#comic reading guide

[silverwhittlingknife]

Dick Grayson & Tim Drake: Reading Guide

Once upon a time, two kids met at a circus... and the rest is history.

table of contents:

who are these losers?

what's fun about them?

why a reading guide?

how does the reading guide work? (tl;dr: there are quick recs, a selected chronological list, and a complete chronological list)

where is the spreadsheet? (x)

who are they?

Dick Grayson and Tim Drake: the first Robin and the third Robin.

Also known as the circus boy and the earnest computer geek, the hotshot and the pretender, the slighted prince and the new apprentice, the acolyte and the hanger-on, Nightwing and Robin, Batman and Robin, Batman and Red Robin, and Marcia and Cindy (BftC 3, N 110 & 119, B 617, DC 677, Detention Comics 1, R 168, RR 14).

Or as Jason calls them, "You idiots" (TT 47).

More seriously, Dick Grayson is one of the most enduring comic characters ever - he's been around since Detective Comics 38 in 1940! He's Batman's first ward, first partner, and eldest son. When Dick's parents are murdered, Bruce identifies with him, comforts him, and takes him into his home, where Dick ultimately volunteers to join his crimefighting mission. By candlelight, the Dynamic Duo swear an oath: That we two will fight together against crime and corruption and never swerve from the path of righteousness!

Tim Drake was created in Batman 436 and formally introduced in Lonely Place of Dying. He's a lonely kid who imprints on Dick when they meet as children, and Dick hugs him and promises to do a quadruple somersault for him; he's horrified and worried about Dick in the aftermath of the Graysons' murder, which he witnesses. He watches Batman comfort Dick, deduces Robin's secret identity, and becomes a secret devotee of the Dynamic Duo. Though he admires them both, it's ultimately Dick who he idolizes and tries to emulate when Bruce is spiraling: Batman needs a Robin. No matter what he thinks he wants.

Their slow-burn strangers-to-friends-to-brothers-to-antagonists-to-brothers-again arc develops from 1989 to 2011, and it's one of the standout examples of the DC Post-Crisis era's commitment to gradual character development and careful continuity.

what's fun about them?

SO MUCH!!! But one of my favorite things is their friendship has RANGE!! They go from sweet kids to tense strangers to loyal friends to brothers over the course of real-life years and tons of comics. They fight, they tease each other, they get protective, they worry, they chase each other down, they walk away... there's just so much story here.

They meet at the circus as children, when both their parents are still alive. They meet again, years later, when Bruce is reeling from Jason's death and they team up to stop him from hurting anyone. In the early days, they're brothers-in-arms and never quite family - instead, Dick is Bruce's loyal-but-estranged eldest son, and Tim is Bruce's new loyal-but-wary apprentice, with his own family and his own semi-estranged dad. The slow process of evolving toward found-family is a delight to watch.

They work together as Nightwing and Robin over four years of in-universe time and for over twenty years of real-time, gradually forging a fierce bond of friendship and, ultimately, brotherhood.

Then Bruce dies, and they have some huge fights.

But even when they're estranged, even when they're not speaking... they never stop loving and trying to protect each other. No matter what.

why a reading guide?

Quotes from New Titans 60 and Batman 441 (1989), Nightwing 25 (1998), Nightwing 69 (2002), Red Robin 1 (2009), Red Robin 12 (2010), Gates of Gotham 3 and Detective Comics 874 (2011)

I think reading guides are cool!! And somebody asked me about one!

More generally, I think reading guides are always helpful, but especially with Dick & Tim... you know, when I first started out trying to read their comics, I got kinda overwhelmed. Because on the one hand there's SO MUCH CONTENT - they're one of the classic enduring friendships in all of post-Crisis! their relationship is a HUGE BIG DEAL! they're constantly calling each other and hanging out and supporting each other and arguing!

But at the same time, all of that content is scattered across lots of different books, in Robin and Nightwing and Detective Comics and Batman and New Titans and Titans and Young Justice and Teen Titans and Shadow of the Bat and Gotham Knights and Birds of Prey and Showcase and DC Holiday Specials and so on and so forth. There's not One Definitive Place where you can read The Dick-and-Tim Story.

So: a reading guide!

how does the reading guide work?

Dick and Tim are in over 400 comics together and over 800 comics each separately. That's a whole lot of comics! So I've made a spreadsheet with three different reading guides, depending on how interested you are in these two:

1-5 Quick Recs: If you just want to check out a couple comics, check out these quick recs for "if you like fluff," "if you like angst," etc.

200 Starter Comics: If you want to do a comprehensive, chronological Dick-and-Tim read without committing to all the comics, this list has some of their major team-ups plus some solo comics so you know what the heck is going on. Most of them have a "sneak peek" you can use to decide if you want to read it.

Big List: A complete list of all the comics Dick and Tim are in, in chronological order, with links to dc.fandom and to DC Universe Infinite. It has filter views.

This spreadsheet was a labor of love, obsession, and SO MUCH PROCRASTINATING doing other things. I update it sometimes.

where is the spreadsheet?

it's here. have fun <3

[kwxnnxn]

Kwannon (Revanche / Psylocke) Reading Guide

Were Kwannon's body is well known she herself had been dead for decades after her time with The X-Men as Revanche. Coming back to life Kwannon took the name Psylocke and has joined an array of teams using her lethal fighting skills alongside her telepathy and telekinesis. This reading order follows her appearances throughout the years.

Bolded: she's a main character/part of the team or it is an important issue for her. Italic: she's not necessarily a main character but still has interesting moments. Normal: She appears but it is not entirely important to her character.

Introduction + Body Swap

X-Men (1991) #17, #18, #20-#24

X-Men (1991) Annual #2

X-Men (1991) #25-#28

X-Men (1991) #31 [Death]

Resurrection

Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor (2018) #4 [only in one panel]

Uncanny X-Men (2018) #16-#20

Krakoa

Fallen Angels (2020)

Hellions (2020) #1-#11

Excalibur (2019) #18-#20

Hellions (2020) #12-#15

Inferno (2021) #1 [brief appearance but she becomes a war captain]

Hellions (2020) #16-#18

Marauders (2019) Annual #1

Marauders (2022)

Love Unlimited Infinity Comic (2022) #34-#36

Captain Marvel (2019) #43-#49

Fall of X

Hellfire Gala (2023) [only appears briefly but this story is important for context]

Uncanny Avengers (2023)

[thequiver]

Guthrie Family Reading Guide Masterlist

Lucky for you, I've created a reading list for each of them and have compiled them all here in a masterlist for your use! All information and links are under the cut!

Sam Guthrie | Cannonball

Sam is the oldest Guthrie sibling and with over 700 appearances, his reading list is in two parts, reblogged together for ease of use. Sam has been a member of the New Mutants, X-Force, the X-Men, X-Corporation, and the Avengers. Sam has also been staff at the Xavier Institute.

Paige Guthrie | Husk

Paige is the second oldest Guthrie sibling and has over 200 appearances. Paige has been a member of Generation X, X-Corps, and the Legionnaires. Paige has also been staff at the Xavier Institute.

Jay Guthrie | Icarus

Jay is the third oldest Guthrie sibling and has around 50 appearances. Jay was part of the New X-Men during the Academy X era.

Melody Guthrie | Aero

Melody is the fourth oldest Guthrie sibling and has less than 20 appearances. Melody was part of the Xavier Institute at the same time as her brother Jay, and was one of the mutants depowered after M-Day. She was the first mutant to undergo the crucible on Krakoa in X-Men (2019) #7!

Jebediah Guthrie

Jebediah is one of the younger Guthrie siblings and has 9 appearances. Jeb has never attended the Xavier Institute or ever joined a team, he is a depowered mutant who did not seek to regain his powers by undergoing the crucible on Krakoa.

[kitausuret]

Flash Thompson Venom Recs

@vulpinesaint asked for some recommendations on getting into Flash-as-Venom, so I decided to put together a little guide. Mind you, this is geared towards already having familiarity with Eddie, and of course by extension the Venom Symbiote.

Now -- let me start by saying it may be helpful to see first where it all started going downhill for Eddie and the Symbiote (because we don't get to other hosts until after their breakup). Are any of those comics good? Not really!

But If you really wanted to you could check out Spectacular Spider-Man (2003, Jenkins/Ramos) #1-5 and Marvel Knights Spider-Man (2004, Millar/Cho) #5-12 or thereabouts, which will take you through the official breakup, Angelo Fortunato, and the introduction of Mac Gargan.

For a little taste of what the symbiote had been up to before Chosen Blond Man #2, I also recommend Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man (2009, Reed/Bachalo) #1-4 and Siege: Spider-Man (Reed/Santucci, one-shot, just because it's funny).

At the risk of being controversial I also rec the fabulous "New Ways to Die" arc (Amazing Spider-Man #568-573, Slott/Romita Jr.) for a peek at what's going on with Eddie during this time.

If you'd like a primer on Flash Thompson before you jump into Symbiote nonsense, you can check out Amazing Spider-Man #574, which is not a great issue but it is helpful to see what was going on with him. I also recommend the Amazing Spider-Man #622 B story "Stages of Grief" which IS really good and delightful.

Flash officially kicks off as Agent Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #654-654.1 (really -- there's a point-one issue). It's written by Dan Slott so it's not, you know, great, but if you've read Venom Inc. you know what to expect.

Venom (2011) is the real meat of Flash's time. He's kind of silly, as you can see, but for the most part I enjoyed this series. Does it have problems? Sure, but it's worth a read.. The first part (#1-27.1) is written by Rick Remender, and the second (#28-42) is by Cullen Bunn. The latter is, at least in my experience, better-loved for its introduction of Mania in #38, but they are both worth reading.

My personal highlights are: #2 (very good Flash/Symby at the end) #6-8 (Spider-Island tie-ins, you get to see what Eddie is up to) #13-14 (Circle of Four!!!) #17-22 (Savage Six, more fun with Eddie) #33-36 (esPECIALLY #35 oh my god #35 is everything to me. I'm normal don't look at me) #38-42 (Mania -- need I say more?)

I would also be remiss to leave out Superior Spider-Man (2013) #22-25 because while the story is.. meh..?? ...it does have some great Flash/Symby. I would live for them.

Agent Venom additionally appears in Secret Avengers (2010) and Thunderbolts (2013), but all I can really recommend here is the T-bolts Annual. It's a fun one.

And now we get into Cosmic Bullshit Shenanigans!

Flash and the Symbiote join up with the Guardians of the Galaxy (2013, Bendis) in #14, but are officially introduced in the Free Comic Book Day GotG special. My only recommendations here are #21-23, but they're big recommendations.

Once you've read #23, you can jump right into Venom: Space Knight #1-13 (R. Thompson), which is by FAR my favourite Venom series of all time and I'm not even joking. I can't even express how much I adore this series. WOMEN. I LOVE WOMEN. Just. Just read it. And then cry that it's only 13 issues

And from there, you know how it ends if you read Venom #150. Such was the end of Flash's time as Venom, but what a wild ride it was.

now we just need to get eddie on board with a third

If you're curious about Flash's story post-resurrection (he died, if you missed that from the Cates run) you can check out my little guide here, and also the most recent Carnage series by Torunn Grønbekk. What the future holds for Flash Thompson is up in the air (as it always is with Spidey's supporting cast) but I've got to have hope!

Happy reading!

[atlasfoundation]

A Reading Guide for Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu

[imperiuswrecked]

I'm not sure if you answer questions like this, but I'm trying to get into Marvel, and I'd love to read more about "Cap’s Kooky Quartet" do you have any reading list recommendations of them?

I love Cap's Kooky Quartet so much, and I do give comic guides/recs upon request if I'm able to. This era may not have lasted long but it's my favorite.

For a quick overview of this era check out; marvelsilverage.

To see Cap's Kooky Quartet in animation they appear in one of the episodes of Marvel Super Heroes (1966) which you can see for free on the Internet Archive, it basically covers a few of their adventures.

Cap's Kooky Quartet Comic Reading Guide

The Avengers (1963) #16-19

Journey into Mystery (1953) #120

The Avengers (1963) #20

Fantastic Four (1961) Annual 3

The Avengers (1963) #21-22

Tales of Suspense (1959) #72

The Avengers (1963) #23-28

A few of these issues just have cameos but the bulk of their adventures are in Avengers. After issue 28 it's no longer a Quartet as more members join.

Avengers (2016) #3.1

As you read through comics you will often find little flashbacks to this era, especially when characters like Quicksilver rehash their backstories. This guide is meant to get you started but you can read on in The Avengers comics to see the character's journeys. There's a lot of resources for new comic readers. Also If you check Marvel Fandom Wiki and search for specific comic characters then you will find their full appearance list towards the bottom of each character page that you can use as a guide if you want to follow that character. That's the best way to get started reading because it helps you to narrow down which comics you want to start with and where they show up next. Hope this guide helps!

[doomreed]

Recommended (mostly comic book) reading guide for Doom/Reed v2, text version & some details behind cut:

=DoomReed ship reading guide v2.0=

1960’s-80’s (Lee & Kirby thru deFalco): 

Fantastic Four #5 (Doom’s first appearance ever in comics! and his reunion w/ Reed)

Fantastic Four #10 (kidnap & bodyswap) 

Fantastic Four Annual #2 (Doom’s full origin story, including the Incident In College)

Fantastic Four #196-200 (intense arc, ends w/ their first very… physical fight)

Fantastic Four #236 

Fantastic Four #260 & #288 

Fantastic Four #381 & Fantastic Four Unlimited #12 (+ Fantastic Four Unplugged #2) (the DeFalco suicide pact arc, which is very wild and very intense)

Fantastic Four #352 (time duel story! an absolute classic)

1990’s (Heroes Reborn/Return era): 

Fantastic Four v2 (1997) #5-6 

Captain America v2 (1997) #12 

Chris Claremont: 

Fantastic Four v3 (1998) #25, #29-31 (Reed stuck in Doom’s armor, becoming more like Victor - but also emphasizes how much alike they already were) 

2000’s (Mark Waid): 

Fantastic Four #499 (numbered as #70) & #500 (start of the “Unthinkable” arc, which shows Victor in a bad light but is worth it for the dynamic and for how Reed is written)

Fantastic Four #503 (Reed takes over Latveria)

Fantastic Four #507 (Reed builds a pocket dimension to imprison just himself and Victor, it’s very intense honestly)

Dwayne McDuffie: 

Fantastic Four #551-553 

Fantastic Four Special, “My Dinner with Doom” (honestly one of the best and most overtly romantic stories for these two, Reed literally goes on a dinner date with Victor)

Mark Millar: 

Fantastic Four #558, 562 

Hickman/Secret Wars Era: 

Fantastic Four #581 (arc ends in #582) 

FF v1 (2010) #1-14 (omit 6, 7, 10, 11): concluding in Fantastic Four #611 

New Avengers v3 (2013) #6, 7,14 

Secret Wars (2015) #2-4, 9 + Marvel’s Two-In-One Annual #1 for conclusion 

Post-Secret Wars Era: 

Infamous Iron Man #6, #8 

Marvel Two In One (2017) #5-6 (+ #4 for background), Annual #1, & #11 

Fantastic Four (2018-) #25, #32, B Story, “Duel Intentions” & #33 

Doctor Doom #9 & #10 (Chris Cantwell) 

Origin Re-tellings & Variations: 

Books of Doom #2 

Before The Fantastic Four: Reed Richards #1-3 

Shame Itself (B story) (satire) 

F4 #416 ‘Roads Not Taken' 

Ultimates (1610) setting: 

Ultimate Fantastic Four #2, #7, #9-12, & #31-32 

AU Versions: 

Fantastic Five (2007) #1-5 

Warlock (1972) #6-7 

Exiles #95-98 

What If? (1977) #22 (‘What if Doctor Doom was a Hero?“) 

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #42 

100th Anniversary #1 

GeNext: United #2 

What If? (1977) #6 (‘What if the Fantastic Four had different Super Powers?’) 

Also Recommended: 

Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men #1-4 (1987) 

X-Men + Fantastic Four (2020) #2 & #3 

Fantastic Four: The Movie (2005) (comic adaptation) 

DOOM 2099 (2019) 

Fantastic Four 2099 (1996) #6-8 

Other Media: 

Fantastic Four: Doomgate by Jeffrey Lang (novel) 

[helenasandsmark]

I actually made this in August of 2021 and like a dumbass never posted it, so here's an up to date version :)

Val-Zod is the Superman of the alternate reality Earth 2 and was the adoptive brother of Kal-El when they were on Krypton. Val goes by the alias Superman and when exposed to a yellow sun he shares all the same Kryptonian abilities as Kal-El. His first appearance was in Earth 2 #19 (published in Jan 2014).

The issues that feature Val are bolded!

Before we dive in, here's a list of appearances Val-Zod has made outside of the Earth 2 series:

Superman: Red and Blue #2 (the second short comic in issue 2, "Into the Ghost Town", is solely about Val)

Worlds' Finest, Vol 3 (2012) #25-26, and #30

Superman, Vol 4 (2016) #14 and #16

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent (2023) (this one is a current 6-issue series so Val may appear in future issues)

Worlds' Finest: Homeward Bound #1

Superman: Lois and Clark #1

Dial H for Hero #10

Justice League Vol 4 (2018) #26

Action Comics (2016) #1050

Earth 2, Vol 1: the Gathering

Earth 2 #1-6

E.2, Vol 2: the Tower of Fate

Earth 2 #0 DC universe presents #0 E.2 #7-12

E.2, Vol 3: Battle Cry

E.2 Annual #1 E.2 #13-16

E.2, Vol 4: the Dark Age

E.2 #17-18 E.2 #19-20 (first appearance!) E.2 Annual #2

E.2 Vol 5: the Kryptonian

E.2 #21-26

E.2: World’s End, Vol 1

E.2: World’s end #1-3

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #27 E.2 #28

E.2: World’s End, Vol 1

E.2: World’s End #4-8

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #29

E.2: World’s End, Vol 1

E.2: World’s End #9-10 E.2: World’s End #11

E.2: World’s End, Vol 2

E.2: World’s End #12-16

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #30

E.2: World’s End, Vol 2

E.2: World’s End #17-19 E.2: World’s End #20 E.2: World’s End #21-23

E.2 Vol 6: Collision

E.2 #31 E.2 #32

E.2: World’s End, Vol 2

E.2: World’s End #24-26

(In the middle of the Earth 2 timeline Val also appears in Convergence #1-8)

E.2: Society, Vol 1: Planetfall

E.2: Society: Sneak peak E.2: Society #1-2 E.2: Society #3

E.2: Society, Vol 2: Indivisible

E.2: Society #8-10 E.2: Society #11 E.2: Society #12

E.2: Society, Vol 3: A Whole New World

E.2: Society #13-16 E.2: Society Annual #1

E.2: Society, Vol 4: Life After Death

E.2: Society #17-23

I hope this list is helpful in navigating the sparse appearances of such an interesting character!

[doomrichards]

A DoomReed Recommended Reading List posted for Jan. 2023 and not exhaustive!

full text list below the cut!

DOOMREED Recommended Reading List

Doctor Doom/Mister Fantastic, Victor von Doom/Reed Richards by @doomrichards​ on tumblr, twitter, and archive of our own Updated 01/2023, originally compiled by @foeyeahboi

1960s Stan Lee & Jack Kirby: Fantastic Four #5, #10, Annual #2 1970s Marv Wolfman & Keith Pollard: Fantastic Four #196-200 1980s John Byrne: Fantastic Four #236, #260 & #288 1990s Walt Simonson: Fantastic Four #350 & #352

Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan, et. al.: Fantastic Four #381 & Fantastic Four Unlimited #12 & Fantastic Four Unplugged #2 Jim Lee, Heroes Reborn/Return Era: Fantastic Four v2 (1997) #5-6 Captain America v2 (1997) #12 Chris Claremont, Larroca & Bogdanove: Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men #1-4 (1987) Fantastic Four v3 (1998) #25, #29-31

Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo, et. al.: Fantastic Four v3 (1998) #70 & Fantastic Four #500, #503, #507 Dwayne McDuffie, Pelletier & Jones: Fantastic Four #551-553 Fantastic Four Special, "My Dinner with Doom" Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch: Fantastic Four #558, #562

Jonathan Hickman Secret Wars Era with Epting, Deodata, Ribic, et. al.: Fantastic Four #581 - #582 FF (2010) #1-14 (omit 6, 7, 10, 11); concluding in Fantastic Four #611 New Avengers v3 (2013) #6, #7, #14 Secret Wars (2015) #2-4, #9 & Marvel 2-In-One (2017) Annual #1 for conclusion

Post-Secret Wars Era: Brian M. Bendis & Alex Maleev: Infamous Iron Man (2016) #6, #8 Chip Zdarsky, Cheung, Schiti, Dodson, et. al.: Marvel 2-In-One (2017) #4-6, Annual #1 & #11 X-Men/Fantastic Four (2020) #2-3 Dan Slott, R.B. Silva & Javier Rodriguez: Fantastic Four (2018) #25, #32 (B Story) "Duel Intentions" & #33 Christopher Cantwell & Salvador Larocca: Doctor Doom (2019) #9-10 Ryan North & Iban Coello: Fantastic Four (2022) #2

Origin Re-tellings & Variations: Books of Doom #2 Before The Fantastic Four: Reed Richards #1-3 Fantastic Four #416 (B Story) "Roads Not Taken!" Shame Itself (B story) (satire) Ultimates (Earth-1610) AU: Ultimate Fantastic Four #2, #7, #9-12, & #31-32

AU Versions / Other: Warlock (1972) #6-7 What If? (1977) #6, "What if the F.F. had different Super-Powers?" What If? (1977) #22, "What if Dr. Doom had become a Hero?" Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #42 100th Anniversary Special: Fantastic Four GeNext United #2 Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989) #39-40 Spider-Man & The Secret Wars #2, #4 Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil #4 Marvel 1602 #4 Big Town #2 Earth X #2 & Universe X Special: 4 #1 Exiles (2001) #95-98 Fantastic Four: 1 2 3 4 #4 Fantastic Four: The Movie (2005) (comic adaptation) Fantastic Five (2007) #1-5 Fantastic Four 2099 (1996) #6-8 DOOM 2099 (2019) Timeless #1 (2021)

Multimedia: Fantastic Four (1994) (film) Doomgate by Jeffrey Lang (novel) Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes ep. 1, 4, 17, 25 Marvel’s Wastelanders: Doom by Mark Waid et. al. (podcast) & Marvel’s Wastelanders Marvels Chapter 4 (podcast) Avengers Ultimate Alliance (video game) Marvel Superheroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If? by Roger Moore (RPG manual)

[theofficialdailyplanet]

made a reading order for match / bizarro superboy / bizarro boy / kent conner!

havent finished all of them on the list yet but wanted em all together

and no the ten year gap isnt a mistake, they only let him out the basment recently

[ffverr]

How to read X-Men?

For the dear X-Men fans that came in through 97 (or the movies) and are confused as to where to start the comics! Don't let the internet fool you, there is only one way and it is by starting with Giant size X-Men #1 (1975). No I am not kidding, it truly is the only right way to get the full story😭 (unless you want to go ALL THE WAY to 1963, I don't necessarily think it's that vital)

This is me trying to keep ppl from making the same mistake I did, starting with wheadon's astonishing X-Men ☠️

Here is a very useful pic of what to read next 💞 good luck!

This is to get ALL the context and major story arcs still referenced today. So I believe it to be vital for the other eras. (I don't know how you can fully understand jean and Scott's relationship today without having read inferno or dark phoenix for example)

Now, If you just wanna read for one specific character, that's a different story! Character specific reading guides that concentrate on the important issues across time exist! Look for those they're very useful <3

Guide made by: https://www.reddit.com/r/xmen/s/z1xNhqPXtv

https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/s/ChkpOJbXED

[bobbinalong]

people who say it's difficult to get into comics are weak and won't survive the winter. you pick a random comic, google "read online free" and then you read a hundred issues of a run you'll like well enough but realize really sucks like two years later.

[jlquarterly]

TIM DRAKE READING ORDER

For those who, like me, when they like a character they need to read every single comic the character appears in, I have compiled a list of all of Tim Drake’s appearances from his debut up to the 2011 Flashpoint reboot (not including New 52 continuity).

If you enjoy my reading guides or find them helpful and would like to support me, you can do so on my Ko-Fi.

[thequiver]

Who is....James Proudstar | Warpath? - A Reading Guide

James "Jimmy" Proudstar, is an X-Men affiliated character from Marvel Comics first introduced in 1984. Jimmy is a member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and was born in Camp Verde, Arizona. Jimmy grew up idolizing his older brother, John, who would die while on a mission with the X-Men, prompting Jimmy's own path into the world of mutant infighting. Jimmy's story includes topics around the mistreatment of indigenous people (including the medical experimentation that they've suffered), as well as dealing heavily with themes of grief and healing. However, given the nature of American comic books and the lack of diversity among writers, the comics do not always do a good job addressing themes and plots specifically related to Jimmy being Apache.

Many earlier comics do not accurately depict Jimmy's skin-tone or culture, so while in the graphic above I have adjusted some coloring, please be advised that in an unfortunately large number of the following issues...he will look white.

Reading list is under the cut!

From Hellions to X-Force

Jimmy's first appearances are with the Hellions, a villainous group of mutants under the direction of Emma Frost. Jimmy joined their ranks following the death of his brother, John, when he was determined to get revenge on the X-Men- he soon found that he didn't fit in with the Hellions and returned home. Cable approached him about joining the New Mutants but he declined until he discovered that the Hellfire Club (of which Emma was part) had murdered his entire tribe. Now fueled by a desire for revenge against Emma Frost, Jimmy agreed to join the New Mutants right before they turned into X-Force.

New Mutants (1983)#16-17 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #193 Firestar (1986) #2-3 New Mutants (1983) #39, 43, 53-54, 56, 62, 99-100, Annual 7A New Warriors (1992) #Annual 1A Uncanny X-Men (1981) #Annual 15A X-Factor (1986) # Annual 6A X-Force (1991) #1-3 Spider-Man (1990) #16 X-Force (1991) #4-5, Annual 1C Warheads (1992) #4-5 X-Force (1991) #6-7A, 9A-15 X-Cutioner's Song X-Men (1991) #17 New Warriors (1990) #31 X-Force (1991) #19, 21-26, Annual 2, 27-33 New Warriors (1990) #46 X-Force (1991) #34-38 Blaze (1994) #4-5 X-Force (1991) #39-41, 43 Cable (1993) #21 X-Force (1991) #44-53, 55-58 X-Force and Cable '96 (1996) #1A X-Force (1991) #59-61, 63-64 X-Force and Cable '97 (1997) #1 X-Force (1991) #65-66, -1, 68-71 Deadpool (1997) #12 X-Force (1991) #72-93, Annual 1999, 94-98 Cable (1993) #73-75 X-Force (1991) #99-117

X-Corporation

After the dissolution of X-Force, Jimmy would join the international mutant taskforce, X-Corporation.... it didn't last very long....

New X-Men (2001) #133 X-Force (2004) #2-3

X-Men

Jimmy keeps his powers after M-Day and returns to the Xavier Institute where he ends up "joining the X-Men". (It's complicated).

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #475-476, 478-479, 481-482, 484-491

X-Force: Take 2 (Now with Wolverine)

A new X-Force was formed, led by Wolverine (Logan) to do the more....extreme tasks the normal X-Men won't.

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #493 X-Factor (2006) #26 New X-Men (2004) #45 X-Men (1991) #206 X-Factor (2006) #27 (mostly here as set up for the next issue) New X-Men (2004) #46 X-Men (1991) #207 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #498-499 X-Force (2008) #1-6 X-Force: Ain't No Dog (2008) #1B Cable (2008) #6-7, 9-10 X-Force (2008) #7-11 X-Men: Legacy (2008) # Annual 1A, 230A X-Force (2008) #12-13 X-Force/Cable: Messiah War (2009) #1 Cable (2008) #13 X-Force (2008) #14 Cable (2008) #14 X-Force (2008) #15 Cable (2008) #15 X-Force (2008) #16-18, 20

Necrosha, etc.

After the events of Messiah War, Jimmy became embroiled in Necrosha (reanimated mutants were being controlled by Selene and the T-O virus). After fixing that scenario, Jimmy quit X-Force, stayed in Utopia after the schism, and would join the X-Men in a war against the Avengers. (This era technically includes Age of X, but Jimmy doesn't really...do much there so I didn't include those appearances).

X-Necrosha (2009) #1A,C X-Force (2008) #21, Annual 1A, 22A-25 Nation X (2010) #4C X-Men: Schism (2011) #5 (Jimmy's only in like 3 panels but they're important) X-Men: Legacy (2008) #260 X-Men (2010) #20-29

Weapon X

After all...that. Jimmy was captured by the restarted Weapon X Program, after being rescued the team Jimmy was on started by renaming themselves "Weapon X" as a way to reclaim the program that had hurt them. During this time, Jimmy started dating Domino...which was certainly a choice on the writer's part....

Weapon X (2017) #2, 4 Weapons of Mutant Destruction: Alpha (2017) #1 Totally Awesome Hulk (2016) #20 Weapon X (2017) #5 Totally Awesome Hulk (2016) #21 Weapon X (2017) #6 Totally Awesome Hulk (2016) #22 Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (2017) #1-5 Weapon X (2017) #7-21 Astonishing X-Men (2017) #13A-17 Extermination (2018) #3-5 X-Force (2018) #1A-5, 7-10

Krakoa and Fall of X

Like many mutants, Jimmy moved to the mutant nation of Krakoa. While on Krakoa he joined the New Mutants, and would have a chance to reconnect with his beloved brother, John.

New Mutants (2019) #14-15, 18-24 Giant Size X-Men: Thunderbird (2022) #1 New Mutants (2019) #29 New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #1 X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #121-123, 138-142

[devine-fem]

If you wish to get into Spideypool or write for them then this is a masterlist of all ‘Spideypool’ evidence of Wade Wilson or Peter Parker being astrangly interested in each other. This took me forever... please don't flop. If I miss anything please let me know, I'll edit this list as soon as possible.

1. When bound against Spider-Man, Deadpool gets... excited for lack of a better word and even more so when Spider-Man yells at him.

2. Deadpool has a celebrity crush on Spider-Man like young teenage boys would crush on various female actors, but instead Wade Wilson had Spiderman, I guess.

3. Wade Wilson owns a plethora of Spider-man merch, plushies, blankets, posters, underwear, belts, he has them.

4. There are two official variant covers that display Deadpool and Spider-man recreating the upside-down kiss… this is technically not canon due to them being variant covers, but they can be if you want.

5. When someone asks Deadpool about the relationship he has with Spider-Man he either says they are best friends or lovers.

6. Wade is jealous or envious of Peter’s bond with Johnny Storm.

7. Wade comments multiple times about how tight Spider-Man’s suit is and how nice his butt is.

8. Wade has called Tobey Maguire cute.

9. There are mutliple occasions of pedestrians in the marvel universe assuming Spider-Man and Deadpool are some sort of couple.

10. When Deadpool is asked about a romantic date… he imagines him and Spiderman sharing a candlelit dinner together…

11. It’s important to remember that Spider-Man is a grown man. Yes, Deadpool flirts a lot, but he is flirting with another adult that he is sexually attracted to, and this is not a crime, he’s not harassing Spider-Man in any way and if Peter felt like he was then he can also be an adult and tell Wade to stop which he never does.

12. Deadpool most of the time does not know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man so when Wade flirts with Spider-Man, he’s mostly attracted to the idea of Spider-Man he has in his head and when he’s in the position to know Spider-Man’s identity, he always refuses and even protects his identity from being known by other people. + Forehead kiss.

13. Wade has a list of people that he would cheat on his wife with. It’s a list of people he’d be given a free pass to have sex with if he’s given the chance. Most people on this list are woman but the last person is Spider-Man, this is one of the biggest nods towards Deadpool’s sexuality because it’s set in stone that if given the opportunity, he would have sex with Spider-Man, while knowing that he’s a man.

14. Wade has pictures of him and Spider-Man together in his house.

15. Spider-Man keeps pictures of him and Wade on his phone… for reasons… I don’t know why.

16. They have one biological child together called ‘Itsy Bitsy’ and another they adopted called Matrix.

17. Wade doesn’t hesitate to protect Spider-Man.

18. Ryan Renolds and Andrew Garfield have kissed before. Not really evidence, I just think it's funny.

19. Deadpool loses his wife because of how much time he’s devoted to Spider-Man, instead of her. She even calls him out on his crush, he legitimately loses his wife because of his relationship with Spider-Man due to her feeling like she’s third wheeling.

20. Marvel ships it.

21. Asking Spider-Man for a kiss, an upside-down kiss that is and I mean, if you count the variant covers as canon then sure, yeah, never say never Spidey.

22. Wade would die with Spider-Man (and he gets to prove this later)

23. Spider-Man’s touch, voice and smell all seem to calm Wade down. 24. There's an issue in a Deadpool comic literally just called "Spideypool." 25. Wade references fanfiction, fanart and says Spideypool out of his mouth multiple times so he's very aware that this exists. 26. There's an alternate universe where they are old man in an apocalypse. 27. Deadpool's villains are well aware that he has a weak spot for Spider-Man and uses this against him at times. How cute is that? 28. Spider-Man is Wade's special boy... dude, this is so fanficy... 29. Okay, so, the heartmates thing. A group of people use magic to try and summon Deadpool's heartmate to try and get to his wife, I'm not entirely sure what a heartmate is but I'm pretty sure it's a 'one true love' type of thing and yes, this summons Spider-Man, so unless Wade's 'gay jokes' have tricked the concept of magic as a whole, that's pretty on the nose. 30. Wade has seen Spider-Man naked... I'm pretty sure that is what this is implying. 31. Peter does find Wade genuinely annoying sometimes, but he never voices this to Wade directly but the funniest thing is... Peter's attitude to Wade is like a 'he can only get on MY NERVES!' type of thing. 32. Peter genuinely gets worried for Deadpool when he gets hurt even though he has a healing factor, he even takes care of him when he's healing after a mission. 33. Peter gets magicked into thinking Wade is attractive. NOW LET'S GET INTO THE SAD AND EXISTENTIAL STUFF! 34. One of Wade's bigger character arcs is when he tries to become a hero like Spider-Man. He admires Spider-Man, he puts him on a pedestal because he does the right thing without hurting anyone and he's admired for it. To be honest, we did just go through a bunch of cute fanficy moments but this moral back and forth between the two is definitely the gayest thing they've done. 35. Weirdly Peter is trying to actively force himself to hate Wade, but he can't find it within himself to dislike him. I think that his mean comments toward Wade are definitely more of an act because the behavior that Wade displays remind him of things he dislikes within himself. Peter also has been betrayed multiple times throughout his life by people he thought he could trust so he has a hard time allowing himself to trust Wade. Meanwhile Wade feels jealous of what he assumes is a relationship between him and Peter Parker that could possibly be romantic, yes, Wade does think Peter Parker and Spider-Man may have been dating which is why Spider-Man is so protective of Peter Parker which causes Wade to get jealous. 36. Wade and Peter actually become friends very easily which is something that people complained about when this comic was still just coming out. Eventually, because Wade is convinced Peter Parker is an evil doer, he kills Peter Parker (Spider-Man) which causes Spider-Man to revoke their friendship and feel betrayed by Deadpool. Peter assumes that Wade falsified their entire friendship just to get to Peter Parker and kill him, he eventually finds out this was a mistake and brings Peter Parker to life which is around the time where Wade's wife leaves him. Now, because of Peter, Wade is using rubber bullets and refusing to kill people. It's important to remember that Wade in the past, has mentioned that killing was all he had, and he gave that up for Spider-Man, to prove himself to Spider-man. This is a huge thing for Wade, killing was one of his most defining traits but it also made him hate himself, but he's willing to change for Peter.

Is it... wrong of me for kind of finding the fact that Peter has worked to help Deadpool stop killing but this ultimately culminates as Wade killing Peter, like biting the hand that feeds you... is it wrong that I find this tragically romantic...? I need so much therapy. 37. Wade explains that he was just trying to protect Spider-Man which is one of my favorite moments between the two.

38. Peter eventually forgives Deadpool, and they go after the person who put a hit on Peter Parker.

39. When Peter’s mad at him… he doesn’t exactly… hate it? I guess.

40. Wade has a little "What would Spidey do?" wristband. That's adorable. 41. Wade describes his new morality as the best thing that's ever happened to him and one of the biggest things that motivate him to be better is because someone (spidey) genuinely believes that he can get better. He mentions that if Spider-man was to die or leave him then there would be no point in getting better which is so sad to me.

42. Spider-Man has a bad habit of easily forgiving people. Spider-Man has a hero complex and believes that everyone can be saved, even when told to his face that Deadpool is not the type of person that can be save, he defends Deadpool and rejects this idea.

43. When Wade does the right thing Peter tells him that he's proud of him and this is also a big motivator for him. He feels better if he's told someone notices his efforts and feels neglected if they don't.

44. Speaking of tragically romantic, Peter starts to question his morality because he finds out that there's a hole in his life that seemingly can't be filled with doing the right thing anymore. He lets himself slip away and contemplates killing itsy bitsy which he commits to doing but Wade tries relentlessly to stop him.

He ends up killing Wade because he finds that his ongoing worship of him makes him feel guilty. 45. Wade doesn't stop trying to get Peter to stop.

Ultimately Peter beats him in the fight and to stop Peter, he sacrifices himself. He kills Itsy Bitsy instead so Peter can't. He gives up his morality, something that meant the world to him, for Peter, once again. Peter feels immensely guilty for this and promises to make it up to Wade somehow. It's also implied that Wade fills that gap in Peter's life that he's missing.

46. This is from a different writer so it's a little inconsistent, basically because of Wade's new morality, he stops making as many jokes, starts to become more serious and eventually gets to really be alone with himself and his problems which causes him to dislike the version of Wade Wilson he's become because of Spidey. It's like Peter makes him see parts of himself that he dislikes a little bit clearer, and he loses hope, he stops believing that he can actually become better. Cameleon, a villain at the time fakes Deadpool killing someone, Peter believes this - which hurts Wade due to how little faith it seems Peter has in Deadpool. He blows up in Peter's face and says that he did all of this for him, and he doesn't really care about letting everyone down... except him, he feels extremely guilty for some reason when he lets Spider-Man down.

47. Eventually, Peter finds out that Wade did not kill someone and apologizes to Deadpool which is important because it means Peter cannot wrong Deadpool without the narrative making sure he makes amends for his actions. Deadpool sometimes is very vexing, and this is not necessarily entirely Peter's fault for getting aggravated with him. Deadpool does this on purpose, he has low self-esteem and sometimes uses his behavior as a way to push the people he cares about away, whether it's to protect them or to keep himself from getting hurt. Wade has communicated this to Peter before and Peter very sweetly affirmed him. 48. Wade has a daughter named Ellie that he keeps far away from him because he does not want her getting in the middle of his mercenary business and getting hurt. He says that one day when he's ready to put this mercenary stuff behind him then he'll be ready to take care of her properly. Wade introduces his daughter to Spider-Man, and she says that she loves Spider-Man and Daddy talks about him all the time which Wade adorably gets embarrassed by. 49. Peter goes out of his way to hang out with Wade. 50. Theres this huge arc of future!Wade Wilson coming back from the future into the past to stop things from going so wrong in the future. This might be confusing but basically, this whole arc is about how Wade refuses to live without Peter and without Peter's permission, gives up some of his healing factor to keep Peter alive way past his due date. He outlives every person he knows and the only person he has is Deadpool. He even gives up being Spider-Man until busting a robbery motivates him to be Spider-Man one more time which he spends that time with Deadpool. Peter almost dies once again and to save Peter, Deadpool gives up more of his healing factor to keep him alive. It's so strange to me that Wade refuses to live without Peter but what's even stranger is that it's revealed that Peter knows Deadpool is keeping him alive and never stops him. These two are so weird about each other. This eventually culminates with the both of them dying in each other's arms, I kid you not. 51. So, Wade and Peter, long story short, stops this future from happening which is the second the last arc. The last last arc is them defeating the concept of the third wall I believe...? 52. Another thing that is EXTREMELY important to note is that Wade and Peter are canonically established friends right now. During the last 10 issues of their solo comic they become friends, set in stone, no going back on that. Peter finally accepts Wade as he is, and they go on a little adventure together. There's no point in saying Peter doesn't like Wade or Wade doesn't like Peter. Peter and Wade's friendship developed over time, there's no need to try and erase their friendship. Peter likes Wade now; he stops pretending to be annoyed with him, he cheers him on, and he compliments him regularly. He even trusts Wade enough to reveal himself as Peter Parker. Peter and Wade's friendship was very similar to Johnny Storm and Peter Parker's, both hated each other at first but then slowly became good friends. There's no point of putting Spideytorch and Spideypool against each other when they are so similar. 53. Wade thinks Peter is handsome. 54. Peter thinks Wade is a hero. 55. One of my favorite moments because I am CRAZY. Wade dying for Peter without hesitation and Peter being devastated. This happens almost right after Peter reveals himself as Peter Parker. 56. Wade has eaten Peter before, if you're into that Cannibalism being a metaphor for love type of thing.

57. Wade has called Peter 'baby boy' and "bambi' but these things have happened literally one time before and have become extremely overused. Wade has plenty of nicknames for Peter, let's mix it up a bit. 58. Marvel's little animation for the both of them. 59. They've interacted in Ultimate Spider-Man before.

60. Peter has a fever dream… Deadpool is crossdressing in it.

61. Deadpool gets put into a falsified reality where everything is his version of perfect, this is a villians way of getting information out of Deadpool while using his favorite things as leverage. In this reality, fake!Spider-Man tries to get information out of Deadpool by bribing him with sex. I kid you not.

62. His little “Make Spidey mine, Marvel!” Badge. He’s so down bad.

63. The entirety of Deadpool (2013) Issue #10.

64. The official Deadpool manga where Deadpool contemplates asking Spider-Man for a dirty favor.

65. Deadpool’s random little Spider-Man keychain at the handle of his Katanna.

Or, y’know, reading their duo comic: Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016) would also basically tell you everything you need to know about their dynamic if you need somewhere to start. I hope this helped to refresh anyone’s mind on things as well.

Again, if I missed anything cute, please let me know. I’ll edit it as soon as possible.

[thepsychicracoon]

A “Kinda” Simple Guide On How To Read The X-Men

This is from my TikTok but since that whole app might get put down like a dog I’m just throwing all my comic reading guides here. That’s why it looks like this lol