About this site

Orion “Opie Dokie” Petitclerc loves to read comics. He especially loves to follow his favorite characters throughout their comic book histories from first appearances to the latest issues.

But comics can get confusing when trying to collect and read the characters’ ongoing stories in order. It’s an issue many comic readers old and new tend to have.

So Orion rolled up his sleeves, opened a few internet browsers, and employed his organizational and comic book expertise to create spreadsheets listing his favorite characters’ (almost) every comic book appearance in some semblance of a canonical, chronological order to help him and fellow fans follow these characters’ stories.

About the Chronology Projects

These Google Sheets, which Orion calls his “Comic Book Chronology Projects,” feature every appearance of the subject character in the “mainstream” universe canon of their respective publisher (Marvel, DC, etc.) in single issues, graphic novels, trade collections, and omnibi.

The Chronology Projects organize these books chronologically both by publication date and by a “canonical timeline”–a hybrid timeline inspired by the major story events that govern Marvel and DC’s comic book universe as well as thorough research by both Orion and communities of fellow fans.

The goal of these Chronology Projects is to present you with a straight-forward “reading order” following the subject character’s story from beginning to contemporary times, excluding issues in which they make “throwaway,” unspoken, background cameos.

In addition to the publication and canonical chronologies, the Chronology Projects shows which single issues, graphic novels, trade collections, and omnibi are available on major digital platforms, including ComiXology, Marvel Unlimited, and DC Universe Infinite.

Several of the Chronology projects include curated reading orders organizing suggested trade collections and omnibi to mimic the canonical chronologies for the single issues–presenting trade-waiters and binge-readers with a convenient way to follow a subject character’s history. These curated reading orders even feature handy links to ComiXology for digital editions and Amazon for print editions of the curated comics!

And for the collectors, the Chronology Projects feature color-coded cells indicating first appearance issues for both the subject character and related supporting cast, legacy characters, allies, and adversaries. There’s also a handy notes section where Orion annotated important story and publication-related tidbits for quick reference. (E.g. Did you know the 14-issue crossover event, Maximum Carnage, spans 5 different Spider-Man comic series? Orion’s notes help cut down the confusion over how to navigate that beastly story!)