Dan Slott, Carlos Pacheco and Rachael Stott kick off the second Marvel Universe event of 2022, centered through Dan Slott’s ongoing Fantastic Four run and based on “the original secret war” of the Marvel Universe. Slott’s been quietly teasing the Reckoning War saga in Marvel Comics for 15 years, and it’s all revealed here.
Below you’ll find a complete guide to The Reckoning War reading order, including collected trades, comics to read before the event, and an issue by issue checklist.
Road to Reckoning War
Dan Slott’s comics career at Marvel is about 20 years old at this point, and in one of his earliest runs on She-Hulk he started planting the seeds for “Reckoning War.” These are more easter eggs for longtime readers than necessary background information, but if you’re curious about the full saga, and like Slott’s work, it’s worth a look.
Slott was Marvel’s choice to relaunch the Fantastic Four after a three year absence, and he’s been writing the title since Marvel Fresh Start began in 2018. This is definitely the most essential background reading, as Reckoning War is 9 parts the continuation of Slott’s FF run, and 1 part full-on Marvel Universe event.
In particular, you’ll want to look at Slott’s role in the Empyre event during this run, especially the teasers at the end of Fantastic Four: Empyre Fallout which directly set up Reckoning War.
The role of the Watcher, and continuity connections to Nick Fury is teased as relevant to Reckoning War. If you want to understand how Fury and the Watcher became so connected, look back to 2014’s Marvel Universe event written by Jason Aaron, “Original Sin.”
Collected Reckoning War Comics
Fantastic Four Vol. 10: Reckoning War Part 1
Reckoning War Reading Checklist
Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha #1
Fantastic Four #40
Reckoning War: Trial of the Watcher #1
Fantastic Four #41
Fantastic Four #42
Heroically Support Comic Book Herald!
If you like Comic Book Herald, and are able to donate, any small contribution will help keep CBH alive and full of new comics guides and content. Donate here! Or, support CBH’s My Marvelous Year on Patreon for exclusive rewards! Thank you for reading!