Azrael Reading Order

This reading order is designed to give an outline of major storylines featuring Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) 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

At the beginning of the New 52, the DC Universe was reset. In this new continuity, Azrael’s history seems to have been almost entirely wiped clean. A new version of his origin story, one almost entirely separate from his original origin story, is then presented over the course of this era.

Azrael begins appearing again in the Batman & Robin Eternal series. In this comic, he is reintroduced and an updated version of his origin is presented. This allows readers to learn who he is within the New 52 continuity. His role in this series also directly sets up his primary role in the next era.

Notes

1. This issue is mostly about Dick Grayson (Reading Order). However, Azrael plays a role in one of the issue’s stories.

Rebirth

Azrael’s narrative in the Rebirth era picks up on his narrative from the New 52 era. It directly continues plotlines from his appearances in the Batman & Robin Eternal series.

In this era, Azrael appears in the Detective Comics series. At first, his role is pretty minor, however, it grows as the series progresses. Specifically, he has a major part in the “Intelligence” story arc, detailed across issues #958-962. This arc addresses his origin story and his ongoing relationship with the Order of St. Dumas. The conclusion of this series also briefly teases his role in the next era.

DC = Detective Comics
Detective Comics issues are from the Vol. 1 series
Red Hood and the Outlaws issues are from the Vol. 2 series

Notes

1. Azrael only appears briefly in these issues. However, they help show what he is doing in between the other issues of Detective Comics.
2. Azrael and the other members of the Gotham Knights team-up have a moderate role in this issue. However, the issue is mostly about Red Hood (Reading Order), Bizarro, and Artemis.

Universe

The Universe era is essentially an extension of the Rebirth era, as it maintains the same continuity. As such, Azrael's narrative generally builds on a comment from his final appearance in the Detective Comics series. However, his narrative in the Universe era is mostly standalone and can easily be read without knowing much about his recent experiences.

In this era, Azrael's only major appearances are within the Justice League Odyssey series. In this comic, he is one of the four original members of the Justice League Odyssey (Reading Order) team-up and one of the main characters in the series. His exploits are primarily detailed in the first half of the series but he still plays a pivotal role in the comic's conclusion as well.

Notes

1. Azrael only briefly appears in this issue. It simply serves to prelude his larger role in the next issue.

All to DC Comics Reading Orders