Since the late 1980s, DC Comics has had a long tradition of stories that they categorise as “Elseworlds”. These are tales outside the regular continuity, where characters are dropped into new settings and scenarios that wouldn’t be possible. Want to make Batman a vampire? Sure, why not! With Elseworlds, it’s possible. While the practice waned in the 2010s, recent years have seen a renewal – with DCeased leading the pack.
The elevator pitch for DCeased is simple. What if DC Comics’ heroes and villains were turned into zombies? The results spoke for themselves, with it being a surprise hit for the publisher that was not only a critical and fan-favourite but also sold exceptionally well. Well enough that it has spawned sequels and plenty of supplemental material.
At first glance, the various DCeased miniseries can seem confusing. Luckily, this reading order is here to save the day! It has everything you need to know about how to read DCeased, including a reading order, collected editions, and various explanations. Soon you’ll be able to take a bite out of this Elseworlds series with ease.
Enjoy!
Is DCeased part of main DC continuity?
No. DCeased is set in it’s own self-contained universe. As a result, you don’t need to have done any background reading or have kept up with other DC Comics in order to understand it.
Core series
The main story of DCeased is made up of three comic book miniseries, which act as a trilogy. These are:
DCeased
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Trevor Hairsine and Stefano Gaudiano.
Issues: 6
DCeased: Dead Planet
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Trevor Hairsine, Gigi Baldassini, Stefano Gaudiano, and Tom Dernick.
Issues: 7
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Trevor Hairsine and Andy Lanning.
Issues: 8
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods starts on 9th August, 2022 and will be published monthly for 8 issues.
Read in the above order to get the core DCeased experience.
Supplemental series
DCeased was a surprise hit for DC Comics. As a result of this, a number of supplemental series were published to expand the comic’s world. These tell side stories and explore what other characters are up to in-between issues of the core series.
The supplemental series include:
DCeased: A Good Day to Die
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Darick Robertson and Laura Braga.
Issues: 1
This one-shot is set between DCeased #4 and #5 and focuses on a different group of heroes trying to stop the zombie apocalypse. It features Mister Miracle, Big Barda, John Constantine, Blue Beetle, and Booster Gold.
DCeased: Unkillables
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Karl Mostert and Trevor Scott.
Issues: 1
This miniseries explores what the villains were up to during the events of the original comic book series.
DCeased: Hope At World’s End
Written by Tom Taylor. Art Dustin Nguyen, Renato Guedes, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Marco Failla, Karl Mostert, Trevor Scott, Daniele Di Nicuolo, and Jon Sommariva.
Issues: 15 digital chapters
A digital-first anthology series set in-between DCeased #5 and #6. It explore events during this time through the perspective of different heroes.
How to read DCeased
As you can see above, the entire DCeased saga is made up of core and supplemental miniseries. As a result, there are a few different ways you can choose to read the comics.
- Read only the main story as listed in the “Core series” section.
- Read the core series and the supplemental series that interest you
- Read everything
It’s totally up to you as to how you read DCeased. You’ll get a full story if you simply read the three core comic series. However, if you want to see more of world established in DCeased, then check out some or all of the supplemental series too.
Single issue reading order
Below is the recommended reading order for those who want to read everything or want to see how supplemental series fit in with the wider story.
DCeased #1 (of 6)
DCeased #2 (of 6)
DCeased: Unkillables #1 (of 3)
DCeased #3 (of 6)
DCeased #4 (of 6)
DCeased: A Good Day to Die (one-shot)
DCeased #5 (of 6)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #1 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #2 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #3 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #4 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #5 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #6 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #7 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #8 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #9 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #10 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #11 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #12 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #13 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #14 (of 15)
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #15 (of 15)
DCeased: Unkillables #2 (of 3)
DCeased: Unkillables #3 (of 3)
DCeased #6 (of 6)
DCeased: Dead Planet #1 (of 7)
DCeased: Dead Planet #2 (of 7)
DCeased: Dead Planet #3 (of 7)
DCeased: Dead Planet #4 (of 7)
DCeased: Dead Planet #5 (of 7)
DCeased: Dead Planet #6 (of 7)
DCeased: Dead Planet #7 (of 7)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1 (of 8)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #2 (of 8)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #3 (of 8)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #4 (of 8)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #5 (of 8)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #6 (of 8)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #7 (of 8)
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #8 (of 8)
Buy DCeased comics on:
DCeased collected editions
Prefer to read DCeased in a collected format? Check out the below released, which are available in trade paperback and hardcover.
Trade paperbacks and hardcovers
DCeased is available in trade paperback and hardcover editions. Both formats have the same comics material inside, they just have different cover stock.
DCeased
Collects: DCeased: #1-6 and DCeased: a Good Day To Die #1
DCeased: Unkillables
Collects: DCeased: Unkillables #1-3
DCeased: Hope At World’s End
Collects: DCeased: Hope At World’s End #1-15
DCeased: Dead Planet
Collects: DCeased: Dead Planet #1-7
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods
Collects: DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1-8
Note: DCeased: War of the Undead Gods will be available on 5th September, 2023.
Find DCeased trade paperbacks and hardcovers on…
DCeased deluxe editions
DC Comics will also give DCeased the deluxe edition treatment. These collections have the same comics material as the previous editions but in an oversized hardcover and contain never-before-seen extras.
DCeased: The Deluxe Edition
Collects: DCeased: #1-6 and DCeased: a Good Day To Die #1
DCeased: The Deluxe Edition is available on 3rd October, 2023.
DCeased box set
There will also be a DCeased Box Set. This collects the whole saga in five books and comes with a nice hard case.
DCeased Box Set
Collects: DCeased, DCeased: Unkillables, DCeased: Dead Planet, DCeased: Hope at World’s End, and DCeased: War of the Undead Gods
Note: DCeased Box Set will be available on 17th October, 2023.
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