The villains are taking over the DC Universe and it will never be the same again. This is the basic premise of DC Comics’ latest all-encompassing Year of the Villain, which will see Lex Luther and his Legion of Doom test our favourite heroes in ways they haven’t before.
The Year of the Villain is massive in scale and an ambitious endeavour, covering many of the comics that DC publishes. Something of this scale can be very confusing, so I have put together the Year of the Villain Reading Order Guide. This puts all of the pieces together while giving handy details and answering questions along the way.
Updating…
The Year of the Villain is only getting started and there’s plenty more to come. DC has suggested that the Year of the Villain will go well into 2020. As a result, not everything has been announced yet.
I’ll continue to update the Year of the Villain Reading Order Guide so keep checking on it for more information!
How Is Year of the Villain Structured?
Year of the Villain is structured very differently to your usual comic book events or crossovers. It’s more of a creative direction for the DC Universe, which sees ripples into many of the comics that DC Comics will publish.
Similar to Game of Thrones, Year of the Villain has a lot of different stories going on. There a lot of parallel stories going on that might seem unrelated, or only tangentially related, stories but are working towards an end goal. The further into the Year of the Villain we go, the more we’ll see the puzzles falling into place.
Veteran DC Comics reading might see this structure as being familiar to all the build-up for Infinite Crisis. That event had a lot of one-shots, crossover, and miniseries building up to it, some of which began two years before Infinite Crisis was published.
Do I Need To Read Everything?
No, not at all. That would be a big ask for any reader – and really expensive!
Read whatever comics appeal to you. If you miss anything essential then DC will make sure you are caught up.
Background Reading
DC Comics has been building the foundations for Year of the Villian throughout many stories. If you’re looking to read these foundational stories then these are the ones to check out.
Dark Nights: Metal
Without spoiling too much of the story for those who haven’t read it, the ending of Dark Nights: Metal opens up the opportunity for plot threads that are worked into Scott Snyder’s Justice League run and Year of the Villain.
Check out the Dark Nights: Metal Reading Order for more information.
Justice League: No Justice
This series acts as a transition between Dark Nights: Metal and Justice League, setting up the latter.
Justice League #1-7
The first seeds of Year of the Villain are sown in these issues, including Lex Luthor’s visions which will set him on his mission to become the apex of human civilization.
Justice League #12
This issue moves the Lex Luthor plot forward.
Justice League Annual #1
The Source Wall falls, and issues with the multiverse begin to arise.
Justice League #17-18
Introduces Perpetua and Lex learns a shocking fact which will change the direction of his mission.
If you’re a completionist and want to read of Scott Snyder’s Justice League up to this point, these are the trade paperbacks you’ll need to read:
- Justice League Volume 1: The Totality
- Justice League Volume 2: Graveyard of the Gods
- Justice League Volume 3: Hawkworld
Preludes
These comics will directly lead into the Year of the Villain storylines.
The Flash #65
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona.
Flash #65 is the final part of The Price, a crossover between Batman and The Flash from earlier in 2019. The prologue scene in this issue will reveal that there are heroes who are not as they seem and teases the new Batman/Superman series, which is launching in August.
The Batman Who Laughs #1-7
Written by Scott Snyder. Art by Jock.
Just like Flash #65, The Batman Who Laughs will set up the plot threads which are building up in Batman/Superman.
Year of the Villain #1
Year of the Villain #1 is a 25 cent issue which kicks off the Year of the Villain storyline. If your local comic book store is out of copies, you can also read it for free digitally.
Justice League #25 (Year of the Villain Prelude)
Written by Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, and James Tynion IV. Art by Jorge Jimenez and Javier Fernandez.
Justice League #26 (Year of the Villain Prelude)
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Javier Fernandez.
Year of the Villain: The Offer
The Year of the Villain has started to branch out into other comics! Lex Luthor will appear in a variety of comics to has arrived and has begun to make villains (and perhaps some heroes) an offer they might not be able to refuse.
These comics will be telling their own stories, but Lex’s offer will be interjected in there somewhere, possibly as an additional scene at the end of the book. I guess we’ll see.
There’s no strict reading order for these, as they’re all parallel stories happening independent of each other, so I have ordered these based on the release date. Read as many of them as you like and whatever order you want.
Also note, comics that ship twice a month – such as The Flash, Batman, and Wonder Woman – will not always have both issues for that month involved in Year of the Villain.
Justice League #27
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Javier Fernandez.
Available July 3rd.
Deathstroke #45
Written by Christopher Priest. Art by Fernando Pasarin.
Available July 3rd.
Harley Quinn #63
Written by Sam Humphries. Art by Otto Schmit.
Available July 3rd.
Catwoman #13
Written by Joelle Jones. Art by Joelle Jones and Fernando Blanco.
Available July 10th.
Red Hood: Outlaw #36
Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Pete Woods.
Available July 10th.
Superman #13
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.
Available July 10th.
Supergirl #32
Written by Marc Andreyko. Art by Kevin Maguire.
Available July 10th.
Batman and the Outsiders #3
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Dexter Soy.
Available July 10th.
Hawkman #14
Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Patrick Olliffe and Tom Palmer.
Available July 10th.
Justice League Odyssey #11
Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Will Conrad.
Available July 10th.
Justice League #28
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Javier Fernandez.
Available July 17th.
Aquaman #50
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques.
Available July 17th.
Nightwing #62
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Ronan Cliquet.
Available July 17th.
Batman #75
Written by Tom King. Art by Tony S. Daniel.
Available July 17th.
Teen Titans #32
Written by Adam Glass. Art by Bernard Chang.
Available July 17th.
Justice League Dark #13
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Mark Buckingham and Daniel Sampere.
Available July 24th.
Detective Comics #1008
Written by Peter j. Tomasi. Art by Doug Mahnke and Jamie Mendoza.
Available July 24th.
Batgirl #37
Written by Cecil Castellucci. Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico.
Available July 24th.
Action Comics #1013
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art Szymon Kudranski.
Available July 24th.
The Terrifics #18
Written by Gene Luen Yang. Art Stephen Segovia.
Available July 24th.
The Flash #75
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Howard Porter, Christian Duce, and Scott Kolins.
Available July 24th.
Wonder Woman #75
Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Xermanico.
Available July 24th.
Year of the Villain: Dark Gifts
Lex Luthor has made his offer, now it’s time to see what it is. Just like in July, August will see Year of the Villain influence the below comics in different ways. Based on the solicitations, it seems like some of the comics will have Lex’s offer influence the story more than others. Some of them will be one or two pages, while others it sounds like it will play into the story.
Again, no strict reading order for these so I’ve listed them based on the release date. Read as many of them as you like and whatever order you want.
Justice League #29 (Justice/Doom War – Prelude)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Jorge Jimenez.
Available August 7th.
Deathstroke #46
Written by Christopher Priest. Art by Fernando Pasarin.
Available August 7th.
Harley Quinn #64
Written by Sam Humphries. Art by Otto Schmit.
Available August 7th.
Batman #76
Written by Tom King. Art by Tony S. Daniel.
Available August 7th.
A quick note about some August 14th releases: Catwoman #14, Superman #14, and Supergirl #33 were all originally solicited to be part of Year of the Villain: Dark Gifts but do not have anything to do with it. These were originally on the list but have since been removed.
Aquaman #51
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques.
Available August 14th.
Justice League Odyssey #12
Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Will Conrad.
Available August 14th.
Wonder Woman #76
Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Jesus Merino.
Available August 14th.
Batman and the Outsiders #4
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Dexter Soy.
Available August 14th.
Detective Comics #1009
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Christian Duce.
Available August 14th.
Hawkman #15
Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Patrick Olliffe and Tom Palmer.
Available August 14th.
The Flash #76
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona.
Available August 14th.
Teen Titans #33
Written by Adam Glass. Art by Sean Chen.
Available August 21st.
Nightwing #63
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Travis Moore.
Available August 21st.
Justice League #30 (Justice/Doom War – Part 1)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Jorge Jimenez.
Available August 28th.
Justice League Dark #14
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Alvaro Martinez and Raul Fernandez.
Available August 28th.
Detective Comics #1010
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Christian Duce.
Available August 28th.
Batgirl #38
Written by Cecil Castellucci. Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico.
Available August 28th.
The Terrifics #19
Written by Gene Luen Yang. Art Max Raynor.
Available August 28th.
Red Hood: Outlaw #37
Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Kenneth Rocafort.
Available August 28th.
The Flash #77
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona.
Available August 28th.
Wonder Woman #77
Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Jesus Merino.
Available August 28th.
Action Comics #1014
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art Szymon Kudranski.
Available August 28th.
Batman/Superman #1 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by David Marquez.
Available August 28th.
Other Year of the Villain Comics in August
The following comics have also been announced as being part of Year of the Villain. The Sinestro and Black Mask one-shots will be strongly tied to the overarching story, while Batman Vs. Ra’s Al Ghul is less clear. The latter mentioned Year of the Villain in the press release, but modern Neal Adams stories tend to pretty light on continuity. There is the possibility this is removed at a later date.
Sinestro: Year of the Villain (one-shot)
Written by Mark Russell. Art by Brandon Peterson.
Available August 7th.
Black Mask: Year of the Villain (one-shot)
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Cully Hamner.
Available August 14th.
Batman Vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #1 (of 6)
Written and art by Neal Adams.
Available August 21st.
Year of the Villain: Evil Unleashed
Year of the Villain keeps on rolling. Evil will be unleashed in the following September releases.
Justice League #31 (Justice/Doom War – Part 2)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Jorge Jimenez.
Available September 4th.
Harley Quinn #65
Written by Sam Humphries. Art by Sami Basri.
Available September 4th.
Batman #78
Written by Tom King. Art by Tony S. Daniel.
Available September 4th.
Deathstroke #47
Written by Christopher Priest. Art by Fernando Pasarin and Cam Smith.
Available September 4th.
Action Comics #1015
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art Szymon Kudranski.
Available September 25th.
Justice League #32 (Justice/Doom War – Part 3)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Howard Porter.
Available September 18th.
Aquaman #52
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques.
Available September 18th.
Hawkman #16
Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Patrick Olliffe and Tom Palmer.
Available September 11th.
Justice League Odyssey #13
Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Will Conrad.
Available September 11th.
Superman #15
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.
Available September 11th.
Detective Comics #1011
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Christian Duce.
Available September 11th.
Catwoman #15
Written by Ram V. Art by Mirka Andolfo.
Available September 11th.
Batman and the Outsiders #5
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Dexter Soy.
Available September 11th.
The Flash #78
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona.
Available September 11th.
Supergirl #34
Written by Marc Andreyko. Art by Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira.
Available September 11th.
Wonder Woman #78
Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Jesus Merino.
Available September 11th.
Nightwing #64
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Ronan Cliquet.
Available September 18th.
Teen Titans #34
Written by Adam Glass. Art by Bernard Chang.
Available September 18th.
Detective Comics #1012
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza.
Available September 25th.
The Flash #79
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona.
Available September 25th.
Red Hood: Outlaw #38
Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Kenneth Rocafort.
Available September 25th.
Justice League Dark #15
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Alvaro Martinez and Raul Fernandez.
Available September 25th.
Batgirl #39
Written by Cecil Castellucci. Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico.
Available September 25th.
The Terrifics #20
Written by Gene Luen Yang. Art Stephen Segovia.
Available September 25th.
Wonder Woman #79
Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Scot Eaton.
Available September 15th.
Batman/Superman #2 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by David Marquez.
Available September 25th.
Other Year of the Villain Comics In September
Harley and Poison Ivy #1 (of 6)
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Adriana Melo.
Available September 4th.
The Riddler: Year of the Villain (one-shot)
Written by Mark Russell. Art by Scott Godlewski.
Available September 11th.
Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain (one-shot)
Written by Jason Latour. Art by Bryan Hitch and Andrew Currie.
Available September 18th.
Batman Vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #2 (of 6)
Written and art by Neal Adams.
Available September 18th.
Year of the Villain: Doom Rising
The Year of the Villain continues. These are the comics that are involved under the Doom Rising branding.
Justice League #33 (Justice/Doom War – Part 4)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Bruno Redondo.
Available October 2nd.
Batman #80
Written by Tom King. Art by John Romita Jr and Klaus Janson.
Available October 2nd.
Deathstroke #48
Written by Christopher Priest. Art by Fernando Pasarin and Cam Smith.
Available October 2nd.
Harley Quinn #66
Written by Sam Humphries. Art by Sami Basri.
Available October 2nd.
Detective Comics #1013
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza.
Available October 9th.
Batman and the Outsiders #6
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Dexter Soy.
Available October 9th.
Catwoman #16
Written and art by Joelle Jones.
Available October 9th.
The Flash #80
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Scott Kolins.
Available October 9th.
Hawkman #17
Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Patrick Olliffe and Tom Palmer.
Available October 9th.
Justice League Odyssey #14
Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Will Conrad.
Available October 9th.
Supergirl #35
Written by Marc Andreyko. Art by Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira.
Available October 9th.
Superman #16
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by David Lafuente.
Available October 9th.
Wonder Woman #80
Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Jesus Merino.
Available October 9th.
Justice League #34 (Justice/Doom War – Part 5)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Jim Cheung.
Available October 16th.
Aquaman #53
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques.
Available October 16th.
Nightwing #65
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Ronan Cliquet.
Available October 16th.
Teen Titans #35
Written by Adam Glass. Art by Bernard Chang.
Available October 16th.
Action Comics #1016
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art Szymon Kudranski.
Available October 23rd.
Batgirl #40
Written by Cecil Castellucci. Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico.
Available October 23rd.
Justice League Dark #16
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Alvaro Martinez and Raul Fernandez.
Available October 23rd.
Detective Comics #1014
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza.
Available October 23rd.
The Flash #81
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Scott Kolins.
Available October 23rd.
Red Hood: Outlaw #39
Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Kenneth Rocafort.
Available October 23rd.
The Terrifics #21
Written by Gene Luen Yang. Art Stephen Segovia.
Available October 23rd.
Wonder Woman #81
Written by G. Willow Wilson. Art by Jesus Merino.
Available October 9th.
Batman/Superman #3 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by David Marquez.
Available October 23rd.
Other Year of the Villain Comics In October
These are the other comics involved in Year of the Villain in October.
The Joker: Year of the Villain #1 (one-shot)
Written by John Carpenter and Anthony Burch. Art by Phillip Tan and Marc Deering.
Available October 9th.
Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1 (one-shot) (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Paul Jenkins. Art by Inaki Miranda.
Available October 23rd.
NOTE: Black Adam: Year of the Villain ties-in with the events of Batman/Superman.
Harley and Poison Ivy #2 (of 6)
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Adriana Melo.
Available October 9th.
Batman Vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #3 (of 6)
Written and art by Neal Adams.
Available October 16th.
Aquaman Annual #2
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Vita Ayala. Art by Victor Ibanez.
Available October 23rd.
Nightwing Annual #2
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Travis Moore.
Available October 30th.
Year of the Villain: Hostile Takeover
Things will be getting hostile as the Year of the Villain continues in November. November’s comics will include special acetate covers.
Justice League #35 (Justice/Doom War – Part 6)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Francis Manapul.
Available November 6th.
Batman #82
Written by Tom King. Art by Mikel Janin.
Available November 6th.
Deathstroke #49
Written by Christopher Priest. Art by Fernando Pasarin and Cam Smith.
Available November 6th.
Harley Quinn #67
Written by Sam Humphries. Art by Sami Basri.
Available November 6th.
Batman and the Outsiders #7
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Dexter Soy.
Available November 13th.
Catwoman #17
Written and art by Joelle Jones.
Available November 13th.
Detective Comics #1015
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza.
Available November 13th.
The Flash #82
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval.
Available November 13th.
Hawkman #18 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Patrick Olliffe and Tom Palmer.
Available November 13th.
Note: Hawkman #18 continues on the Infected plot elements set up in Batman/Superman.
Justice League Odyssey #15
Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Will Conrad.
Available November 13th.
Red Hood: Outlaw #40
Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Kenneth Rocafort.
Available November 13th.
Supergirl #36 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Marc Andreyko. Art by Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira.
Available November 13th.
Note: Supergirl #36 continues on the Infected plot elements set up in Batman/Superman.
Note: Superman #17 was originally solicited as part of Year of the Villain: Hostile Takeover but has since been removed.
Wonder Woman #82
Written by Steve Orlando. Art by Jesus Merino.
Available November 13th.
Justice League #36 (Justice/Doom War – Part 7)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Francis Manapul.
Available November 20th.
Nightwing #66
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Ronan Cliquet.
Available November 20th.
Aquaman #54
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques.
Available November 20th.
Teen Titans #36
Written by Adam Glass. Art by Bernard Chang.
Available November 20th.
Action Comics #1017
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art John Romita Jr and Klas Janson.
Available November 27th.
Batgirl #41
Written by Cecil Castellucci. Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico.
Available November 27th.
Detective Comics #1016
Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Art by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza.
Available November 27th.
Justice League Dark #17
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Javi Fernandez.
Available November 27th.
The Terrifics #22
Written by Gene Luen Yang. Art Stephen Segovia.
Available November 27th.
The Flash #83
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval.
Available November 27th.
Wonder Woman #83
Written by Steve Orlando. Art by Jesus Merino.
Available November 27th.
Batman/Superman #4 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by David Marquez.
Available November 27th.
Other Comics Coming Out In November
These are the other comics that are part of Year of the Villain coming out in November. As the names suggest, the King Shazam! and Scarab one-shots are part of the Infected storyline that’s set-up in Batman/Superman.
The Infected: King Shazam! (one-shot) (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Sina Grace. Art by Joe Bennett.
Available November 6th.
Harley and Poison Ivy #3 (of 6)
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Adriana Melo.
Available November 13th.
The Infected: Scarab (one-shot) (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum. Art by Freddie E. Willaims II.
Available November 20th.
Batman Vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #4 (of 6)
Written and art by Neal Adams.
Available November 20th.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen
The two story threads of The Year of the Villain, “Apex Lex” and “Infected”, will collide in December.
It’s worth noting that Detective Comics #1017 and #1018 are released in December but it is not clear yet as to whether they are part of Year of the Villains. #1017 has a guest creative team telling a one-off story and #1018 involves City of Bane aftermath. If they are part of Year of the Villain then I’ll add them to it when more information is available.
Justice League #37 (Justice/Doom War – Part 8)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Jorge Jimenez.
Available December 4th.
Deathstroke #50
Written by Christopher Priest. Art by Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz.
Available December 4th.
The Infected: Deathbringer #1 (one-shot) (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Zoe Quinn. Art by Ben Oliver.
Available December 4th.
Batman and the Outsiders #8
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Dexter Soy.
Available December 11th.
Catwoman #18
Written and art by Joelle Jones.
Available December 11th.
The Flash #84
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Christian Duce.
Available December 11th.
Harley and Poison Ivy #4 (of 6)
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Adriana Melo.
Available December 11th.
Hawkman #19 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Patrick Olliffe and Tom Palmer.
Available December 11th.
Justice League Odyssey #16
Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Will Conrad.
Available December 11th.
Supergirl #37
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Rachel Stott.
Available December 11th.
Harly Quinn: Year of the Villain #1 (one-shot)
Written by Mark Russell. Art by Mike Norton.
Available December 11th.
Ocean Master: Year of the Villain #1 (one-shot)
Written by Dan Watters. Art by Miguel Mendonca.
Available December 11th.
Aquaman #55
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Art by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques.
Available December 18th.
Teen Titans #37
Written by Adam Glass. Art by Bernard Chang.
Available December 18th.
Nightwing #67
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Ronan Cliquet.
Available December 18th.
The Infected: The Commissioner #1 (one-shot) (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Paul Jenkins. Art by Jack Herbert.
Available December 18th.
Justice League #38 (Justice/Doom War – Part 9)
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Jorge Jimenez.
Available December 18th.
Batman/Superman #5 (Infected plot-thread)
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by David Marquez.
Available December 18th.
Note: The Conclusion of Justice League #38 and Batman/Superman #5 lead directly into Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1 (of 4)
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Steve Epting.
Available December 18th.
Note: Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen has been dubbed as the beginning of the conclusion for Year of the Villain.
January 2020 and Beyond
The Year of the Villain stretches into the new year! Below are the comics that are part of this ongoing saga.
It’s worth noting that Aquaman #56 is a special flashback issue with a guest creative team so it is unclear if it is part of Year of the Villain. I’ll add it in if it ends up being part of it.
Action Comics #1018
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art John Romita Jr and Klas Janson.
Available January 1st.
Batgirl #42
Written by Cecil Castellucci. Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico.
Available January 1st.
The Flash #85
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Christian Duce.
Available January 1st.
Justice League Dark #18
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno and Raul Fernandez.
Available January 1st.
Red Hood: Outlaw #41
Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by David Messina.
Available January 1st.
The Terrifics #23
Written by Gene Luen Yang. Art Sergio Davila.
Available January 1st.
Batman and the Outsiders #9
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Dexter Soy.
Available January 8th.
Catwoman #19
Written and art by Joelle Jones.
Available January 8th.
Harley and Poison Ivy #5 (of 6)
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Adriana Melo.
Available January 8th.
Hawkman #20
Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Patrick Olliffe and Tom Palmer.
Available January 8th.
Supergirl #38
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Rachel Stott.
Available January 8th.
Justice League #39
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV. Art by Jorge Jimenez.
Available January 15th.
The Flash #86
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Christian Duce.
Available January 15th.
Justice League Odyssey #17
Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Will Conrad.
Available January 15th.
Nightwing #68
Written by Dan Jurgens. Art by Ronan Cliquet.
Available January 15th.
Teen Titans #38
Written by Adam Glass. Art by Bernard Chang.
Available January 15th.
Justice League Dark #19
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno and Raul Fernandez.
Available January 22nd.
Batman/Superman #6
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by David Marquez.
Available January 22nd.
Wonder Woman #750
Written by Vita Ayala, Marguerite Bennett, Kami Garcia, Dean Hale, Shannon Hale, Jeff Loveness, Steve Orlando, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, Ariko Tamaki, and other. Art by Elena Casagrande, Colleen Doran, Jesus Merino, Gabriel Picolo, and others.
Available January 22nd.
Note: This anniversary issue contains multiple stories, including one that concludes Wonder Woman’s story as part of Year of the Villain.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #2 (of 4)
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Steve Epting.
Available January 22nd.
Batgirl #43
Written by Cecil Castellucci. Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico.
Available January 22nd.
Red Hood: Outlaw #42
Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Paulo Pantalena.
Available January 1st.
Action Comics #1019
Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art John Romita Jr and Klas Janson.
Available January 29th.
The Flash #87
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona.
Available January 29th.
The Terrifics #24
Written by Gene Luen Yang. Art Sergio Davila and Vicente Cifuentes.
Available January 29th.
Harley and Poison Ivy #6 (of 6)
Written by Jody Houser. Art by Adriana Melo.
Available February 12th.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 (of 4)
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Steve Epting.
Available February 26th.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #4 (of 4)
Written by James Tynion IV. Art by Steve Epting.
Available March 18th.
After Year of the Villain
The various plots of Year of the Villain build up to DC’s big event for 2020 – Dark Nights: Death Metal. A sequel to 2017-18’s Dark Nights: Metal, this event sees Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo return for some more bombastic action set in a world ravaged by the events of Year of the Villain.
This will be kicking off in June 2020. Check out the reading order to find out more about it.
Do I Need To Read Event Leviathan?
Someone known as Leviathan is taking out all of the DC Universes’ secret organisations and shady government agencies. The world’s greatest detectives are on the case to find out who it is and to stop them before things become cataclysmic.
While it was featured in the Year of the Villain one-shot and shares a tie-ins with Action Comics, it doesn’t contribute to the overall plot. Event Leviathan instead goes off in it’s own direction.
You can find out more about Event Leviathan in the Event Leviathan Reading Order Checklist.
Have Your Say!
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Great info here but abit daunting to collect them all,what trade paperbacks would you recommend to get as much of this as possible?I have batman/superman vol(secret 6),infected and hell arisen,I’m assuming I’d definitely need JL vol5 doom war but what about vol 1-4?thanks
I wish people publishing reading order were not so lazy. Instead of slapping together whatever comes to mind you should read the comics first.
Most of this list sees heroes in two places/battles at once or batman recuperating and fighting in two consecutive issues. This is obviously not chronological order but lazy order that makes zero sense.
If you dont want to do something right just dont do it and stop confusing people.
This is the best, most comprehensive list I have found. I’m trying to invest in the entire event run. I really appreciate your efforts.
I have a questions, Detective #1015 is listed twice, is that a typo or a ‘split story-line’? And will you be updating this to the end, where it leads into the new “metal” event?
Thanks again, I look forward to more of your Reading Order Checklists!
Thanks for your kind words, Anthony. Also, thanks for pointing out Detective Comics #1015 double-up. I’ve remove the second one. The guide gets updated regularly, but I don’t expect to see any more major updates to it as Hell Arisen #4 is the end of the line for Year of the Villain and it will lead into Dark Nights: Death Metal. The reading order for Death Metal should be online sometime in April.
Is it possible to note changes when you make edits to the list. I heavily rely on your list to know what issues to buy (yes, I am buying them all).
Also, I noticed a few dates out of order in some of the list (Ex: JL #32, Aquaman #52, Action Comics #1015). Is this intentional for flow?
Thanks and as always, I love this site! Primary source for all my reading orders.
Can we get a change log in the future? Great work as always, I love the reading orders you guys put out.
hola, veo que el numero 79 de flash, no esta en este listado. podrían verificar ?? vi la lista dos veces y no lo veo. gracias
Hi, The Flash #79 was missing on the list and has now been added.
Hi Trevor.
Do you think is possible to start this series by the preludes? I didn’t read any of the backgrounds and it’s a lot.
Hey Lucas, it’s okay to start with the preludes.
Cool man! I love your site as I use it regularly to organize my DC Crossovers. Thanks for doing this!
I did have a quick question. So is JL Dark #12 in Dark Gifts? JL Dark #13 is in The Offer and JL Dark #14 is in Evil Unleashed. It looks like it goes currently:
The Offer: JL Dark #13
Dark Gifts: JL Dark #12
Evil Unleashed: JL Dark #14
Also, is Batman #77 and The Flash #77 not a part of Dark Gifts?
Hey Christopher, in regards to Batman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman, these twice a month shipping titles only have one issue per month involved in the Year of Villains at this stage. I can only assume that is so that elements of Year of Villains can move at the same pace as the other DC books. The exception to this seems to be Justice League (which is the core book in Year of Villains) and Detective Comics. I’ve put a note in the offer section so other people are not confused.
I had a quick question. You have Wonder Woman #75 in The Offer section and in Dark Gifts section. Are they really in both sections or should that be WW #76? I also noticed a few Wonder Woman titles missing like #77.
Also, you have Justice League Dark #13 in The Offer section but in Dark Gifts you go back to Justice League Dark #12. Did you mean to put Justice League Odyssey #12? That being said I didn’t see Justice League Dark #14 in the list. Is that not part of this crossover?
Sorry, just making sure I am reading this order correctly as I don’t want to miss anything.
Hey Christopher, thanks for the comment and picking up a few typos in the reading order. These have now been fixed. Justice League Odyssey #12 is in the list as DC announced that it was a late addition to The Offer. At the moment they have not said anything about further issues being involved. If that changes then I’ll add them to the guide.