Supercorp
-Action Comics #1047-1049 (back-ups)
-Action Comics #1047-1050 (main stories)
-Superman #1-5
-Superman Annual 2023
-Superman #6-12

The Action Comics issues are included here as a bridge from the Warworld arc.  Technically, Action #1047-1049 are part of a crossover with Son of Kal-El #16-18, but no efforts were taken to actually coordinate the two series.  Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths most likely takes place on either side of Action Comics #1050, so there is not going to be a perfect chronological order going on.  I also skipped the Knight Terrors event.  There is a status quo change in Superman #1 (844) that is referenced in PKJ’s Action Comics issues, which can be placed in an optional volume between this and Absolute Power.

Absolute Power
-Absolute Power:  FCDB 2024 Special
-Action Comics #1064
-Superman #13
-Superman:  House of Brainiac Special #1
-Action Comics #1065
-Superman #14
-Action Comics #1066
-Superman #15
-Absolute Power:  Ground Zero #1
-Absolute Power #1
-Superman #16
-Batman #150 (back-up feature only)
-Absolute Power #2
-Batman #151-152 (main stories)
-Batman #151 (back-up)
-Superman #17-18
-Absolute Power #3-4
-DC:  All In Special #1

In a perfect world, DC would have produced a hardcover edition of House of Brainiac and then I would have included the FCBD special at the end of “Supercorp”, leaving “Absolute Power” in its own book.  For “Absolute Power” itself, I was only interested in the Superman and Batman tie-ins, so there are other issues that can be included.  I did not include the backup to Batman #152 because it leads into other tie-ins that I did not include.  Otherwise, it would have gone in around the same spot.  I also opted to keep the All In special as a flipbook, so this bound volume is a partial flip-book.

Phantoms
-Action Comics #1070-1081 (lead stories)
-Action Comics #1070-1081 (Supergirl back-ups)

All In
-Superman #19-20
-Action Comics #1075 (“Memory Lane” back-up)
-Superwoman Special #1
-Superman #21-23
-Summer of Superman #1
-Superman:  Lex Luthor Special #1
-Superman #24-27

The gap between Superman #27 and #28 is the only place in Williamson’s run to fit in any other stories between Absolute Power and DC KO.

Boy of Steel
-Action Comics #1087-1095

This is the beginning of Mark Waid’s Superboy run set in the past.  There is a scene in the first issue with Superman and Mayor Perry White that can anchor it to the present day.

Superman Unlimited:  Kryptonite Kingdom (TPB/HC)
-Superman Unlimited #1-6

Superman Unlimited:  This Looks Like a Job… (TPB/HC)
-Superman Unlimited #7-10
-Superman:  Chains of Love #1

There are plenty of context clues in the Superman Unlimited issues that place them all after Superman #27.  It is more cost effective to buy the official hardcovers than to bind the original issues.

We Are Yesterday
-World’s Finest #38
-Justice League Unlimited #6
-World’s Finest Annual 2025
-World’s Finest #39
-Justice League Unlimited #7-9
-Justice League:  Dark Tomorrow Special #1
-Justice League Unlimited #10-11
-Superman #28-30

The events of Superman #28-30 all take place during JLU #10-11, with the ending of both arcs being the same scene, which leads into DCKO in the next volume.  Justice League:  The Omega Act Special #1 can either fit at the end of this volume, or the beginning of DCKO.

Please note that there are two versions of the New Teen Titans omnibus series.  The first was a three volume set that primarily only collected the Wolfman/Perez material, so there was a lot of skipping and non-sensical mapping in volumes 2 and 3.  The second version was a five volume set that collected the runs of both New Teen Titans series, up until the title changed to New Titans.  In both cases, the mapping of volume 1 is the same (although I can’t confirm the placement of the Best of DC #18 story in the original version).

The second version of omnibus volumes was accompanied by a series of 14 trade paperbacks that collected the same material (mostly).

New Teen Titans volume 1
DC Comics Presents #26
New Teen Titans (1980) #1-12
Best of DC (Blue Ribbon Digest) #18
New Teen Titans (1980) #13-20
Tales of the New Teen Titans #1-4

This volume follows the same mapping as the New Teen Titans TPBs volumes 1-3, with the exception that Best of DC #18 was not included in the TPB.  I actually just purchased Omnibus volume 1 for this book, as it was the most cost effective option.  (Meaning, I could find a copy for less than the actual binding cost.)

If you are looking for single issues to bind, Best of DC #18 was reprinted in Tales of the Teen Titans #59 at regular comic size (along with DC Comics Presents #26).  Also, Tales of the New Teen Titans #1-4 was a mini-series in 1982 and should not be confused with the later Tales of the Teen Titans reprint series (sans New).

New Teen Titans volume 2
New Teen Titans (1980) #21-25
New Teen Titans (1980) Annual #1
New Teen Titans (1980) #26-34
New Teen Titans (1980) Annual #2
New Teen Titans (1980) #35-37
Batman and the Outsiders #5
New Teen Titans (1980) #38-40
Tales of the Teen Titans #41

This volume follows the mapping of TPBs volumes 4-6.  The main New Teen Titans series was retitled to Tales of the New Teen Titans starting with #41 as another New Teen Titans series was launched in 1984.  Tales featured new stories through #58, when it started featuring reprints of the new series about a year after original publication.  That series lasted through #91, reprinting New Teen Titans (1984) #1-31 and Annuals #1-2.

New Teen Titans volume 3
Tales of the Teen Titans #42-44
Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3
Tales of the Teen Titans #45-58
New Teen Titans (1984) #1-9

This volume follows the mapping of TPBs volumes 7-9.

New Teen Titans volume 4
New Teen Titans (1984) #10-12
New Teen Titans (1984) Annual #1
New Teen Titans (1984) #13-15
Omega Men #34
New Teen Titans (1984) #16-27
New Teen Titans (1984) Annual #2
New Teen Titans (1984) #28-31

This volume follows the mapping of TPBs volumes 10-12.

New Teen Titans volume 5
New Teen Titans (1984) #32-35
New Teen Titans (1984) Annual #3
New Teen Titans (1984) #36-38
Infinity Inc #45
New Teen Titans (1984) #39-46
New Teen Titans (1984) Annual #4
New Teen Titans (1984) #47-49
Secret Origins #13 (Nightwing story only)
Secret Origins #46 (Titans story only)
Tales of the Teen Titans #91 (bonus features)

This volume follows the mapping of TPB volume 13 and most of volume 14.  The two Secret Origins stories are placed here as bonus features, and are not indicative of their actual chronological placement.   Secret Origins #13 was included in TPB volume 14 and is supposed to take place around New Teen Titans (1984) #16-19, but there is no clean splice point.  The story is viewed as the post-Crisis version of Nightwing’s history, which does not mesh as nicely with the pre-Crisis issues (including the aforementioned NTT #16-19).  Secret Origins #46 was not included in the TPB, but featured three stories of headquarters origins for the JLA, Titans, and Legion of Super-Heroes.

TPB volume 14 also reprinted Secret Origins Annual #3, which I have included in the New Titans volume below because it chronologically occurs there.  The material included from Tales of the Teen Titans #91 is just the text piece explaining the cancellation of the reprint series as well as a brief recap sequence originally published to allow readers of the reprint series to catch up with the current issue of the ongoing series.  It is not something I would specifically hunt down if collecting single issues.

TPB volumes 9-12 included cover galleries of Tales of the Teen Titans #59-88 as those were the reprint issues.  Since volume 5 is so much smaller than volumes 2-4, I have moved all of those pages into volume 5.  The cover to #84 shares a page with the last story page in TPB volume 12, so either that will have to be out of place or scanned and printed.  For some reason, DC did not include the covers to Tales #89-91 in the TPBs either.

New Titans volume 1 – Identity Crisis
New Titans #50-55
Secret Origins Annual #3
New Titans #56
New Titans Annual #5
New Titans #57-59
Batman #440
New Titans #60
Batman #441
New Titans #61
Batman #442
New Titans #62-69
New Titans Annual #6
New Titans #70

The title change occurred when DC realized their characters weren’t teens anymore.  As of now, DC hasn’t reprinted this run in comprehensive format, so it was constructed from original issues (except for the Secret Origins Annual pulled from the New Teen Titans volume 14 TPB above.)

New Titans volume 2 – Titans Hunt
New Titans #71-79
New Titans Annual #7
New Titans #80-84
origin features from Team Titans #1

Team Titans #1 was issued with 5 variations, each featuring a different character origin story at the front of the issue.  While the main story of the issue goes in the next volume, I pulled the origin features into this volume to better even out the volume sizes.

New Titans volume 3 – Total Chaos
New Titans #85-89
Deathstroke Annual #1
New Titans Annual #8
Deathstroke #14
New Titans #90
Team Titans #1 (main story only)
Deathstroke #15
New Titans #91
Team Titans #2
Deathstroke #16
New Titans #92
Team Titans #3
Titans Sell Out Special #1
New Titans #93-96

New Titans volume 4 – The Darkening
New Titans #97-114
Damage #6

I intentionally left out New Titans Annuals #9-10.  #9 is part of Bloodlines (and goes between New Titans #99-100), while #10 is an Elseworlds story.

New Titans volume 5 – Meltdown
New Titans #0
New Titans #115
Green Lantern #57
New Titans #116-119
Outsiders #17
Showcase ’95 #1-2
New Titans #120-121
New Titans Annual #11
Deathstroke #48
New Titans #122
Darkstars #32
Deathstroke #49
New Titans #123-124
Green Lantern #65
Darkstars #34
Damage #16
New Titans #125-130

Uncanny X-Men
#1-#141
X-Men (1963) #1-141

#142-544
Uncanny X-Men #142-544
The series unofficially started calling itself “Uncanny X-Men” around #114, although the title was not officially changed until #142.

#545-564
Uncanny X-Men (2012) #1-20
The first UXM relaunch by Gillen (includes tie-ins to AvX).

#565-599
Uncanny X-Men (2013) #1-35
Brian Michael Bendis took over.

#600
Uncanny X-Men #600
The conclusion of Bendis’ run.

#601-619
Uncanny X-Men (2016) #1-19
Written by Cullen Bunn

#620-634
Uncanny X-Men (2019) #1-15
Returned after a two year hiatus.

#635-637
X-Men:  War of the Realms #1-3

#638-644
Uncanny X-Men (2019) #16-22

#645-665
X-Men #1-21
The first Krakoa era series by Jonathan Hickman.

#666-700
X-Men #1-35
The second Krakoa era series by Gerry Duggan.

#701-current
Uncanny X-Men #1-current
The “From the Ashes” relaunch series by Gail Simone.

X-Men (1991)
#1-113
X-Men (1991) #1-113

#114-156
New X-Men #114-156

#157-207
X-Men (1991) #157-207

#208-275
X-Men Legacy #208-275

#276-299
X-Men Legacy volume 2 #1-24

#300
X-Men Legacy #300

#301-current
X-Men (2024) #1-current
The “From the Ashes” relaunch series by Jed MacKay.

There were other series during this time also entitled “X-Men” that are not included in legacy numbering, nor should they be due to running concurrently.
The first was launched in 2010 alongside X-Men Legacy #238, ending 41 issues later in the same month as X-Men Legacy (volume 2) #6 (or #281 overall).
The second was launched in 2013 alongside X-Men Legacy (volume 2) #10 and ran for 26 issues, ending a year after X-Men Legacy #300 was published.
Meanwhile, the two series simply titled “X-Men” during the Krakoa era were included in the “Uncanny X-Men” numbering.

X-Factor
#1-149
X-Factor (1986) #1-149
X-Factor was cancelled and replaced by Mutant X at this point, which ran for 32 issues.  There was also an unrelated X-Factor 4-issue mini-series in 2002 that has never been included in legacy numbering.

#150-199
X-Factor (2006) #1-50
This is the series launched by Peter David following the Madrox mini-series.

#200-262
X-Factor (1986) #200-262
After #50 of the 2006 series, the numbering reverted to volume 1.

#263-282
All-New X-Factor #1-20
Peter David continued writing, but with a new cast and direction.

#283-292
X-Factor (2020) #1-10
The Krakoa era series.

#293-current
X-Factor (2024) #1-current
The “From the Ashes” relaunch series.

X-Force
#1-129
X-Force (1991) #1-129
The series was soft-rebooted with a new cast and premise in #116.  That case continued on in X-Statix, running for 26 issues.

#130-135
X-Force (2004) #1-6

#136-163
X-Force (2008) #1-28

#164-198
Uncanny X-Force (2010) #1-35

#199-215
Uncanny X-Force (2013) #1-17

#216-230
X-Force (2014) #1-15
All-New Marvel Now!

#231-240
X-Force (2019) #1-10

#241-290
X-Force (2020) #1-50
The Krakoa era series.

#291-current
X-Force (2024) #1-current
The “From the Ashes” relaunch series.

Wolverine
#1-189
Wolverine (1988) #1-189

#190-263
Wolverine (2003) #1-74

#264-279
Dark Wolverine #75-90 or Wolverine: Weapon X #1-16
After #74, Wolverine’s main series was taken over by his son and retitled to Dark Wolverine.  But also around the same time, Wolverine: Weapon X was launched, written by Jason Aaron, who also continued on as writer in the next Wolverine series (below).

#280-299
Wolverine (2010) #1-20

#300-317
Wolverine (1988) #300-317

#318-330
Wolverine (2013) #1-13

#331-342
Wolverine (2014) #1-12

#343-392
Wolverine (2020) #1-50
The Krakoa era series.

#393-current
Wolverine (2024) #1-current
The “From the Ashes” relaunch series.

Book 1 – Warworld Rising
Superman #29 (840)
Action Comics #1029
Superman #30-32 (841-843)
Action Comics #1030-1035
Action Comics Annual 2021
“Tales of Metropolis” stories from Superman #29-32, Action #1035-1036

Book 2 – Warworld Apocalypse
Superman and the Authority #1-4
Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1
Action Comics #1036-1042
Action Comics  Annual 2022
Action Comics  #1043 (main and backup stories)
Action Comics  #1044
Action Comics  #1044-1046 (backup stories)
Action Comics  #1045-1046
Superman:  Warworld Apocalypse #1

After this storyline came the “Kal-El Returns” event, up through Action Comics #1050.  Then the “Dawn of DC” initiative started a new direction with Action Comics #1051 and a new Superman #1.  Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths has to take place at some point between Action Comics #1046 and #1050.

Looking ahead, it’s still too early to develop a definite map of the Dawn of DC era, but there are some preliminary thoughts.

“Kal-El Returns” allegedly ran in Action Comics #1047-1049 and Son of Kal-El #16-18.  However, neither series references each other, and it is pretty clear that Action #1049 is supposed to continue directly from the end of #1048.  I would leave out the Son of Kal-El issues.

Action Comics #1050 sets up the new status quo.  There is an event in Superman #1 that is referenced in both series, so it clearly needs to take place before the next part of Johnson’s run in Action #1051-1060.  Other than there, there is no direct references between the two series during that year.  Narratively, there is no reason to alternate between Superman and Action Comics until House of Brainiac starts in Superman #13 and Action #1064.  If one ignores the Knight Terrors event, it’s very likely to create volumes like this:
-Action Comics #1047-1050, Superman #1-5, 2023 Annual, #6-12 (in this case, treating Kal-El returns as a flashback)
-Action #1051-1056, Doomsday Special, #1057-1060, 2023 Annual, #1061-1063

1. The deluxe editions did not include the Fairest or Cinderella series.
2. I did not like some of the mapping of the deluxe editions.  (Mainly, I prefer a hard volume break after Fables #75 and have #82 lead directly into the Great Fables Crossover.  Also, the Werewolves OGN was in the wrong place.)
3. Certain volumes were quite pricey on the secondary market.

After a bit of research, I came up with a workable map that could require as few as 4 custom bound editions.  At one point, I was trying to develop a map where some of my custom volumes could replace the deluxe editions and the volume numbering would still match up, but I couldn’t justify some of the costs there.

Here I present my modular map, which provides several options for binding and collecting.  The approximate cost of binding as I was developing the map was $50 per volume.  If I felt that I could obtain the corresponding deluxe editions for less than that cost, I would opt for those instead of binding.

Act I – Fables #1-51

These issues were originally collected in 8 TPBs or 6 deluxe editions.

Fables Custom Volume 1 – collecting TPBs 1-4
Fables #1-18
Fables:  The Last Castle
Fables #19-21, 23-27

Fables Custom Volume 2 – collecting TPBs 5-8
Fables #22, 28-51

I did not include Fables:  1001 Nights of Snowfall OGN, because that was the one book I already had in hardcover, but it is included in Deluxe Edition 4.  I opted for deluxe editions here, believing I could obtain the first six volumes for under $100 total.

Fables #22 was originally reprinted in TPB 5 (with #28-33) which is why it is mapped in the second custom volume.  But it was included in Deluxe Edition 3, while the rest of TPB 5 was included in Deluxe Edition 4.  Just something to keep in mind if mixing and matching the deluxe and custom volumes here.

Act II – Fables #52-#100 & Jack of Fables #1-50

This act also includes the first Cinderella mini-series, as well as the Literals mini-series that was part of the Great Fables Crossover.  The Fables issues were collected in TPB volumes 9-15 or deluxe edition volumes 7-11.  The entire Jack of Fables was collected in 9 TPBs or 3 deluxe editions.  Since the deluxe editions mapped out exactly how I would have bound them, I knew from the beginning that I was getting those.

Jack of Fables volume 1 – collecting Jack of Fables TPBs 1-3
Jack of Fables #1-16

The entirety of this volume actually occurs around Fables #63-64.  Jack of Fables #1 picks up shortly after the end of Fables #35, which had jumped forward into the future.  We see that catch up to the main narrative in Fables #63 where Beast mentions that he is heading out to Hollywood to deal with Jack (as seen in the back half of #35).  Then there is an event in Jack of Fables #12-13 that matches up to a scene in Fables #64.

The best place for this volume is probably between Fables #59-60 (or between TPBs 9-10).  But overall, the chronology between the two books isn’t that vital at this point.  There are many times during Fables and its spinoffs that the creators jump back and forth through time to fill in details of stories, and there are clues in different stories indicating where they tie into other ones.

Fables Custom Volume 3 – collecting TPBs 9-11
Fables #52-75

This is one of my required custom volumes, largely due to my preference to have a hard volume break after Fables #75, which does not happen in the deluxe editions.  Also, the corresponding deluxe editions are prohibitively expensive.  The high price of Deluxe Edition 7 was one of the reasons I abandoned my plan to map the custom volumes to fit neatly into the deluxe numbering.

Jack of Fables volume 2 – collecting Jack of Fables TPBs 4-6
Jack of Fables #17-32

Fables Custom Volume 4 – collecting TPBs 12-13
Cinderella:  From Fabletown with Love #1-6
Fables #76-81
backup stories from Fables #78-82
Fables #82
Fables #83 – The Great Fables Crossover part 1
Jack of Fables #33 - The Great Fables Crossover part 2
The Literals #1 - The Great Fables Crossover part 3
Fables #84 - The Great Fables Crossover part 4
Jack of Fables #34 - The Great Fables Crossover part 5
The Literals #2 - The Great Fables Crossover part 6
Fables #85 - The Great Fables Crossover part 7
Jack of Fables #35 - The Great Fables Crossover part 8
The Literals #3 - The Great Fables Crossover part 9

This is another required custom volume due to my dislike of the deluxe edition mapping.  Deluxe Edition 9 collects Fables #70-82, while Deluxe Edition 10 collects the crossover along with Werewolves in the Heartland which actually belongs after Fables #100.  Also, the Cinderella mini-series were never collected in deluxe editions.  The TPB places the backup stories from #78-82 after #82, although they take place before that issue.  This is the only place in the entire map where I am rearranging anything from the TPBs.

Jack of Fables volume 2 – collecting Jack of Fables TPBs 7-9
Jack of Fables #36-50

Some argue that the final issue or arc of Jack of Fables takes place much later, but honestly, it doesn’t really matter.  This book sucks.  Pretty much all of the series’ plotlines got wrapped up in the crossover, and you’re better off just letting Jack and Gary’s walk into the distance at the end of the crossover as the end of their story.

Fables Custom Volume 5 – collecting TPBs 14-15
Fables #86-100

I bought Deluxe Edition 11 on sale for this volume.

Fables:  Werewolves of the Heartland OGN

This story takes place after Fables #100 and could easily slide into the volume before or after it.  Some reading orders put the second Cinderella mini-series around this time, so it could be bound with this OGN.  For me, it’s much more cost effective to slide Cinderella over into the Fairest volumes and find the hardcover version of the OGN to slide between deluxe editions.

Act III – Fables #101-150 & Fairest #1-33

This act includes the second Cinderella mini-series as well as the Fairest in All the Land OGN.  The Fables issues were collected in TPB volumes 16-22 or deluxe editions volumes 13-15.  The Fairest issues were collected in 5 TPBs, but not in deluxe format.

Due to the placement of volume breaks and/or cost analysis, I am opting for deluxe editions for the rest of the Fables series.  However, the Fairest volumes have to be custom bound.

Fables Custom Volume 6/Deluxe Edition 12 – collecting TPBs 16-17
Fables #101-113

Fairest Custom Volume 1 – collecting Fairest TPBs 1-2
Cinderella:  Fables are Forever #1-6
Fairest #1-14

The Cinderella mini-series is documented to slightly overlap with Fables #100 but there’s also a scene shared with Fables #113.  Due to character appearances, Fairest #1-6 has to take place sometime between Fables #107 and #125 but is not locked into a specific timeframe.  The arc in Fairest #8-13 is a flashback prior to Fables #1 but is designed to be read later with more knowledge of the series.

Fables Custom Volume 7/Deluxe Edition 13 - collecting TPBs 18-19
Fables #114-129

Fairest in All the Land OGN

There are some clues within the story that indicate that it takes place around this time.

Fables Custom Volume 8/Deluxe Edition 14 - collecting TPB 20
Fables #130-140

My original custom map had Fables #114-140 all in one volume, but I decided that I could probably get Deluxe Editions 13-14 for under $50.  The decision to slot the Fairest OGN in between came after that decision.

Fairest Custom Volume 2 – collecting Fairest TPBs 3-5
Fairest #15-33

The arc in Fairest #15-20 does not give much context, so it could be moved around if needed.  Fairest #21-26 consisted of the third Cinderella mini-series which was clearly marked as taking place after Fables #137.  The arc in Fairest #27-32 overlaps and parallels the beginning of the final Fables arc.  Finally, Fairest #33 is a prelude to the Fairest OGN but is written in a way that expects you to have read the OGN already.

Fables Custom Volume 9/Deluxe Edition 15 - collecting TPBs 21-22
Fables #141-150

Unfortunately, Deluxe Edition 15 is one of the pricier volumes out there. Volume 22 (a.k.a. #150) has an interior double gatefold spread that always makes me hesitant to bind.

In the final tally, there were 4 custom volumes that I was required to bind – two for the main series covering #52-85, and two for Fairest.  I was able to get Deluxe Edition 11 for free in a sale.  Then I set a goal to get Deluxe Editions 1-6 and 12-14 for under $200 total, which is what I estimated the cost of binding 4 volumes to be.  (At the time, I still had Fables #114-140 mapped in one volume.)  That left volume 15.  The less I have to pay for the other 9 deluxe editions, the larger the budget for Deluxe Edition 15 can be.

Act IV – Fables #151-162

Fables Deluxe Edition 16
Fables #151-162

I pre-ordered this hardcover as soon as it was available to order.

Alternate mapping

Here are some of my thoughts on trying to map some custom volumes to still match up with the numbers of the later deluxe editions.  This map does not take availability of the books into account.

Fables Deluxe Edition 1-7

Fables Custom 8
Fables #60-63, 65-75

This volume combines TPBs 10-11, but leaves out Fables #64, which was included in Deluxe Edition 7.

Fables Custom 9
Cinderella:  From Fabletown with Love #1-6
Fables #76-81
backup stories from Fables #78-82
Fables #82
Fables #83 – The Great Fables Crossover part 1
Jack of Fables #33 - The Great Fables Crossover part 2
The Literals #1 - The Great Fables Crossover part 3
Fables #84 - The Great Fables Crossover part 4
Jack of Fables #34 - The Great Fables Crossover part 5
The Literals #2 - The Great Fables Crossover part 6
Fables #85 - The Great Fables Crossover part 7
Jack of Fables #35 - The Great Fables Crossover part 8
The Literals #3 - The Great Fables Crossover part 9

Fables Custom 10
Fables #86-100

This volume is the exact same as Deluxe Edition 11, and was one of the hardest parts to map around, especially after I had obtained that volume.

Fables Custom 11
Cinderella:  Fables are Forever #1-6
Werewolves in the Heartland OGN

Fables Deluxe Edition 12-15

No need to change the mapping here.  The Fairest custom volumes could have still gone between deluxe editions.

Another alternative would have only required three volumes to be custom mapped.

Fables Deluxe Edition 1-8

Fables Custom 9
Fables #70-75
Cinderella:  From Fabletown with Love #1-6

Fables Custom 10
Fables #76-85 plus full crossover

Fables Deluxe Edition 11-15

Unfortunately, Marvel ended the compendium trades after “Trials of X”, so I switched to a mix of individual series trades and single issues for the “Destiny of X” era and then single issues for “Fall of X” and beyond.

I heavily referenced the Way of X blog when putting the map together to determine best chronological order, and the “Arguments” section of that site will explain a lot of issue placements.  Some issue placements have been determined by how the issues were reprinted in the “… of X” trades to minimize “scan-and-print” efforts.

House of X/Powers of X (OHC)
House of X #1
Powers of X #1
House of X #2
Powers of X #2
Powers of X #3
House of X #3
House of X #4
Powers of X #4
House of X #5
Powers of X #5
House of X #6
Powers of X #6

Dawn of X volume 1
X-Men #1
Marauders #1
New Mutants #1-4, 6
Excalibur #1-3
X-Force #1
Fallen Angels #1-6
Marauders #2-3
New Mutants #8
X-Men #2-3
New Mutants #5, 7, 9-11
X-Force #2-3
Incoming #1 (4 page Mr. Sinister story)
X-Men/Fantastic Four #1-4

This volume contains issues from Dawn of X volumes 1-7 and 9-11, as well as the X-Men/Fantastic Four TPB.  There is a one page story from Marvel Comics #1000 featuring Apocalypse that I included, and used it as the back side of one of the text pages or covers that I needed to print out.  The reason that the New Mutants issues skip around is that the focus of the book was split – half of the team was in space in issues by Jonathan Hickman, while the other half was still on Earth in issues by Ed Brisson.

Dawn of X volume 2
X-Men #4
X-Force #4-5
X-Men #5
X-Force #6
X-Men #6
Wolverine #1 (Catacombs story)
Excalibur #4-6
Giant Size X-Men:  Magneto #1
Marauders #4
Cable #1
Marauders #5-8
X-Force #7-8
Giant Size X-Men:  Jean Grey/Emma Frost #1
Excalibur #7-8
X-Men #7-9
X-Force #9-10
X-Factor #1-3
Wolverine #1 (Flower Cartel story)
Wolverine #2-3

This volume contains issues from Dawn of X volumes 4-12 and 14-15.

Dawn of X volume 3
Wolverine #4-5
Cable #2-4
Hellions #1-4
Marauders #9-12
Giant Size X-Men:  Nightcrawler #1
New Mutants #12
Giant Size X-Men:  Fantomex #1
Giant Size X-Men:  Storm #1
X-Force #11-12, 15-16
X-Men #10
Empyre:  X-Men #1-4
X-Men #11
Excalibur #9-12
Free Comic Book Day 2020: X-Men #1

This volume contains issues from Dawn of X volumes 9-16, as well as using X-Force #15-16 from Reign of X volume 2.  The FCBD issue is not in any of the trades, so that is a rare single issue included in this set.

X of Swords (OHC)
X-Men #12
X of Swords:  Creation #1
X-Factor #4
Wolverine #6
X-Force #13
Marauders #13
Hellions #5
New Mutants #13
Cable #5
Excalibur #13
X-Men #13
X of Swords:  Stasis #1
X-Men #14
Marauders #14-15
Excalibur #14
Wolverine #7
X-Force #14
Hellions #6
Cable #6
X-Men #15
Excalibur #15
X of Swords:  Destruction #1

Reign of X volume 1
SWORD #1
Excalibur #16
Hellions #7-8
X-Factor #5
Cable #7-8
X-Men #16
New Mutants #15
X-Men #17
Marauders #16-17
Wolverine #8-10
Cable #9
Wolverine #11-12
X-Force #17-19
Children of the Atom #1-3
New Mutants #16-17

This volume contains issues from Reign of X volumes 1-4 and 6-9.

Reign of X volume 2
X-Men #18-19
New Mutants #18
Excalibur #17-20
X-Men #20
Hellions #9-10
SWORD #2-4
King in Black:  Marauders #1
Cable #10-12
SWORD #5
X-Factor #7-9
X-Corp #1
Marauders #18-19
Children of the Atom #4-5
Marauders #20
Way of X #1-2

This volume contains issues from Reign of X volume 4-6 and 8-11.

Hellfire Gala:  Red Carpet Edition (OHC)
Marauders #21
Classic X-Men #7 backup story
X-Force #20
Hellions #12
Excalibur #21
X-Men #21
Planet-Size X-Men #1
X-Men Election Strips
X-Corp #2
New Mutants #19
Wolverine #13
SWORD #6
Way of X #3
X-Factor #10

The bulk of these issues were reprinted in Reign of X volumes 12-14.  Volumes 12 and 13 can be skipped for this project, and parts of 14 can be discarded.

As I got to this part of the project, circumstances at my preferred binder changed so I started planning for thinner volumes (averaging 20 issues per volume instead of 30).

Trials of X volume 1
Children of the Atom #6
Marauders #22
New Mutants #20-21
Trial of Magneto #1
SWORD #7
Cable Reloaded #1
X-Men #1
New Mutants #22-23
Marauders #23
Wolverine #14-16
Trial of Magneto #2-5

This volume contains issues from Reign of X TPB volume 14, as well as volumes 1-3 and 7 of Trials of X.  A lot of chronologies put Trial of Magneto #5 after Hellions #18, but due to where I placed a volume break, it made more sense to keep all of Trial of Magneto in a single book.

Trials of X volume 2
Hellions #13-18
Way of X #4-5
X-Men:  The Onslaught Revelation #1
New Mutants #24
SWORD #8
Marauders #24-25
X-Men Unlimited: Latitude #1
X-Men Unlimited: Green #1-2
X-Force #21-22
Wolverine #17-18
X-Men #2-3

This volume contains issues found in Trials of X volumes 3-7 and 9-10.  The X-Men Unlimited issues were not reprinted in the Trials of X TPBs.

Trials of X volume 3
X-Corp #3-5
SWORD #9-11
Excalibur #22-26
Death of Dr. Strange:  X-Men/Black Knight #1
X-Men #4-5
Marauders #26
X-Men #6-8
Devil’s Reign:  X-Men #1-3
X-Force #23-26
Wolverine #19

This volume contains issues from Trials of X volumes 3 and 5-12.  The Death of Dr. Strange one-shot was not reprinted in compendium format.

Inferno (OHC)
Inferno #1-4

X Lives and X Deaths of Wolverine (OHC)
X Lives of Wolverine #1
X Deaths of Wolverine #1
X Lives of Wolverine #2
X Deaths of Wolverine #2
X Lives of Wolverine #3
X Deaths of Wolverine #3
X Lives of Wolverine #4
X Deaths of Wolverine #4
X Lives of Wolverine #5
X Deaths of Wolverine #5

Secrets of X
Marauders #27
X-Force Annual #1
X-Force #27-29
Wolverine #20-23
Secret X-Men #1
Giant Size X-Men:  Thunderbird #1
X-Men #9

Secrets of X:  Sabretooth
Sabretooth #1-5
Sabretooth and the Exiles #1-5

X Lives/Death of Wolverine is supposed to be the cap of the Reign/Trials era and launch Destiny of X.  But there were still a few issues with some lingering threads, including the Sabretooth mini-series that chronicles events covering the entire Krakoa era.  These interlude volumes are for issues that fall between the cracks before Destiny of X.  Some of the issues were included in Trials of X Volumes 10-12, but many others came from single issues or other TPBs.

Destiny of X volume 1
Immortal X-Men #1-3
Legion of X #1-3
X-Men Red #1-3
Legion of X #4-5
Knights of X #1-5

Since Marvel cancelled the compendium trades, I switched to individual series TPBs to collect this era with a few single issues to round the project out.  It also helped that most of the series started getting a lot more self-contained, allowing for chunks of issues to be mapped together.

Destiny of X volume 2
Marvel Voices:  Pride (Somnus story)
Marauders Annual #1
Marauders #1-4
X-Men #10-12
Free Comic Book Day 2022:  Avengers/X-Men (third story – “Let’s Talk About Krakoa”)
X-Men:  Hellfire Gala #1
Amazing Spider-Man #9 (903)
X-Men Unlimited #50-55 (digital stories, reprinted in Hellfire Gala Immortal TPB)
X-Men Red #4
Marauders #5
Immortal X-Men #4
A.X.E. Eve of Judgment #1

The Voices story was included at the end of the Marauders TPB (although it takes place first), which is why I ended up including it here.  That story does share a story page with the final page of Marauders #5, which marks the only time I did scan-and-print on story pages in this project.

Destiny of X volume 3:  Judgment Day
Free Comic Book Day 2022:  Avengers/X-Men (first story)
A.X.E.  Judgment Day #1
Immortal X-Men #5
X-Men Red #5
A.X.E.  Judgment Day #2
A.X.E.  Death to the Mutants #1
X-Men #13
A.X.E.  Judgment Day #3
X-Men #14
Amazing Spider-Man #10 (904)
Fantastic Four #47-48 (692-693)
A.X.E.  Death to the Mutants #2
Immortal X-Men #6
X-Men Red #6
A.X.E.  Judgment Day #4
X-Men Red #7
Legion of X #6
Marauders #6
A.X.E.  Judgment Day #5
Immortal X-Men #7
A.X.E.  Death to the Mutants #3
A.X.E. Starfox #1
A.X.E. Avengers #1
A.X.E. X-Men #1
A.X.E. Eternals #1
A.X.E.  Judgment Day #6
A.X.E.  Judgment Day Omega

Since this crossover occurred so early in the era, it didn’t make sense to break up “Destiny of X” and use an alternate title for the majority of the volumes in the era.  I also didn’t trust Marvel to map the omnibus to my liking.

Destiny of X volume 4
New Mutants #25-33
New Mutants:  Lethal Legion #1-5
X-Terminators #1-5

New Mutants #25-28 has to take place before Dark Web and X-Terminators #1-5 has to take place before X-Men #18.  Otherwise, there’s probably several options for how to map the issues after Judgment Day.

Destiny of X volume 5
X-Force #30-31
Wolverine #24-25
X-Force #32-33
X-Men Annual #1
X-Men #16-18
Dark Web #1
Dark Web:  X-Men #1-3
Dark Web:  Dawn #1

The X-Force and Wolverine issues are technically Judgment Day tie-ins, but they span the entire event.  I opted to group them together afterwards instead of spacing them out within the Judgment Day volume.  As I was putting the map together, I really liked the idea of a volume of side stories (being the New Mutants and X-Terminators issues in volume 4).  However, since those stories all needed to come before the X-Men and Dark Web issues, X-Force and Wolverine got pushed to volume 5.  None of the other tie-ins to Dark Web are required for the X-Men storyline.

Destiny of X volume 6
Captain Marvel #43-46
X-Men #19-21
Captain Marvel #47-49
Invincible Iron Man #1-6 (651-656)

These Iron Man issues are the beginning of Duggan’s run, which becomes part of Fall of X later on.

Destiny of X volume 7
Marauders #7-12
Betsy Braddock:  Captain Britain #1-5
Immortal X-Men #8
X-Men Red #8-10
Legion of X #7-10
Immortal X-Men #9-10

Sins of Sinister (OHC)
Sins of Sinister #1
Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants #1
Nightcrawlers #1
Immoral X-Men #1
Nightcrawlers #2
Immoral X-Men #2
Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants #2
Immoral X-Men #3
Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants #3
Nightcrawlers #3
Sins of Sinister:  Dominion #1

The Beast Agenda
Wolverine #26-27
X-Force #34-38
Wolverine #28-32
X-Force #39-42
Wolverine #33-35

Before the Fall
Immortal X-Men #11
Before the Fall:  Sons of X #1
X-Men Red #11-12
Before the Fall:  Heralds of Apocalypse #1
X-Men Red #13
Before the Fall:  Mutants First Strike #1
Bishop: War College #1-5
Rogue and Gambit #1-5
X-Men #22-23
Iron Man #7 (657)
Before the Fall:  Sinister Four #1
Immortal X-Men #12-13
X-Men #24

Starting with Fall of X, I switched to single issues for binding.

Fall of X volume 1
Free Comic Book Day 2023:  Uncanny Avengers (both stories)
Hellfire Gala:  Fall of X #1
X-Force #43
Iron Man #8-9 (658-659)
X-Men #25
Children of the Vault #1-4
Immortal X-Men #14-15
Jean Grey #1-2
Immortal X-Men #16
Jean Grey #3-4
Immortal X-Men #17-18

Fall of X volume 2
Alpha Flight #1-5
Uncanny Spider-Man #1-4
X-Men Blue:  Origins #1
Uncanny Spider-Man #5
Astonishing Iceman #1-5
Dark X-Men #1-5
Realm of X #1-4

X-Men Blue: Origins #1 actually takes place a few pages before the end of Uncanny Spider-Man #4, and could be easily spliced in (at least with single issues).  Look for the page in #4 with “AND THEY DO” in large letters.  Most of these issues are side adventures and don’t intersect with the main storyline too much, although the Alpha Flight mini does need to be read before X-Force #47.

Fall of X volume 3
Ghost Rider/Wolverine:  Weapons of Vengeance – Alpha
Ghost Rider #17
Wolverine #36
Ghost Rider/Wolverine:  Weapons of Vengeance – Omega
X-Force #44-46
Wolverine #37-40
X-Force #47-50
Wolverine #41-50

I’m only including the main story from Wolverine #50 here.  The Larry Hama backup is from an earlier era, and the Percy backup will be included as an epilogue in the final volume.

Fall of X volume 4
Uncanny Avengers #1-5
X-Men #26
Iron Man #10-12 (660-662)
X-Men #27-29
X-Men Red #14-18
Cable #1-4

Twilight of X volume 1
Iron Man #13-14 (663-664)
X-Men #30
Fall of the House of X #1
X-Men #31
Avengers #12-13 (778-779)
Iron Man #15-16 (665-666)
Fall of the House of X #2
X-Men #32
Fall of the House of X #3
X-Men #33
Resurrection of Magneto #1-4
Iron Man #17-18 (667-668)

Technically, Avengers #12-13 are supposed to go in the middle of Iron Man #15, but it’s not a good splice.  I believe this order is best for pacing.  Also, the last few pages of Avengers #13 can be skipped as they take place after the entire event and lead into another Marvel event crossover.

Twilight of X volume 2
Rise of the Powers of X #1
Dead X-Men #1-2
Rise of the Powers of X #2
Dead X-Men #3
X-Men Forever #1
Rise of the Powers of X #3
Dead X-Men #4
Fall of the House of X #4
X-Men #34
Rise of the Powers of X #4
X-Men Forever #2-4
Fall of the House of X #5
Rise of the Powers of X #5
Iron Man #19-20 (669-670)
X-Men #35 (Uncanny X-Men #700 – main story only)
Wolverine #50 (back-up)

There are a few back-up features in Uncanny X-Men #700.  Some lead into the next era of X-Men and could be saved for the beginning of the next volume.

For those keeping count, we have 31 volumes in this map (25 custom volumes and 6 oversized hardcovers).

Dawn of Apocalypse
X-Men Chronicles #1
Tales from the Age of Apocalypse:  Sinister Bloodline #1
X-Man #-1
X-Men Chronicles #2
Tales from the Age of Apocalypse #1
Age of Apocalypse:  The Chosen #1
X-Universe #1-2

Age of Apocalypse 1
X-Men Alpha
Astonishing X-Men #1
Generation Next #1
Gambit and the X-Ternals #1
X-Calibre #1
Weapon X #1
Amazing X-Men #1
Factor X #1
X-Man #1
Astonishing X-Men #2
Amazing X-Men #2
Generation Next #2
Gambit and the X-Ternals #2
X-Calibre #2
Weapon X #2
Factor X #2
X-Man #2
Astonishing X-Men #3
Factor X #3

Age of Apocalypse 2
Amazing X-Men #3
Generation Next #3
Gambit and the X-Ternals #3
X-Calibre #3
Weapon X #3
X-Man #3
Astonishing X-Men #4
Generation Next #4
X-Calibre #4
Weapon X #4
Gambit and the X-Ternals #4
Amazing X-Men #4
X-Man #4
Factor X #4
X-Men Omega

The mapping continues:
X-Men 1995-2001
2001-2008
Messiah Era

Cataclysm (published order)
Prelude – Detective Comics #719
Part 1 – Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #73
Part 2 – Nightwing #19
Part 3 – Batman #553
Part 4 – Azrael #40
Part 5 – Detective Comics #720
Part 6 – Catwoman #56
Part 7 – Robin #52
Part 8 – Blackgate:  Isle of Men #1
Part 9 - Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #74
Part 10 – Batman Chronicles #12
Part 11 – Nightwing #20
Part 12 - Batman #554
Part 13 – Huntress/Spoiler:  Blunt Trauma #1
Part 14 – Detective Comics #721
Part 15 – Catwoman #57
Part 16 – Arkham Asylum:  Tales of Madness #1
Part 17 – Robin #53

This is not a great reading order.  A few notes:
-Many issues focus on a small set of characters at the time the quake hits.  There is a linear story of Batman working his way to the city from SOTB #73, Batman #553, Detective #720, and then Blackgate:  Isle of Men.  But each of the first 8 parts, plus the later one-shots all show the earthquake from the beginning for a new character.
-Robin #52 is the conclusion of a three part arc in that series that happens to end with Robin returning to Gotham and seeing the quake damage.  Completely unnecessary to Cataclysm.
-Azrael #40 is the conclusion of the arc going on in that series, but ties in better to the quake.  Still, it’s not really needed.  If you do want to include that issue, leaving it as part 4 is fine.  While it explains where Sarah Essen-Gordon is when the quake hits (as Commissioner Gordon alludes to a few times in the story), it’s not an important plot point.
-Robin #53 continues directly from Detective #721, and the two issues placed in between should be moved so the momentum of the climax isn’t lost.
-Catwoman #57 doesn’t really contribute to the Cataclysm story, and might have been better served as Aftershock.
-Arkham Asylum:  Tales of Madness is mostly self contained and does get referenced in the Shadow of the Bat issues of Road to No Man’s Land.  It definitely shouldn’t be read as the penultimate chapter as it kills the momentum.  In fact, I really like the idea of placing this issue in the previous Shadow of the Bat volume, after #72.
-Blunt Trauma has to take place after Isle of Men, but it doesn’t have to stay exactly in the sequence DC published it in.
-Batman Chronicles #12 has a lot of short stories that take place during the event.  The original TPB left one out and spread the rest through the book, mostly around Shadow of the Bat #74 and Nightwing #20.  The TPB also put the “Trapped” story in the wrong spot, as it should take place before Nightwing #20 based on Tim Drake’s chronology during the storyline.

Original mapping (including the original Cataclysm TPB)

Cataclysm (original TPB)
Detective Comics #719 (last 4 pgs)
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #73
Nightwing #19
Batman #553
Detective Comics #720
Catwoman #56
Blackgate: Isle of Men #1
Batman Chronicles #12 (Two-Face)
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #74
Batman Chronicles #12 (Ra’s/Penguin)
Nightwing #20
Batman Chronicles #12 (“Trapped”)
Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1
Batman #554
Detective Comics #721
Robin #53
Batman Chronicles #12 (“Little Orphan Andy”)

This TPB does not include any covers.  The Batman Chronicles stories placed around SOTB #74 and Nightwing #20 do share pages with those issues, but other than that, none of the issues share pages.  Finally, the non-quake subplot pages from Nightwing #19 are omitted.

Aftershock (original map)
Arkham Asylum: Tales of Madness #1
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #75
Batman #555
Detective Comics #722
Robin #54
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #76
Batman #556
Batman Chronicles #16 (first story)
Batman Chronicles #14 (third story)
Green Arrow #134 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 1)
Detective Comics #723 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 2)
Robin #55 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 3)
Nightwing #23 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 4)
Green Arrow #135 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 5)
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #77
Batman #557
Detective Comics #724
Batman Chronicles #14 (first and second stories)
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #78-79
Batman #558
Detective Comics #725
Batman #559
Detective Comics #726
Batman Chronicles #15

This map was creating based off of the original Cataclysm TPB, hence the inclusion of the Arkham Asylum one-shot at the beginning.

Revised mapping

Cataclysm (adjusted original TPB)
Detective Comics #719 (last 4 pgs)
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #73
Nightwing #19
Batman #553
Detective Comics #720
Catwoman #56
Blackgate: Isle of Men #1
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #74
Batman Chronicles #12
Nightwing #20
Batman #554
Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1
Detective Comics #721
Robin #53
Arkham Asylum:  Tales of Madness #1

To create this volume, I took apart the original Cataclysm TPB.  Other than the Batman Chronicles #12 stories that were placed around Shadow of the Bat #74 and Nightwing #20, no issues share pages.  To accommodate moving those stories around and avoiding the need for scanning and printing story pages, I obtained copies of those particular issues.  I also obtained the original issue of the Arkham Asylum one-shot.  The Huntress/Spoiler one-shot was moved to allow for slightly better pacing.  I was able to find printable versions of all of the covers online to include. 

Aftershock (revised map)
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #75
Batman #555
Detective Comics #722
Robin #54
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #76
Batman #556
Batman Chronicles #16 (first story)
Batman Chronicles #14 (third story)
Green Arrow #134 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 1)
Detective Comics #723 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 2)
Robin #55 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 3)
Nightwing #23 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 4)
Green Arrow #135 (Brotherhood of the Fist part 5)
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #77
Batman #557
Detective Comics #724
Batman:  Shadow of the Bat #78-79
Batman Chronicles #14 (first and second stories)
Batman #558
Detective Comics #725
Batman #559
Detective Comics #726

There are probably a number of ways to map out Aftershock.  It’s not a single story, just an umbrella to catch all of the aftermath between Cataclysm and Road to No Man’s Land.  The basics structure of this map is remembering that the release order in any given month during this period was Shadow of the Bat, Batman, and then Detective Comics.  Shadow of the Bat was the only series to have multi-part stories during Aftershock, so those are kept together.  I’ve seen other maps and reading orders that put Batman #558-559 and then Detective Comics #725-726 together, and as far as I can tell, there’s nothing within the stories that would contradict that.

Batman Chronicles can be a tricky series to place during Aftershock, mostly because it used seasons for cover dates instead of months.  The only issue actually branded as part of Aftershock was #14, which would have had a cover date of October 1998 based on publication order.  The two most important stories from Batman Chronicles are the last story of #14 and the first story of #16.  Both of these were written by Greg Rucka, and begin the subplot involving Renee Montoya and Two-Face that carries on through many of Rucka’s NML issues.  The story in #16 takes place first, and should be read immediately before the third story of #14.  It also make more sense to put those stories closer to the beginning of Aftershock.  #16 actually came out during No Man’s Land itself, and I feel like the last two stories in that issue work better as epilogues to Road to No Man’s Land.

Batman Chronicles #15 was an all team-up issue that takes place during this time but isn’t necessary.  Since it came out halfway through Road to No Man’s Land, the best place to put that issue if you include it would be at the end of the Aftershock volume.

It would also be possible to move the first couple months worth of Aftershock stories into the Cataclysm volume, making a volume break around Brotherhood of the Fist. 

If you are starting to collect this from scratch, beware that the issues get more difficult to obtain after Spider-Girl #50.  I recommend starting with the issues at the end of the run (the Amazing and Spectacular series), as well as Spider-Girl #75-100.

Volume 1
-Amazing Spider-Man Family #1-4 (Mr. and Mrs. Spider-Man stories)
-What If? #105
-Spider-Girl #1
-J2 #1
-A-Next #1
-Spider-Girl #2-4
-A-Next #3
-J2 #3 (first story)
-A-Next #4
-J2 #3 (second story)
-J2 #4
-Spider-Girl #5
-A-Next #5
-Spider-Girl #6
-J2 #5
-A-Next #6
-J2 #6
-Spider-Girl #7
-J2 #7
-A-Next #7-8
-Spider-Girl #8
-J2 #8
-Spider-Girl #9
-J2 #9

There are a number of reprints of What If #105, most notably Spider-Girl #0.  It was also reprinted in a Spectacular Spider-Girl TPB, but with resized lettering that I felt looked distracting.

Volume 2
-Spider-Girl #10-11
-J2 #10-11
-A-Next #9-12
-Spider-Girl #12
-J2 #12
-Spider-Girl #½
-Spider-Girl Annual ’99
-Spider-Girl #13
-Wild Thing #0
-Fantastic Five #1
-Wild Thing #1
-Spider-Girl #14-15
-Wild Thing #2
-Fantastic Five #2
-Spider-Girl #16
-Wild Thing #3
-Fantastic Five #3-4
-Wild Thing #4
-Spider-Girl #17
-Fantastic Five #5
-Wild Thing #5

Pay attention to the #12 issues.  They had mini-comics slid into the middle that I may or may not have forgotten to remove before binding.

Volume 3
-The Buzz #1
-Spider-Girl #18-22
-The Buzz #2
-Spider-Girl #23-24
-The Buzz #3
-Spider-Girl #25-27
-Darkdevil #1-3
-Spider-Girl #28-31

Volume 4
-Spider-Girl #32-50

Volume 5
-Spider-Girl #51-84

Beware that some of the issues in this stretch are extremely difficult to find at reasonable prices, especially the ones around #75.  I opted for the Complete Collection Volume 4 TPB to handle the first half of the book.  If Volume 5 had existed, I would have opted for that.

Volume 6
-Spider-Girl #85-88
-Last Hero Standing #1-5
-Spider-Girl #89-100
-Last Planet Standing #1-5

Volume 7
-Amazing Spider-Girl #1
-Avengers Next #1-2
-Amazing Spider-Girl #2-5
-Avengers Next #3-5
-Amazing Spider-Girl #6-7
-Fantastic Five (volume 2) #1-5
-Amazing Spider-Girl #8-19
-American Dream #1-5

Volume 8
-Amazing Spider-Girl #20-30
-Amazing Spider-Man Family #5-8
-Web of Spider-Man #1-7
-Spectacular Spider-Girl #1-4
-Spider-Girl:  The End

The Amazing Spider-Man Family and Web of Spider-Man series were all anthologies that featured other stories along with Spider-Girl.  There are two Spectacular Spider-Girl TPBs that collect all of those issues (along with the Mr. and Mrs. Spider-Man stories used in volume 1 of this map) that might be easier to obtain and bind.

It’s important to understand that Marvel’s goal was not to create a census counting all issues published under a series’ name, but rather to restore the post-1960s numbering that most of its legacy titles spent the longest amount of time under. Hence, Captain America gets the credit for Tales of Suspense issues he was not in, because the longest-running Captain America title took over the numbering of Tales and any attempt to force imaginary numbering on a plurality of the series’ issues would be counterproductive. The idea, rather, was to pretend that the wave of 1990s-and-later reboots never happened. So, too, there is no error in leaving out the first six issues of Incredible Hulk‘s original run; they were never presumed to be part of the sequence by collectors during the hundreds of issues the Tales to Astonish-born series ran, and have no more role in its renumbering than the Golden Age Captain America title does.

Another key to determining legacy numbering is finding the core series of a franchise, even if it didn’t have the exact same name.  Also, specially numbered issues (such as #-1, #0, or any number with a decimal) are not counted in the whole numbers.

The “Quick Math” section under each series is what number to add to an issue from a particular volume to get its legacy number.

Avengers
#1-402
Avengers volume 1 #1-402
(series began in 1963)

#403-415
Avengers volume 2 #1-13
(“Heroes Reborn” series launched in 1996)
Quick math:  402

#416-499
Avengers volume 3  #1-84
(“Heroes Return” series launched in 1997)
key issues:
–#35 (450) – Maximum Security crossover
–#41 (457) – legacy numbering printed on covers starting with this issue until #500
–#57-76 (472-491) – Geoff Johns run
Quick math:  415

#500-503
Avengers volume 1  #500-503
(series reverted to original numbering in 2004 for Avengers Disassembled event)

#504-567
New Avengers #1-64
(series launched in 2005)
Quick math:  503

#568-601
Avengers volume 4 #1-34
(series launched in 2010 as part of “The Heroic Age”)
key issues:
–#33 (600) – milestone issue
Quick math:  567

#602-645
Avengers volume 5 #1-44
(series launched in 2012, written by Jonathan Hickman)
Quick math:  601

#646-660
All New All Different Avengers:  #1-15 (660)
(series launched in 2015 in aftermath of Secret Wars)
Quick math:  645

#661-671
Avengers volume 6:  #1-11
(series launched in 2016)
Quick math:  660

#672-690
Avengers volume 1 #672-690
(series reverted to original numbering as part of Marvel Legacy initiative.)

#691-707
Avengers volume 7 #1-17
Key issue:  #10 (700) – milestone issue
Quick math:  690

All issues from this point on carry the Legacy numbering on the cover.

#708-717
Avengers:  Road to Nowhere:  #1-10
(Marvel specifically published the legacy numbers on this mini-series to include them in the overall numbering)
Quick math:  707

#718-766
Avengers volume 7:  #18-66
Quick math:  700

#767-current
Avengers volume 8:  #1-current
Quick math:  766

*as of the November 2024 solicitations, the most recent issue is #20 (786)

Milestone issues:
#600 – Avengers volume 4 #33
#700 – Avengers volume 7 #10

At the time of its launch, “New Avengers” was the primary Avengers title, even though other spinoffs were launched later on.  When the franchise relaunched as part of the “Heroic Age” initiative, “Avengers” returned as the flagship title and carrying the legacy numbering, even though another “New Avengers” series was launched.

Captain America
#1-99
Tales of Suspense #1-99

During the Marvel Legacy publishing initiative, Marvel revived Tales of Suspense for #100-104 as a Winter Soldier and Hawkeye mini-series, but those issues are not part of any other legacy numbering.

#100-454
Captain America volume 1  #100-454
(series continued numbering from Tales of Suspense)

#455-467
Captain America volume 2: #1-13
(“Heroes Reborn” series launched in 1996)
Quick math:  454

#468-517
Captain America volume 3 #1-50
(“Heroes Return” series launched in 1997)
Key issues:
–#25-50 (492-517) – Dan Jurgens run
–#33 (500) – milestone issue
Quick math:  467

Volume 3 #50 featured a legacy number of #518 on the cover, but that was clearly a typo.  

#518-549
Captain America volume 4 #1-32
(series launched in 2002 under the Marvel Knights imprint)
Quick math:  517

#550-599
Captain America volume 5  #1-50
(series launched in 2005 after Avengers Disassembled, written by Ed Brubaker)
Key issue:  #25 (574) – Death of Captain America
Quick math:  549

#600-619
Captain America volume 1 #600-619

#620-638
Captain America volume 6 #1-19
(series launched in 2011, concluding the Brubaker run)
Quick math:  619

#639-663
Captain America volume 7 #1-25
(series launched in 2012)
Quick math:  638

#664-669
All New Captain America:  #1-6
Quick math:  663

#670-693
Sam Wilson, Captain America:  #1-24
Quick math:  669

#694
Captain America volume 8 #25
(series continued from Sam Wilson, Captain America)

There was also a “Steve Rogers, Captain America” series that ran concurrently to this series for 19 issues, but is not counted in the legacy numbering because Sam Wilson was the primary Captain America at the time.

#695-704
Captain America volume 1 #695-704
(series reverted to original numbering as part of Marvel Legacy initiative.)

#705-734
Captain America volume 9 (2018):  #1-30
(series launched in 2019, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Quick math:  704

#735
Captain America #0

This special published in 2022 led to the launch of two concurrent series – Captain America:  Sentinel of Liberty (focusing on Steve Rogers, running for 13 issues) and Captain America:  Symbol of Truth (focusing on Sam Wilson, running for 14 issues).  Symbol of Truth carried the legacy numbering on the covers, which requires us to bend the rule regarding special numbers.

#736-749
Captain America:  Symbol of Truth #1-14
(series launched in 2022)
Quick math:  735

#750
Captain America volume 1 #750
(published in July 2023)

#751-current
Captain America volume 10 #1-current
(series launched in 2023 by JMS)
Quick math:   750

*as of the September 2024 solicitations, the most recent issue is #15 (765)

Captain America and…
When Captain America (volume 6) was launched, Marvel also ran a team-up series continuing the numbering from volume 1.  These numbers are not included in any legacy numbering.
Captain America and Bucky #620-628
Captain America and Hawkeye #629-632
Captain America and Iron Man #633-635
Captain America and Namor #635.1
Captain America and Black Widow #636-640

Thor
#1-125
Journey into Mystery volume 1 #1-125
Key issue:  #82 – first Thor

#126-502
Thor volume 1 #126-502
(series continued numbering from Journey into Mystery)

When the character of Thor was shifted over to the Heroes Reborn universe, the series continued as “Journey into Mystery”, but those issues were not counted in legacy numbering.  (More information on “Journey into Mystery” below.)

#503-587
Thor volume 2 #1-85
(series began in 1998 as a late “Heroes Return” entry)
Key issues:  #80-85 (582-587) – Ragnarok arc (Avengers Disassembled tie-in)
Quick math:  502

#588-599
Thor volume 3 #1-12
(series began in 2007 by JMS)
Quick math:  587

#600-621
Thor volume 1 #600-621

Once again, the numbering was continued as “Journey into Mystery” when a new Thor series was launched.

#622-643
The Mighty Thor #1-22
(series began in 2011)
Quick math:  621

Many issues of the original Thor series were unofficially titled “The Mighty Thor” on the cover, but this is the first time it’s officially part of the title.

#644-668
Thor:  God of Thunder #1-25
(series began in 2012)
Quick math:  643

#669-676
Thor volume 4 #1-8
(series began in 2014 featuring Jane Foster)
Quick math:  668

#677-699
The Mighty Thor volume 2 #1-23
(series began in 2015)
Quick math:  676

#700-706
Thor volume 1 #700-706
(series reverted to original numbering as part of Marvel Legacy initiative.)

#707-722
Thor volume 5 #1-16
(series began in 2018)
Quick math:  706

#723-726
King Thor #1-4
Quick math:  722

#727-761
Thor volume 6 #1-35
(series began in 2020)
Quick math:  726

#762-current
Immortal Thor #1-current*
(series began in 2023)
Quick math:  761

*as of the November 2024 solicitations, the most recent issue is #17 (#778)

Journey into Mystery
Like most of the early Marvel anthologies that eventually changed into a single hero series, “Journey into Mystery” eventually became “Thor”.  But at various points in time as the “Thor” series was relaunched, the original numbering was continued until the “Journey into Mystery” title.  None of those reversions count in the legacy numbering, and there is no way to create a cohesive set of numbering for Journey into Mystery.
#1-125 – series becomes Thor
volume 2 #1-19 – a horror anthology series from the 1970s, not connected to Thor
#503-521 – continuing from Thor volume 1 during Heroes Reborn event
#622-655 – continuing from Thor volume 1 as “The Mighty Thor” was launched

Iron Man
#1-332
Iron Man volume 1 #1-332
(series began in 1968)

#333-345
Iron Man volume 2 #1-13
(“Heroes Reborn” series launched in 1996)
Quick math:  332

#346-434
Iron Man volume 3 #1-89
(“Heroes Return” series launched in 1997)
Quick math:  345

#435-462
Iron Man volume 4 #1-28
(series launched in 2005 after Avengers: Disassembled)
Quick math:  434

#463-466
Iron Man:  Director of SHIELD #29-32
(Iron Man volume 4 was retitled in 2008)
Quick math:  434

This series continued for three more issues (#33-35), with the cover title of War Machine:  Weapon of SHIELD.  At the same time, a new Iron Man series was launched.  At the time, Marvel did not count these three issues when they reverted to Iron Man #500, but they did count them when creating the numbering for Marvel Legacy a few years later.

#467-499
Invincible Iron Man #1-33
(series launched in 2008 and was the first time “Invincible” was an official part of the title.)
Quick math:  466

#500-527
Invincible Iron Man #500-527

#528-530
Due to a math error, these issues don’t seem to exist.  When “Invincible Iron Man” was launched in 2008, the “Iron Man:  Director of SHIELD” title was still running for three issues.  Those issues (#33-35) featured War Machine and had a “War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD” logo plastered over the Iron Man logo on the covers.  Marvel did not count those issues when they calculated Iron Man #500.  However those issues were counted when calculating the number for Marvel Legacy, which is why Marvel now says that #500-527 are really #503-530.  The editors handling the Marvel Legacy numbering project were clearly just looking at the highest issue number of each volume to add together.

#531-558
Iron Man volume 5 #1-28
(series launched in 2013)
Quick math:  530

#559-567
Superior Iron Man #1-9
Quick math:  558

#568-581
Invincible Iron Man volume 2 #1-14
(series launched in 2015 by Brian Michael Bendis)
Quick math:  567

#582-592
Invincible Iron Man volume 3 #1-11
(series launched in 2016, also by BMB)
Quick math:  581

#593-600
Iron Man volume 1 #593-600
(series reverted to original numbering as part of Marvel Legacy initiative.)

Technically, these issues are officially part of “Invincible Iron Man” volume 3.

#601-619
Tony Stark:  Iron Man #1-19
(series launched in 2018 by Dan Slott)
Quick math:  600

#620-625
Iron Man 2020 #1-6
(mini-series published in 2020 to conclude Slott’s run)
Quick math: 619

#626-650
Iron Man volume 6 #1-25
(series launched in 2020 by Christopher Cantwell)
Quick math:  625

#651-670
Invincible Iron Man volume 4 #1-20
(series launched in 2022 by Gerry Duggan and ties into the X-Men Krakoa era and “Fall of X”)
Quick math:  650

#671-current
Iron Man volume 7 #1-current*
Quick math: 670

*as of the November 2024 solicitations, the most recent issue is #2 (#672)

Annuals

Annuals have created their own kind of problems with legacy numbering. From the 1960s through the mid-1990s, Marvel numbered annuals sequentially, although they referred to some as “King Size” and/or “Specials”.  Starting in 1995, the X-Men titles got annuals labelled by year (ex. ’95) with the practice expanding to the rest of the Marvel line in 1996.  In 1998, all of the Marvel annuals were team-ups, and some characters or groups were represented in multiple annuals.  In most cases, whichever series was referred to first in the title claims that annual.  From 1999-2001, Marvel continued to number by year (using all four digits), and then discontinued annuals in favor of extra regular issues during the year.  Sometime in the late 2000s, annuals returned, but there has been no consistency among numbering practices.  Some series got legacy numbers, some get a new Annual #1 to go with each relaunch, and some Annuals get renumbered even if the parent series had not been relaunched.  And naturally, over the years, there have been misnumbered and forgotten annuals.

Avengers
#1-23 - numbered sequentially along with volume 1
#24 – Avengers/Squadron Supreme ’98, going along with volume 3
#25-27 – Marvel used the full years for numbering:  1999-2001, going along with volume 3
#28-30 – New Avengers Annuals #1-3
#31 – a new Annual #1 in 2012, going along with volume 4
#32 – another Annual #1 in 2013, going along with volume 5
#33 – All New All Different Avengers Annual #1
#34 – yet another Annual #1 in 2021, going along with volume 7

Captain America
#1-13 - numbered sequentially along with volume 1
#14 – Captain America/Citizen V ’98, going along with volume 3
#15-17 - Marvel used the full years for numbering:  1999-2001, going along with volume 3

The Iron Man/Captain America ’98 Annual is credited to Iron Man’s series.

Iron Man
#1-15 - numbered sequentially along with volume 1
#16 – Iron Man/Captain America ’98, going along with volume 3
#17-19 - Marvel used the full years for numbering:  1999-2001, going along with volume 3
#20 – Iron Man:  Director of SHIELD Annual #1
#21 – Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 in 2010
#22 – Iron Man Annual #1 (2014), probably goes along with volume 5