Aquaman by Geoff Johns Reading Order

This reading order is designed to give an outline of Geoff Johns’s time writing Aquaman for DC Comics. It attempts to find the best way to showcase the narrative that stretches through this author’s time with the King of Atlantis.

This forms a full Aquaman by Geoff Johns Reading Order that you can use to guide your approach to these comics. For additional details about the continuity or references in specific collections, check the “Continuity” link beside the collection. This will take you to a page that contains a review of the story and then a detailed continuity breakdown of that story, which explains any reference it makes to other aspects of the DC Universe.

Aquaman by Geoff Johns New 52 Reading Order

At the very beginning of the New 52 era, Geoff Johns started writing the Aquaman series. Coming on the heels of the universe-altering Flashpoint (Reading Order) event, this series was essentially a blank slate for Aquaman. In it, he is still a hero and has a relationship with Mera (Reading Order). However, his career as a hero has very little ties to Atlantis and his relationship with Mera seems relatively new.

Geoff Johns primarily tells Aquaman’s story through the Aquaman series but also has him as a major part of the Justice League series, which Johns also wrote. Through these comics, he essentially defines Aquaman for this entire era.

Because of this, we suggest starting out with Aquaman’s initial appearance in the Justice League series. This takes place long before the events of the Aquaman series and starts to demonstrate his relationship with the Justice League (Reading Order). Then, we suggest simply reading the first 25 issues of the Aquaman series, through which Geoff Johns tells a straightforward story that firmly establishes who Aquaman is during this era. This include the Throne of Atlantis (Reading Order) crossover with the Justice League series. After this, Geoff Johns’s time with Aquaman comes to a close.

Notes

1. Aquaman is one of the founding members of the Justice League (Reading Order). This storyline shows the Justice League's origin story, which takes place before the events of the Aquaman series. This story was also written by Geoff Johns and somewhat sets the tone for how he will write Aquaman in this era. Because of this, you can read this story to get an idea about Aquaman before jumping into the main series. However, you can also easily skip it and just jump into Aquaman's adventures.
2. These issues don't actually star Aquaman. Instead, they show what happened to Black Manta (Reading Order) and Ocean Master after their earlier appearances in this series. So, you can read them for more information but can also skip them without disrupting the story.

Aquaman by Geoff Johns FAQs

What to Read Before Aquaman by Geoff Johns

Since Geoff Johns's Aquaman stories take place after a major continuity shift, you don't have to read anything before reading them. You can easily jump in and understand everything here without worry.

What to Read After Aquaman by Geoff Johns

Geoff Johns stopped writing the Aquaman series after Aquaman Vol. 4: Death of a King (Review). However, the series doesn't end there. In fact, the next few volumes directly build on some of the lore established across Johns's run. You can continue reading about Aquaman with Aquaman Vol. 5: Sea of Storms (Review). See our Aquaman Complete Reading Order or our Aquaman New 52 Reading Order for more information.

Does Aquaman by Geoff Johns Take Place In a Separate Continuity?

Geoff Johns's work on Aquaman takes place in the New 52 continuity. This means that these stories are almost entirely separate from Aquaman's previous appearances. However, they take place in the same continuity as the rest of the New 52 stories.

Is Aquaman by Geoff Johns Worth Reading?

We're big fans of the entire Aquaman by Geoff Johns run. So, we definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a good New 52 era comic or a good Aquaman comic.

In addition, this run helps establish the status quo for Aquaman, Mera, Atlantis, and more. This is relevant for many comics following this run. So, it is an important part of understanding Aquaman and the world around him.

All DC Comics Reading Orders