This was the third Ultimate ongoing to come out, after Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men. It was meant to launch and be primarily written by Bendis and Millar (combining the writer of USM and UXM) but because of scheduling the result was a few different writers tagging in and out.
Bold=main story
Italics=optional
UFF 1-26 — Bendis/Millar 1-6, Ellis 7-18, Carey 19-20, then Millar returns for his solo run introducing Marvel Zombies in 21.
UFF Annual 1
UFF 27-32
Ultimate Gah Lak Tus Trilogy: Ultimate Nightmare 1-5, Ultimate Secret 1-5, Ultimate Vision 0, Ultimate Extinction 1-5 — this is tricky because publishing everything took place over a year, but the FF are prominent in Secret and Extinction. Ultimate Vision collects the backups from Ultimate ongoings that flesh out backstory. I ended up sticking it between writer runs.
ULTIMATE X4: Ultimate X-Men/UFF 1, UFF/UXM 1 — two separates #1s differentiated by swapping name order. The naming idea is so stupid it broke the fandom wiki, so the second link is to the actual comic. Begins Mike Carey’s run.
UFF Annual 2
UFF 33-46
Ultimate Power 1-9 — Event miniseries with characters from across the Ultimate line at odds with Supreme Power, the MAX version of Squadron Supreme.
UFF 47-57 — Carey Leaves
Ultimate X-Men/FF Annual 1, Ultimate FF/X-Men Annual 1 — same deal as the previous crossover. This also begins Pokaski’s run writing this and UXM through Ultimatum.
Does Deadpool have any other good comics where hes humanized more like in Joe Kelly and Mark Waids runs?
Idk if there are any with that kind of emotional growth or vulnerability, but there are some where he’s an actual character instead of peak meme.
There’s a wordless issue with him from #61 in the first volume — he dies the previous issue and attends his funeral as a ghost.
I loved Gail Simone’s run from the end of Vol 1 through Agent X, but that was more for its humor and I can’t remember how earnest he is in it.
Remender’s Uncanny X-Force does a great job of balancing his dark humor with a real character, and it’s the source of that scene where he gives a pep talk to a kid in the X school. It’s also just a great run.
Cable & Deadpool was the first hint that there was more below the surface but I’ve only read a handful of issues.
I’m told the duggan/Posehn run does a great job with him, and I believe it’s where his version of talking to a suicide jumper (a la all-star superman) is from. I looked this up and it’s actually from the relaunch after Posehn left. #20 of the 2016 volume. Make sure adblock is on.
Hope that helps, and if you find what you were looking for like let me know
Suicide Squad by John Ostrander (and Kim Yale) Reading Order
This is the run that influenced both movies to the point where James Gunn has given it multiple shoutouts.
It created Amanda Waller, distinguished the team, and gave many characters new characteristics, like Deadshot’s death wish and Captain Boomerang’s backstory. Because of the constantly rotating lineup Ostrander was able to bring characters out of limbo like Shade (who spun out into a miniseries that was so popular it became a 70 issue run), Vixen, Bronze Tiger, and Nightshade and make them significant. As well as turning Barbara Gordon into Oracle.
Something I never see mentioned is that a couple dozen issues into the run Kim Yale —a DC editor and eventually wife of Ostrander— started being credited as co-writer through to the end.
Bold=Main Story
Italics=Optional
Legends 1-6 — Event miniseries by Ostrander that brings the team together. You can just skim the SS parts, which is any scene with Boomerang, Waller, or Flag.
Secret Origins 14
Suicide Squad 1-10
Doom Patrol/SS Special — Takes place around the same time as 11 and 12 but 12 spoils the end.
SS 11-12
Justice League International 13, SS 13 — Crossover
SO 28 — Backstory of Nightshade. Not by Ostrander but she has a detailed origin that shouldn't be skipped.
SS 14-18
Deadshot 1 — 4 issue miniseries by Ostrander. The character doesn't show up in SS again until 22 but this issue has a break between stuff and is mentioned in 19, whereas 2-4 are one story.
SS 19
Manhunter 6, SS Annual 1 — Manhunter sets things up but the Annual feels so different that it doesn't come off like the same story.
SS 20
Deadshot 2-4
SS 21-26
The Janus Directive: Checkmate 15, SS 27, CM 16, SS 28, CM 17, Manhunter 14, Firestorm 86, SS 29, CM 18, SS 30, Captain Atom 30 — long crossover, involving some other titles by Ostrander.
SS 31-66
SS (V3) 1-8 — Returned years later for an 8 issue miniseries that spins out of Rucka’s Checkmate. It works fine without reading Checkmate (which I still haven’t.)
SS 67 — The title comes back years later as part of Blackest Night but it's really more of a Secret Six tie-in and should be read with that instead.
See Also:
Firestorm — Beginning with 55 Ostrander takes over. This was written around the same time as SS and even crosses over during the Janus Directive.
Spectre 1-22, 0, 23-33, Annual 1, 34-62 — Beginning shortly after SS ends, Ostrander begins by far the longest run anyone has had with the right hand of God. Partnered with his frequent penciler Tom Mandrake.
Martian Manhunter 0, 1 Million, 1-36 — After Spectre ends he and Mandrake tell the definitive (and again, longest) run of the character. I would recommend it to anyone curious about MM.
Secret Six — Gail Simone was a big fan of Ostrander’s Suicide Squad and this is basically her version of it, even co-writing an arc with him. It goes through a couple volumes and short return during New 52.
Villains United 1-6, VU Infinite Crisis Special, Secret 6 1-6, Birds of Prey 104-108, S6 1-16, Suicide Squad 67, S6 17-30, Doom Patrol 19, S6 31-36, DC Sneak Peek: S6, S6 1-14
I considered doing one list of Kevin Smith through Waid, which is volumes 2 through 4, but I don't remember Shadowland well enough or want to re-read it, so I'll only do this for now and maybe just do V2 later.
After a depressing life series of events, MMM (Matthew Michael Murdock) decides to go with a fake-it-til-you-make-it outlook on life. The result is a more upbeat, Nightwing-adjacent take on the character, while no less complex or dramatic. I didn't love everything but I loved reading it, and the art never disappoints.
Bold=main story
Italics=optional
Daredevil Volume 3
Daredevil (V3) 1-7
Amazing Spider-Man 677, DD 8
DD 9, 10, 10.1
Omega Effect: Avenging Spider-Man 6, Punisher (V9) 10, DD 11 — Crossover co-written by Rucka and Waid.
DD 12-15
DD Annual (2012) — Not by Waid or relevant to his story
DD 16-30
Indestructible Hulk 9-10 — Waid has DD guest star in the other title he writes. This has no bearing or mention of the story in DD and can be read (or not) anytime before 31.
DD 31-36
Daredevil Volume 4
After Secret Wars Three (2015) the title relaunches with the same creative team and the hero now moving to San Francisco
DD: Road Warrior Infinite Comic (also known as DD 0.1) — Like all infinite comics this has a normal version but I'm a fan of the format and this one works well. If you read stuff digitally and choose infinite, make sure to turn off the blur or delay animation when changing pages in settings.
DD (V4) 1, 1.5-14 — 1.5 is a double-sized anniversary issue.
DD 15.1, 15-18 — 15.1 comes before 15. Nothing from 15 is spoiled.
See Also:
Daredevil: Dark Nights 1-8 — This is a collection of unrelated arcs stuffed together. The first 3 issues are great, 4-5 are good and really fun.
If you have any questions feel free to reply in the notes, chat, or my asks
Fables is a Vertigo comic about the real life versions of characters from public domain stories who escaped their worlds and created a small community gathered in one block in NY called Fabletown. They’re ageless and the story begins a few hundred years after their arrival, when they’re well established and accustomed to their situation. A similar story was told in the show Once Upon A Time but that was a pretty watered down simulacrum. I cobbled this list together from a few others that were mostly accurate but still needed some cleaning up. The digital editions of the single issues were missing some extras like the prose stories so I had to seek out the digital Deluxe Editions to read them; I’ve included links to a google drive with them (if for some reason in the future they stop working send me a message.)
Overall the spin-offs and extras result in 268 issues
—The Wolf Among Us: Adapts the TellTale game which was based on the IP but not an established story. It’s also a great comic by itself, even if it’s the only Fables thing you ever read. Technically it’s a prequel but like all prequels it has enough not-so-subtle hints to spoil things revealed later.
—Jack of Fables: This first spin-off follows the character leaving Fabletown. It’s very meta and has back and forths with characters/events parallel to the Fables, so if you want to understand the full picture you’ll want to read it.
—Cinderella: Not exactly a spin-off but she gets 2 miniseries. She was a character I really liked so these were just what I wanted. Events from these are referenced in future stories.
—Fairest. The last spin-off and an anthology so other creators can join in and introduce previously unmet fables. This continues and concludes quite a few Fables plot threads while also creating some that are closed in the main title.
Bold=main story
Italics=optional
Fables 1-13
The Last Castle — OGN
Fables 14-17
A Wolf in the Fold — Short prose story. Some collected editions place it after 5 or 10 -and It could go anywhere- but I like it here so it doesn’t spoil something. Updated link.
Fables 18-35
Jack of Fables 1-5 — Technically 34 and 35 take place a year in the future to show Jack’s exodus from the title, which this immediately continues, but moving them to their chronological spot is overthinking it.
Fables 36-47
1001 Nights of Snowfall — OGN
Fables 48-49
Fables: The Wolf Among Us — I placed this here so that you’ve already met the players involved and understand their dynamics with each other. Came out in 3 formats: 48 digital chapters, 16 print issues, and 2 TPBs.
Fables 50-69
Jack of Fables 6, 11*, 7-10, 12-21 — *6 and 11 are a two parter that was split because of publishing issues unrelated to the story; they’re together in the collections. Nothing is spoiled by reading 11 before 7 and I put 6 first because 7 references interrupting the arc. (Again: a very meta title.)
Fables 70-75
Fables: Max and Peter — A full prose novel by Willingham that introduces Peter Piper and Bo Peep, who become more involved as the comic goes on. Mostly takes place before coming to NY but the way it’s told spoils events in 75. Also references Fabletown events not mentioned elsewhere. It’s a good read, even by itself for a non-Fables reader.
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love 1-6
Jack 22-32
Fables 76-82 — from 78-82 there’s a backup story following Mowgli, digital editions only have the fifth entry, which is the only reason I even knew they were a thing. Events here do come into play later so I put them altogether at the back of this 82 cbr file.
THE GREAT FABLES CROSSOVER: F 83, J 33, The Literals 1, F 84, J 34, TL 2, F 85, J 35, TL 3 — This is really a Jack of Fables story, but things occur that do affect the fables title. I doubt the plot would be understandable for someone not reading Jack, however this doesn’t justify reading those first 32 issues if you don’t want to.
Jack of Fables 36-45
Fables 86-100
Pinocchio’s Army — Prose story not in digital editions but referenced in future stories. Updated link.
Cinderella: Fables are Forever 1-6
Werewolves of the Heartland — The only OGN that never gets mentioned later. It continues a previously mentioned story but not one that was left on a cliffhanger or anything. I’d still read it because why not?
Fables 101-107
Fairest 1-6 — Picks up directly after events in 107
Fables 114-124 — Other lists split 123 and 124 but IDK why when there’s a backup story from 114-123 that concludes in 124.
Fairest 14-20
Fables 125-126 — Things get split up and swap in the middle of arcs starting here. But these later Fables stories aren’t really focused arcs so interrupting them isn’t a big deal.
Fairest 21-22 — Only bolding this because it expands on something introduced in the main title that would otherwise go unexplained. I suspect some of the final 3 Fairest arcs had their release order jumbled. I’d put them where they ideally would’ve gone but they still coincide with events in the main title at the time, so they’re locked into release chronology regardless of the original plan.
Fables 127-133
Fairest 23-26
Fables 134
Fairest in all the Land — OGN; concludes multiple threads
Fables 135-140
Jack of Fables 46-50 — Published years earlier but takes place decades later. Whether you read it here or after 45 can go either way. I kept it here because previous issues reference things that will happen. Depends if you interpret that as a spoiler.
Fairest 27-28 — The plot follows up on a really old thread and is referenced in the next Fables issue.
Fables 141-142
Fairest 29-32 — This still spoils a costume change but it can’t be helped
Fables 143-149
Fairest 33 — One shot that can be read anytime after the OGN FiatL; I think I put it here for breathing room. Technically leads up to the OGN but is written with the expectation that you’ve already read that and would spoil everything in that story.
Fables 150 — Large enough it was only released as a tpb. Simultaneously issue 150 and Vol. 22
See Also:
Everafter 1-12 — Spin-off by the writer(s) of TWAU and Jack set 7 years after 150. Very different in tone, art and content.
Fables Encyclopedia — A brief summation of the literary origins for all the characters across the books. Coffee table book but a fun read for info.
Fables 151-162 — The 2022 return of the series for 12 issues.
Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham 1-6 — This miniseries crossover with Batman was released before the official Fables relaunch but takes place a year after it, according to Willingham.
Looking back on this run gives me headaches. But I made the Ben Reilly list as setup for 75 so I figured I’d read the first 74. And seeing how much adjacent stuff there was I figured I’d share.
A couple big things happen before this. One is Peter revealing his identity to JJJ, another is Peter’s “sister” returning well after her introduction in Family Business. Both of these happen in Zdarsky’s Spectacular spider-man run, which has a direct enough order.
FCBD 2017: Secret Empire B story
Spectacular Spider-Man (V3) 1-6
SSM 297-305, SSM Annual 2018, 306-310 -- There are 3 more issues but they’re part of Spider-Geddon and not by Zdarsky. Spider-Geddon basically happens before Spencer’s run and I don’t think is ever mentioned.
Another thing is Aunt May getting cancer. This is introduced and concluded in Tom Taylor’s Friendly Neighborhood SM run.
FCBD 2019: Spider-Man
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (V2) 1-14
But none of those are necessary for this run, simply the origin of those changes.
[ASM Annual 2018] -- Adding this just for the completion sake. It’s completely unrelated but goes between Slott and Spencer’s runs. It’s a flashback to black costume Peter from the symbiote’s point of view.
[FCBD 2018: ASM] -- The Free Comic Book Day issue is a prelude to the run.
ASM V5 1-15
HUNTED: ASM 16, 16.HU, 17-18, 18.HU, 19, 19.HU, 20, 20.HU, 21-23 -- Hunted was the first big storyline. The .HU issues follow a different character in each.
ASM 24-29 — MJ leaves for LA in 25
[Red Goblin Red Death], ASM 30-31 -- These are Absolute Carnage Tie-ins. RGRD is just a couple stories about Norman’s time with the symbiote. These are the only issues with any relation to Donny Cates’ Venom run.
ASM 32-34, [2099 Alpha, FF 2099, Punisher 2099, Conan 2099, Ghost Rider 2099, Doom 2099, Venom 2099, Spider-Man 2099, 2099 Omega], ASM 35-36 — This reboots all of 2099 with new origins. Only the Alpha, Omega and SM issue are by Spencer and important to ASM. the rest are self contained and can be read in any order. Doom isn’t important, but it’s relevant and really good. Conan is irrelevant but fun.
ASM 37-43
[FCBD 2020: Spider-man] -- Short story with Black Cat by the BC writer. Unrelated.
Amazing Mary Jane 1-5 — This tells the story of MJ in LA. The writer planned her exodus with Spencer so the timeline would sync with ASM, but it was cancelled because of the pandemic. There was a sixth issue starting a new arc that was never continued and is no longer considered canon. She returns in 51 so this can be read anywhere between 25 and 50
SINS RISING: ASM 44, [Sins Rising Prelude], ASM 45-48, [Sins of Norman Osborn], ASM 49
LAST REMAINS: ASM 50, 50.LR, 51, 51.LR, 52, 52.LR, 53, 53.LR, 54, 54.LR, 55-57 -- This is really still part of Sins Rising but they decided to give it a new arc name. I tried moving around or combining the LR issues without success; they have to be read alternated.
ASM 58-65, [Giant-Size ASM: King’s Ransom] -- The Giant-Size concludes the arc.
ASM 66-69, [Giant-Size ASM: Chameleon Conspiracy] -- Same as above.
ASM 70, Sinister War 1, ASM 71, SW 2-3, ASM 72, SW 4, ASM 73-74 -- The SW issues don’t line up very well at all with the main ones but this was how I organized them before reading it and never saw a reason to move them around.
Ben hasn’t been up to much since Revelations, the arc that brought an end to The Clone Saga, probably because he died. But he did show up in a few flashbacks and nods before being brought back proper.
ASM Annual 36, ASM 608-610 — Also features the first appearance of Kaine since the Clone Saga ended. I considered adding all of Kaine’s appearances because of the overlap but that’s a big list by itself. I wasn’t planning on doing one but does anyone want it?
Spider-Verse
An alternate universe version of him is part of the clone trio in this tie-in, totally skippable but the lineup is great (Ben, Kaine, Ultimate Jessica Drew) and the brotherly bickering is fun. The plot is somewhat self-contained enough to enjoy it even without the rest of the event.
Scarlet Spiders 1-3
The Clone Conspiracy
This is his big return. If you don’t care about the tangential stuff you can just start here. There are 2 chunks, the first is basically a prelude arc, second is the real thing.
ASM (V4) 16-18, [Captain America FCBD (2016) B story], ASM 19
Clone Conspiracy 1, ASM 20, CC 2, ASM 21, CC 3, ASM 22, CC 4, ASM 23, CC 5, ASM 24, [CC Omega]
Scarlet Spider: Ben Reilly
After the events of Clone Conspiracy he peaces out to Vegas. This title starts slow but around issue 7 it really kicks into gear. Stick with it.
SS 1-6
Secret Empire -- This isn’t about Ben but it has an effect on Vegas that is followed up in Ben’s story. For an idea of how crucial it is, I still haven’t read it and got along fine.
SS 7-14
Damnation 1, 2
SS 15
Damnation 3
SS 16, 17
Damnation 4
SS 18-25
Spider-Geddon
After SS: BR is cancelled he next appears in this crossover. I made a post just for it that you can find by clicking on the name above.
Team-Ups
Random appearances that don’t progress his story in any way.
Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crown 2 — He shows up, gets smacked around, and is never seen again. Literally in 5 pages.
Iron Man (V6) 5-? — This story and his being part of it is still ongoing, but presumably when finished it’ll count as having happened before his Beyond stuff. As far as relevant he’s barely there or has any lines, but he does have some good ones in the latest issue (13.)
Beyond
ASM/Venom FCBD 2021 — As Marvel has done with the title since BND, this new era (dubbed Beyond) begins with a free comic book day issue before continuing in the main 3-issues-a-month title.
ASM (V5) 74 — V5 (Spencer’s run) never includes Ben until the last 8 pages of 74, a teaser for Ben’s run, which officially starts with 75.
And that’s where we are at the moment. If you have questions, corrections or suggestions feel free to message me or ask.
The small and much more linear follow-up to Spider-Verse and The Inheritors.
This is more about Ock in a leadership role having to fix his own mistake, while Miles is on the other spectrum of the spider-team dealing with the responsibility of managing the other spiders who refuse to follow Ock. But those are just the main issues; the tie-ins all give the rest of the characters some great attention.
Bold=Important to the main story
Italics=Optional
If there’s no number next to an issue title that means it’s a one-shot.
If this is your first time reading a spider-team since spider-verse, there are a couple team books below that released in between. They’re more multiversal stories - also good and fun.
Spider-Verse (V2) 1-5 -- During Secret Wars a more consistent spider-team comes together.
Web Warriors 1-11 -- This continues the story from the Secret Wars mini and the character growth for themselves and with each other carries over into SG.
Spider-Geddon
Superior Octopus
Edge of Spider-Geddon 1
Edge of SG 3 – Intentionally out of order.
Spider-Geddon 1
Vault of Spiders 1-2
SG 2 – After this is when there’s a costume change and they start recruiting spiders, some issues are out of order because this is where they are in the timeline.
SG 0
Edge of SG 2
SG: Handbook – This catches you up with where everyone is right before SG 1. But SG 0 and EoSG 2 were released before it so it kinda spoils those. It’s not a big deal so if you don’t care about those 2 things you can read it just before SG 1.
Edge of SG 4
Spectacular Spider-Man 311-312
Spider-Girls 1-2
Spider-Force 1-2
SG 3
Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 1-2
Spider-Force 3
SG 4
Spider-Girls 3
Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 3
Spectacular SM 313
SG 5
Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 4
3 books spin out of this
1. Ock’s growth continues in the second volume of Superior Spider-Man 1-12.
2. Gwen’s story continues in Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider 5-10, which is then relaunched to simply Ghost Spider 1-10.
3. Spider-Verse (V3) 1-6 is basically a series of one shots with each on a different world by different creators, the only link being Miles as he’s yanked through them one at a time.
3a. Spider-Man Noir (V2) 1-5 Spins out of Spider-Verse (V3).
After Crisis on Infinite Earths there was a clean slate for Byrne to shape a more modern superman. While he doesn’t write every single issue -- Marv Wolfman writes the first dozen or so of Adventures -- he’s the architect of the plots for the 3 alternating titles to where each builds off each other. He also wrote and drew 2 of the titles a month, plus miniseries, one-shots and annuals, even dabbling in other titles outside the superman office. He was a workhorse. CBR did a good breakdown of the run and its changes from previous iterations in their top 100 comics list here (scroll down to 62.)
Bold=important parts of the main story
Italics=optional with explanations
Man of Steel (V1) 1-6
World of Krypton (V2) 1-4 -- Can be read anytime before AC 600/Superman 18. The first 3 issues are Krypton flashbacks but the 4th takes place “a year after Superman’s debut in Metropolis.”
Superman (V2) 1
Adventures of superman (V1) 424, 425 -- This was the original Superman title but when they started V2 with a new #1 this one got a name change. Shrug. Comics.
Action Comics (V1) 584
Superman 2
AC 585
Legends 1-4, Superman 3, Adventures 426, AC 586, Legends 5, 6 -- Legends was the first post-Crisis event as Darkseid tries to discredit the public’s trust in heroes. The superman tie-ins mostly take place on Apokolips so there’s some crossover, but I could go either way on whether you should read the Legends issues or not.
Adventures 427, 428
Superman 4
AC 587
Superman 5, 6
AC 588, 589
Adventures 429, 430
AC 590
Superman 7
Legion of Superheroes (V2) 37, Superman 8, AC 591, LoSH 38
Superman 9 -- This is usually swapped with 10 in lists just because he says “the other day” and “last week” in 10 when referring to events closer to 8.
Adventures 431
Superman Annual 1 (1987)
AC 592, 593 -- I moved these up so 10 can be closer to issues that continue plot points introduced in it.
Superman 10
Adventures 432-434
AC Annual 1 (1987)
Superman 11
Adventures Annual 1 (1987)
AC 594, Booster Gold (V1) 23
Superman 12
Adventures 435
AC 595
Superman 13
Adventures 436
AC 596
Superman 14
Adventures 437
AC 597
World of Smallville 1-4 -- The first 2 issues tell a flashback about Clark’s parents and can be read whenever, second two work as an epilogue to the Superman story told just before this while the Millennium event was going on.
Superman 15
Adventures 438
AC 598
Superman 16
Adventures 439
Superman: The Earth Stealers -- Prestige format one-shot with Curt Swan art.
AC 599
Superman 17
Adventures 440
AC 600
Superman 18
Adventures 441
Superman 19
Adventures 442, 443 -- 443 is a one-shot by Ordway that doesn’t affect Byrne’s run but does get mentioned in later Exile stories.
Superman Annual 2 (1988) -- Similar to 443 above. Byrne does a short backup about Maggie Sawyer.
Doom patrol (V2) 10, Superman 20
Superman 21, Adventures 444, Superman 22
World of Metropolis 1-4 -- Four separate stories that take place before title starts, can be read whenever.
Byrne then left despite having another year of plot planned for dealing with the fallout of Superman 22. I’m not much of a Superman fan so I didn’t intend to keep reading post-Byne but enjoyed the world so much I ended up continuing, partially because Byrne handed those ideas off to the new writing teams. That last year is told in Superman: Exile, the contents and order of which you can find here.
When this series started the main X-Men team was full of all new people while Angel, Iceman and Beast had left to bump around between college and groups like the Champions, Defenders and Avengers. Jean was dead, and Cyclops ceded leadership of the team to Storm before retiring to Alaska with his wife and newborn son.
...But fans missed the originals so Marvel jumped through some silly hoops and retconned everyone back to their original versions.
The basis of the team is that X-Factor advertises themselves as humans who hunt down mutants, taking advantage of prejudice to get people to call on anyone they suspect of being a mutant. Once alerted the team would confront the person and, if they actually were a mutant, try to help them by inviting them back to base to stay and learn their powers.
While I wrote lists for other X-Men runs, each is supposed to function by itself rather than part of some master list. I’m sure you could piece them together easily enough if you wanted, but this is made with the mindset of someone only reading X-Factor.
Bold=important or official part of the story
Italics=optional with a note to let you decide for yourself
Avengers 263, Fantastic Four 286 -- These issues set up the return of the main team and lead into X-Factor 1.
X-Factor (V1) 1-4
XF Annual 1
XF 5-8 -- Louise Simonson takes over with 6 and lasts through 62.
Mutant Massacre
This was the first of the big 3 crossovers uniting the X titles. Despite being the newest, it really thrived during these crossovers, telling such big stories that they almost felt like the main title.
Thor 377, 378 -- A big change to Iceman that lasts through the entire run.
XF 17
XF Annual 2
XF 18-20
Incredible Hulk 336, 337 -- XF 20 leads into these 2 issues. It doesn’t lead back into their title or get mentioned again but they ARE a significant part of the story.
Fall of The Mutants
The second “crossover” of X-titles, except they all pretty much tell their own story in different, unrelated parts of the world so I didn’t include everything. Hulk is just a transition issue for UXM, PP shows an extended XF fight, Cap closes up a loose end, FF is an epilogue. The UXM issues are there because they’re mentioned in Inferno, where the two titles come together.
XF Annual 3 -- Part of the Evolutionary War Annuals crossover but each annual’s story is pretty self-contained to their title.
XF 30-34
Inferno
Here the titles cross-pollinate heavily, ending up with some characters jumping over to other books. New Mutants also tells a significant part of Inferno that mostly precedes the XF/UXM issues, but I felt like the X-Terminators miniseries explained enough of that story. Plus there’s already so much convolution in this event that I wanted to narrow the view.
UXM 239, X-Terminators 1, XF 35, XT 2-3, XF 36, UXM 240-241, XF 37, XT 4, UXM 242, XF 38, UXM 243, XF 39
XF 40
NM 76
XF 41, 42
XF Annual 4 -- Part of Atlantis Attacks, works as one-shot, follows up on the previous NM issue.
XF 43-58*
Days of Future’s Present: FF Annual 23, NM Annual 6, XF Annual 5, UXM Annual 14
XF 59
XF: Prisoner of Love -- Self contained one-shot about Beast. Mostly just adding to let you know it exists; as far as I know it’s never mentioned again.
X-Tinction Agenda: UXM 270, NM 95, XF 60, UXM 271, NM 96, XF 61, UXM 272, NM 97, XF 62 -- The last big X-over of the three titles during the Claremont era, also the last issues written by Simonson.
XF 63-64**
UXM 273 -- X-Tinction Agenda epilogue by Claremont, also the last issue of his original run where he did both the plot and script.
Kings of Pain: NM Annual 7, New Warriors Annual 1, UXM Annual 15, X-Factor Annual 6 -- Story across annuals about NW and X-Force with backups about Freedom Force. Totally skippable if you’re not reading those. Put here for breathing room between it and the Muir Isle saga.
X-Men (V2) 1-3 -- This serves to show all the characters together before they split into teams.
At this point Peter David takes over writing and creates an entirely new team, starting a run that’s popular in its own right.
To follow Cyclops and Beast continue with the Blue team in X-Men (V2) 4.
For Jean Grey, Iceman and Archangel jump to the Gold team starting with Uncanny X-Men 281.
See Also:
*X-Men Legends 3, 4 -- X-Men Legends is a 2021 anthology title that had original creators return to tell stories set during their era. The Simsonsons wrote this to take place immediately “before 43″ but like every prequel type thing it spoils later stuff.
**X-Factor Forever 1-5 -- Out of continuity mini from 2010 by Simonson set after her departure in XF 64, it allowed her to show what her future plans for the team were before leaving. Best read after you've finished everything, like a deleted scene or bonus content.
With the X-Men’s success Marvel editorial demanded the brand be expanded into more titles. Claremont, after fighting this as long as he could, made the compromise to do one, but his way. The result was New Mutants.
This focuses on a diverse group of teen (13-19) outcasts, most having nowhere else to go, joining the school to get a handle on their powers. The goal was not for them to be a backup team or the next generation of the X-Men, but for Professor X to return to his base goal of a safe space for raising mutants.
This is also where the Hellfire Club, particularly Emma Frost, and their inner workings are more fully explored, largely because they have a rival group of young mutants called Hellions that mirror the NM.
While I wrote lists for other X-Men runs, each is supposed to function by itself rather than part of some master list. I’m sure you could piece them together easily enough if you wanted, but this is made with the mindset of someone only reading NM.
Bold=important parts of the main story
Italics=optional (with explanations)
Marvel Team-Up (V1) 100 — The first appearance of Xi'an Coy Manh, also known as Karma, which leads into 165 and then the GN.
Uncanny X-Men (V1) 165 — There are only couple relevant pages to the NM here but it’s significant for Professor Xavier’s choice to bring in new students.
New Mutants Graphic Novel — The official name is Marvel Graphic Novel #4. It’s the first appearance of most of the team and how they came together.
New Mutants (V1) 1-3
UXM 167 — During the previous issues the X-Men were in space fighting the Brood, this is their return and first time meeting the new students.
NM 4-12
Marvel Team-Up (V1) Annual 6 — Relevant to future stories.
NM 13
Magik 1-4 — Miniseries showing Magik’s upbringing shortly before joining the team.
NM 14
UXM 180 — It’s only the last few pages that lead into NM 15.
NM 15-21
NM Annual 1
NM 22-25
UXM 192
Firestar 1-2 — Introduction to the character from the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends cartoon into comics canon. It takes place over years which is why I cut UXM 193 in between.
UXM 193
Firestar 3-4
NM 26-29
Secret Wars Two #1
NM 30-34
NM Special Edition 1 (1985), UXM Annual 9
UXM 200
NM 35-37
Secret Wars Two #9
NM 38-44
NM Annual 2, UXM Annual 10
NM 45-51
NM Annual 3
NM 52
Fallen Angels (V1) 1-3 — Miniseries following Sunspot and Warlock. Doesn’t really affect the main title besides those characters not being around for a few issues.
NM 53-54 — Claremont departs*.
Fallen Angels 4-8
NM 55-57 — Louise Simonson takes over.
Power Pack 33 — What happens to Warlock and Sunspot after Fallen Angels but before their return to the team.
NM 58-66
NM Annual 4 — Part of the Evolutionary War event across annuals. Works fine as a solo story.
UXM 231
NM 67-70
X-Terminators 1-3 — Miniseries mostly following some kids from X-Factor during Inferno. Gives more background to explain what causes Inferno.
NM 71
X-Terminators 4
NM 72-76
X-Factor 41, 42 — The team briefly stays with the kids from X-Factor (a book also written by Simonson) who will shortly join the team.
NM 77-87 — Rob Liefeld takes over art duties with 86
NM Annual 5 — Same as Annual 4 but with Atlantis Attacks.
NM 88-91
NM Summer Special (1990) — One-shot by Ann Nocenti
NM 92
Days of Future Present: Fantastic Four Annual 23, NM Annual 6, XF Annual 5, UXM Annual 14
UXM 273 — XA epilogue and Claremont’s real final issue of the X-Men. After this he was relegated to scripting a few issues before leaving altogether.
NM 98-100 — At this point Liefeld/Nicieza take over on script/plot/pencil duties and set up the team’s reboot into X-Force.
Kings of Pain: NM Annual 7, New Warriors Annual 1, UXM Annual 15, X-Factor Annual 6 — Has a New Mutants annual despite happening after the change to X-Force; I guess they figured it was too soon for that title. Focuses on X-Force and New Warriors with backups about Freedom Force. Totally skippable unless you’re reading those.
If you want to follow Wolfsbane you have the option of reading the Muir Island Saga (UXM 278, 279, XF 69, UXM 280, XF 70) that leads into X-Factor 71 where that team is completely remade, or just jump to XF 71.
If you want to follow Sam and Boom-Boom continue with X-Force 1
If you want to follow other New Mutants you’ll probably have to check wiki because it’s a while before they’re around again.
See also:
*New Mutants Forever 1-5 — Out of continuity mini from 2010 by Claremont, set after 54, imagining the story he would’ve told had he never left and providing a chance to close some threads left hanging by his departure. Best read after you've finished the list, like a deleted scene or bonus content.
New Mutants: Truth or Death 1-3 — Mini from 1997 by Raab and somewhat linked to his Excalibur run, but enjoyable by itself. The team from the past journeys to the modern era (of the time) as the surviving members come together for a team reunion.
With each list made I felt better about trying harder ones, but this was still the most intimidating comic reading list there is. It encompasses so many years, titles, minis, GNs and characters that I didn’t know what to bother with and what not to, or where they led. It took me a long time and a lot of mixing and matching of other lists to find a basic framework that I could then nudge as I read it.
This is an attempt at presenting the entire mutantsphere as it evolves. When New Mutants/X-Factor/Excalibur start I add what you need to know to introduce them - things that you would’ve known about if you were reading at the time of release just because of the climate or through osmosis. That said, I only mention the basics for setting up the title before returning to UXM, rather than integrating them all. Because of that not everything is by Claremont, but I’d say at least 80% is, and if I included anything that isn’t then there's a reason.
I chose to start with Classic X-Men, a reprint comic published in the late 80s to catch people up. Each issue has some corrections and cleaning up of panels or dialogue, plus a new short story (usually by Claremont) taking place around the time of each issue. I read these instead of the original issues because of the extras and benefit of hindsight.
Bold=important parts of the main story
Italics=optional (with explanations)
Classic X-Men 1
Giant-Size Uncanny X-Men 1 -- Even though Classic 1 is supposed to be a modified reprint, it skips a lot of stuff in here, so I think both portray a more complete picture. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty messy reading both of these back to back cause Classic rewrites like 2/3 of the story, but that kind of big overhaul and confusion is only for the first issue.
Classic 2-13 (UXM 94-105)
UXM 106 -- Wasn’t in the Classic run because it wasn’t part of the “main” story but it’s a fun one shot.
Classic 14-16 (UXM 107-109)
UXM 110 -- A fill-in story that also wasn’t included in Classic, which is a crime because it’s the first time they played baseball!
Classic 17-30 (UXM 111-124)
UXM Annual 3
Classic 31-44 (UXM 125-138)
Bizarre Adventures 27
Phoenix The Untold Story -- Sort of a high-end “what if” issue that contains round table transcripts of the creators and editorial team, plus artwork of how they came to the conclusion of the story, and other possibilities along the way.
UXM Annual 4
Classic 45 (UXM 139) -- The end of the reprints adding new content. They continue on but without bonus stuff.
UXM 140
Marvel Team-Up (V1) 100 -- Introduces a future new mutant plus a short backup story about the first meeting between Storm and Black Panther as children. Written by Claremont.
UXM 141-149
Avengers Annual 10
UXM 150
UXM Annual 5
Marvel Fanfare (V1) 1-4
UXM 151-153
Uncanny X-Men and the Teen Titans -- Out of continuity crossover written by Claremont. Takes place around this time but can be read anytime after the Dark Phoenix Saga.
Marvel Treasury Edition 26, 27 -- The short backups near the end of each issue.
UXM 154-166
The New Mutants Graphic Novel -- Introduces the new students.
New Mutants 1-3 -- Leads into 167 better than just the graphic novel.
UXM 167
UXM Annual 6
UXM Special Edition (1983) — Reprint of giant-size 1 but includes a new kitty Pryde backup story.
X-Men: God Loves; Man Kills -- Wasn’t meant to be canon but future writers retcon it in.
UXM 168-171
Wolverine (V1) 1-4 -- Relevant to the main story.
UXM 172-175
UXM Annual 7
Magik 1-4 -- Shows how Illyana grew up and what she went through.
UXM 176-180
NM 15, 16 -- These (and later 17) follow Kitty’s journey with the NM while the rest of the X-Men are on Warworld in SW.
Secret Wars One 1-12 -- If you’ve read this before or don’t want to read the whole thing you don’t have to, but you should at least skim it for the X-Men bits, as the Colossus parts are particularly relevant. Magneto and Prof X also refer back to it sometimes.
UXM 181, 182
NM 17
UXM 183-188
Kitty Pryde & Wolverine 1-6
UXM 189-192
UXM Annual 8
Firestar 1, 2 -- Introduction to the character from the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends cartoon into comics canon. It takes place over years which is why I cut UXM 193 in between.
UXM 193
Firestar 3, 4
X-Men and Alpha Flight 1-2 -- Muddy continuity things prevent it from clearly being put anywhere. Apparently the explanation is that it takes places between the middle and end of a single issue... Becomes relevant later.
UXM 194
Nightcrawler (V1) 1-4 -- Cockrum writes and draws Nightcrawler fucking around for four issues. Gets the briefest of acknowledgements later.
Power Pack (V1) 12, UXM 195
Secret Wars Two 1
UXM 196-198
Longshot 1-6 -- Introduces Longshot, Spiral, Mojo and Mojoworld.
UXM 199
NM Special Edition 1 (1985), UXM Annual 9
UXM 200, 201
X-Men: Heroes for Hope -- Special charity issue by every big name writer/artist at the time. Self-contained.
UXM 202-206
Avengers 263, Fantastic Four 286, X-Factor 1 -- These show how the Original 5 X-Men members come back together to form X-Factor. Can be read anywhere between 202 and 210, I just stuck them here for an attempt at pacing.
Marvel Fanfare 33 -- Doesn’t fit super well anywhere because this issue was meant as a video game tie-in. Other lists put it after annual 11 but that’s publication order and definitely doesn’t fit there.
NM Annual 2, UXM Annual 10
UXM 207-209
Mutant Massacre
UXM 210, X-Factor 9, UXM 211, XF 10, NM 46, Thor 373, Power Pack 27, UXM 212, Thor 374, XF 11, UXM 213 -- NM adds some backdrop -- like creating a medical area -- to the events but doesn’t progress the main story.
UXM 214-219
Fantastic Four vs The X-Men 1-4
X-Men vs Avengers 1-4 -- Provides closure to the story in 200.
UXM Annual 11
Fall of the Mutants
I dropped some titles you’ll see in other lists like Daredevil and New Mutants because they either add nothing or have their own, unrelated story that really just keeps you from the main title longer. Everything italicized is related to X-Factor, which also tells its own story but has some links to UXM which carry over into Inferno. It’s broken up with UXM issues for impact and spoilers. If you don’t care about X-Factor you can skip all that and just read 220-227.
XF 18-23, UXM 220-224, Incredible Hulk 340, XF 24, 25, PP 35, UXM 225-227, Captain America 339, XF 26, FF 312 -- Hulk is mostly a transition issue between 224 to 225, Power Pack just shows an extended version of a fight, Cap closes a loose end, Fantastic Four is an epilogue.
UXM 228-231
Excalibur Special Edition (1988) -- Alternate title “Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.” This shows what happens to the leftover X-Men members who weren’t around for FotM and ties up their loose ends before launching Excalibur.
Marvel Comics Presents 1-10, Wolverine (V2) 1-8, 10 -- These take place over the months between 227 and 232. They’re just Wolverine solo stories I included because there are a couple easter eggs that distinctly place them during this time and because Claremont wrote them.
UXM Annual 13 -- Atlantis Attacks tie-in that’s pretty confusing if you’re not following the whole event. Jubilee backup that shows what happens to her between 244 and her next appearance. The Jubilee story is kinda worth it.
Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown 1-4 — I didn’t add this originally because it’s disappointing and self-contained but eventually it’s mentioned again, years after these lists end, in X-factor 112.
UXM 246-267
Days of Future Present: FF Annual 23, NM Annual 6, XF Annual 5, UXM Annual 14
Kings of Pain: NM Annual 7, New Warriors Annual 1, UXM Annual 15, X-Factor Annual 6 -- Story across annuals about NW and X-Force with backups about Freedom Force. Totally skippable unless you’re reading those. Put here for breathing room between it and the Muir Isle saga.
X-Men (V2) 4-11 -- Jim Lee stuck around on pencils through 11. And while I have opinions about his effect on the series, he drew the hell out of the book.
Weapon X (Marvel Comics Presents 72-84) — Barry Windsor-Smith tells the original story revealing Logan’s transformation and escape from Weapon X.
X-Men/Spider-Man -- A series of one-shots about crossovers between the team and SM across their careers. It’s fine by itself but excels at finding points in each title’s continuity to unite them. Like 4 issues of fun references and interactions.
X-Men: Grand Design -- A truncated retelling of the X-Men’s years from the start up to Claremont’s exodus, including most future retcons. It might seem weird to suggest a retelling of stories you just read but this is done so well while seamlessly including retcons and making small adjustments with the benefit of hindsight that it is itself a great reading experience. Sort of like when you watch a movie series after finishing the books to compare.
X-Men Forever: Alpha, 1-20, Annual 1, 21-24, Giant-Size 1, XMF 2: 1-16 -- This was an ongoing that Claremont started in 2009, picking up from X-Men #3 to tell the stories he’d had planned as if nothing happened afterwards, which he does for some (like pairing kitty with gambit) while others he just kills off because he decides he’d rather add some stuff he couldn’t have done back then. It’s still fun to see all the rumored plotlines and hints coming to fruition. Or being somewhat confirmed. The story itself isn’t satisfying, but at least it’s interesting.
Alpha reprints those 3 issues from 1991 but also has a short story bridging the gap between it and issue 1. You should read it before starting the first issue because they didn’t even include that in the trade. After 24 it then has a giant-size one shot and reboots into X-Men Forever 2, which lasts up to 16.
I’ll occasionally add some stuff so if you didn’t catch something last time it might not have been there! Like the X-Men Forever entry, which I read almost 7 months ago but didn’t decide to put in until now.
This is the origin of Deadpool as we know him: breaking the fourth wall, making random references, and cementing his motormouth, all while introducing the pieces for almost everything in the first movie. It also has an unexpected amount of depth, introspection, character progression, vulnerability, and long form storytelling. Even, or especially, if you’re not a fan of the character (like me), I’d recommend this run.
Bold=Main story
Italics=Optional but explained
Deadpool (1997) 1-5
Deadpool -1 (negative one) --Flashback issue. Technically this was published after 6 but it’s a one-shot and this way it’s between arcs.
Deadpool 6-7
Annual Deadpool & Daredevil ‘97 --Both this and the next annual are part of the arcs in the issues preceding them .
Deadpool 8-17
Annual Deadpool & Death ‘98
Deadpool 18-19
Deadpool 0 --Self-contained one shot. I couldn’t find anywhere to fit this so I stuck it here. Can be read any time before 20.
Deadpool 20-33
Baby’s First Deadpool Book #1 --A bunch of random short stories like you’d find in a child’s book. It’s not related to any kind of narrative. It was published around the same time as #22 but can be read whenever.
After a failed invasion by Apokolips, Steppenwolf was left behind on Earth and has been in hiding. During that time superpowered people have disappeared. The series starts 5 years later with the slow resurgence of new-but-old heroes. The title got sloppy after #26 and the addition of weekly World’s End issues but always told a story on a grand scale and found ways to introduce new and interesting versions of old characters.
Update: I guess this also works as a Val-Zod reading order/introduction since I’ve noticed this post getting more attention as the rumor of a movie with him grows. If that’s all you’re interested in you can start at #17 with Tom Taylor’s run. Though he continues a lot of things from Robinson’s cut-short-story, so I’d still suggest starting from the beginning. It’s only an extra 18 issues, and they’re good!
Bold=important parts of the main story
Italics=optional (with explanations)
Earth 2 1-6, 0,
DC Universe Presents 0 -- The Mister Terrific story.
Earth 2 7-12
Earth 2 Annual 1
Earth 2 13-16
Earth 2 15.2 -- 16 ends Robinson’s run so there’s no reason to read this filler issue about Solomon Grundy before it. Or at all.
Earth 2 17-20 -- After Robinson left, Tom Taylor takes over for a short but good stint.
Earth 2 Annual 2
Earth 2 21-26
Earth 2 15.1 -- I put this villain issue here because the character doesn’t appear until World’s End starts and I had to re-read this around then because I’d already forgotten what happened. Even then it’s not really helpful.
Earth 2 Future’s End 1 -- Kind of a sneaky What If about the future of Earth 2. It’s written by Daniel H. Wilson, who orchestrates and writes most of World’s End and Earth 2: Society.
Earth 2: World’s End
The main reason I made this list is because Earth 2: World’s End was a weekly comic while Earth 2 was monthly, but they’re telling the same story and cross over. What that means is I had to figure out where to intersect regular Earth 2 issues with WE ones. Which turned out to be incredibly annoying.
Earth 2 World’s End 1
Earth 2 28 -- This is a one-shot that explores the backstories of some characters introduced in WE1. I stuck it before 27 because one doesn’t affect the other and I think it works best right after those characters are introduced.
WE 2, 3
Earth 2 27
WE 4-8
Earth 2 29
WE 9-13
Earth 2 30
WE 14-17
Earth 2 31
WE 18-22
Earth 2 32 -- This doesn’t fit anywhere, this section is also where some weird gaps happen. My guess is the issue was supposed to bridge some things but ended up telling a completely different story, as sometimes happens in events, and the intended stuff fell between the cracks.
WE 23-26 -- Leads into...
Convergence 0-8 -- While not good, I think part of the reason this was received so poorly is because it’s very much a continuation of Earth 2, with those heroes being the protagonists of the story. The event connects things between World’s End and Earth 2: Society.
Earth 2: Society Sneak Peek -- Each title in the short-lived DCYou era got an 8 page prologue. Usually they were added onto another full comic, but as far as I can tell this one existed by itself as a free online preview. (Link in the name.)
This under the radar title ran from 2006-2010 across various volumes and miniseries because it always had trouble with sales. It makes real an old “What If” issue about the forgotten Marvel heroes from the 50s (before the Fantastic Four boom when the company was called Atlas) making an Avengers-type group. The title had a lot of charm and fun finding its own niche in the universe while at the same time touching every corner of it. The joy was even expressed outside the story with creative intro pages, backups, and an extra page or 2 of prose at the end. All of this while doing justice to every character, which isn’t easy when your cast consists of...
-Jimmy Woo: Asian FBI agent from the 50s whose long career ended with becoming an aged desk jockey for SHIELD.
-Gorilla Man: Immortal man trapped in a gorilla body.
-Marvel Boy: A regular human raised on Uranus with psychic powers and a spaceship.
-Venus: The goddess of love whose song can enthrall anyone and everyone who hears it.
-Namora: Namor’s equally powerful underwater cousin who’s spent the past 50 years frozen in ice. Also mother to Namorita.
-M-11: A mute killer robot with a heart of gold that powers his murder lazer.
Bold=important parts of the main story
Italics=optional (with explanations)
(TBH if you’re going to read this, every issue is worth it.)
Titles in “quotes” are the name of the short story in an anthology issue.
What If #9 ...the Avengers Had Been Formed During the 1950's? (1978) -- This is where the idea of the team first arose. It’s completely unnecessary and I went through the entire run twice before reading it but it’s pretty fun. If you enjoy the series I’d suggest coming back to this to see how accurately the later comics followed it, as It was eventually retconned to be canon.
The rest is by Parker.
Agents of Atlas (V1) (2006) 1-6
X-Men: First Class (2006) 8-- Flashback team-up between the original X-Men and Gorilla Man.
Spider-Man Family 4 “The Producers” -- Atlas team-up with Spidey.
Wolverine: Agent of Atlas 1-3 -- These were digital exclusive short stories set in WW2. They were added as backups to the 2009 issues.
Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? “The Resistance”
Dark Reign: New Nation “The Heist”
Agents of Atlas (V2) (2009) 1-11
X-Men vs Agents of Atlas 1-2 -- After the second volume got cancelled the story continued in miniseries and backups.
The Avengers vs Atlas 1-4
Godmarked -- This compiles backup stories from The Incredible Hercules 138-141.
Hercules: Fall of an Avenger 1-2 -- More backup stories.
Marvel Boy: The Uranian 1-3-- Details the character’s time in the 50s and cleans up his muddy continuity.
Gorilla Man 1-3
Namora 1 -- One shot with art by Sara Pichelli and Rachelle Rosenberg
Enter the Heroic Age “Heroes For the Ages” -- Yet another short story. Gotta give it to Marvel, they supported the title as much as they could.
Atlas (2010) 1-5
Secret Wars: Agents of Atlas -- This isn’t part of the Parker run but it’s literally the only other Atlas material so why not mention it? A one-shot set during the SW event. Written by Tom Taylor of Injustice fame.
This is for the original run of Hellblazer 1-300 from 1987-2013 along with all relevant miniseries, one-shots and specials. I wanted to read this for a long time and it’s worth it. There’s a chunk of issues that I disliked, but I’m less mad that they weren’t good and more disappointed at being robbed of 80 or so issues with the character. Reaching the end felt like losing a friend, and now, as a reader watching the title end, I know what it was like for John to see all his friends die around him. So cheers to John Constantine: while there will be reboots and adaptations and alternate versions, there will never be another character like the original.
Bold=important parts of the main story
Italics=optional (with explanations)
Constantine was created by Alan Moore in the pages of Swamp Thing so it feels necessary to add that as an optional start. However, aside from a few quick references in the first few Hellblazer issues you can enjoy that run without this. Still, it’s a good story and a good introduction. Technically he first appeared in ST 32 but that’s a retcon for a single panel of a guy in the background. Like how Jessica Jones “technically” first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #4 in ‘63 despite not being created until the early ‘00s.
Swamp Thing Volume 2 #37-51 — The main story ends with 50 but Constantine’s exodus happens in 51.
Hellblazer 1-9 — Beginning of Delano’s run.
Swamp Thing 76-77 — The crossover timeline is funky but it works out midway through Hellblazer 10.
Hellblazer 10-13
Annual (1989)
Hellblazer 14-17
Sandman (V2) 3 — John’s in basically the entire issue as he and Dream team up to find Dream’s missing shit. The end of this story is shown in the middle of issue 19, so nowhere you put it will really fit because 18 ends in a cliffhanger immediately picked up in 19. I’d say read it before 18 or after 19, if you decide to read it at all.
Hellblazer 18-40
Shade the Changing Man 42-44 — Not much of a Constantine story as he’s barely in it. Technically this takes place before his Swamp Thing appearances because of time travel stuff, making the chronology wonky. I only mention this because the same writer eventually does a Hellblazer run and this arc becomes part of it. Can be read any time before Hellblazer 251.
Books of Magic 1-4 — A sort of team comes together with Constantine being one of the four. Written by Neil Gaiman.
Hellblazer 41-69 – Start of Ennis’ run.
Vertigo Jam 1 — Short story by Ennis.
Hellblazer 70-71
Hellblazer: Special 1 (1993) — Another one-shot by Ennis.
Hellblazer 72-83
Heartland — Epilogue to Ennis’ run. doesn’t have Constantine but it’s about one of his close supporting cast and is pretty good. They even include this in the collected editions.
Hellblazer 84
The Horrorist 1-2 — It’s collected with Delano’s run but it didn’t really fit with where the character was at that point so I put it between runs near-enough to the published date. Though it doesn’t really “fit” anywhere, at least it’s self-contained.
Hellblazer 85-120 — 85-88 is a fill-in arc that Jenkins follows up on immediately with the start of his run in 89.
Hellblazer/Books of Magic 1-2 — Crossover with the main character from Books of Magic, which became an ongoing after the Gaiman mini. It’s even written by Paul Jenkins, who was writing Hellblazer at the time.
Hellblazer 121-124
Winters Edge 1 — Short story (8 pages) by Jenkins that takes place between arcs
Hellblazer 125-133 — Short Ennis arc.
Winter’s Edge 2 — short story by Ennis. could be read any time after his run.
Trenchcoat Brigade 1-4 — The occult crew from Gaiman’s Books of Magic mini get together again. Not actually written by Gaiman.
Hellblazer 134-143 — Ellis’ run.
Shoot — The infamous one-shot story about school shootings that was set to come out right after Columbine and Vertigo refused to publish, causing Ellis to back out of the title. An issue everyone should read.
Sandman Presents: The Love Street 1-3 — Self-contained story that has Constantine at 15. Also weaves in well with the first issue of Sandman.
Winter’s Edge 3 — Prose short story
Hellblazer 144-145
Secret Files 1 (2000/2005) — A short prose story by Delano and comic by Azzarello, the rest are character bios, timelines and snippets of writer interviews. The 2005 one is the same but with updates to the timeline. If you have the 2005 one instead you can stick it after 174.
Bad Blood 1-4 — Self-contained Delano mini. Set in 2025 about future politics of the crumbling English monarchy on its last gasp vs the republicans pushing for a presidency. Basically an Elseworld or What If story.
Hellblazer 146-174 — Azzarello’s run.
Lady Constantine 1-4 — Self-contained mini written by Diggle (who has a short run later) that takes place in 1785 and follows one of John’s ancestors, Johanna, who has also popped up in Sandman a few times. If you care about Sandman chronology, this occurs before issue 13 of Sandman where she was first introduced.
Hellblazer 175-188 — Beginning of Carey’s run.
Papa Midnite 1-5 — Tells the origin of Papa Midnite during the 1700s in NYC and is largely about slavery. One line of dialogue places it directly before 189 but it doesn’t affect Hellblazer; Constantine is barely in it and plays no real role.
Hellblazer 189-229 — Denise Mina’s run from 216-228.
Hellblazer 245-246 — Jason Aaron wrote a standalone 2 parter in between Diggle’s run which interrupts it, and putting it after the run wouldn’t work.
Hellblazer: All His Engines — OGN by Mike Carey. This was published around #200 but I feel like jamming it there would interfere with the run’s momentum while also making the OGN feel like just another arc. It gets referenced in Diggle’s run so I stuck it before the start of that.
Hellblazer 230-244, 247-250 — Diggle’s run.
Chas: The Knowledge 1-5 — Despite following Chas and not being the main title, in terms of tone, art and story this is very much a Hellblazer book.
Hellblazer: Dark Entries, Hellblazer: Pandemonium, Hellblazer: City of Demons — These are OGNs that came out in ‘09, ‘10, and ‘11 but shouldn’t interrupt Milligan’s run. They’re all pretty good and each is standalone.
Hellblazer 251-286 — Start of Milligan’s run which closes out the title.
Hellblazer Annual (2012)
Hellblazer 287-300
See also:
John Constantine: Hellblazer — This was part of the Sandman Universe imprint and is the closest thing since 300 to the original run.
Sandman Universe Presents John Constantine Hellblazer 1
Books of magic (V3) 14
John Constantine Hellblazer 1-12
John Constantine Hellblazer: Dead in America 1-11 — the previous creators were brought back to conclude their run.
There’s quite an amount of backstory you could read before Johns, but I skipped all that and managed. The long version is reading the whole Death and Return of Superman event, Emerald Twilight/New Dawn, Zero Hour, and The Final Night. Or just read the Emerald Dawn wiki.
If you want to read the short version of the setup with SPOILERS...
Hal’s city gets destroyed, he goes nuts, kills all the guardians/GLC and becomes a supervillain for a years, then he atones and becomes The Spectre and that’s where GL: Rebirth picks up. Of all that I’d only read Death and Return of Superman and was fine. END SPOILERS.
Bold=important parts of the main story
Italics=optional (with explanations)
For a smaller prelude there are 3 short stories (8 pages each) Alan Moore wrote in the 80s that inspired elements of Johns’ run. They’re not necessary but I found them helpful, and they’re good.
Mogo Doesn’t socialize from Green Lantern (V1) #188
Tygers from Tales of the Green Lanterns Annual #2
In Blackest Night from Tales of the Green Lanterns Annual #3
And then the real thing starts
Green Lantern: Rebirth 1-6 --Not to be confused with the DC Rebirth renumbering of all their titles, this was Hal Jordan’s return from infamy in 2004 and the start of johns’ run.
GL (V4) 1-6, secret files and origins 2005
Green Lantern Corp: Recharge 1-5 -- Similar to Rebirth, this was Johns re-establishing the entire Corp.
GL (V4) 7-20
Sinestro Corp War
Sinestro Corp War Special, GL 21, Green Lantern Corp (V2) 14, GL 22, GLC 15, GL 23, Tales of the Sinestro Corp: Parallax, GLC 16, Tales: Cyborg Superman, GL 24, GLC 17, Tales: Superboy Prime, GLC 18, GL 25, Tales: Ion, GLC 19, Sinestro Corp: Secret Files -- Superboy Prime generally goes before GLC 17 in lists, either way is fine but this is my personal preference.The “Tales” issues, along with SC: Secret Files are one-shots.
GL 26-35, Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns, 36-38 -- 29-35 is a Secret Origin arc that comes after 38 in collected editions, but I think it's better in regular numbering due to some flashbacks that happen. FC:RotRL is a one-shot that leads into 36 and isn’t really part of the Final Crisis story, you don’t need to read FC for anything in this run.
War of the green lanterns: GL 63-64, GLC 58, Emerald Warriors 8, GL 65, GLC 59, EW 9, GL 66, GLC 60, EW 10, GL 67
War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath 1-2 -- I found this very helpful to bridge the gap between the end of the WotGL event and the start of the New 52 stuff.
