When DC Comics announced their New 52 initiative, there were a lot of reading guides online for the various New 52 series, which were coming and going, the best and the worst and so on.
Now that the DC New 52 is in full swing, however, you might be looking for something more detailed, a reading order guide to how to read the DC New 52 or who DC Comics's new or relaunched characters are.
Presented here are some guides to the DC Comics New 52 universe I've used or that have impressed me (plus our homegrown edition). If you've got more, please leave them in the comments section and I will continue to update this post. What we're looking for are guides on how to read and understand the DC New 52, not just recaps or reviews of the first issues.
Return to this page at http://bit.ly/dcnew52readingorder
* Comicosity - Read Between The Lines: History of the DC Universe 3.0
A lot of hard work went into Keith Callbeck and company's timeline of the DC Comics New 52, which puts the major events of the New 52 in chronological order. They sorted through over 700 comics; this list is especially good for understanding how some of the New 52's more far-flung titles like Demon Knights, Shade, and All-Star Western fit into the grand scheme.
* The Unofficial Guide to the New DC Universe
This wiki is an offshoot of the equally amazing Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe, which catalogs and includes details almost every post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC comic, along with character chronology information. The new site, editable for registered users, is building the same kind of database for the New 52, also with chronology information. For detailed, issue-by-issue questions of who's who and what happened when, this is your source.
* DC Comics Database
Also good, with maybe a smidgen more artwork but slightly less chronological information, the DC Comics Database also includes issue lists, notes, and synopsis, as well as creator credits. They've also got a great mobile site for your superhero questions on the go.
* Tor: Reader's Guide to the New DC Universe
Though Tim Callahan's reader's guide started out as snapshots of the initial DC New 52 series, he's added to it with addendum updates for the Second and Third Wave series. This set of posts may not be as technically detailed as some of the others, but it stands as a good guide to how the New 52 has unfolded over time with short write-ups of all the books.
* DC New 52 Trade Paperback Timeline
Last but not least, if I can be permitted a plug, some readers still haven't noticed that the DC Comics Trade Paperback Timeline now includes DC New 52 books! The timeline contains all the New 52 Vol. 1s, and pretty soon it'll be time to add the volume twos. As always, the DC TPB Timeline offers a clear reading order for how to read the New 52 collections, as well as explanations for why the books are listed the way they are. Our New 52 TPB timeline follows the "old" DC Universe timeline, and makes reference to events of the past where they're still in continuity.
And even though you can go to the DC Universe Trade Paperback Timeline for all your reading order information, here's a snapshot of the guide to all the DC New 52 volume ones -- you can find more information and future volumes on the timeline.
* Justice League: Origin (review)
* Superman: Action Comics: Superman and the Men of Steel
Both of these titles take place around five years prior to the present. The story in Action Comics takes place before Justice League, but DC published Justice League first and meant it to be the starting place for the DC New 52.
* Green Arrow: The Midas Touch (review)
* Flash: Move Forward
* Captain Atom: Evolution
* Static Shock: Supercharged (review)
* Savage Hawkman: Darkness Rising
The Static Shock book mentions Hawkman, Captain Atom, and the Teen Titans; Flash appears in the Captain Atom book.
* Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton
* Superboy: Incubation
* Teen Titans: It's Our Right to Fight
* Superman: What Price Tomorrow?
Supergirl appears first in her own collection, then in Superboy and then in Superman: What Price Tomorrow? Superboy: Incubation takes place concurrent with the Teen Titans collection.
* Batman: The Court of Owls (review)
* Batman and Robin: Born to Kill
* Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection
* Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes
* Birds of Prey: Trouble in Mind
* Batwoman: Hydrology (review)
* Batwing: The Lost Kingdom (review)
* Red Hood and the Outlaws: Redemption
The Batman, Batgirl, and Nightwing books all interconnect.
* Animal Man: The Hunt (review)
* Swamp Thing: Raise Them Bones
The Animal Man and Swamp Thing collections take place concurrent to one another.
* Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE: War of the Monsters (review)
* Men of War: Uneasy Company (review)
* OMAC: Omactivate
* DC Universe Presents: Deadman and Challengers of the Unknown
The Frankenstein and OMAC volumes cross-over with one another. Frankenstein appears in Men of War. The OMAC book alludes to the Challengers of the Unknown story in DC Universe Presents.
* Hawk and Dove: First Strikes
* Blue Beetle: Metamorphosis
* Justice League International: The Signal Masters (review)
Green Arrow, Frankenstein, Hawk and Dove, Captain Atom, Hawkman, Blue Beetle, and Batman appear or cameo in the first Justice League International book.
* Blackhawks: Great Leap Forward
* Mister Terrific: Mind Games (review)
The Blackhawks appear in the Mr. Terrific book, and also in Deathstroke and Voodoo.
* Deathstroke: Legacy
* Resurrection Man: Dead Again
Deathstroke appears in flashback in Resurrection Man.
* Legion of Super-Heroes: Hostile World (review)
* Legion Lost: Run from Tomorrow
The Black Razers Blackhawk group appears in Legion Lost and Voodoo.
* I, Vampire: Tainted Love
* Justice League Dark: In the Dark
I, Vampire and Justice League Dark take place concurrently.
* Stormwatch: The Dark Side (review)
* Grifter: Most Wanted
* Demon Knights: Seven Against the Dark
* Voodoo: What Lies Beneath
Stormwatch takes place after the formation of Justice League International; a member of Stormwatch guest-stars in Grifter. Grifter and Demon Knights each refer to a certain alien threat.
* Catwoman: The Game (review)
* Batman: Detective Comics: Faces of Death (review)
* Suicide Squad: Kicked in the Teeth
The events of Detective Comics: Faces of Death take place specifically after Catwoman: The Game and I, Vampire: Tainted Love, but before the Suicide Squad book. Suicide Squad makes a minor reference to the events of the Stormwatch book.
* Green Lantern: New Guardians: The Ring Bearer
* Green Lantern: Sinestro (review)
* Red Lanterns: Blood and Rage (review)
* Green Lantern Corps: Fearsome
The Green Lantern book is most closely connected with the "old" DC Universe, taking place right after War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath. Green Lantern: Sinestro, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and the Red Lanterns book all interconnect.
* All-Star Western: Guns and Gotham
* Aquaman: The Trench
* Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men: God Particle
* Wonder Woman: Blood (review)
The All-Star Western, Aquaman, Firestorm, and Wonder Woman books are mostly independent from the rest of the DC Universe in their first volumes.
* Batman: The Dark Knight: Knight Terrors
Batman: The Dark Knight: Knight Terrors contains a "Night of the Owls" issue, placing it more properly with the New 52 Vol. 2 volumes.
Hope this helps you sort things out. If I've missed a good site or you have any corrections, leave a comment and I'll check it out. Cheers!
Nice!
ReplyDeleteA fun trade reading order! Now I can start digging into the New 52 properly.
Thanks for this guide!
ReplyDeleteHas someone noticed there is a change in the Frankenstein Vol. 2 collection?
Originally, there was a Vol. 2 collection announced named Son of Satan's Ring (144 pages, issues #8-11, plus Man of War #8). Now it is gone from Amazon replaced by another Vol. 2 named Secrets of the Dead (224 pages). So there's room for issues #0 and 12-15. Issue 15 is the finale of the Rotworld: Secrets of the Dead storyline and currently the last solicited issue.
I haven't read Vol. 1 yet (still on the fence about buying it, but heard good things about it), but I hope this isn't a sign for cancellation...!?
Very astute catch. Yes, hopefully this is just to pick up on the popularity of the Rotworld Animal Man/Swamp Thing crossover, and not to wrap up this series for its conclusion. Issue #15 wasn't solicited as "final issue," but you never know. I bet we'll learn more with the solicitations next week.
ReplyDeleteYou should get Frankenstein volume one. Great weird science-fiction, nice art.
@CE: Yeah, thanks for the advice. :)
ReplyDeleteUp until now I read 17 of the New 52 collections, 5 more are to come this and next month. After that I will use the quiet month of December to get some of the paperbacks I skipped the first time around.
Possible December purchases: Frankenstein (definetely at the top of my list), Deathstroke, Demon Knights, Red Lanterns or perhaps All-Star Western. We'll see. ;)
Rob Liefield tweeted:
ReplyDeleteSo, Tomasi, Meltzer, Hitch..New Superman, New Superman/ Batman...Legion Lost, Grifter, Frankenstein, Blue Beetle gone-Put those to NYCC test
(Source: https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/status/255810325025280000)
Just saw that. Interesting if it's true; pity about Frankenstein but the others are probably mercy killings. Liefeld added that he meant to include Aquaman in there -- my guess is that Tomasi takes Aquaman.
ReplyDeleteA Brad Meltzer Superman/Batman book will be controversial, to say the least -- I wonder how Meltzer will write the New 52 Superman and Batman different than the "old" DCU versions.
Frankenstein is cancelled :(
ReplyDeleteAlong with Beetle, Grifter and Legion lost.
Really too bad about Frankenstein. On the Legion side, I hope Paul Levitz can reintegrate those characters into the main Legion title, and maybe even address now the issues of time-travel in the New 52.
ReplyDeleteYou might also be interested in the New 52 comicographies available at http://comics.apphb.com/
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong, but wouldn't Demon Knights before Justice League? In Issue #1 it states that it is happening in 'The Dark Ages' and its pretty clear that the characters and setting are set in the medieval times
ReplyDeleteFair question, and if this were a real timeline-timeline, then definitely Demon Knights would appear before Justice League (see the Comicosity list for instance, which puts the individual issues in date order).
ReplyDeleteBut this and my DC TPB Timeline are really "reading orders" (if confusingly named) -- sometimes it's the order things happened, and then sometimes it's the way you can read the books to get the best reading experience.
Like, for instance, Robin: Year One takes place in the Batman: Year One/Man of Steel era, but it wasn't published until years later and contradicts other stories; if it was placed toward the beginning of the timeline, it wouldn't make sense. Rather it ties into a volume of Nightwing, so it's placed there instead.
In the same way, DC specifically published Justice League before all the other New 52 books, so that's why Justice League comes first; Demon Knights ties in to Stormwatch, Grifter, and Voodoo, so that's why I placed it where I did.
Thanks for asking though; I'm happy to talk through timeline placements any time!
Will the new 52 death of the family be on tbp? Sorry iam New to this whole thing since I can't keep up with the issues I thought might as well wait for the tpb but not sure if dc is goin to release it on that format again sorry for being such a noobs but I need to know ><.
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely sure Death of the Family will be collected, and I think it's very likely DC will handle it like Night of the Owls -- a collection of just the main Batman issues, and then also a collection of the Death of the Family tie-in issues all together. Hasn't been announced yet, though.
ReplyDelete