The 25 Essential Trades to Marvel Comics From 1961 to 2000

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• So I hear a lot of people saying to not read all the Marvel comics, which I was going to do, so is this Quick Start guide shorter, so I can get through it? Just curious. Thanks.

• I was struggling to find out "Demon in the bottle" on Marvel Unlimited to find out it was Iron Man (1968) issue #120-128. If it can help anybody.

• Is there a similar list to this but for DC?

  • Yep! https://www.comicbookherald.com/the-best-40-dc-comics-from-1942-to-2000/

• Could you do one of these without limiting yourself to a certain number of trades? I feel like it would be a bit better if you included more reads that weren’t essential, but were still really fun reads. For example, you mentioned Peter David’s Hulk and John Byrne’s Fantastic Four. Why not just go ahead and add them to the list?

  • I wish one too, though I understand that it might be much like "My marvelous year". Being a Marvel (actually superhero comic) newbie, I have been struggling where to start since I found out Marvel Unlimited few months ago.

    I have been interested long superhero comics, but in my country they are so hard to get (I live in smaller town) and expensive so I have actually read few random issues here and there (I wish that DC´s version of MU would come also international). So MCU is actually my first contact point to Marvel

    First I started to read some golden age, then FF from the beginning. I thought that couple of few first issues of FF was bit boring and tried Spiderman which I liked better. I dabbled around different characters from MCU (Thor, Iron Man, Avengers, Ant-man) and jumped around so that I get them up to same date :D (Somewhere in 1964 or so). I got little bit bored of 60's comics (villain of the month etc.) though it seemed that in about 1965 there are some bigger and more continous storylines, and started with your 1998 reading order.

    Now I am wondering that how much I miss character/universe development etc. and bigger stories if I continue from there

    • If you are still reading comics,or for the benefit of any marvel newbie that will find this list I'd like to share the best tip I had that helped me start reading years ago:
      You won't be able to read the entire Marvel comics or even the Marvel Unlimited comics, so don't try. What's important will be told you. If a particular character is interesting read more stuff about that specific character, or if a particular writer, artist or editor piques your interest, check other stuff they created.
      Slowly, but surely you will get to know more and more stories and build a library of favorites.

      In my case I started with Daredevil all the way back from issue #1 in the 60's, then I moved to Spidey, and from there I decided to read X-Men.
      I think in the last 4 years I've read more than 500 comics of multiple creators and characters and constantly trying new stuff to see if they work for me or not.

  • I agree, they should at the very least be honorable mentions for people who want the best of the 1961-2000 in addition to the most important stories of that era.

• Is it necessary to read the silver surfer 1-18 to get understanding of later issues, the infinity gauntlet for example? Or can those issues be skipped?

  • It’s not important for continuity. It’s probably on the list cause it’s generally beloved. Read the first one, and if it’s not your thing you can skip it.

• I tried to post earlier, but did not get a confirmation, so I thought I would try again. I apologize if I end up posted twice.

  I love this list for me, and plan to start on it very soon. Is there a list of comics I should have my 9-year-old AVOID, such as Deadpool?

  Thanks!

  • Avoid Deadpool lol. Silver Age stuff is probably pretty safe. Starting about 68 or so, you’ll want to at least skim through what they’re gonna read.

  • OK, NOW I see my original post. Sorry!

• Hi!

  I am new to Marvel Unlimited, and want to share my account with my 9-year-old, who has not really read comics before. I think I am going to take a crack at this list (because I only read a few titles when I was younger), but do you have suggestions of which series to suggest and which to tell my son to avoid (like Deadpool)?

• Isn't Days of Future Past, considered to be collected in Uncanny X-men 141 and 142. Why did you choose to end the recommendations in the middle of the arc?

  Thanks again for all your work!

• You should add the link to the Infinity Saga reading order under the Infinity Gauntlet title.

• Please help me, I'm new to this, and want to know where to start so I understand fully.

  • Either go to the reading order part one, and read that stuff and then move on to Disassembled. Or start with the Amy Marvelous Year reading club. Don’t plan on reading everything you will die. I suggest starting in 98 and following one of Dave’s lists (either the main reading lists or the quick start guide). Eventually, you’ll know what’s going on.

• I'm loving the list right now, but I have 1 problem: I feel like you're missing some very good stories from this time period (#maximum carnage, birth of venom, etc.), but I think my marvelous year would be too much. Could you maybe make a 100 best stories from this time period? Thanks ????????????

  • Perhaps one day :)

• Hey Dave, when you said that you suggest we read further into Amazing Spider-Man, how far would you suggest going?

  • Would you suggest going farther than omnibus 2?

    • IMHO the first 200 issues of ASM are like one big story. There are some weak periods in the late 100s but its all worth reading. Then pick u again with 229 through to 329 then come back with Volume 2 issue 30

• Hey, issue numbers for daredevil born again + man without fear are really confusing) Could you clear them up a bit please, cause now it shows 226 - 223, while all the other sources claim, that born again is 227 - 233.

  Anyway, love your project, keep it up!)

  • Same question here. Must be a typo. Could someone clarify?

    Great work on this site!

    • I can clarify - 226 was included for story reasons when they made a published volume for Born Again, which included 226-233. The 223 in the article is a typo.

• Hi, before I say anything I just have to say I love your work here :) but I'm undecided as to how I should read the oldest Marvel Comics.

  I've started reading My Marvelous Year but (even though I'm liking the good old commie villains and patriotism) I want to get to the 2000s as fast as possible but without missing anything (I'm kinda picky I guess). Also, I'm a complete newbie to Marvel and I have read absolutely nothing so I don't really know if I should stick to My Marvelous Year or read the Fast Track and then follow THE GUIDE from the 2000s.

  Any advice? Is My Marvelous Year complete enough story-wise?

  Thanks in advance

  • Welcome! The fast track here will get you to the 2000's more quickly than My Marvelous Year. MMY is extremely thorough - we definitely cover a broader scope of comics and storylines in the MMY club than the fast track.

    So, if you're in a hurry to get to the present day, I'd recommend the fast track, otherwise MMY is my rec for getting as much Marvel history as possible. Either way, I always encourage readers to stick with the books they're enjoying the most! No point in forcing yourself through older comics if you're not that into them, and vice versa.

    Enjoy the comics!

    • Thanks! I continued reading MMY and even though I really want to get to present day I feel like every chapter I read will have some relevance later on! So I'm reading the best and the very good according to your 60's recap and just the synopsis of the weaker ones so I don't loose much time.

      Reeally great work though, I've been wanting to get into Marvel for years (ever since I read the death of captain america at a library, a bit of a spoiler for me I guess -_-) but didn't know where to start.

      Thanks again and I'll start voting when I catch up with you in MMY!

• Should I,for example, read all of the avengers comics before the kree skrull war to understand what is going on