UPDATE 9/30/16

I love shared universes. I particularly love taking notes on continuity and placing it all in proper order. When I started reading Valiant a couple of years ago, I first spent a couple of weeks cataloging each issue in order of publication beginning with May 2012. Then I read everything (seriously, everything) in the order of release. Once I finished an arc, I then placed it in a reading order that made the most sense before going on to the next one. This step-by-step process kept me from being overwhelmed by the material.

This reading order is meant to flow like a single narrative. I don’t take into consideration Valiant’s official acts. I treat titles as chapters, as if the entire saga is in one huge compendium. Because of this, some issues have a strange placement, but I promise that if anyone reads Valiant in this order, the story will read exceptionally clear and, in my opinion, more enjoyably. Common themes are grouped together to improve flow, like a piece of music that gradually builds to a crescendo.

A few notes on placement:

– I don’t move on to the next title until the current one comes to a resting conclusion, otherwise the reader would have a hard time moving on when events were still unresolved. So when X-O Manowar completes its first arc, I go right into the next since the next one takes place immediately after.

– The 25th issue of the ‘Valiant first wave’ featured tons of backup story. Some of these are jokes and are not meant to be seen as in continuity. Others, though, take place at certain moments in previous arcs, and actually serve to enhance the story when read along with them. For instance, a backup feature from HARBINGER #25 takes place during the first five issues of the title. But if read (as a flashback) right before issue six, we see that Kris actually references the moment in the flashback. It flows exceptionally well like this. HOWEVER, I realize that hunting down a future issue just for five or six pages can be frustrating, so the issues marked as (segment:) should be seen as purely optional.

– Everyone seems to agree that X-O MANOWAR #1 is the place to start. After all, this is were the relaunch began. But looking at Valiant, I see that arguably the central figure in all of this is Toyo Harada. Because of this, I feel it best to establish who he is.

– Eternal Warrior. The first series seems a bit out of continuity when compared to his appearances in ARCHER & ARMSTRONG. It works, but only if we use a little imagination. It has to be read before the latter, and we need to assume that after the events in the Sword of the Wild arc, he had a change of heart before showing up in A&A (the Geomancer is the same in both series, so there is a connecting thread).

So anyway, I’ll shut up now and GET RIGHT TO THE FRIGGIN’ READING ORDER …

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Harbinger 0 Harbinger 1 Harbinger 2 Harbinger 3 Harbinger 4 Harbinger 5

Bloodshot 1 Bloodshot 2 Bloodshot 3 Bloodshot 4

X-O Manowar 1 X-O Manowar 2 X-O Manowar 3 X-O Manowar 4 X-O Manowar 5 X-O Manowar 6 X-O Manowar 7 X-O Manowar 8

Eternal Warrior 1 Eternal Warrior 2 Eternal Warrior 3 Eternal Warrior 4

Archer & Armstrong 1 Archer & Armstrong 2 Archer & Armstrong 3 Archer & Armstrong 4

Shadowman 0 Shadowman 10 Shadowman 1 Shadowman 2 Shadowman 3 Shadowman 4 Shadowman 5 Shadowman 6 Shadowman 7 Shadowman 8 Shadowman 9

Harbinger 25 (segment: INTO MEMORY) Harbinger 6 Harbinger 7 Harbinger 8 Harbinger 9 Harbinger 10

Bloodshot 5 Bloodshot 6 Bloodshot 7 Bloodshot 8 Bloodshot 9

Bloodshot 10 Harbinger Wars 1 Harbinger 11 Bloodshot 11 Harbinger Wars 2 Harbinger 12 Bloodshot 12 Harbinger 13 Harbinger Wars 3 Harbinger Wars 4 Harbinger 14 Bloodshot 25 (segment: HEART OF THE MATTER) Bloodshot 13

X-O Manowar 9 X-O Manowar 10 X-O Manowar 11 X-O Manowar 12 X-O Manowar 13 X-O Manowar 14

Archer & Armstrong 5 Archer & Armstrong 6 Archer & Armstrong 7 Archer & Armstrong 8 Archer & Armstrong 9 Archer & Armstrong 0 Archer & Armstrong 10 Archer & Armstrong 11 Archer & Armstrong 12 Archer & Armstrong 13

Quantum & Woody 1 Quantum & Woody 2 Quantum & Woody 3 Quantum & Woody 4

Shadowman 11 Shadowman 12 Shadowman 13x Shadowman 13 Shadowman 14 Shadowman 15 Shadowman 16 Punk Mambo 0

Bloodshot 14 Bloodshot 15

X-O Manowar 15 X-O Manowar 16 X-O Manowar 17 X-O Manowar 18

Bloodshot 16 Bloodshot 17 Bloodshot 0 Bloodshot 24 Bloodshot 25 (segment: GLITCH)

Harbinger 15 Harbinger 16 Harbinger 17 Harbinger 18 Harbinger 19

Bloodshot 18 Bloodshot 19 Bloodshot 0 (H.A.R.D. Corps) ~second zero issue~

Archer & Armstrong 14 Archer & Armstrong 25 (segment: FIRST ROUND’S ON ME) Archer & Armstrong 15 Archer & Armstrong 16 Archer & Armstrong 17

Archer & Armstrong 0 (Archer) ~second zero issue~ Archer & Armstrong 18 Bloodshot 20 Archer & Armstrong 19 Bloodshot 21

Quantum & Woody 5 Quantum & Woody 6 Quantum & Woody 7 Quantum & Woody 8

X-O Manowar Annual 2016 (segment: HERITAGE) Unity 1 X-O Manowar 19 Unity 2 X-O Manowar 20 Unity 3 X-O Manowar 21 Unity 4 X-O Manowar 22

Harbinger 20 Harbinger 21 Harbinger 22 Harbinger 23 Harbinger 24 Harbinger 25 Harbinger Omegas 1 Harbinger Omegas 2 Harbinger Omegas 3 Harbinger 0 (Bleeding Monk) ~second zero issue~

Bloodshot 22 Bloodshot 23

Unity 5 Unity 6 Unity 7

Bloodshot 25 (segment: THE GANG’S ALL HERE) X-O Manowar 25 (segment: FATE OF KINGS) X-O Manowar 23 X-O Manowar 24 X-O Manowar 25 Armor Hunters 1 Unity 8 Armor Hunters 2 Unity 9 Armor Hunters: Harbinger 1 Armor Hunters: Bloodshot 1 Armor Hunters: Bloodshot 2 Armor Hunters: Bloodshot 3 Armor Hunters 3 Unity 10 Armor Hunters: Harbinger 2 Armor Hunters: Harbinger 3 Unity 11 Armor Hunters 4 X-O Manowar 26 X-O Manowar 27 X-O Manowar 28 X-O Manowar 29 Armor Hunters: Aftermath 1

Archer & Armstrong 20 Archer & Armstrong 21 Archer & Armstrong 22 Archer & Armstrong 23 Archer & Armstrong 25 (segment: BACK TO THE BEGINNING)

Quantum & Woody 0 Quantum & Woody 9 Quantum & Woody 10 Quantum & Woody 11 Quantum & Woody 12

Shadowman Endtimes 1 Shadowman Endtimes 2 Shadowman Endtimes 3

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage 1 The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage 2 The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage 3 The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage 4 The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage 5

Rai 1 Rai 2 Rai 3 Rai 4

Eternal Warrior 5 Eternal Warrior 6 Eternal Warrior 7 Eternal Warrior 8

Archer & Armstrong 24 Archer & Armstrong 25 (segment: IMMORTAL COMBAT) Archer & Armstrong 25 (segment: HAPPY RETURNS) Archer & Armstrong 25 (segment: 1% — NEW BREED) One Percent 1

The Delinquents 1 The Delinquents 2 The Delinquents 3 The Delinquents 4

X-O Manowar 25 (segment: BATTLE FOR THE AGES) X-O Manowar 0 X-O Manowar 30 X-O Manowar 31 X-O Manowar 32 X-O Manowar 33

Unity 0 Unity 12 Faith 0 Unity 13 Unity 14

Book of Death: Legend of the Geomancer 1 Book of Death: Legend of the Geomancer 2 Book of Death: Legend of the Geomancer 3 Book of Death: Legend of the Geomancer 4

Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel 1 Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel 2 Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel 3

The Valiant 1 The Valiant 2 The Valiant 3 The Valiant 4

Ivar, Timewalker 1 Ivar, Timewalker 2 Ivar, Timewalker 3 Ivar, Timewalker 4 Ivar, Timewalker 5 Ivar, Timewalker 6 Ivar, Timewalker 7 Ivar, Timewalker 8 Ivar, Timewalker 9 Ivar, Timewalker 10 Ivar, Timewalker 11 Ivar, Timewalker 12

Valiant-Sized Quantum & Woody 1 Quantum & Woody Must Die! 1 Quantum & Woody Must Die! 2 Quantum & Woody Must Die! 3 Quantum & Woody Must Die! 4

Dead Drop 1 Dead Drop 2 Dead Drop 3 Dead Drop 4

X-O Manowar 34 X-O Manowar 35 X-O Manowar 36 X-O Manowar 37

Unity 15 Unity 16 Unity 17 Unity 18 Unity 19 Unity 20 Unity 21 Unity 22

X-O Manowar 50 (segment: THE TWO DEATHS OF GAIUS MAELUS) X-O Manowar 38 X-O Manowar: 25th Anniversary Special

Imperium 1 Imperium 2 Imperium 3 Imperium 4

Divinity 1 Divinity 2 Divinity 3 Divinity 4

Imperium 5 Imperium 6 Imperium 7 Imperium 8

Unity 23 Unity 24

Imperium 9 Imperium 10 Imperium 11 Imperium 12

Divinity II 1 Divinity II 2 Divinity II 3 Divinity II 4

Book of Death 1 Book of Death 2 Book of Death 3 Book of Death 4

Bloodshot Reborn 1 Bloodshot Reborn 2 Bloodshot Reborn 3 Bloodshot Reborn 4 Bloodshot Reborn 5 Bloodshot Reborn 6 Bloodshot Reborn 7 Bloodshot Reborn 8 Bloodshot Reborn 9

X-O Manowar 39 X-O Manowar 40 X-O Manowar 41 X-O Manowar 42 X-O Manowar 0 (Commander Trill) ~second zero issue~

Book of Death: Fall of Bloodshot 1 Book of Death: Fall of Ninjak 1 Book of Death: Fall of Harbinger 1 Book of Death: Fall of X-O Manowar 1

Rai 5 Rai 6 Rai 7 Rai 8

Unity 25 X-O Manowar: Annual 2016 (segment: THE PRISONER) Bloodshot Reborn: Annual 2016

Ninjak 1 Ninjak 2 Ninjak 3 Ninjak 4 Ninjak 5 Ninjak 6 Ninjak 7 Ninjak 8 Ninjak 9

Doctor Mirage: Second Lives 1 Doctor Mirage: Second Lives 2 Doctor Mirage: Second Lives 3 Doctor Mirage: Second Lives 4

Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 1 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 2 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 3 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 4 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 5 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 6 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 7 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 8 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 9 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 10 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 11 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 12 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 13 Wrath of the Eternal Warrior 14

A+A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong 1 A+A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong 2 A+A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong 3 A+A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong 4

Faith {miniseries} 1 Faith {miniseries} 2 Faith {miniseries} 3 Faith {miniseries} 4 X-O Manowar: Annual 2016 (segment: TAKING A MEETING)

Imperium 13 Imperium 14 Imperium 15 Imperium 16

X-O Manowar 50 (segment: HIS GREATEST FAILURE) X-O Manowar 43 X-O Manowar 44 X-O Manowar 45 X-O Manowar 46 X-O Manowar: Annual 2016 (segment: THE TORMENT) X-O Manowar 47 X-O Manowar 48 X-O Manowar 49 X-O Manowar 50 X-O Manowar 50 (segment: THE FUTURE)

Ninjak 10 Ninjak 11 Ninjak 12 Ninjak 13 Ninjak 14 Ninjak 15 Ninjak 16 Ninjak 17

Rai 13 Rai 14 Rai 15 Rai 16 Rai 9 Rai 10 Rai 11 Rai 12 4001 AD: X-O Manowar 1 4001 AD 1 4001 AD 2 4001 AD 3 4001 AD 4 4001 AD: Bloodshot 1 4001 AD: Shadowman 1 4001 AD: War Mother 1

Bloodshot Reborn 10 Bloodshot Reborn 11 Bloodshot Reborn 12 Bloodshot Reborn 13 Bloodshot Reborn 14 Bloodshot Reborn 15 Bloodshot Reborn 16 Bloodshot Reborn 17 Bloodshot Reborn 18

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Trade Paperbacks

1. Harbinger vol.1 — Omega Rising

2. Bloodshot vol.1 — Setting the World on Fire

3. X-O Manowar vol.1 — By the Sword

4. X-O Manowar vol.2 — Enter Ninjak

5. Eternal Warrior vol.1 — Sword of the Wild

6. Archer & Armstrong vol.1 — The Michelangelo Code

7. Shadowman vol.1 — Birth Rites

8. Shadowman vol.2 — Darque Reckoning

9. Harbinger vol.2 — Renegades

10. Bloodshot vol.2 — The Rise and the Fall

11. Harbinger Wars

12. Harbinger vol.3 — Harbinger Wars

13. Bloodshot vol.3 — Harbinger Wars

14. X-O Manowar vol.3 — Planet Death

15. Archer & Armstrong vol.2 — Wrath of the Eternal Warrior

16. Archer & Armstrong vol.3 — Far, Far Away

17. Quantum & Woody vol.1 — The World’s Worst Superhero Team

18. Shadowman vol.3 — Deadside Blues

19. Shadowman vol.4 — Fear, Blood, and Shadows

20. X-O Manowar vol.4 — Homecoming

21. Bloodshot vol.4 — H.A.R.D. Corps

22. Harbinger vol.4 — Perfect Day

23. Archer & Armstrong vol.4 — Sect Civil War

24. Archer & Armstrong vol.5 — Mission Improbable

25. Quantum & Woody vol.2 — In Security

26. Unity vol.1 — To Kill A King

27. X-O Manowar vol.5 — At War With Unity

28. Harbinger vol.5 — Death of a Renegade

29. Harbinger vol.6 — Omegas

30. Bloodshot vol.5 — Get Some and Other Stories

31. Bloodshot vol.6 — The Glitch and Other Tales

32. Unity vol.2 — Trapped by WebNet

33. X-O Manowar vol.6 — Prelude to Armor Hunters

34. Armor Hunters

35. Unity vol.3 — Armor Hunters

36. Armor Hunters: Bloodshot

37. Armor Hunters: Harbinger

38. X-O Manowar vol.7 — Armor Hunters

39. Archer & Armstrong vol.6 — American Wasteland

40. Quantum & Woody vol.3 — Crooked Pasts, Present Tense

41. Shadowman Endtimes

42. The Death Defying Doctor Mirage vol.1

43. Rai vol.1 — Welcome to New Japan

44. Eternal Warrior vol.2 — Eternal Emperor

45. Archer & Armstrong vol.7 — The One Percent and Other Tales

46. The Delinquents

47. X-O Manowar vol.8 — Enter: Armorines

48. Unity vol.4 — The United

49. Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel

50. The Valiant

51. Ivar, Timewalker vol.1 — Making History

52. Ivar, Timewalker vol.2 — Breaking History

53. Ivar, Timewalker vol.3 — Ending History

54. Quantum & Woody vol.4 — Quantum & Woody Must Die!

55. Dead Drop

56. X-O Manowar vol.9 — Dead Hand

57. Unity vol.5 — Homefront

58. Unity vol.6 — The War Monger

59. Imperium vol.1 — Collecting Monsters

60. Divinity

61. Imperium vol.2 — Broken Angels

62. Imperium vol.3 — The Vine Imperative

63. Divinity II

64. Book of Death

65. Bloodshot Reborn vol.1 — Colorado

66. Bloodshot Reborn vol.2 — The Hunt

67. X-O Manowar vol.10 — Exodus

68. Book of Death: Fall of the Valiant Universe

69. Rai vol.2 — Battle for New Japan

70. Ninjak vol.1 — Weaponeer

71. Ninjak vol.2 — The Shadow Wars

72. The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage vol.2 — Second Lives

73. Wrath of the Eternal Warrior vol.1 — Risen

74. Wrath of the Eternal Warrior vol.2 — Labyrinth

75. A+A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong vol.1 — In the Bag

76. Faith vol.1 — Hollywood and Vine

77. Imperium vol.4 — Stormbreak

78. X-O Manowar vol.11 — The Kill List

79. X-O Manowar vol.12 — Long Live the King

80. X-O Manowar vol.13 — Succession and Other Tales

81. Ninjak vol.3 — Operation: Deadside

82. Ninjak vol.4 — The Siege of King’s Castle

83. Rai vol.4 — 4001AD

84. Rai vol.3 — The Orphan

85. 4001AD

86. 4001AD: Beyond New Japan

87. Bloodshot Reborn vol.3 — The Analog Man

88. Bloodshot Reborn vol.4 — Bloodshot Island

Deluxe Editions

1. Harbinger Deluxe vol.1

2. Bloodshot Deluxe vol.1

3. X-O Manowar Deluxe vol.1

4. Archer & Armstrong Deluxe vol.1

5. Shadowman Deluxe vol.1

6. Harbinger Wars Deluxe

7. Quantum & Woody Deluxe vol.1

8. Bloodshot Deluxe vol.2

9. Harbinger Deluxe vol.2

10. X-O Manowar Deluxe vol.2

11. Unity Deluxe vol.1

12. Archer & Armstrong Deluxe vol.2

13. Armor Hunters Deluxe

14. Shadowman Deluxe vol.2

15. The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Deluxe vol.1

16. Rai Deluxe vol.1

17. The Valiant Deluxe

18. Ivar, Timewalker Deluxe vol.1

19. X-O Manowar Deluxe vol.3

20. Divinity Deluxe

21. Book of Death Deluxe

22. Bloodshot Reborn Deluxe vol.1

23. X-O Manowar Deluxe vol.4