I read my first Hellboy comic about fifteen years ago. I bought a few of the early trades, enjoyed them, and made it a point to buy all new Mike Mignola collections whenever they came out. But at some point, I stopped reading them. I've had a few customers ask me about reading order. And mostly I just tell them to read the Hellboy books in order, then BPRD, then BPRD Hell On Earth, and then Hellboy in Hell. I'd always admit that I hadn't read Witchfinder, or Lobster Johnson, or any of the other spin-offs. A year or so ago, I looked up what the proper chronological reading order was via several websites, and they mostly spat the same uninformed advice that I'd been giving. After a couple of discussions with Jeff Stumpo about the BPRD series, I decided it was finally time for me to a deeper dive into The Mignolaverse (the unofficial name for Hellboy, BPRD, and their spin-offs. The Internet was once again, mostly unhelpful. The choices were: Just Read Them In The Order Of The Numbers On The Spine You Nerd, or lists that were so focused on chronology that they recommend putting a book down mid-story, and picking up another volume for a few pages, before returning to the original one. That's no way to read comics. And since the stories weren't written chronologically, nevermind collected chronologically, I decided it was time to do some reading and research of my own. So, here's another conceptual TV Series chronology. It's four seasons long because there are four large arcs to the series so far, with a fifth one just beginning, and probably taking years before it's wrapped up. As you can tell from the last post, we don't really know how Season 1 ends. SOMETHING happens that causes Hellboy to leave the BPRD. But we haven't seen what yet. For Season 2 we'll start following an entirely new BPRD team. Unlike the volumes in Season 1, most Mike Mignola books are all over the place, chronologically. They're not necessarily linked by themes, or in any sort of chronological order. They usually contain a couple to a few short stories and then one larger scale story linked to other volumes. So this should be....fun. Season 2: Being Human (showrunner Mike Mignola) Episode 1: Mexico
(Hellboy In Mexico, Frankenstein Underground) written by Mike Mignola, art by Ben Steinbeck, Richard Corben, Mike McMahon, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, and Mike Mignola Do you like luchadores? Mummies? Frankenstein monsters? Well, then this season opens with an episode just for you. Following events from 1956, which still haven't been written yet, Hellboy goes on an epic bender in Mexico that ends up with him having a brief stint as a vampire fighting luchadore, getting married, and befriending a Frankenstein monster. The Frankenstein monster then has its own journey in Frankenstein Underground which you can read if you'd like, but isn't nearly as compelling or fun as Hellboy In Mexico. Episode 2: The Pirate's Ghost (Lobster Johnson 5: The Pirate's Ghost & Metal Monsters Of Midtown) written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Tonci Zonjic Back to the 1930's where Lobster Johnson battles some Zinco robots, which seems like a random aside from our Hellboy journey, but trust that Zinco will be making a return appearance this season. We also see Wald and Payne's adventures with the Lobster come to what seems to be a definitive close. Episode 3: Honest Abe (Abe Sapien 1: The Drowning, and Abe Sapien 2: The Devil Does Not Jest written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Jason Shawn Alexander, Patric Reynolds, Peter Snejbjerg, and James Harren Hellboy isn't the only non-human agent at BPRD. Abe Sapien is a...well...a sort of fish guy. In "The Drowning", he gets sent to clean up a mess left long ago by Edward Grey during the first episode of last season. His mission doesn't go well. A bit later, he goes on his first few solo missions with a bit better luck, but an equal amount of having to go under water. Also, this makes back to back episodes featuring pirates, if that's your thing. Episode 4: The Crooked Man (Hellboy 10: The Crooked Man And Others) written by Mike Mignola, art by Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo, Joshua Dysart and Jason Shawn Alexander Witches and Satan are bad news, especially if you lived off the grid in the mid-twentieth century. Our main story is one of a man trying to redeem himself for the mistakes of his youth while Hellboy learns a bit about witchcraft. It's one of my favorite Hellboy stories. The volume also includes "In The Temple Of Moloch" which is sort of flat, and "They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships" which allows us to spend more time with Abe Sapiens, and, yes, Another Pirate Story! (If you are so compelled, this is where I would put Hellboy 7: The Troll Witch and Others, and Hellboy 12: The Bride Of Hell And Others, which are both, like "The Crooked Man", stories from Hellboy's time wandering without the BPRD. They are completely skippable, though, and some of my least favorite of the Mignolaverse) Episode 5: Seed Of Destruction (Hellboy 1: Seed Of Destruction) written by Mike Mignola and John Byrne, art by Mike Mignola The original Hellboy story! This is the beginning of an actual arc featuring Rasputin from last season, and some of those residual Nazis. Plus, a sad goodbye to an old friend, and a hello to frogs, who will mostly be pestering our heros in season three. There's also my favorite comic panel of a dog in one of the backup stories. Episode 6: Wake The Devil (Hellboy 2: Wake The Devil, Hellboy 3: The Chained Coffin & Others) written by, and art by Mike Mignola Continuing the Rasputin & the residual Nazis arc, Hellboy also encounters the Thessaly women, and of course, vampires in Wake The Devil. The Chained Coffin & Others is largely skippable for now, except for the last story "Almost Colossus" which takes place during and immediately after Wake The Devil, why it's put all the way at the back of the volume, I couldn't tell you. Episode 7: Being Human (BPRD Being Human) We're going to take a brief respite from the major storyline of the season to get a chance to better know the other BPRD characters. In this episode we get to learn more about Liz Shaw's origin, Abe Sapien learns to deal with the consequences of his actions, Hellboy and Roger The Homunculus work a case together, and we meet a medium named Johann Krauss. Episode 8: Conqueror Worm (Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm) written by, and art by Mike Mignola Ok, back to Rasputin, Baba Yaga, and the residual Nazis storyline. We also get more time with Roger The Homunculus and his new friend...Lobster Johnson? Didn't think we were going to see him and Hellboy in the same episode. Episode 9: Hollow Earth (BPRD 1: Hollow Earth & Other Stories) written by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, and Brian McDonald, art by Ryan Sook, Matt Smith, Derek Thompson, Mike Mignola, and Curtis Arnold) Hellboy has quit the BPRD, Liz Shaw has taken a leave of absence, and Abe Sapien and Roger The Homunculus are debating jumping ship as well. But when Liz sends Abe an urgent message, he and Roger take the new recruit, Johann Kraus with them to rescue her. There are also some important side stories in this volume, and I would recommending reading it in reverse order. So, starting with "Drums Of The Dead", then "Abe Sapien Vs. Science", then "The Killer In My Skull" (hey, it's Lobster Johnson again!), and then ending with "Hollow Earth". It's a much more satisfying narrative experience. I have no idea why they chose to flip the order around. Episode 10: Another Day At The Office (BPRD 2: The Soul Of Venice & Other Stories) written by Mike Mignola, Michael Avon Oeming, Miles Gunther, Brian Augustyn, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, and Joe Harris, art by Michael Avon Oemin, Guy Davis, Scott Kolins, Adam Pollina, and Cameron Stewart A bunch of short cases featuring Liz, Abe, Roger, and Johann. Not a ton of continuity, just some much needed character building time. Plus, art by Cameron Stewart who has colored pretty much, if not all of the episodes so far. Episode 11: Three Wishes (Hellboy 6: Strange Places) We conclude the second season with Hellboy taking a trip to Africa. An ill-advised trip, as he ends up at the bottom of the sea for two years, arguing with Ursula about prophecy. When he finally gets back to the surface, well, lots of prophecy talk, including letting him know that while he was under water The Plague Of Frogs hit, and since Plague Of Frogs is the title of the third season, it's time to bow out for a bit. Season Two is somewhere between 11 and 13 episodes, depending on whether you bothered with The Troll Witch, The Bride Of Hell, or the stories in The Chained Coffin that weren't "Almost Colossus"
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I read my first Hellboy comic about fifteen years ago. I bought a few of the early trades, enjoyed them, and made it a point to buy all new Mike Mignola collections whenever they came out. But at some point, I stopped reading them. I've had a few customers ask me about reading order. And mostly I just tell them to read the Hellboy books in order, then BPRD, then BPRD Hell On Earth, and then Hellboy in Hell. I'd always admit that I hadn't read Witchfinder, or Lobster Johnson, or any of the other spin-offs. A year or so ago, I looked up what the proper chronological reading order was via several websites, and they mostly spat the same uninformed advice that I'd been giving. After a couple of discussions with Jeff Stumpo about the BPRD series, I decided it was finally time for me to a deeper dive into The Mignolaverse (the unofficial name for Hellboy, BPRD, and their spin-offs. The Internet was once again, mostly unhelpful. The choices were: Just Read Them In The Order Of The Numbers On The Spine You Nerd, or lists that were so focused on chronology that they recommend putting a book down mid-story, and picking up another volume for a few pages, before returning to the original one. That's no way to read comics. And since the stories weren't written chronologically, nevermind collected chronologically, I decided it was time to do some reading and research of my own. So, here's another conceptual TV Series chronology. It's four seasons long because there are four large arcs to the series so far, with a fifth one just beginning, and probably taking years before it's wrapped up. Season One takes us from the 1800s into the 1950s. None of the show's major characters show up in the first few episodes. But the main characters of each episodes will return during later seasons, and I've only included their most interesting and important adventures. You also get to see baby Hellboy grow into rebellious teen Hellboy during this season, which is an absolute blast. You may also note that there are a couple of episodes which just say "missing", this is because there are clearly stories that have to fill in a couple of tiny gaps that haven't been released yet. I'll update them when they come out. Dure dure d'être bébé Season 1: Seeds Of Destruction (showrunner Mike Mignola) Episode 1: Witchfinder
(Witchfinder 1: In The Service Of Angels, Witchfinder 2: Long & Gone Forever) written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Ben Stenbeck and John Severin A nineteenth century English boy gets accidently involved with the occult when, during a search for lost children, he's bitten by a werewolf, who he then kills. He grows up to be an occult celebrity in England, eventually tracking a case down to Nevada. As you might guess by the title, there are witches involved in these stories, but it's more about dismantling folk tale tropes by changing their settings and giving some thought as to what the evil characters have to gain by giving them somewhat smaller scopes then Taking Over The World. There's also an interesting placement of how religion can interact with profane magic without going wildly-over-the-top in either direction. This is easily the best western witchcraft examination of privilege and Christianity that I've seen in a comic book. Episode 2: Rise Of The Black Flame (Rise Of The Black Flame, Lobster Johnson 2: The Burning Hand) written by Mike Mignola John Arcudi and Chris Roberson, art by Christopher Mitten and Tonci Zonjic Young girls start go missing in Siam. When some of those girls turn out to be British, your early 20th century racist cops go looking for them, and end up meeting some of the Witchfinder's associates. They combine their efforts, and end up tragically contributing to the origin of the Black Flame. A few years later, a Batmannish vigilante named Lobster Johnson is trying to wipe out the mob. After losing some pivotal battles, the mob starts to work with some occult experts, and, lo must Lobster Johnson battle The Black Flame in order to save his city. Episode 3: The Voice Of The Dragon (Rasputin: The Voice Of The Dragon) written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Christopher Mitten As I'm compiling this chronology, this book isn't out yet, but it's shown up in Previews. This volume is intended to introduce us to future villain Rasputin, as well as the closest thing Season 1 has to a protagonist, Trevor Bruttenholm, future founder of the BPRD and eventual caretaker of Hellboy. Episode 4: Sledgehammer 44 (Lobster Johnson 1: The Iron Prometheus, Sledgehammer 44) written by Mike Mignola and Jason Arcudi, art by Jason Armstrong and Jason Latour Nazis, magic suits, dragons, and action fill these two stories. They're both fairly weak entries in the Mignolaverse but the stories resonate later in the series, and the art for The Iron Prometheus is fantastic. Imagine if the early Iron Man suit were in the hands of a well-intentioned but not scientifically trained wannabe hero, instead of an alcoholic millionaire. Episode 5: Vampire Sturm (BPRD 9: 1946) written by Mike Mignola and Josh Dysart, art by Paul Azaceta During 1944, Project Ragnarock resulted in the appearance of a demon child named Hellboy. He was adopted by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who went on to found the Bureau For Paranormal Research and Development (BPRD). Now that the war is over Bruttenholm returns to Germany to try and learn more about Project Ragnarock and Hellboy. Unfortunately, some Russian soldiers, the remnants of a German army of Vampires and some other paranormal villains have other plans in mind. Episode 6: A Game Of Catch (BPRD 13: 1947) written by Mike Mignola and Josh Dysart, art by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon BPRD, now based out of a New Mexico airbase, sends some new recruits on a mission to France to learn about what a two hundred year old opera has to do with a train car load of dead former Nazis. Featuring a few familiar demony faces from Vampir Sturm, and introducing some new humans to Brutteholm's paranormal team. Also, adorable young Hellboy just wants to play a game of catch while Bruttenholm deals with the consequences of his latest mission. Episode 7 : Enkalados (BPRD 1948) written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Max Fiumara BPRD relocates yet again to Connecticut, but the new members we met in 1947 travel with Bruttenholm to Nevada, where they research the appearance of monsters who may or may not have a connection to tests of the atomic bomb. Meanwhile, in Connecticut, Hellboy prepares to meet President Truman. There is some great conversation in this episode about the difference between theoretical physics and magic, and how one can be proved while the other can't. Episode 8: The Midnight Circus and Other Tales (BPRD Vampire, Hellboy Midnight Circus) written by Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, art by Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon, and Duncan Fegredo The conclusion to Agent Anders's arc that started in "A Game Of Catch". This will surely be the last we hear of vampires for a while. Also, Hellboy runs away from the BPRD to a place that's just as weird and demonic as any place the BPRD ends up. Episode 9 missing there will be a story here which should give some sort of context for why Bruttenholm decides to allow Hellboy in the BPRD in the next episode Episode 10: Anchunga (Hellboy & The BPRD 1952) written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Alex Maleev Hellboy's first case with the BPRD takes them to Brazil where a series of murders could either be connected to a haunted prison or a sound studio for propaganda films. Not both, obviously. Episode 11: Beyond The Fences (Hellboy & The BPRD 1953) written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Ben Stenbeck, Paolo Rivera, and Michael Walsh More early adventures of Hellboy with the human BPRD. The crux of the stories offering more information about the monsters who showed up in Enkalados. Episode 12: Black Sun, Ghost Moon (Hellboy & The BPRD 1954) written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Brian Churilla, Stephen Green, and Richard Corben A slightly less noobish Hellboy travels the world with his human BPRD agents. We encounter even more damned dirty apes and the threat of the "occult Cold War" that's been foreshadowed in "Vampire Sturm" and "Beyond The Fences". As of this posting, the collection isn't yet available, but most of the issues are already out. Episode 13: Occult Intelligence (Hellboy & The BPRD 1955) written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Shawn Martinbrough The story for this episode/collection hasn't quite started yet, but 1956 is the beginning of the second major arc for Hellboy, as well as the BPRD, so this should be a really important adventure that ends with a major shuffling of the staff of the BPRD. Season One is probably 13 episodes, maybe 14 depending on whether Mignola explains the shuffle in Hellboy & The BPRD 1955, or if there will be a Hellboy & The BPRD 1956....which doesn't seem likely at this point. Carlos Williams requested a Flash comics chronology. Personally, I'm not a big fan of reading a comic about someone who runs fast. The character is much better suited for TV, and the CW is doing an incredible job with the current Flash TV show, and its spin-off, "Legends Of Tomorrow". "Arrow" sucks, though. We made it nearly four entire seasons without Barry Allen! But now, here he is all dressed in red and yellow and running quickly towards and away from things. Season four is named for a major event in the DC Universe. An event that made for a really interesting season of the actual Flash TV show on the CW, but made for a lackluster comic event. Not unreadable but certainly more eyerolly than your average Geoff Johns book. I spend most of this entry yelling at Barry Allen (because he fucken deserves it), do not mistake this as me criticizing Francis Manapaul's run on The Flash. I think he did an admirable job, given what he had to work with. Idiot. Season Four: Flashpoint (showrunner: Francis Manapaul) Serial 1: Flash The Dastardly Death Of The Rogues
written by Geoff Johns, art by Francis Manapaul and Scott Kolins Welcome back to continuity Barry Allen. Isn't it nice and calm he---Barry, Did You Murder Someone In The Future? Did you? Did you? Did you murder a rogue? Are you a rogue murderer, Barry? I know you're all like post-iceberg Steve Rogers right now, but Jesus, man, you can't just kill a rogue in the future! I'm going to have to ask you to step outside the timeline. Rogue Future. 2 episodes Serial 2: The Flash Road To Flashpoint written by Geoff Johns, art by Francis Manapaul Y'all need to stop messing with the timeline, right now, ok? Just because a girl doesn't like you, doesn't mean you go back in time and try and make a better first impression. If your mom's death was an important factor in you becoming the person you are, you can't go back and save your mom. It's real simple, assholes. Time moves forward. If you don't stop messing with timelines, they're going to break, and we're going to end up in a complicated, overwritten crossover, and nobody wants that. Don't Cross The Timestreams! 2 episodes Serial 3: Flashpoint, Flashpoint The Flash written by Geoff Johns, art by Andy Kubert and others Are you happy now, Barry? You broke the universe. Now Bruce Wayne is dead, his dad is Batman, his mom is The Joker. You Really Fucked Up. And you don't have powers now. Wait. What are you doing? You're trying to recreate the accident that gave you your powers? Barry, that's a terrible idea. Barry, watch out for the lightning. Barry! Ugh. Idiot. Flashpoint. 4 episodes Serial 4: The Flash Move Forward written by Francis Manapaul and Brian Buccellatto, art by Francis Manapaul Good going, Barry. Now we're in a Different Wrong Universe. We undid all that Flashpoint stuff, but what is this New 52 crap? I miss Wally West. You really suck at this Barry. I get that it's difficult when you're fighting an opponent who can be everyone all at once, but you deserve this. This is all the fans of comics, trying to punch you in the head for being a jackass and ruining continuity twice in a span of three years. You're lucky you've had an amazing artist drawing your adventures because you suck. Mob Rule. 2 episodes Episode 11: The Flash Rogues Revolution written by Francis Manapaul and Brian Buccellatto, art by Francis Manapaul Of course the rogues are mad at you, Barry, you've ruined Everyone's lives. Especially DC comic readers. You couldn't be more of a disappointment if you ripped off your mask and revealed you were Dan Didio all along. Now Captain Cold is being targeted by the rogues? What have you done, Barry, you sonofabitch? Cold War. 1 episode Serial 5: The Flash Gorilla Warfare written by Francis Manapaul and Brian Buccellato, art by Francis Manapaul Apes, Barry. Damn, dirty apes. And all because you dicked around with the timeline. Now the same rogues that were just trying to kill you are going to have to help you, or the whole city will be killed by non-human primates. Good, going, jackass. Charlton Heston would have kicked you in the teeth. Kneel Before Grodd. 2 episodes Serial 6: The Flash Reverse Flash written by Francis Manapaul and Brian Buccelato, art by Francis Manapaul Oh, look, another fast running dick in a brightly colored suit. I hate you Barry Allen. You and the rest of your treadmill destroying speedwalkers. Why don't you just go to Gotham and fuck up their city for a while, too. Prick. The End Of An Error. 2 episodes Season four is fifteen episode of Barry Allen being a complete and utter toolbag. Carlos Williams requested a Flash comics chronology. Personally, I'm not a big fan of reading a comic about someone who runs fast. The character is much better suited for TV, and the CW is doing an incredible job with the current Flash TV show, and it's spin-off, "Legends Of Tomorrow". "Arrow" sucks, though. During the final episode of last season, the whole speed force thing disappeared, and it seemed like the superheroes whose only powers were running fast were bound to live a boring life. How am I supposed to make a season of episodes out of this? I can't imagine they would Immediately Undo the disappearance of the speed force. Would they? Captain Cold does his best Ray Charles impression. It's not very good. art by Scott Kolins Season Three: Gone Rogue (Showrunner: Geoff Johns) Serial 1: The Flash Fastest Man Alive Lightning In A Bottle
written by Tony Bilson and Paul DeMeo, art by Ken Lashley With Wally West and the speed force having having disappeared during Infinite Crisis, Bart Allen, formerly Impulse, formerly Kid Flash, is just trying to live a normal life working in a factory. But when another freak accident returns his powers, Bart becomes the fastest man alive and reluctantly picks up the mantle of The Flash. Do The Bartman. 2 episodes Serial 2: The Flash Fastest Man Alive Full Throttle written by Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo, Mark Waid, Marc Guggenheim, art by many The Flash's former nemesis, Inertia, hears that Bart has his powers back and teams up with the rogues to try and take his speed away. Luckily, the bad guys never win in a situation like this. Inertia. 2 episodes Serial 3: The Flash The Wild Wests written by Mark Waid, John Rogers and Keith Champagne, art by Daniel Acuna, Freddie Williams II and Doug Braithwaite Oh, hey, look, Wally is back. And he and his family have some adventuring to do both in the DC Universe proper and on another planet. Welcome back Wally, you wacky Flash, you. Where's Wally. 2 episodes Serial 4: Final Crisis Salvation Run written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges, art by Sean Chen and Walden Wong Final Crisis is an unreadable, continuity intensive mess that no decent editor would have allowed to be published. But there were some fun spin-off series, including this one. THe President has decided that the supervillain population is way out of hand, and so Amanda Waller and The Suicide Squad round up the worst villains, including the rogues who overstepped their bounds in Full Throttle, and ship them to their own planet, which is supposed to be peaceful buttttttt, as it turns out, it's designed to kill intruders. Whoops. Salvation Run. 3 episodes Serial 5: Final Crisis Rogues Revenge written by Geoff Johns, art by Scott Kolins Having survived their time on Salvation Run, the remaining rogues return to Keystone City and try to decide whether to disband and live peacefully or take their revenge on Inertia. This is one of the most fun villain-centric comics of all-time. Rogue's Revenge. 3 episodes Serial 6: Flash Rebirth written by Geoff Johns, art by Ethan Van Sciver Reading the aforementioned clusterflush, Final Crisis, did not adequately explain why Barry Allen is suddenly back in the DC Universe. Luckily, Geoff Johns wrote this whole miniseries explaining how all the flashes will fit into the world. Please Barry Me With It. 2 episodes Episode 15: Blackest Night Black Lantern Corps Vol 02 written by many, art by many Blackest Night is mainly a Green Lantern event, but as part of the storyline, all the dead heroes and villians are revived. To celebrate it, they released some "resurrected" issues, where a creative team of a canceled book reunited to tell a story about how their book was effected by Blackest Night. This volume contains a bunch of stories from the DC Universe, including Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins telling a Barry Allen/Wally West story. Hmmm...Barry Allen, you say? Season 3 is 15 episodes with no real protagonist. Carlos Williams requested a Flash comics chronology. Personally, I'm not a big fan of reading a comic about someone who runs fast. The character is much better suited for TV, and the CW is doing an incredible job with the current Flash TV show, and it's spin-off, "Legends Of Tomorrow". "Arrow" sucks, though. The first season was all speedsters all the time. We hardly got any time with any villains who moved at normal speed. Well, Geoff Johns (who wrote every episode of this season) fixes that by bringing back the classic Flash rogues and having their interactions with Wally West and the universe be gloriously complicated and fun. Yes, there are dire consequences from time to time, but this season is bright, weird, and moves really quickly toward the season's bizarre conclusion. Come on, rogue, let your morals go with the flow, you know you can do it art by Brian Bolland Season 2: Keystone Cop (showrunner: Geoff Johns) Serial 1: The Flash By Geoff Johns Book One
written by Geoff Johns, art by Scott Kolins, Ethan Van Sciver, and Angel Unzueta Season two finds Wally in media res, traveling through various alternate Earths. He loses touch with the speed force and ends up teaming up, against his will, with several classic Rogues such as Captain Cold and Mirror Master. It's a weird but fun romp that changes when he meets an alternate version of his dead ex, and decides to hang out there for a while. It's fairly silly at times but seeing non-running villains is a nice change of, sorry, pace. Wonderland. 2 episodes Blood Will Run. 1 episode Iron Heights. 1 episode Serial 2: The Flash By Geoff Johns Book Two written by Geoff Johns, art by Angel Unzueta and Doug Hazlewood Wally West, protector of Keystone City and Central City has a vast amount of villains, and many of them are working in concert to keep The Flash occupied. The costumes on both the villains and the helpful heroes (Superman and Cyborg each show up to help Wally out) are pretty post-90s extreme and very brightly colored, which is fitting with the over-the top madcapness of this particular chapter in Wally's tenure as The Flash. New Rogues. 3 episodes Serial 3: The Flash By Geoff Johns Book Three written by Geoff Johns, art by Scott Kolins and Doug Hazlewood Rogues antagonizing rogues helping rogues antagonizing Flash. The relationships between the characters from this season of Flash get really fascinating as more and more characters get folded into the end of Johns's run on The Flash. In the end, we do end up with an evil speedster takes on Flash and other speedster heroes, but it's not as relentless as the first season. The Brave & The Beaten. 1 episode Run Riot. 1 episode Gorilla Warfare. 1 episode Zoom. 2 episodes Serial 4: Infinite Crisis written by Geoff Johns, art by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway I don't enjoy DC's Crisis books, and this is no exception. There are too many characters, too many plot points, too man mcguffins, and too many far reaching consequences. But this is Geoff Johns's reset of the DC universe, so, of course all of the Flash characters are involved. And, amongst the carnage something pretty severe happens to Wally West. Infinite Crisis. 3 episodes Season 2 is fifteen episodes in Wally World where no one punches out a moose. Carlos Williams requested a Flash comics chronology. Personally, I'm not a big fan of reading a comic about someone who runs fast. The character is much better suited for TV, and the CW is doing an incredible job with the current Flash TV show, and it's spin-off, "Legends Of Tomorrow". "Arrow" sucks, though. If I were to make a five season chronology for The Flash, I would skip out on all the silver-age Barry Allen stories. So, unlike some of the previous chronologies, you're not going to get a ton of origin stories and first appearances of villains. The Flash will follow Wally West (who is not like the Wally West in the TV show...instead of being Iris's brother, he is her nephew) and the villains he inherited from the previous Flash. Fuck you uncle Barry! art by Greg Larocque Season 1: Terminal Velocity (Showrunner: Mark Waid) Serial 1: The Flash By Mark Waid Book One
written by Mark Waid, art by Greg Larocque, Jim Aparo, and Pop Mhan Wally West is Barry Allen's favorite nephew. But Barry has always been careless with chemicals and lightning, so he accidentally, and against astronomical odds, recreates the situation that turned him into The Flash, thus turning Wally into Kid Flash. Idiot. But it's not too long before Wally has to go from Kid Flash to regular old Flash when Uncle Barry disappears saving the universe. Kid Crisis. 2 episodes. Serial 2: The Flash By Mark Waid Book Two written by Mark Waid, art by Greg Larocque and Sal Velluto It seems like just one serial ago when Wally West was Kid Flash and Barry Allen rescued the universe, meaning he was gone forever. Oh, wait. It was. Then how is Barry back already? And why is he such a dick? Original Recipe Flash, Jay Garrick, and some Green Lanterns step in to try and solve the mystery. The Premature Return Of Barry Allen . 2 episodes Serial 3: Impulse Reckless Youth, The Flash Terminal Velocity written by Mark Waid, art by many One of the things that drives me crazy about Flash books is that there are So Many Characters whose power is that they can run fast. And this series adds even more! Bart Allen, Barry's grandson from the future (comics, sigh), finds himself in the present, and it's up to Wally West, Jay Garrick , Johnny and Jesse Quick, and Max Mercury (alliteration, ugh) to train him, lest he become any more of a bratty nuisance. Impulse Control. 3 episodes Episode 8: The Flash Dead Heat (written by Mark Waid, art by Oscar Jiminez, and Humberto Ramos) The lamest part of the Flash tv series is how terribly CGI the villain Savitar looks. It's so substandard to the other effects on the show that I have a hard time taking him seriously. Well, in this book we meet Oh So 90s Savitar, who looks like Rob Liefeld designed him but someone with talent and opposable thumbs got to draw him. Once again, all the speedsters are in this book. And Savitar, also a speedster, has brought a new army of speedsters. So much running. So much hair. Faster Than The Fastest Man Alive. 1 episode Episode 9: The Flash Race Against Time written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn, art by Oscar Jiminez, Anthony Castrillo, Jim Cheung, and Sergio Cariello Another another goddamned Flash??? This one wears a blue suit and, like very other new Flash before him, his arrival changes everytthzzzzzzZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZxxxxXXZXZxzzxzx, huh? Oh, changes everything. While this Flash is in the present, Wally West is doing some serious Ghost Of Christmas Future adventuring around the timeline on his way home from defeating Savitar. Blue Steal. 1 episode Serial 4: The Flash Emergency Stop written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, art by Paul Ryan...not the spineless Speaker Of The House Wally West is dead. And it's up to the eight billion speedster characters, including Wally West, himself (totally not dead) to solve his murder. In addition to yet another speedster villain, we get some time to visit with classic villains like Mirror Master and Captain Boomerang. The Suit. 2 episodes Serial 5: The Flash The Human Race written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, art by Paul Ryan and Pop Mhan Alien gamblers arrive on Earth and demand a champion speedster human race an alien speedster. Sure. Featuring all the speedsters, and even new speedsters! Alien speedsters! Speedsters that Wally might have encountered when he was a child! And then, The Black Flash. No, it's not a cool new character of color, it's a...speed force demon doppelganger maybe? It runs! Fast! And Wally must conquer it to avenge yet another death that may or not be permanent! The Human Race. 3 episodes Season 1 of The Flash is 15 episodes that don't go as fast as you might imagine a book about speed would. The Avengers franchise is what made Marvel Studios the completely dominant force in comic based entertainment. The way they streamlined Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and other characters into an expansive universe that also includes television shows like Daredevil and Agents Of SHIELD is something that has never been achieved before in motion picture entertainment. The Avengers continuity, even without including the individual characters is supremely daunting. So, I’ve put together a chronology of some of the best Avengers related books that are currently or were recently available in collected editions (the recently available are still around for pretty cheap on various online outlets and in bookstores) into eleven! TV seasons. Ten seasons of Avengers took us up to the end of Marvel 616 continuity, and a little beyond. The new Marvel Universe, though it's certainly had as many missteps as the previous universes, has a number of really fun series, and they come together to form a whole season of Marvelly goodness. Check out a new team for a more fun generation. Not your racist-ass uncle's stale-ass Avengers. Art by Humberto Ramos Avengers Season 11: Champions (Showrunners: Mark Waid, G Willow Wilson, and Ryan North) Episode 1: Ms Marvel No Normal, Ms Marvel Generation Why, Ms Marvel Crushed
written by G Willow Wilson, art by Adrian Alphona, Jacob Wyatt, and Takeshi Miyazawa Kamala Khan is just your average superhero superfan until the Terrigen mists fall to Earth and she becomes a superhero. Initially patterning her costume and appearance after Carol Danvers, she eventually becomes her own hero, interacting with the old school heroes of te Marvel Universe. New Normal. 1 episode Episode 2: Nova Rookie Season, Nova Corpse written by Sean Ryan, art by Cory Smith and John Timms That upstart Nova kid who showed up in season 8 has finally been reunited with his father. Surely his life is going to get easier as his dad was a Nova Corps member, too, and will surely help him understand how to balance his superhero identity with his regular one. Rookie Season. 1 episode Episode 3: Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Squirrel Power, Squirrel You Know It's True written by Ryan North, art by Erica Henderson Doreen Green came from the mostly unnoticed Great Lakes Avengers but she eventually became a low-key assistant to The Avengers. She didn't fight much. She mainly did some babysitting and housesitting, and now she's going away to college to live a normal life of talking to squirrels and trying to keep out of trouble. But trouble keeps finding her, and she keeps kicking its tail. Squirrel You Know It's True. 1 episode Episode 4: Totally Awesome Hulk Cho Time written by Greg Pak, art by Frank Cho The kid genius from World War Hulk is now The Hulk! Where's Banner? Don't worry about it. Amadeus Cho is a very smart Hulk who goes around the world in a flying food truck, fighting kaiju and being very much a teenager. Totally Awesome Hulk. 1 episode Episode 5: Mighty Thor Thunder In Her Veins written by Jason Aaron, art by Russel Dauterman Jane Foster became Thor just before Secret Wars. She has different and seemingly cooler talents with Mjolnir than the Odinson did. But every time she becomes Thor, the chemotherapy she's been taking to battle her cancer is undone. Is she willing to destroy her life to save the world? Thunder In Her Veins. 1 episode Serial 1: All New All Different Avengers Magnificent Seven, Ms Marvel Super Famous written by Mark Waid, art by Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar Nova, Ms Marvel, the new Thor, Spider-Man (Miles Morales from The Utimate Universe), Captain America (Sam Wilson), and Iron Man (boring old Tony Stark) are the new face of The Avengers. A team that will undoubtedly stay together forever and ever. All New All Different. 2 episodes. Episode 8: The Ultimates Start With The Impossible written by Al Ewing, art by Kenneth Rocafort Carol Danvers runs The Avengers' cosmic arm, deciding to use new tactics to solve the recurring problems of the Marvel Universe. Outside The Box. 1 episode Episode 9: Avengers Standoff, All New All Different Avengers Family Business written by Nick Spencer, Al Ewing, Gerry Duggan, and Mark Waid, art by Jesus Saiz, Mark Bagley, Ryan Stegman, and Mike Norton Old and new Avengers alike team up when Maria Hill from SHIELD reveals an entire city of imprisoned supervillains. Much of this is a setup for Captain America storylines we won't be following, but it's also an interesting teamup and lays the groundwork for the next serial. Pleasant Hill. 1 episode Episode 10: Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Squirrel You Really Got Me Now, I Kissed A Squirrel And I Liked It written by Ryan North, art by Erica Henderson Marvel Universe's most fantastic squirrel-powered hero uses computer science and wackiness to take down some of the biggest villains in the Marvel Universe. I Kissed A Squirrel And I Liked It. 1 episode. Episode 11: Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur BFF, Cosmic Cooties written by Amy Reeder, art by Brandon Montclare With Reed Richards being MIA since Secret Wars, the smartest person in The Marvel Universe is....a fourth grader named Lunella Lafyette. Worried about becoming an Inhuman due to the Terrigen Mists that transformed Kamala Khan into Ms Marvel, Lunella creates an invention that beckons The Devil Dinosaur into her time. Awesomeness ensues. Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. 1 episode Serial 2: Civil War II, Ms Marvel Civil War II, Ultimates Omniversal, All New All Different Avengers Civil War II written by Brian Michael Bendis, G Willow Wilson, Mark Waid, Faith Erin Hicks, and Al Ewing, art by David Marquez, Takeshi Miyazawa, Veronica Fish, and Christian Ward Carol Danvers has found an Inhuman who can predict possible futures and she's using him to try and stop problems before the occur. Unsurprisingly, this creates different problems and turns hero against hero. Again. Predictive Texts. 3 episodes Episode 15: Totally Awesome Hulk Civil War II written by Greg Pak, art by Alan Davis Is the biggest moment in Civil War II Amadeus Cho's fault? Plus, where was Banner during the period between Secret Wars and Civil War II? Fault Lines. 1 episode Episode 16: Vision Little Worse Than A Man, Vision Little Better Than A Beast written by Tom King, art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Michael Walsh In his quest to be more human, Vision creates a family. Because he didn't learn the lesson of House Of M. Stupid android. This time, he fails to help create a false reality that ruins his friends' lives, and, instead, might have ruined his own and those of his new family. Suburban Glamour. 1 episode Serial 3: Champions Change The World, Nova Resurrection, Totally Awesome Hulk Big Apple Showdown written by Mark Waid, Jeff Loveness, and Greg Pak, art by Humberto Ramos, Ramon Perez, and Luke Ross The younger faction of The All New All Different Avengers goes rogue. Enough with those stale-ass old Avengers. Most of them are dead, depowered or irrelevant now anyway, right? Change The World. 2 episodes Episode 19: Invincible Iron Man Ironheart written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Stefan Caselli With Tony Stark either missing or dead after Civil War II, his most recent mentee, Riri Williams dons her own armor to become the new Iron Man of the Marvel Universe. Ironheart. 1 episode Episode 20: Occupy Avengers Taking Back Justice written by David F. Walker, at by Carlos Pacheco Since his role in Civil War II, Clint Barton has become a political touchstone, and he's decided to use his newfound anti-hero fame to do some damn good for those without superpowers. Hawkguy's First Stand. 1 episode Season 11 manages to also be 20 episodes! Season 12 will exist, probably in 2018 or so, with more stories of Kate Bishop, Jen Walters, Patsy Walker Hellcat, and The Champions! And maybe by then Avengers and New Avengers will be interesting enough to return to my chronology. Valiant Comics was a small comic book press founded by one of the most hated editors in the history of Marvel comics, Jim Shooter. After a successful run in the 90s, it eventually shut down when its parent company, Acclaim, restructured. Not everybody has DC’s Time Warner money or Marvel’s Disney backing. In 2012, Valiant started relaunching series, and about a year ago, they revealed that they were going to create a movie universe modeled after Marvel’s successful cinematic universe. Here’s how I would structure a TV series that handled their properties, should they have gone the television route, as opposed to the movie-verse. I’m only doing ten episode seasons, without the serial approach that I’ve done with the DC and Marvel properties because most of what’s available in trade format is their modern stuff, and that goes back almost four years, as opposed to DC & Marvel’s nearly 80 years apiece. The fourth season was a tad goat-heavy and there was much-to-do about super teams. With the fifth seasons, characters move freely throughout the universe without having too much of a cross-over feel. When I started this chronology, there were barely enough books to cover five seasons, now there are probably enough for six, and I'm still loving this universe, so I'll probably keep adding more as the comics keep being collected. Season Five: The Valiant |
May 2024
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