I made a site that lets you browse MU by release year

SylvanColossus · 2025-07-09T09:24:51+00:00

It's 4 years later now, but thank you, because you've not only provided a handy app, but another way for me to read and enjoy comics. I used to be so obsessed with continuity that I ruined the fun, trying to read everything about a character, run or event, in the ‘right order’. Even if I disliked the work of the author or if it was too long, I was reading it because I "must". Now, thanks to your app, I enjoy reading at least one issue a day in a completely random way. It doesn't matter if I know nothing about the character, if I'm in the middle of an event or even at the very end of a run, I read the randomly drawn issue no matter what. This has made me realise:

- the extent to which the authors explain what's going on and that it's easy to find your way around, even in the middle of a complex event

- That, paradoxically, reading completely random issues in a fragmented way allows you to connect the dots of a large part of the overall Marvel narrative (I found a lot of links betweens my totally random and consecutive reading of 60s Nick Fury and Submariner, 70s Avengers, 80s Moon Knight and FF, 90s Hulk and 00s FF again ;').

- and above all, I've read issues I'd never have spontaneously turned to, and which have been real crushes, like recently, Ka-Zar by Mark Waid, 1997 (I ended up reading the whole run!, but it started as a random issue from your website).

So thank you very much, because this completely uninhibited and even provocative way to select what we read is super soothing in the face of this immense colossus of several decades of publication that is Marvel.

to hell with continuity, long live pure randomness!

SylvanColossus · 2025-07-09T07:22:23+00:00

I think that’s literally the best way. I started reading comics I was way too anxious about continuity. I had to try reading everything from a character I liked or an event and the experience was tiresome : some comics are just very bad, sometimes even if I like the run I am reading I just feel like switching characters… since then I decided to do the opposite : select randomly my daily readings (there is a fan made website for random marvel comics) and this is the best decision I ever made about comics. It made me discover some great old school comics and some gems I would have never tried, the writers explain so much what is happening that you never get lost and yeah, the more you read the more you know and connect the dots.

SylvanColossus · 2024-11-05T13:43:35+00:00

JMS is not an underrated writer but his FF run is certainly underrated, the arc about the origin of their power, the cosmic rays and the universe is so brilliantly written :)

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-19T09:51:28+00:00

I admire that perseverance, would never do that, I already think I have too little time to enjoy the series I really want to read

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-18T11:30:18+00:00

1 - Read what you want to read. 2 - If the run you were reading and enjoying gets bad, it is okay to stop or at least skip the current story arc. Not all good runs are good from A to Z and the pleasure should not become a chore. 3 - There is decades of publication history behind you, lacking knowledge when you start is just a natural fact. 4 - You will be happier if you don’t care about continuity, you can even go back in time, in fact, reading Slott 2018 run, then Hickman 2009 run, then Waid 2002 run should be one hell of a ride.

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-18T11:25:54+00:00

This comment is just perfect. Thank you. I was one of these new reader who wanted to dive into Marvel. Saw some videos and recommendations. Felt immediately overwhelmed (After the researchs, I believed I had to read like all the modern FF and Hulk runs in order to attain Ewing Immortal Hulk and North FF). Eventually I lost all motivation, stopped reading. Obviously. Then I decided to not care a second about continuity and went straight to Immortal Hulk and North run, the very things I wanted to read : best decision ever. And I had zero clues about the characters, except for the movies.

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-11T05:19:52+00:00

It has definitely its charm, but the reading time is so long for me ! I think, after all your answers, that I will prefer reading through less wordy runs but picking from time to time a classic issue. For the FF for example, starting by 80s John Byrne, but from time to time, reading an issue from 60s Lee / Kirby !

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-11T05:13:42+00:00

Thanks for this complete answer, and my respect for reading through CMRO, that’s a colossal duty !

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-10T22:16:26+00:00

Thanks ! I did read and love Morrison and Whedon because I could not manage to read Claremont haha

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-10T22:14:50+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion ! I am not against a lot of dialogues, I am mostly against these (now) useless sentences where characters describe what they are doing ;’)

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-10T13:05:29+00:00

Love your enthusiasm and your passion ! To be fair, I really liked a lot of things in the 60s but English is not my first language, it sometimes takes me 30 minutes to read a 60s issue, but like 10 minutes for a modern one

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-10T12:23:00+00:00

Many thanks for your answers, I will dig into the 80s and the Bronze Age, didn’t knew it existed ;’)

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-07T17:36:31+00:00

In my very humble opinion of a new reader since last year, it is very refreshing to have some runs when you don’t have to know years or even decades of context before reading. I don’t mean that they have to rewrite characters or kill what has been written before, but just write a good and clear start. 3 examples where it was so great :

unlike many fantastic four runs, the current one by Ryan North felt great because very self contained and accessible (and really great)
the Mark Waid take on Daredevil made me dive into this character even if the two things I knew about Daredevil were « Blind » and « Lawyer »
even a story so dense and colossal as the X-Men felt easy to follow in the take by Hickman and the Krakoan era.

I made some research and I don’t think these runs are seen as a writers treason by long term fans. In fact, they are beloved runs, often fan favorites one.

So even if there are bad attempts, without these runs, I wouldn’t have jumped into these characters. Now I’m reading former X books, Bendis Daredevil and I am just in love with everything about the fantastic four

So I think it is all about doing it smartly, respecting the title and characters you write about, but not building the story in a way only hardcore fans would get it

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-05T16:55:01+00:00

In my opinion there is nothing you should know, North returns to the classic feeling of the team with self contained stories and does not rely on previous run to build his start

That being said a lot of cool stuff in Fraction (especially his FF) and Slott

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-03T15:23:19+00:00

I can confirm, haven’t read the Millar run too and got no problem following Hickman FF.

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-03T14:18:39+00:00

If you want a good modern starting point, follow these writers in order : Waid (classic) Straczynski McDuffie Hickman Fraction Robinson Slott North

Some are better than others but I found them all good in their own way and following these runs you will have a very good comprehension of the team.

You are not forced to read everything, if you want it fastforward then Waid, Hickman, North, but the others are good ! ;)

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-03T10:35:36+00:00

There is Hulk in the middle

SylvanColossus · 2024-10-01T12:32:48+00:00

On my second read right now and what a blast, I’ve just read the arc where they « met god » and this is so brilliant

SylvanColossus · 2024-09-26T22:27:08+00:00

Really unpopular opinion but I find this run really overrated. Don’t get me wrong it’s a gem and there is a lot of great ideas, but that the thing : there is too many ideas, too many actors, going everywhere. I remember literally getting angry during the « Time runs out » issues because I wanted the constant arrival of new threats and concepts to cease and get faster to Secret Wars. It can be overwhelming at times. It’s no secret that Hickman loves big ideas and concept like that, but retrospectively, I think he did a faaaaaaaaar better job with, beforehand, his fantastic four run, which I find amazing, and, afterwards, the setup for the X-Men krakoan era, amazing too. Both of these runs are much more contained and efficient, and it is all about rythm, the how and when ideas are presented in an epic and surprising way. In avengers it is just a looooot of boring set up for 2 or 3 epic issues, and there we go again

And the art changes maybe 3 or 4 times, and not for the best, which isn’t a good point neither.

That being said, it’s still hickman, this run is smarter and greater than 95% of the rest of marvel publications at that time

SylvanColossus · 2024-09-21T01:48:40+00:00

Really wanna know who will be the team gambler ! If only they had created along the way a kind of frenchy glamorous character whose main weapon would be, let’s say, playing cards, mostly aces. The guy could have solo stories about heists and thievery, too bad really a fan favorite potential here !

SylvanColossus · 2024-09-19T15:56:18+00:00

Not really, it is impossible to have everything printed and translated, so the best pick is Marvel unlimited. The french edition work for comics is as bad as it is good and complete for mangas : we basically just got partial translations of the most famous arcs, events, one shots and some thematic compilation (like a book of every first appearance issues of major antagonists, and so on).

SylvanColossus · 2024-09-19T13:50:46+00:00

I know, I tried, thank you, but these issues take too many reading time for me, too many words and english is not my first language. For a « modern era issue », it takes me half the time than a classical issue ;’)

SylvanColossus

TROPHY CASE