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Like most of the world, we are under stay-at-home orders restricting us from doing most anything outside of our homes. As rough as the situation seems, comic books have always supplied an outlet to escape reality. Now, more than ever, we have some time to dive into a series that we just could not before. You can find most of these at your local comic book shop. We recommend asking them first to help support during these times. So here’s a short list of five epic quarantine reads to keep you busy and entertained as we pull through this insane situation.
Earth X Trilogy
First up, the Earth-X trilogy published by Marvel. The overall series consists of a total of 42 issues. From Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X, each volume transforms the Marvel universe in ways that readers have never seen beforeāconceptualized by Alex Ross, who also does the covers for the series, Jim Krueger as the writer and art by John Paul Leon. The story takes place in a dystopian future where everyone in the world has obtained powers due to the Terrigen Mists. We see how this world has reshaped our beloved Marvel heroes and created all new ones.
Not only does it go over every major Marvel character, but some deep cuts as well. It’s a great series if you are trying to expand your Marvel knowledge. There is also a current series Marvels X that serves as a prequel to the entire Earth X trilogy.
DC Crises
Catching up on significant events in comics has never come at an easy cost. DC’s history has become more dense year after year. It’s hard for even us comic book scribes to keep up with continuity as events matter one year, then don’t matter the next. Why not spend this downtime by expanding your DC knowledge by dipping into their most significant and most bombastic events? Sure, you can pick any one of them up for your pleasure.
Nevertheless, here is our recommended reading order: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis, Flashpoint, Multiversity, Dark Nights: Metal. So, there’s a lot to look up and catch up on. Each of these series brought a defining moment in DC history. They all also segue into different tie-ins and other events, but by checking out these stories, you will know the groundwork of the DC Universe.
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
What do 007, Harry Potter, and Captain Nemo have in common? They’re all part of one of the most excellent comic series ever. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comes from the mind of Alan Moore. He redefined comic books, namely the superhero genre with the masterpiece Watchmen. He’s also the world’s greatest fan-fiction writer.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen takes almost every piece of pop culture dating back to the Victorian era and into the far future into one epic tale. Consisting of six volumes of the series if you include the Nemo Trilogy to count as one volume. Not only will these series make you want to do some research on some of the more unknown characters, but it will fill your bookshelf with new material. The final volume was also Alan Moore’s final contribution to the comic book medium.
The Invisibles
If you’re looking for something to take you on a trip across the universe, pick up The Invisibles by Grant Morrison. Throughout the four volumes, readers go on a trip from rituals that bring back John Lennon to scorpion gods from another dimension. This series will rewire your brain to look at the universe differently.
Oh, and The Invisibles was the foundation that The Matrix was based on. You will find that Grant Morrison looks strikingly similar to one of the main characters, King Mob. Morrison had performed ritual magic while writing the series that had direct effects on his health. So, in the story, when King Mob was in pain and dying, Morrison was having the same issues. Grant quickly turned King Mob’s health around, and sure enough, Grant was up and going as well. The Invisibles has been picked up by Universal Cable Productions (UCP) and we’re hoping to get an update on the adaptation soon.
The Sandman
Who says that comic books are literature? Neil Gaiman’s fourteen volumes of The Sandman are filled with wonder, excitement, love, death, and everything in between. Every volume has a unique theme and approach making them all astonishing. The series focuses on Morpheus, the King of Dreams, and his siblings, The Endless.
You will laugh, cry, and become filled with enjoyment that no other comic book story could do. DC recently created an imprint called The Sanman Universe with a new series filled with all the magic and wonder that came from this book. It is currently getting adapted into a Netflix show with Neil Gaiman as a writer. So, get ahead of the curve and learn what it’s like to live in the realm of dreams.