Jor-El Reading Order

This reading order is designed to give an outline of major storylines featuring Jor-El 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 – Universe

New 52

With the start of the New 52, the DC Universe was reset. Jor-El’s history was mostly wiped clean and was then presented with significant alterations. However, this new version of Jor-El is still the husband of Lara Lor-Van (Reading Order), the father of Kal-El, and the one who sent Superman (Reading Order) to Earth.

In this era, Jor-El is initially introduced through a series of quick flashbacks to moments from Krypton’s history. These then evolve into an entire flashback storyline that is told through backup issues of Action Comics.

Near the end of this era, Jor-El takes on a significant role in the Superman series. His appearances across the Superman: The Men of Tomorrow storyline are relatively small but help set up his role in the next era.

Action Comics issues are from the Vol. 2 series
Superman issues are from the Vol. 3 series
Secret Origins issues are from the Vol. 3 series

Notes

1. Jor-El's appearances in these issues are very brief. They show pieces of his past on Krypton but are not necessary in understanding Jor-El's full history.
2. This issue is mostly about General Zod (Reading Order), with Jor-El only making a quick appearance. However, it redefines the relationship between Zod and Jor-El in a way that some fans may find interesting.
3. Jor-El has a presence across both the H'el on Earth (Reading Order) and Krypton Returns (Reading Order) story arcs. Though most of these appearances are significant, they almost always involve fictional realities, alternate timelines, or alternative versions of this character. However, they do reveal the part Jor-El played in introducing H'El (Reading Order) into the DC Universe.
4. Only the "Superman" story from this issue is relevant to this reading order.
5. Jor-El's appearances here are even smaller than his already brief appearances across this story arc and, thus, can easily be skipped.

Rebirth

Jor-El's role in the Rebirth era immediately picks up where it left off in the New 52 era.

His appearances here start with DC Universe: Rebirth #1, which is the first comic to hint at his larger role in the DC Universe. Then, his story mostly progresses throughout the Action Comics series, where he becomes a large part of Superman's (Reading Order) life. Outside of this, he makes a few small appearances in other comics, however, these all relate back to his goal in the Action Comics series.

Action Comics issues are from the Vol. 1 series
Detective Comics issues are from the Vol. 1 series
Superman issues are from the Vol. 4 series
Supergirl issues are from the Vol. 7 series

Notes

1. In this story arc, Jor-El only makes small appearances that have little impact on the actual plotline. However, some of his comments hint at elements of his mysterious origin and his appearances here generally build the mystery surrounding him.
2. These issues all feature very brief appearances from Jor-El. They show him manipulating events in the DC Universe in a way that relates back to his ultimate goal in the Action Comics series. These issues can be skipped but reading them gives a better appreciation for Jor-El's overall plan.
3. This issue only features a brief appearance from Jor-El. However, it helps set up pieces of the Superman: Reborn (Reading Order) event.
4. Only Jor-El's voice appears in these issues. However, what he says has a minor impact on future issues.
5. The events of this issue seem to take place before The Oz Effect storyline. However, this issue reveals a piece of information that works better when revealed as part of The Oz Effect so we recommend reading that storyline first.

Universe

The Universe era is essentially an extension of the Rebirth era. As such, for Jor-El, there are no continuity changes between these points in time.

Jor-El reappears in the Man of Steel series. His appearance in this comic builds on his appearances in the previous era and sets up his role through the rest of this era. Then, he takes on a central role in a story arc from the Superman series.

Superman issues are from the Vol. 5 series

All DC Comics Reading Orders