As part of my on-going comics project, I update monthly with what comics I bought and anything weird or interesting I stumbled across. Each post will have a running list, and I’ll update with the new titles and where they fall chronologically.

I came up with the order of the books from this comment of all the Batman trades in chronological order (up to Flashpoint), this trade reading order list for Superman, and this one for Batman. I judged the rest for myself based on release dates and what the story depicted.

I want this list functional and readable, so I didn’t focus on perfect chronological order. I tried to keep decent chunks of individual runs together where possible, then backtrack chronologically if necessary for a chunk of a different title–except in cases where something important was introduced, like a character dying, coming back to life, etc.

Below you’ll see the list of canon DC titles that I own at this point. The ones in bold are the ones that I got this month.

1. Blue Beetle: The Charlton Files
2. Crisis On Infinite Earths
3. Batman: Dark Victory
4. Batman: The Killing Joke, Deluxe Edition
5. Justice League International, Vol. 1
6. Justice League International, Vol. 2
7. Justice League International, Vol. 3
8. Justice League International, Vol. 4
9. The Death of Superman
10. Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1
11. Impulse: Reckless Youth
12. Justice League: A League of One
13. JLA Titans: Technis Imperative
14. Young Justice: A League of Their Own
15. Birds of Prey, Vol. 1: Of Like Minds
16. Birds of Prey, Vol. 2: Sensei & Stude​nt
17. Superman/Batman Vol. 1: Public Enemies
18. Superman/Batman Vol. 2: Supergirl
19. JLA: The Hypothetical Woman
20. Teen Titans Vol. 1: A Kid’s Game
21. Teen Titans Vol. 2: Family Lost
22. Teen Titans Vol. 3: Beast Boys and Girls
23. Teen Titans Vol. 4: The Future is Now
24. Teen Titans/Outside​rs: The Insiders
25. Teen Titans: The Death and Return of Donna Troy
26. The OMAC Project (Countdown to Infinite Crisis)
27. Infinite Crisis
28. Teen Titans Vol. 5: Life and Death
29. Supergirl Vol. 1
30. Batman: Face the Face by James Robinson
31. Teen Titans, Vol. 6: Titans Around the World
32. Teen Titans, Vol. 7: Titans East
33. Superman: Up, Up, and Away!
34. Superman: Back in Action
35. Superman: Last Son of Krypton
36. Superman: Camelot Falls, Vol. 1
37. Superman: Camelot Falls (Vol. 2)
38. Superman: The Third Kryptonian
39. Superman: Redemption
40. Superman: Escape from Bizarro World
41. Superman: Shadows Linger
42. Blue Beetle (Book 1): Shellshocked
43. Blue Beetle (Book 2): Road Trip
44. Blue Beetle (Book 3): Reach for the Stars
45. Teen Titans, Vol. 8: Titans of Tomorrow
46. Blue Beetle (Book 4): Endgame
47. Blue Beetle (Book 5): Boundaries
48. Blue Beetle (Book 6): Black and Blue
49. Batman: Batman and Son
50. Batman: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul
51. Batman R.I.P.
52. Final Crisis (New Edition)
53. Batman: Battle for the Cowl
54. Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds
55. Teen Titans, Vol. 9: On the Clock
56. Teen Titans Spotlight: Raven
57. Wonder Woman: The Circle
58. Time Masters: Vanishing Point
59. Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel
60. Justice League, Vol. 1: Origin (The New 52)
61. Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls
62. Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls
63. Batgirl Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection (The New 52)
64. Batgirl Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends
65. Batwing Vol. 1: The Lost Kingdom
66. Justice League Vol. 2: The Villain’s Journey
67. Justice League International Vol. 1: The Signal Masters
68. Aquaman Vol. 1: The Trench (The New 52)
69. Aquaman Vol. 2: The Others (The New 52)
70. Aquaman Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (The New 52)
71. Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family
72. Batgirl Vol. 3: Death of the Family
73. The Movement Vol. 1: Class Warfare (The New 52)
74. Justice League United Vol. 1: Justice League Canada
75. Justice League United Vol. 2: The Infinitus Saga
76. Batgirl Vol. 4: Wanted (The New 52)
77. Secret Six Vol. 1: Friends in Low Places
78. Bizarro
79. Cyborg Vol. 1: Unplugged

Well, it’s been a moment since I’ve updated about comics, right?

Seriously, though, May was a crazy busy month. I actually don’t think I bought any comics at all that month because we were saving our money for going to a convention in Kansas City to see my friend, Brooke Johnson, author of steampunky goodness.

With that said, as you can see, my books were mostly pretty straightforward. I continued collecting Teen Titans, the Batman stuff that leads into GraysonBat (BatDick?), and, of course, Blue Beetle.

The two biggest surprise twists for me were actually both birthday gifts. I turned 28 April 1st, and my at almost 30, the best thing to get me is still funny books apparently. I’m fine with this, to be clear.

My mom got me volume 2 of Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey series, which I am all about. Gail Simone in general has never disappointed me, but that Birds of Prey series is fantastic. I miss Oracle. Gail did a great run on Batgirl that explored her post-chair life, but the fact it was undone at all still sits poorly with me.

The other super cool thing is actually a reprinting of all of the original Charleton Comics Blue Beetle issues. This means I now have comics that feature all 3 iterations of the Blue Beetle. This volume is basically the entirety of Dan Garrett’s time as the Beetle. It’s not all that important to reading and enjoying most of Ted Kord’s time as BB, but when Jaime Reyes takes over, there’s much more emphasis on legacy and the idea of handing down a superhero identity through the generations, so actually having, in print, the adventures they’re referencing…it’s difficult to describe how cool that is.

This book is actually scans of the comics pages themselves (sans ads), so it’s interesting to see the creases and folds from the old issues. I’m so glad I got it, though. It’s not something I’ll likely sit down and get super invested in since comics from those days were a bit doofier and disposable, but I’m so glad to have it, all the same.

My comic buying has slowed way down as money is needed for more important things, and I’ve gotten back into writing mode as I work on draft 3 of my novel codenamed “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah: Spooky! Scary!,” but I’ve purchased a few things so far. Since coming out as bi, I’ve really been seeking out portrayals of bi and gay men in superhero comics. There’s very few, but the ones that are there interest me. So I’ll likely continue that. I’m also keen to start digging into Rebirth. I wanted to get some of the preliminary stuff first, but I don’t think I’ll be able to resist. It almost all looks good.

If you have any thoughts about, drop me a line in the comments. Want to discuss books I’ve recently purchased or read? Any suggestions for books I missed? Just please, no spoilers.

Happy reading!