DC’s “Infinite Frontier” begins in 2021, hot on the heels of the “flash forward” stories of the two-month long “Future State.” Here you’ll find a complete reading order and checklist for the relevant DC Comics as they’re released!
Previously: Future State and Endless Winter
By: Nathan Payson
Road to Infinite Frontier:
Infinite Frontier is fairly straightforward to start, but there are a couple of things to read that will make your experience easier. Specifically, the Batman family begins with James Tynion IV run which continues straight into Infinite Frontier. While you can definitely jump into Infinite Frontier without any context, I strongly recommend reading the following books to get ready.
Road to Infinite Frontier: Batman
Batman: Infinite Frontier is the expansion of the bold ideas that Tynion IV that Tynion established in his Batman including new heroes, and villains. His run is coming off an 85 issue run on Batman by Tom King where King focused on two things: the romantic relationship between Batman and Catwoman, and the masterplan of Bane. At the end of his run, Bane basically left Gotham in near collapse and desperately in need of repair. Bruce, obviously, decides to help rebuild it in his image, and chaos breaks loose. First off, you should read Tynion’s opening arc.
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Collects: Batman #86-94
Dark Design leads into DC’s Joker War which is the final big event for the Batman family in Rebirth. You can check out CBH’s Joker War reading order here, but if you want the fast track, make sure to read these three essential books:
Collects: Batman #95-100
Detective Comics #1027: Story “The Black Casebook”
And the Joker War story in Catwoman #25 (The First One)
Following Joker War, most of the bat books are concluding plot threads from before Joker War, but there are three stories you should make sure to read.
Collects: Batman #101-105, a story from Detective Comics #1027 (probably “The Black Casebook”), and Batman Annual #5
Detective Comics: Joker War Aftermath
Collects: Detective Comics #1028-1033
Punchline #1 is a must read to enjoy the back-issue of the Joker series, and it’s surprisingly super fun.
Road to Infinite Frontier: Justice League
The Justice League Family has two very important books to read going into Future State.
First, you should check out Endless Winter Reading Order. Though the crossover isn’t a must read, it does provide a bunch of really cool teases for Infinite Frontier including the establishment of the Teen Titans academy and the increasing importance between Black Adam and Hypolyta.
Secondly, you should read Dark Knights: Death Metal. Death Metal is the big event that concludes DC Rebirth. It’s ending directly leads into Infinite Frontier #0 and is essential to understanding ideas like the omniverse and the current origins of the DC Universe. You can read all of Dark Knights: Death Metal #1-7 and you should be all set to go, or if you want you can read the entire event with Comic Book Herald’s Death Metal Reading Order.
Road to Infinite Frontier: Future State
Following Death Metal, the future is full of infinite possibilities. To explore the possible future of DC, multiple creators wrote books and back-issues with a possible future of their run. These stories take place anywhere from 3 to 1000000 years in the future, and reveal the dangers of enemies like the Magistrate and Merlin, and introduce us to new heroes like Yara Flor. You can check out the Comic Book Herald Reading Order here.
Infinite Frontier Part 1:
This book kicks off the era with an incredibly important set of stories that define the universe’s direction for the next couple of years. It includes important teases for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the upcoming Infinite Frontier Event and More.
Batman Family Part 1:
Follow the Jokers newest attacks the Batman family is forced to react. With Gotham full of new threats and allies, the Batman Family begins a new era. The Batman Family is trying to create a very connected line of books. Events in Catwoman will inform your reading of Harley Quinn, while the back-issue of a Batman book may spin-off into another series like Robin.
Batman Vol. 4: The Cowardly Lot Part 1
Collects: Infinite Frontier #0, Batman #106-111, and the Ghostmaker Back-issues from #107-111
Collects: Detective Comics #1034-1042 and the Huntress back issues
Collects: Joker #1-6 and the Punchline Back-Issues in those issues
Collects: Parts of Batman: Urban Legends #1-6 (But see below for specific contents)
Red Hood: Cheer in Batman: Urban Legends #1-6
Grifter: The Long Con in Batman: Urban Legends #1-5
In series, but has no trade info yet:
- The Outsiders: The Caretaker in Batman: Urban Legends #1-3,
- Harley Quinn: New Roots in Batman Urban Legends #1
- Oracle: Batman: Urban Legends #2
- Lady Shiva: Batman: Urban Legends #3
- Tim Drake: Batman: Urban Legends #4-6
- Luke Fox: Batman: Urban Legends #4
- Batgirls: Batman Urban Legends #5
- Zealot: Batman Urban Legends #6
Nightwing Vol. 1: Stepping into the Light
Collects: Nightwing #78-83
DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1
Catwoman Vol.4: Come Home Alley Cat
Collects: Catwoman #14-15, and #22-29
There is no way to really get into Infinite Frontier: Catwoman without reading Catwoman #25-28. While it is possible to start at 29, 29 assumes you’ve read #25-28. Don’t worry about the rest of the issues in that volume. Just read Catwoman #25-28. Catwoman #28 also sets up a plot point for Harley Quinn’s Batman: Urban Legends story, so it’s good to read too.
Catwoman Vol. 5: Shadow of the Valley of Death
Collects: Catwoman #29-33, Catwoman 2021 Annual #1
Harley Quinn Vol. 1: No Good Deed
Collects: Harley Quinn in Batman: Urban Legends #1 and Harley Quinn #1-6, Harley Quinn Annual 2021 #1
Collects: The Prelude (“Demon or Detective”) in Batman #106 then Detective Comics #1034, and then Robin #1-6.
The Next Batman: Second Son
Collects: The Next Batman: The Second Son #1-4
Digitally this collection is the shortened issues 1-12. Read Nathan Payson’s Review on CBH Here!!
Read: Batman: Secret Files: Signal #1, Batman: Secret Files: Oracle #1, Batman: Secret Files: Clownhunter #1
Read: Ghostmaker Back-issues from Batman #107-111 and Batman Annual 2021
Out of Continuity Batman Stories:
Read: Batman: The Detective #1-6
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight
Read: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1-6
Read: Batman/Catwoman #1-12 and Batman/Catwoman Special #1
Collects: Batman/Fortnite Zero Point #1-6
Batman: The Adventure Continues Season 2
Collects: Batman: The Adventures Continues #1-7
Batman ’89
Read: Batman ’89 #1-6
The Joker Presents: A Puzzle Box
Read: The Joker Presents: A Puzzle Box #1-7
Pennyworth
Read Pennyworth #1-7
Batman: Reptilian
Read Batman: Reptilian #1-6
Superman Family Part 1:
Collects: Superman #29, Action Comics #1029, and Superman #30-32
Back-Issue: Tales of Metropolis in Superman #29-32
Action Comics Vol. 1: War World Rising
Collects: Action Comics #1030-1033 and the Midnighter Back issue in Action Comics #1029-1035.
Midnighter 2021 Annual #1
Read: Superman and the Authority #1-4
Read: Superman: Son of Kal-El #1-3
Read: Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #1-8
Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom
Read: Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1-6
Out of Continuity Superman Stories:
Collects: Superman #1-6
Read Superman ’78 #1-6
Superman and Lobo
Read #1-3
Wonder Woman Family Part 1:
Everyone on Earth thinks Diana is dead and is grieving her death, meanwhile, Diana is taking on a mysterious new role.
Wonder Woman Vol 1: Afterworlds
Collects: Wonder Woman #770-779 and The Young Diana back-issues from those books.
Read: Wonder Girl #1-6
Out of Continuity Wonder Woman Stories:
Collects: Sensation Wonder Woman #1-12
Read: Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1-6
Justice League Family Part 1:
The Justice League books are shifting dramatically after the Snyder era. Each team is trying to mess with unique compositions and every single title has new characters. Suicide Squad is trying to level up it’s strength while the original Teen Titans have created a school to train new heroes.
Read: Justice League #59-63 and the Justice League Dark back-issue: Justice League #59-63
The Swamp Thing Vol. 1: Becoming
Collects: Swamp Thing #1-4 and Future State: Swamp Thing #1-2
Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Give Peace a Chance Part 1
Collects: Future State: Suicide Squad #1-2 and Suicide Squad #1-2
Note: Trade collects: #1-6 of Suicide Squad but there is a crossover in the middle of the book
Teen Titans Academy Vol. 1: X Marks His Spot Part 1
Collects: Teen Titans Academy #1-2
Note: Same as Suicide Squad Vol. 1
Teen Titans Academy/Suicide Squad Crossover
Read: Suicide Squad #3, Teen Titans Academy #3, Suicide Squad #4
Note: Issues are likely in the trade separately for each series
Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Give Peace a Chance Part 2
Collects: Suicide Squad #5-6
The Swamp Thing Vol. 2 Part 1
Read: Swamp Thing #5-6
Suicide Squad/Swamp Thing Crossover
Read: The Suicide Squad #6 and The Swamp Thing #7
Read: The Swamp Thing #8–10
Teen Titans Academy Vol. 1: X Marks His Spot Part 2
Collects: Teen Titans Academy #4-5
Teen Titans Academy 2021 Yearbook #1
Collects: Shazam #1-4
Read: Lobo and Crush #1-8
Flash Vol. 16: Wally West Returns
Collect: Flash #763-771 and Flash 2021 Annual #1
(The Infinite Frontier Story starts at #768)
Batman/Superman: The Archive of Worlds
Collects: Batman/Superman #16-21 and Batman/Superman 2021 Annual #1
Stargirl: Spring Break Special #1
Green Lantern Vol. 1: Invictus
Collects: Green Lantern #1-4 and Future State: Green Lantern #1-2
Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular #1
Read: Blue and Gold #1-8
Collects: Crime Syndicate #1-6 which includes the back-issues
Suicide Squad: King Shark FCBD #1
Out of Continuity Justice League Stories:
Read: Justice League #1-6
Read: Suicide Squad: Get Joker #1-3
Read: Justice League Infinity #1-7
Collects: Truth and Justice #1-7
Infinite Frontier Part 2:
The next phase of Infinite Frontier focuses on the Infinite Frontier event. Though the event is smaller in number of titles, its impact is still very large. Its main focus is revealing what Darkseid is trying to do, but also uses this to look at some other major plot points teased in Infinite Frontier #0
Collects: Infinite Frontier #0, Infinite Frontier: Secret Files #1, and Infinite Frontier #1-6
Read: Justice League Incarnate #1-6
Read: Teen Titans Academy #6-11
Collects: Checkmate #1-6
Batman Family Part 2:
The Scarecrow makes his move as Fear State begins.
Prelude to Fear State:
Batman FCBD #1
I am Batman #0
Catwoman #34
Harley Quinn #6
Fear State:
The Magistrate has been tricked by Scarecrow as he makes his move, as he tries to plunge Gotham into a “Fear State.” Will Batman and the Bat-Family be able to stop him and the Magistrate, or will Gotham plunge further into darkness? Like “Joker War,” the event is primarily told through Batman Vol. 5, Batman #112-117. At the moment, only a couple of tie-ins are out, so it’s too early to predict how they will be formatted in comparison to the main Batman issues. Based on solicts, I’ve tried to group it up into different plot threads of the event: The fight against the Anti-Oracle, The fighting in Alleytown, and the other smaller stories. I’ll be regrouping them after more issues are out. Below will also be the official checklist for people who want it.
Batman: Fear State: Alpha #1
Main Story:
Batman Vol. 5: Fear State Saga
Collects: Batman #112-117
Fighting Anti-Oracle:
Nightwing Vol. 2: Fear State Part 1
Collects: Nightwing #84-86
Alleytown and Poison Ivy:
Catwoman Vol. 6: Fear State and Harley Quinn Vol 2: Fear State Part 1
Batman: Secret Files: Miracle Molly #1
Catwoman #35
Harley Quinn #7
Catwoman #36
Harley Quinn #8
Batman: Secret Files: The Gardener #1
Catwoman #37
Harley Quinn #9
Other Stories during Fear State:
Detective Comics Vol. 2: Fear State Part 2
Collects: Detective Comics #1043-1045
(Part 1 of Vol. 2 is in Batman Family Part 1)
Read: I am Batman #1-3
Read: Task Force Z #1-2
Batman Urban Legends Vol. 2 Part 1
Collects: Batman Urban Legends #7-9
(Note #7 is a story about possible futures including Future State and Batman Beyond, but not Fear State)
Arkham City: The Order of the World Part 1
Read: Arkham City: The Order of the World #1-2
Finale:
Batman: Fear State: Omega #1
Fear State Comics Checklist:
September:
Batman #112
I am Batman #1
Batman #113
Batman Secret Files: Miracle Molly #1
Catwoman #35
Nightwing #84
Detective Comics #1043
Harley Quinn #7
October:
Batman #114
Arkham City Order of the World #1
Batman Urban Legends #8
I am Batman #2
Batman #115
Batman Secret Files: Peacekeeper #1
Catwoman #36
Nightwing #85
Detective Comics #1044
Harley Quinn #8
Task Force Z #1
November:
Batman #116
Arkham City #2
Batman: Urban Legends #9
I am Batman #3
Batman #117
Batman: Secret Files: The Gardener #1
Catwoman #37
Nightwing #86
Detective Comics #1045
Harley Quinn #9
Task Force Z #2
Batman: Fear State: Omega #1
Fear State: Aftermath
Detective Comics Vol. 2: Fear State Part 3
Collects: Detective Comics #1046
Batgirls Vol. 1
Read: Batgirls #1-2
Nightwing Vol. 2: Fear State: Part 2
Collects: Nightwing #87-88 and Nightwing Annual 2021
Batman Urban Legends Vol. 2 Part 2
Collects: Batman Urban Legends #10
Catwoman Vol. 6: Fear State Part 2
Collects: Catwoman #38
I am Batman Vol. 1 Part 2
Read: I am Batman #4-5
Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Fear Part 2
Read: Harley Quinn #10-11
Task Force Z Part 2
Read: Task Force Z #3-4
Arkham City: The Order of the World Part 2
Arkham City: The Order of the World #3-4
Read: Joker #7-14 and Joker Annual 2021
Shadow of the Bat Prelude:
Back Issues of Detective Comics #1044-#1046
Detective Comics Annual 2021
Shadow of the Bat:
Detective Comics #1047-1058
Batman Vol. 6: The Abyss
Read: Batman #118-119
Joshua Williamson is taking over as Batman leaves Gotham.
Catwoman Vol. 7
Read: Catwoman #39
Batman Beyond: Neo Year
Read: Batman Beyond: Neo Year #1
TV/Movie Continuities Batman Stories:
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Eat, Bang, Kill Tour
Read Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Eat, Bang, Kill Tour #1-6
Out of Continuity Batman Stories:
Batman Vs. Bigby: A Wolf in Gotham
Collects: Batman Vs. Bigby #1-6
Read: Batman: The Imposter #1-3
Batman: The Long Halloween Special #1
Read: Catwoman: The Lonely City #1-3
Robin and Batman
Read: Robin and Batman #1-3
Robins
Read: Robins #1-3
Batman: The Knight
Read: Batman: The Knight #1-10
Wonder Woman Family Part 2:
The Wonder Woman Family expands as Wonder Woman returns from her journey. How does Diana fit into this world that had to move on without her? Who are the Brazilian Amazons? How does the new Queen of the Amazons Nubia deal with her first political situation? And where does Hippolyta fit now?
Wonder Woman #780- #783
Wonder Girl Vol. 2
Read Wonder Woman #7-8
Read Nubia and the Amazons #1-6
Out of Continuity:
Wonder Woman Historia
Read: Wonder Woman Evolution #1-3
Wonder Woman Evolution
Read: Wonder Woman Evolution #1-6
Superman Part 2:
Superman has left earth. Everything is about to change. How do Superman and his Authority begin their war with Mongol, and how does Earth’s New Superman, Jonathan Kent, handle his new role in society.
Batman/Superman: The Authority Special #1
Superman: Son of Kal-el Vol. 1 Part 2
Read Superman: Son of Kal-el #4-6 and Superman: Son of Kal-el Annual 2021
Action Comics Vol. 2: War World Saga
Read Action Comics #1036-1039
Superman and Robin Special #1
Superman: Son of Kal-el Vol. 2
Read: Superman: Son of Kal-el #7
Superman And Robin Special
Superman Out of Continuity
World of Krypton
Read: World of Krypton #1-3
Justice League Family Part 2:
Read: Justice League #64-68
Note: Spins off into Deathstroke Inc! And the Aquaman Special #1
Read: Deathstroke Inc. #1-5
Aquaman Family
Aquaman 80th Anniversary Special #1
Note: Spins off into Aquaman: The Becoming and Black Manta
Read: Aquaman: The Becoming #1-6
Read: Black Manta #1-6
Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target
Read: Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #1-7
Other Justice Leaguers
Collects: Suicide Squad: King Shark #1-6
Suicide Squad Vol. 2
Collects: Suicide Squad #7-12
Green Lantern Vol. 2: Horatius
Collects: Green Lantern Annual 2021 #1, Green Lantern #7-12
Collects: One-Star Squadron #1-6
Flash Vol. 17: Eclipse
Collects: Flash #772-779
Read: Justice League #70-74, and Justice League 2022 Annual
- For the Annual you should make sure to read Generations
Collects: Monkey Prince #1-6
Read: Monkey Prince #7-12
Movie/ TV Continuity Justice League Family Stories
Titans United
Collects: Titans: United #1-7
Note: A Titans TV Show Comic
Out of Continuity Justice League Stories
Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target
Collects: Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #1-7
Collects: DC vs. Vampires #1-6
Read: DC vs. Vampires – Hunters #1, DC vs. Vampires – Killers #1, DC vs. Vampires #5-12
DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War
Read: DC vs. Vampires: All-out War #1-6
Collects: Dark Knights of Steel #1-6
Read: Dark Knights of Steel #7-12
Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1
Collects: The Human Target #1-6
Tales of the Human Target #1
The Human Target Vol. 2
Read: The Human Target #7-12
Read: Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1-3
Tis the Season to Be Freezin’ #1
Collects: Suicide Squad #1-3
Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace #1
Infinite Frontier Part 3: War Begins
With Gotham changing and Diana returning, the big Multiversal storyline begins to take shape. The Great Darkness is out there and different forces are interested in it. Eclipso, Necron, The Other Hand (From Multiversity), and more are here. On top of that, various wars begin to break out around the DCU. In Batman, a shadow war begins. On Earth-3, Amanda Waller begins an assault against the Crime Syndicate with a goal of preparing for a dark force. Meanwhile, the Amazon tribes all meet up for the very first time and tensions are high. Meanwhile in Gotham, the presence of a new Arkham Tower causes Gotham to shift and change, and Talia Al Ghul has slowly been building up her power, and finally she’s ready to make a move. Each of these books focus on different parts of what is coming next which is before everything changes in Justice League #75
The Forces of Darkness
Collects: Justice League Incarnate #1-5
Justice League vs. Legion of Superheroes
Read: Justice League vs. Legion of Superheroes #1-6
Batman Family Part 3:
Following Fear State, Gotham is looking to find new approaches to healing, and with Gotham quieting down, Batman needs to leave Gotham to investigate something. While he’s gone, Shadow of the Bat takes place. Rather than breaking the stellar Shadow of the Bat into two pieces, just know that Batman Vol. 6 ends right around Detective Comics #1056.
Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1
Read: Ra’s Al Ghul story
Deathstroke Inc. Vol. 1: King of the Super-villains
Collects: Black Canary Story from Batman: Urban Legends #6 and Deathstroke Inc. #1-7
Collects: Robin 2021 Annual, and Robin #7-11
Detective Comics Vol. 3: Arkham Rising
Collects: Detective Comics #1044-1046 and Detective Comics 2021 Annual #1
Batman Vol. 6: The Abyss
Collects: Batman #118-121 and Batman 2022 Annual #1
Joshua Williamson is taking over as Batman leaves Gotham.
Shadow of the Bat: The Tower
Collects: Detective Comics #1047-1058
Read: Deathstroke Inc. #6-7 and Robin #12
Collects: Shadow War: Alpha #1, Batman #122, Deathstroke Inc. #8, Robin #13, Batman #123, Shadow Warzone #1, Deathstroke Inc. #9, Robin #14, Shadow War: Omega #1
Read: Batman #124 and Robin #15-17
Collects: Batgirls #1-6
Collects: Catwoman #39-44
Arkham City: The Order of the World
Read: Arkham City: The Order of the World #1-6
Read: Harley Quinn #13-17
Read: Task Force Z #7-12
Collects: Batman: Urban Legends #11-16
Collects: Detective Comics #1059-1061
Read: Batgirls #7-9
Outside of Gotham
I am Batman Vol. 2: Empire State of Mind
Read: I am Batman #6-11
Read: Nightwing #89, Superman: Son of Kal-el #9, Nightwing #90-95
Gotham’s Potential Futures
DC loves to release “in-continuity” futuristic Batman stories like Batman: Beyond and the continuation of Future State. Both of these stories require a significant amount of knowledge to understand, and don’t have any effects on the rest of DC’s books.
Collects: Batman Beyond: Neo Year #1-6
Collects: Future State: Gotham #1-7
Collects: Future State: Gotham #8-12
Read: Future State Gotham #13-16
Batman: Out of Continuity:
Collects: Batman: Killing Time #1-6
Batman: Beyond the White Knight
Read: Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1-8
This is the fourth book in the Batman: White Knight saga
Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood
Read: Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood #1-2
Read: Batman: Fortress #1-8
Superman Family Part 3
It’s currently unclear how important Batman/Superman’s World Finest will be to the broader continuity.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest
Read: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1-6
Action Comics Vol. 3: War World Saga Part 2
Read: Action Comics 2022 Annual #1, Action Comics #1043-1046
Superman: Son of Kal-el Vol. 3
Read: Superman: Son of Kal-el #13-14
Superman: Out of Continuity
Superman: Space Age
Read: Superman #1-3
Justice League Part 3
This section is primarily about finishing up the current storylines for many of these books before they synch up with Dark Crisis. However, the opening of this section is a massive event as Amanda Waller finally makes her big play. Can she take control of Earth-3?
War for Earth-3
War for Earth-3 Prelude:
If you skipped Crime Syndicate, make sure to read the last three issues which have some important context for the event.
Collects: War for Earth-3 #1, Suicide Squad #13, Flash #780, Titans Academy #13, and War for Earth-3 #2
Read: Suicide Squad #14-15 and Titans Academy #14-15
Read: Flash #780-782
Read: Naomi: Season Two #1-6
Read: The Swamp Thing #11-16
Read: Flashpoint: Beyond #1-6
This is the sequel to DC’s Flashpoint from 2011. You can read the original Flashpoint’s reading order here
Black Adam
Read: Black Adam #1-3
Deathstroke: Year One
Read: Deathstroke Inc. #10-12
DC Pride 2022:
DC has committed to an investment in Queer comics, and I wanted to give these books their own little section because they deserve some extra spotlight on this list. Also include in the Pride 2022 books is Nubia: Queen of the Amazons. These books are all important to the continuity and aren’t just small side stories. They are definitely worth reading.
Read: Poison Ivy #1-6
DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1
Read: Multiversity: Teen Justice #1-6
TV and Movie Continuity
Read: Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1-3
This is a prequel comic to DC’s upcoming 2023 Flash Movie.
Earth-Prime
Read: Earth-Prime #1-6
This is an Arrowverse crossover series where each issue features a different show.
Out of Continuity Justice League Stories
Rogues
Read: Rogues #1-4
Read: Aquaman: Andromeda #1-3
Jurassic League
Read: Jurassic League #1-6
Danger Street
Read: Danger Street #1-12
Aquaman and The Flash: Voidsong
Collects: Aquaman and The Flash: Voidsong #1-3
Wonder Woman Family Part 3: Trial of the Amazons
The first Wonder Woman Family event in decades is finally here and the Amazonian tribes will never be the same.
Trial of the Amazons
Collects: Trial of the Amazons #1, Nubia and the Amazons #6, Wonder Woman #785?, Trial of the Amazons: Wonder Girl #1, Wonder Woman #786, and Trial of the Amazons: Wonder Girl #2, Trial of the Amazons #2
Trial of the Amazons: Aftermath
Read: Queen Nubia Coronation Special #1
Read: Wonder Woman #787-790
Read: Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1-4
Artemis: Wanted #1
Olympus: Rebirth #1Wonder Girl 2022 Annual #1
Batman Family Part 4
The next era of Batman stories begins with Chip Zdarsky taking the helm for the next era of Batman beginning with Batman #125. This era is essentially wrapping up major plot threads for Batman before Dark Crisis including the Damian-Bruce Relationship, Luke Fox working with Harley Quinn, and other lingering plot thread.
Batman: Failsafe
Read: Batman #125-126
Detective Comics: Nocturne
Read: Detective Comics #1062-1065
Sword of Azrael
Read: Sword of Azrael #1-6
Harley Quinn: Task Force XX
Read: Harley Quinn #18-21 and Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1
Batman: Urban Legends Vol. 4
Read: Batman: Urban Legends #18
Catwoman Vol. 8
Read: Catwoman #45-46
I am Batman Vol. 3
Read: I am Batman #12
Batman vs. Robin
Read: Batman vs. Robin #1-5
Note: Batman vs. Robin spins out of both the Robin series and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.
Batman: Movie and TV Continuity
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1
Batman: Out of Continuity
Batman – One Bad Day
Read: Batman – One Bad Day: The Riddler #1, Batman – One Bad Day: The Penguin, Batman – One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze, Batman – One Bad Day: Catwoman #1, Batman – One Bad Day: Bane #1, Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1, and Batman – One Bad Day: Ra’s al Ghul #1
Batman: Dear Detective #1
Justice League Family Part 4
Similar to Batman, there are multiple Justice League characters and Justice League adjacent stories which happen in the pre-dark crisis continuity even as Dark Crisis is coming out.
Black Adam Vol. 1
Read: Black Adam #1-2
The Flash 2022 Annual #1
The New Champion of Shazam!
Read: The New Champion of Shazam #1-4
Justice League: TV and Movie Universe
Young Justice: Targets
Read: Young Justice: Targets #1-6
This story takes place after Young Justice: Phantoms (The Show’s season 4)
Black Adam: The Justice Society Files
Read: Black Adam – The Justice Society Files: Hawkman #1, Black Adam – The Justice Society Files: Cyclone
This takes place before the Black Adam Movie
Justice League: Out of Continuity
DC: Mech
Read: DC: Mech #1-6
Young Justice: Targets
Young Justice: Targets #1-6
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods
Read: DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1-8
DC Saved by the Belle Reve #1
Infinite Frontier Part 4 – Dark Crisis
This is the BIG event of Infinite Frontier. Everything has been leading to this. From the passing of the torch, to the slow build of the Great Darkness threat, this event will dramatically change the DC Universe, and it opens with a book marketed as “The Death of the Justice League.” That story, Justice League #75, will lead to Dark Crisis which will be an emotional story built on acknowledging legacy, and finding light even in the darkest of times. It will feature massive moments like the first meeting of Yara Flor and Jonathan Kent, and other incredible important elements. It is clear that after this event, DC will look very different.
Dark Crisis Checklist
There’s an official Dark Crisis Checklist out from DC. However, as with most event checklists, the actual reading order based on chronology is different from the checklist which is based on release dates. In my Dark Crisis reading order, I’ve added the other tie-ins that weren’t on the checklist to the mix. Also check out the incredible Obituary for the Justice League by David Mann
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Where does Naomi season 1 go? I saw Season 2 on there and looked up and down a couple of times for Season 1 but I didn’t see it. Unless I missed it on there.
Naomi Season 1 is part of the Rebirth era (so it doesn’t go on this list) however, I would just make sure to read it right before Justice League vol. 1 of Bendis’s run as Naomi’s origin story sets up the story.
Can u update the dc reading order by adding the dc solicitations from September 2022 October 2022 November 2022 and December 2022
Is deep torget canon or no?
I don’t think so. When it was first announced, I thought it was, but I’ll probably move it to the out of continuity section
Thank you for your reply, it really helped me out! (Btw there’s a small mistake in the hyperlink for Detective Comics Joker War Aftermath, as it should take you to Vol 6 of Tomasi’s Detective Comics trade paperbacks instead of Vol 5).
Oh no! Thanks for the heads up. I’ll make sure to fix it!!
Hi, I’m sorry if I’m being dumb here but is this the reading list from 2021 onwards in terms of DC? Also in terms of the reading order, is it New 52 to DC Rebirth to DC Metal to Future State to Infinite Frontier? Lastly, would you ever do a recommended list of runs for the previous DC reading orders that are finished like New 52, DC Rebirth and Future State?
Hey! I’d recommend just starting with Infinite Frontier. It’s a very large shift from the Rebirth continuity and while a lot carries over, almost every single creative team has changed, alongside massive editorial changes that make the post-Rebirth DC much more new-comer friendly. I walk you through the main books you need to read in terms of starting points in the order.
So in terms of New-52, Rebirth, Future State, and Infinite Frontier there’s a couple things to understand. First off, these three eras (future state is different) are all part of the “post-modern era” of DC and each is built on the stories and writing of the last.
New 52: This era will feel very dated by now. There’s a couple of great stories to check out, but the DC back then is missing a lot of KEY components that define current DC. Many of these books are only kinda in continuity anymore, and tonally these books will feel very dark and more old school in terms of rosters, books, and content. These characters have changed a lot since New-52, and comparing the two eras is honestly becoming very hard to do. The editorial team was very problematic, the stories are often a mess and unfun, and there’s some serious bloat and lots of filler. Still some cool stories though.
Rebirth: Is the more recent soft reboot, which focused on cleaning up the messiness and darkness of New-52 and finding a much brighter tone, but many of the editorial issues that plagued New-52 manage to show their way into Rebirth as many plot threads take a long time to develop, and the stories have very few “Character developments” outside of the first year. The first year of stories is phenomenal and I love a lot of those stories, but each run kinda stalls its momentum during year two. The stories also get darker in year 3 and 4 and continuity becomes laughably difficult to explain. The end of Rebirth is sort of transitionary period as some books (Far Sector and Batman: Dark Designs) will end up being early set-up for the eventually soft reboot.
Future State is an event. It takes place in the future and is sort of a “Infinite Frontier in 5 years” type of story. It will very likely not be in continuity, 5 years from now, but there are some previews to what the future could hold that DC has been working towards like Yara Flor and Jonathan Kent being a duo in the future, and they are about to meet for the first time. The justice league members in Future State are all becoming more important as Infinite Frontier continues.
Infinite Frontier: The current era of DC Comics. Every in-continuity book you’ve read in the last year from DC takes place in this era, and features a passing the torch set of stories as the justice league began passing the torch to the next generation of heroes. I’d recommend anyone looking to get into DC Comics starts here. If you catch up, I’d go back and read Future State, and then if you finish that (not too long) to go look for a fast track guide of sorts through Rebirth to get the essential stories and context. Outside of a couple of top tier stories from New 52, I REALLY don’t recommend reading that era.
Don’t fall into the trap of “OH, I want to know this person’s story, let me go back and see how we got here” until after you catch up. There’s so many stories that it is better to roll with the punches and slowly “catch up” than trying to force yourself to read older stories, especially while your getting your foot in the door. Characters like Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Jackson Hyde, and Wally may have a lot of history, but where they start during Infinite Frontier primarily are great jumping on points that leave the history as background context rather than “You must know this or you will be lost” Hope that helps, and have fun with your Infinite Frontier reading experience!
I check back every day to see if this has been updated yet lol. Thank you for taking the time even to do as much as you have already.
So sorry. I promise the March and April stuff is coming soon. Just a lot to rework with that info (and new info from reading the last round of comics.
The March through June update should be up very soon. I’m sorry to everyone who was relying on it. Fortunately I’ve made some nice changes that should make some of the bloated parts a little more digestible.
will this page be updated or will the lists be on a new page
This will be updated!
Hey man…I was wondering abot the reading order for all the things leading up to Justice League #75. And will this be updating cos Justice league #70 has come out and i didnt see it on this list? Thanks for all the great work
Thanks so much!!
Justice League #70-72 are on the list though hard to find due to no attatched links. I’m working on the March and April stuff, but there’s a lot more complicated stuff in there (and I’m starting a new semester of college), so it’s taking a little bit. Hopefully it will be up before the may solicits which will probably be wild.
in the mean time, I don’t think #75 will have a significant relationship to the rest of bendis’s run so I’d recommend:
Williamson Act 1:
1. Infinite Frontier #0, Infinite Frontier Secret Files #1, Infinite Frontier #1-6
Williamson Act 2:
1. Justice League Incarnate (The main story)
2. Road to Shadow War (Batman #118-, Robin #1-, Deathstroke Inc. #1-)
3. Eclipso’s Story (Superman and the Authority #1-4, and Flash #775-)
4. The Upside Down Man’s Story (Justice League Dark Back Issues of Justice League #54-)
5. Shadow War
Williamson Act 3:
Justice League #75
Hello and thanks for all the work. I cant found it and dont know where to puti it, where does batman #118 go?
Sorry, I already found it in this list, my bad
Hey thanks so much for the positive feedback!!! Batman #118 goes after Fear State and is under Batman Vol. 6 for now. I plan on redoing the Post-Fear State Batman stuff at some point, but apologies for it’s currently messy state…..Oh….after Future State and Fear State comes….Messy State. In all seriousness, thanks so much for using the order!!!
But also, remember that Batman #118 is the start of a new run with a new writer and as such is pretty easy to jump straight into. I finally got to read it last week, and it doesn’t require much context to dive into (albeit knowing what Batman Inc. is may be mildly important…)
Hey man thanks for the help with Batman #118, actually Im reading all batman since year one and I have done it according to your order of batman that you posted on this site which has been very helpful to organize so many numbers. I go only for Knightfall, but I like to keep my collection up to date and organized.
Two questions: The first, here in this order you put Robin Vol. 1 only up to the number 6, so where would the numbers 7, 8 and 9 go? The second, I have a comic named Batman: One Dark Knight, is it an out of continuity story or not? And if not, where would it go? Thansks for ordering my Batman collection and happy new year.
Thanks so much for the questions, I’ll do my best to answer them, but just as a reminder. I didn’t write the whole Batman reading order. I merely made significant updates to it and spent a lot of time checking that links still worked, that the information is accurate, and reordered to the best of my knowledge. That knowledge being more about release dates than about the content itself (I don’t have time to read every batman book if you get what I mean) As such some books are probably a little out of order. Where I am 100% certain of is in my knowledge is Rebirth to today.
1. Batman: One Dark Knight is an out of continuity story. You can tell because it is a black label book and all new black label books are out of continuity with kinda 2 exceptions (Three Jokers and Snyder’s The Last Knight on Earth). Those two books kinda connect to continuity via Rebirth #1 and as a vague similarity to Death Metal, but neither is actually in-continuity.
2. Robin #7-10 will go right after Vol. 1. I think that Robin #11 will be around Shadow of the Bat, but as far as I can tell Robin’s story doesn’t connect to the larger plot of the world until Shadow War begins (Which hasn’t been added to this yet, because I got to sit down and figure that out.). Basically, #1-10/11 seem to be a big connected arc that DC itself is breaking into 2 volumes. There’s no gap in time between #6 and #7 up until #10 (which you’ll know what I mean once you’ve read it). I’m just guessing on #11 and #12 though as until they come out, it’s kind of a mystery what is happening there exactly.
Hope that helped,
Nathan
Very helpful, all doubts were satisfied. Thanks a lot!
I think you are often meaning “back story” (the small tale sometimes found after the main story in a comic) when you are saying “back issue” (a previously-published comic).
You are absolutely right……OOPS. Thanks so much for pointing it out. I’ll make sure to change the instances of Back-issue into Back-up story in the next revision of the reading order.
Will the list be updated?
Changes should be up very soon! (This batch took longer than normal because of the Fear State coverage and adding some more things to earlier sections (you’ll see).
Given that the updates aren’t quite up yet and solicts for January are up I’m adding January Solicts to it before it comes out. I apologize, BUT it will be a massive update, so you are in for a treat!!
Hey Nathan! Thanks for organising the messy line up of DC comics, haha. I was just wondering if you are including each and every comic released by DC since March, 2021 or it is a selected few comics only. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks again!
It’s every Infinite Frontier Book and then the out of continuity stuff is labeled as such. I’m missing some books from the kids line and the horror books which aren’t in continuity and aren’t for the same audience as Infinite Frontier. If you want to see every comic released by DC since March, I suggest looking at solicits for those months.
I stopped being able to use CBH because it seemed like the DC stuff was finished with here but reading all your articles today have been an absolute godsend today Nathan. I’m always working through Batman stuff a year or two behind so this content is really really helpful. Thank you very much.
Thanks so much!!! I’m so happy to help provide more DC Content to the site. I got some DC reviews coming up soon!!!
Does anyone know if the house of Kents came out and if not do you know the date exactly? I’ve looked up bubt all of them have different dates so I’m not sure.
I assume that you are referring to the last volume of Bendis’s Action Comics run. My understanding is that that book is coming out September 22nd
Hey, I have the unholy mixture of Autism and Depression, so my interests in things like comics tend to wax and wane, and I’ve recently been getting back into DC Comics, but, as usual, I now find myself wondering what is NEEDED to read for me so I can get a hold on the necessary basics for understanding stories. I have read basically just The Batman Who Laughs and the Event Leviathan and Witching Hour series (no tie ins except JLD, since I love magic stories, but I’ve still only finished volumes 1 and 2 of that), and a few bits of Rebirth and Sandman Universe stuff here and there that interested me. Bless DC, I love them, but this event and crossover stuff makes choosing what to read really confusing because I don’t want to go into a series only to discover that I need to read some other single issue of a comic with a character I don’t care about starring in it in order to understand what’s going on. Could I get a reading list of stories that will give me enough information to basically pick up any series and not be confused, because if so, that would be amazing! Thanks!
Actually, you’re looking at it. Infinite Frontier is DC’s latest brand-wide jumping on point. Start at the beginning of this article, read what’s suggested and you’re up on modern DC. If you want to go back a little further then you can start at the DC Rebirth Reading Order.
Infinite Frontier is a great starting point. I would say the only thing you really need to know if what happened in Tynion’s run of Batman (#86-100). Otherwise, knowing that Diana “died” to connect the universe together at the end of Death Metal #7 should be good.
So I think
Batman Vol. 1: Their Dark Designs
(Just know Bane just tried to level Gotham)
Batman Vol. 2: Joker War
Batman Vol. 3: Ghostmaker
Death Metal: #1-7
(Just know the batman who Laughs took over the earth)
Detective Comics Vol. 6: Road to Ruin
(Just know Damian is on bad terms with Batman)
Future State: Dark Detective #1-4
(Just so you can know the basics of the magistrate)
Otherwise Infinite Frontier is a stellar place to start. It’s very continutity-lite and is full of new ideas that make it very accessible.
Thanks to the both of you so much!
Actually, is there any way someone can explain the transition from Batman Rebirth to Batman Infinite Frontier? Does the order go Tom King’s Rebirth, James Tynion’s Rebirth, Death Metal, Future State: The Next Batman, then Infinite Frontier. Any replies I would appreciate. Thank you!
Yes. Sio by Time line it’s Tom King Batman –> James Tynion Batman (up to the end of Ghost makers)–> Infinite Frontier Batman –> Future State
However, Future State is intended to be read in between Ghostmakers and Infinite Frontier Batman.
Mild Spoilers below
Tom King’s Batman focuses on the rise and fall of Bat/Cat and the masterplan of Bane. At the end of his run #85, Gotham is left torn apart and Bruce plans to rebuild. Tynion begins a couple months later now that Gotham is rebuilt with a Wayne centric design. However Joker comes and causes chaos resulting in Detective Nakano deciding to run on an Anti-mask policy for Mayor of Gotham. He wins in Detective Comics #1033 (I think), and promises a new future for Gotham. This is the end of ghost makers (Batman #105 as well). Then we flash forward to Future State and see how Nakano’s mayorship changes Gotham. Now the Magistrate is in control. We don’t know how, we just know it happens. Now we got back to Infinite Frontier and continue the story where the magistrate is jut being conceived of as an idea. The readers now understand the threat of the Magistrate on the future, even if the heroes don’t. Timeline wise Future State hasn’t happened in Infinite Frontier, but as readers we’ve seen basically a flash forward.
Looking at the Next Batman stuff specifically, Jace (formerly Tim) Fox’s story begins with Future State: The Next Batman where we learn that he is the next Batman through the flash forward before we begin with his origins in the currently releasing Next Batman: Second Son Digital-first mini-series. Chapter 8 of that came out today, but if you want to read physically, it is releasing in single issues right now with issue 1 coming out early this month.
Hey man, sorry I haven’t gotten back in a while. But, thank you so much for explaining all this for me. Batman has been a hobby of mine for a long time and I’ve really been wanting to understand the current storyline. So, once again thanks man, this really clears things up.
Don’t worry about it!!!
Actually future state is a future that could happen but might not happen depending if certain characters can change them
Thanks a lot! Really helped me understand better!
Thanks so much for the kind words!!
Awesome! Thanks for this!
awesome, thank you. love comicbook herald