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

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

Vol 20 Nova Lux

The newly formed United Planets and the Guardians of the Universe hold an intergalactic summit to decide who can best serve and protect the cosmos from danger. With the majority of Green Lanterns called back to Oa, John Stewart arrives alongside Teen Lantern Keli Quintela, Jessica Cruz and Far Sector star Sojourner “Jo” Mullein in an epic galactic adventure!

Then the mystery of the Dark Sector begins to unravel. To rescue Kilowog and his squad of surviving Lanterns, John enters the realm of the Golden Centurions and their mysterious master, the Lightbringer! Meanwhile on Oa, Keli lies in a coma, while Jo’s team closes in on those responsible for the destruction of the power battery, but a surprise arrival takes a key investigator off the board! And with trillions of lives in peril, John battles the DEISTORM and the challenge of its FUTURE STATES! Meanwhile, Jo Mullein solves the mystery of the Battery’s destruction in time to see the rise of a new and ancient enemy. Is this the final end of Oa and the Green Lanterns?!  Plus, the agoraphobic Jessica Cruz overcame her fear to become a Green Lantern and face the darkest and deadliest threats in the universe. But now, Jessica’s gone from overcoming fear to using it as a weapon. When Yellow Lanterns attacked the Green Lantern Sector House she took refuge in when the Central Power battery was destroyed, Jessica turned the tables on them, giving them something to be afraid of, as she beat them one-by-one. But now that she’s been offered a place in the Sinestro Corps, will she accept?

Back to Far Sector 

Back to The Grant Morrison Run

Vol 19 Far Sector

For the past six months, newly chosen Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullein has been protecting the City Enduring, a massive metropolis of 20 billion people. The city has maintained peace for over 500 years by stripping its citizens of their ability to feel. As a result, violent crime is virtually unheard of, and murder is nonexistent. But that’s all about to change as she is thrust into a stunning sci-fi murder mystery on the other side of the universe!

Continues in Nova Lux

Back to The Grant Morrison Run

Back to DCU Rebirth

Following the New Rebirth Era Grant Morrison’s two series run on Green Lantern!

Vol 18 Under Strange Skies

It all begins when Earth’s Green Lantern encounters a mysterious alien hiding in plain sight, setting off a chain of events that will bring the Green Lantern Corps to its knees. There’s an intergalactic conspiracy afoot, as well as a traitor in the Green Lantern Corps’ ranks. Hal Jordan has faced the universe’s greatest threats, but what he faces next will challenge everything he believes in. The rules of planet Earth do not apply in outer space.

Then the evil Blackstars have created the ultimate engine of destruction: the Anti-Matter Lantern. With the GL Corps to less than a shadow of what it once was Hal’s next mission is his most critical…he needs to find the Young Guardians, the next generation of cosmic immortals. Will Hal be able to find the new heroes the world needs? Follow Hal into the very edge of reaily where he will have to battle the Anti-Matter Lantern Corps! Can he complete his mission? Find out in this mind-bending adventure that will forever change how you see the Green Lantern Corps!

 
Onward to Far Sector 

 
Back to DCU Rebirth

Back to The Dark Age