Aquaman Complete Reading Order

This reading order is designed to give a outline of the main Aquaman (Arthur Curry) storylines throughout DC Comics. It may not encompass every one of his appearances, but is an outline of the major ones and the stories that affect them.

The continuity details relating to each specific storyline are explained in the “Review” of each storyline. Every “Review” link will provide a detailed continuity breakdown of that story and will explain any reference the story makes to other aspects of the DC Universe. All of this can be found under the “Continuity” section of each link.

Jump to: New 52 – Rebirth

New 52

With the start of the New 52, the DC Universe was reset. This wiped away almost all of Aquaman’s history. It specifically removed his history as King of Atlantis, the majority of his past associations with Atlantis, and the majority of his history with Mera (Reading Order). His relationship with Mera still exists but does not have the depth it once did.

Aquaman’s major appearances in this era mostly play out through the Aquaman series. This series redefines nearly every aspect of Aquaman’s character and establishes a new status quo. This is built on as the series progresses and also through the Aquaman and the Others series.

Aquaman other major appearances play out through the Justice League (Reading Order) series, which crosses over with the Aquaman series in the Throne of Atlantis (Reading Order) event. Outside of this, Aquaman has a number of small appearances in other comics.

For a more in-depth breakdown of Aquaman’s appearances in this era, see ComicBookWire’s Aquaman New 52 Reading Order.

JLA = Justice League of America
AatO = Aquaman and the Others
Aquaman issues are from the Aquaman Vol. 7 series
Justice League issues are from the Justice League Vol. 2 series
Secret Origins issues are from the Secret Origins Vol. 3 series
Swamp Thing issues are from the Swamp Thing Vol. 5 series
Batman and Robin issues are from the Vol. 2 series
Justice League of America issues are from the Vol. 4 series
Batman/Superman issues are from the Vol. 1 series

Notes

1. Aquaman is a member of the Justice League (Reading Order) in this era. However, in most of the League's appearances, he only serves in a supporting role or plays a contributing part in a larger group effort. For these appearances, this reading order links ComicBookWire's "Justice League Reading Order" to prevent this reading order from becoming overly complicated. Larger or more significant appearances are marked separately and explained further in this "Notes" section.
2. These issues detail the formation of the Justice League (Reading Order) and show Aquaman's role in that formation. This arc establishes his importance to the team going forward.
3. These issues technically take place in an alternate future. However, they relate to the rest of the Aquaman and the Others series in a way that fans may find interesting.
4. The first of these two issues is a straightforward team-up between Aquaman and Batman, focused on Aquaman helping Batman with a problem. The second shows the repercussions of this team-up at a later point in time.
5. These issues detail an adventure with the Justice League (Reading Order). However, they place more of an emphasis on Aquaman's connection to Atlantis than other issues from the series.
6. These issues are mostly about Batman and Superman. However, they feature Aquaman as a pseudo-antagonist, which may be interesting for some readers to see.

Rebirth

The Rebirth era directly continues Aquaman's adventures with no continuity alterations. It specifically builds on the final story arc from the Aquaman series and uses that to develop the status quo in this era.

Aquaman's major appearances, once again, play out through the Aquaman series. This series typically has Aquaman partnered with Mera (Reading Order) in a quest to help Atlantis as a society. Besides this, Aquaman continues to appear as a member of the Justice League (Reading Order) for the majority of this era.

For a more in-depth breakdown of Aquaman's appearances in this era, see ComicBookWire's Aquaman Rebirth Reading Order.

Aquaman issues are from the Vol. 8 (2016) series
Justice League issues are from the Vol. 3 (2016) series
Superman issues are from the Vol. 4 (2016) series
Titans issues are from the Vol. 3 (2016) series
The Flash issues are from the Vol. 5 (2016) series

Notes

1. Aquaman is a member of the Justice League (Reading Order) in this era. However, in most of the League's appearances, he only serves in a supporting role or plays a contributing part in a larger group effort. For these appearances, this reading order links ComicBookWire's "Justice League Reading Order" to prevent this reading order from becoming overly complicated. Larger or more significant appearances are marked separately and explained further in this "Notes" section.
2. Aquaman does not appear in New Super-Man #16 or in Titans #19-Annual #2.
3. Aquaman is a supporting character in the Dark Nights: Metal (Reading Order) event. However, the event is directly relevant to his reading order because the conclusion helps set up the conclusion of the "Kingslayer" story arc. As an additional note, Aquaman's role in the Flash and Justice League issues is pretty minor.
4. This issue costars Aquaman but is not very relevant to his adventures in this era.

All DC Comics Reading Orders