strangest experiences I’ve had reading comics. It was almost like I couldn’t believe what I was reading the entire time, even after Marvel Zombies 1 was done. It’s such a bizarre and surreal read, and while I’m not exactly sure I like it, it’s very captivating and you truly have no idea what’s coming next.
Week 23 – Deadpool
Since I just wrapped up Deadpool the video game (surprisingly fun!), we’ll be reading some Deadpool comics this week! If you’ve never read Deadpool before, get ready for some wacky hallucinations, voices inside your head, and a whole lot of explosives.
From the Club discussion:
Dmikester: “So… Deadpool, huh? Fan of the character or no?” See, here’s the frustrating thing about this read. Yes! I’m a Deadpool fan for sure! I’ve liked him in pretty much everything else I’ve read him in. I just feel like this didn’t give him any room to breathe and be a character.
Week 24- Irredeemable Ant-Man
Irredeemable Ant-Man #1 to #12
With the Ant-Man movie approaching (US release July 16), we’ll be taking a couple weeks to dive into the legacy of the Marvel U’s smallest Avenger. Before we look at the history, tough, we’ll stay around the same mid-2000’s continuity with Robert Kirkman’s Irredeemable Ant-Man.
From the Club discussion:
Brandonh: I found the series to be very well-written but the main character of O’Grady to be extremely unlikable. I gave every issue 3 stars except for #12, which got 4 stars.
Week 25 – Ant-Man Movie Comics!
Read these comics!
Ant-Man #1 (2015 series – yes, we’re starting with the 2015 series that was just released on MU this week.)
Iron Man #131 to #133 (yes, we’re reading an Iron Man story from the late 70’s (this is the series starting in 1968). Just trust me on this one!)
Avengers #223 (yes, we’re also reading an… oh never mind.)
From the Club discussion:
Mwalker6222: I would say I have a feel for the character now which is always a good primer for the movies as they come out. I think it is sometimes good for marvel to have a movie or TV series that while it is linked to the MCU, not necessarily fully involved in the Avengers. I would be okay with the Ant-Man movie being an on the sdie type film I think.
Week 26 – Hawkeye!
Read these comics!
Hawkeye #1 to #5 (by Matt Fraction and David Aja)
From the Club discussion:
dmikester: I freaking LOVED this. It’s the most excited and happy I’ve felt reading a comic in a long time, really the first since I read Saga for the first time.
Week 27 & 28 – Warren Ellis Marvel Comics!
Read these comics!
Iron Man: Extremis #1 to #6 (2004 to 2007 series)
Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #1 to #12
From the Club discussion:
dmikester: My favorite of these three is Nextwave, but I’m not going to pretend that it’s a particularly good story or comic or anything. I just loved the insanity of it; I was legitimately laughing out loud every single issue.
Week 29 – Fantastic Four by Waid & Wieringo
Read these comics!
Fantastic Four (1998 to 2012) #60 to #70 + #500 (Note that Fantastic Four renumbered after issue #70 for the #500 anniversary issue. Sales!)
From the Club Discussion:
brandonh: The Waid/Wieringo run was amazingly solid and a breath of fresh air for the Fantastic Four. The next 24 issues of the series continue the high quality seen in these 12 issues.
Week 30 – Classic Fantastic Four
Note that this week we’ll be diving into the middle of classic runs from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, John Byrne, and Walter Simonson and Art Adams. There will inevitably be the occasional “Middle of the run” dizziness that occurs when reading in such a manner. Grab a glass of water (or stiff drink) and plow ahead!
Read these comics!
Fantastic Four #48 to #51 (1961 to 1998 series)
Fantastic Four #267 to #268
Fantastic Four #347 to #349
From the Club Discussion:
dmikester: Well, I mean, the Galactus run is the stuff of legend, and it’s incredible to read it knowing that all of these concepts and character traits that are staples of the Marvel universe originated in these issues. However, I’d read it before, and the second arc from Byrne is devastating with the miscarriage, so that was certainly my favorite during this particular reading, but I think I’d give the edge overall to Kirby and Lee.
Week 31 & 32 – Hulks Smash
As you may recall from reading Planet Hulk, the Green Goliath is madder than he’s ever been and on his way back to earth. We’ll join him there, heading for World War Hulk.
The selections below all link to Comic Book Herald guides for various Hulk events. Since this is a lot of comics to read, we’ll reconvene in 2 weeks.
Let me also note you don’t have to read every tie-in to get the big picture here. You certainly can, but for World War Hulk in particular, you could read just the core 5 issue event series and be just fine. For Aftersmash, Hulk #1 to #6 and Skaar: Son of Hulk are going to help you understand Fall of the Hulks the most.
As a final note, the Fall of the Hulks and World War Hulks reading orders are brand new. As you read, I’d love to hear feedback and your thoughts on the guide. There are some definite open-ended placements of issues, particularly with the Savage She-Hulks, so I’m open to some outside perspective.
Read these comics!
dmikester: I actually think Fall of the Hulks might be my favorite. I was pretty underwhelmed by World War Hulk, especially with all of the tie-ins that didn’t really go anywhere, though the main arc was great and the reveal with Miek was unreal. But Fall of the Hulks had a cool frame; Ross and the Intelligentsia were so nutty and fun. Also, the Red Hulk reveal was truly jaw-dropping.
Week 33 – Secret Warriors
It’s worth noting up front that in our hopping around this year, we’ve skipped a couple essential ‘Secret’ storylines that explain Nick Fury’s status in the Marvel Universe come 2009. We won’t include in the official reading for this week, but now would be a great time to go back and check out Secret War andSecret Invasion!
Otherwise, we enter the scene in the immediate aftermath of Secret Invasion, as the Dark Reign is taking hold of the Marvel Universe.
Secret Warriors is notable for a couple reasons. First, it’s writer Jonathan Hickman’s first solo series with Marvel, laying the thematic groundwork for his excellent work on Fantastic Four, Avengers/New Avengers, and Marvel’s 2015 mega-event, Secret Wars. Simply put, it’s an instant classic.
Additionally, ABC’s Agents of SHIELD will – finally – be utilizing the Secret Warriors concept in season 3, which debuts on September 29. It’s been a long time coming, but if you’ll be watching the show, there’s no time like the present to see what Secret Warriors looks like in its original glory.
Read these comics!
Secret Warriors #1 to #6
Week 34 + 35- Jessica Jones, Alias and the Pulse
Unfortunately, the best Jessica Jones stories aren’t available on Marvel Unlimited! Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos’s excellent Alias is part of Marvel MAX, and therefore not in the MU library.
As such, I highly recommend you check out Alias prior to the new Netflix series (the trades are seeing a new print on Sept 22, but you can preorder now). In addition to inclusion in the early 2000’s Marvel Knights portion of the CBH reading order, Alias is one of my 100 favorite Marvel stories from 1998 to 2015.
Since it isn’t in Unlimited, though, our selection this week will be a strong follow-up from Ultimate Spider-Man team Bendis and Mark Bagley: The Pulse.
Note that The Pulse is also from the Marvel Knights era (1999 to 2004), and features mild references to Alias and Bendis’ run on Daredevil from the same time period. Otherwise, it is basically a Daily Bugle, Jessica Jones, Spider-Man story.
Read these comics!
The Pulse #1 to #5
Week 36 – Agent Venom
We’ll read how Agent Venom got his start under the Dan Slott helmed Amazing Spider-Man, and then kick off the amazing run from Rick Remender and Tony Moore on 2011’s “Venom.”
Read these comics!
Amazing Spider-Man #654 – IMPORTANT NOTE – The first 24 pages of issue #654 are the conclusion of a Spider-Slayer story running through ASM. The relevant Venom short story, “Rebirth”, begins on page #25.
Amazing Spider-Man #654.1
Venom #1 to #4 (2011 series)
Week 37 – Avengers and New Avengers (Marvel NOW!)
We’ll finally be leaping forward to Marvel NOW! this week, with a dive into the start on Jonathan Hickman’s epic run on Avengers and New Avengers.
As you may be aware, Jonathan Hickman is the writer in charge of Marvel’s enormous Secret Warsevent this year. The seeds for Secret Wars are expertly laid in the pages of Avengers and New Avengers, making these essential background reading.
Before we can even get to the mega-event of 2015, though, we’ll be leaping back to 2012 in order to set up reads on Infinity (Marvel’s 2013 event) and then Inhuman (a mid 2014 ongoing series for Marvel’s new focus on the Inhumans).
Read these comics!
Avengers #1 to #6
New Avengers #1 to #6
(Note that in my Avengers reading order, I suggest reading New Avengers #1 to #3 before Avengers #1 to #6, and then hopping back to New Avengers #4 to #6.)
From the Club Discussion:
giles_314: As far as the technical aspects, Hickman is a very talented writer and has a great way of setting the tone of complete hopelessness in New Avengers, and an interesting sense of grandeur and power in Avengers. I think the best artist in this reading is Opena. He gives that first Avengers story such a painterly quality that really made it feel like something otherworldly and different. Sad he had to leave.
Week 38 & 39 – Infinity
As you’ll recall from our Marvel Cosmic read earlier this year, Infinity is a loaded term in the Marvel U, and this event attempts to capture some of the epic grandeur of Infinity Gauntlet and Jim Starlin’s Infinity Trilogy from the 90’s.
Personally, Infinity is my favorite Marvel event story from 2011 to 2014, and will build towards both Secret Wars and Marvel’s increased efforts to hype the Inhumans.
The reading club focus will stick to the comics written by Jonathan Hickman, but if you want the full Comic Book Herald reading order, here you go.
I would also call out that reading Hickman’s Avengers and New Avengers in full will help bridge the gap between Infinity, if you’re so inclined to continue with the series we started last week. Even abridged, this is 17 comics in total, so I may allot for a two week reading period. I am nothing if not benevolent!
Read these comics!
Infinity #1
New Avengers #8
Avengers #18
New Avengers #9
Infinity #2
New Avengers #10
Avengers #19
Infinity #3
Avengers #20
Infinity #4
Avengers #21
New Avengers #11
Infinity #5
Avengers #22 to #23
Infinity #6
New Avengers #12
Week 40 – Inhuman
Following Infinity, there was a soft event titled Inhumanity. This was never particularly fleshed out, but it will provide a bit of context for our next read if you’re going all out. You can find the Inhumanity reading order here (all the way down!).
For our purposes, we’ll dive into the Inhumans first solo series of the 2010’s! 2014 marked the launch of Inhuman by Charles Soule, Joe Madureira, Ryan Stegman and others.
The first 13 issues are currently available in Marvel Unlimited, but we’ll stop with the first story arc. If you’re enjoying, and don’t mind a brief Axis tie-in interlude, I recommend continuing on with the series.
Read these comics!
Inhuman #1 to #6
From the Club Discussion:
pfinnegan: As a fan of both the Inhumans and the X-Men, this is a great time in Marvel comics. When Marvel finally started pushing the Inhumans, I thought “it’s about time.”
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