Welcome to Comic Book Reading Orders!
The goal of this site is to be the most extensive resource for comic book reading orders on the internet. We provide reading orders for characters and events from Marvel, DC, and other publishers. Looking at the enormous number of comics that have come out in the last 70+ years and not knowing where to start can be daunting. We hope with the orders provided on this site that we can make your comic reading experience easy and enjoyable.
News and the latest updates:
Knight Terrors, Lazarus Planet, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Marvel Master Reading Order Part 13, Sins of Sinister
Reading Order Updates - Latest update March 28, 2024
The Infinite Frontier reading order is now complete. Part 8 of the DC Master Reading Order is also up to date with the non-canon comics that were released during Infinite Frontier. Also I just want to say thank you to everyone who reached out during my 3 month absence. It was nothing dramatic, just being busier than usual at work and a busy holiday season. From this point on updates should continue at their normal pace, if not a bit more frequently.
Counters are finally fixed site wide. You can download reading orders in excel or .CSV format here: https://www.comicbookreadingordersdownload.com/
I would like to take a moment and thank two groups of people who have contacted me over the years the site has been open. The first group is everyone who has used the contact form to send in corrections and suggestions. Your emails have helped fine tune the reading orders and ensured that we have some of the most accurate reading orders on the internet. The second group is everyone who has sent in thanks and said that the website has helped them read and enjoy comics. I haven't always responded to every email but they are humbling and motivate me to work even harder on the site. So thank you to these two groups and everyone else who has used and enjoyed the website.
Marvel Event Update Status
DC Event Update Status
Marvel Character Update Status
DC Character Update Status
Feedback Wanted: We are looking for all types of feedback for the various reading orders on the site. Did you use an order and like it? Hate it? Think it needs some changes? We would like to hear from you so we can continue to improve the experience with the site. Please use the Contact page and let us know.
Event Reading Orders
All tie-ins for each event are listed but if you're not enjoying the tie-ins you should feel free to just read the main series for the event or only read the tie-ins for characters you are interested in. Especially for older events, if you haven't been reading the tie-in series going into the event I suggest just reading the main series and skipping the tie-ins. The main series of an event is usually enough to give you a complete picture of what is going on. The event sections also include large "status quo" events, such as Dark Reign following Secret Invasion and Shattered Heroes following Fear Itself. These periods usually reveal the new status quo after a major event.
Character Reading Orders
The Character Reading Orders on this site are slightly different than usual. They do not contain every issue relating to the character. Some characters have 1000+ issues in their collective series and to be honest not all of them are worth reading. So the Character Reading Orders only contain issues that are important for that characters development and issues that are recommended reading. Don't worry though, all the important issues and legendary writer runs are still there. Simply choose a character and begin reading.
Master Reading Orders
The Master Reading Orders are meant to cover the entire history of a particular comic universe. We have Master Reading Orders for both Marvel and DC Comics. They contain all comics that are deemed important or are just enjoyable to read. Yes these orders start all the way at the beginning. Even with the "bad" comics removed these orders are still several thousand issues long. They encompass all characters and events. If you choose to read one of these reading orders you should feel free to skip characters and events you have no interest in and focus on the ones you do.