The Thing From Another World Chronology

The classic John Carpenter movie, and its assorted spin offs

1982

The Thing
The 2011 prequel movie on Blu-ray.
The Thing
The 1982 original movie on Blu-ray.
The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31
Board game adaptation of the original movie.
The Thing From Another World and Climate Fear
Comic sequel to the original movie.
The Thing
Game for Xbox, released 2002. Sequel to the original movie.

2005

Slither
Date specified in film. The character of R.J. McReady also appears in this film.

The First Law Reading Order

Joe Abercrombie’s grimdark fantasy world.

565

Made a Monster
Short story

566

A Beautiful Bastard
Short story

573

Small Kindnesses
Short story

574

The Fool Jobs
Short story

575

Skipping Town
Short story

575

The Blade Itself
Novel
Before They Are Hanged
Novel, continues in 576

576

Hell
Short story
Two’s Company
Short story
Last Argument of Kings
Novel, continues in 577

579

Best Served Cold
Novel, continues in 580

580

Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Short story

584

Some Desperado
Short story
Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden
Short story
The Heroes
Novel

587

Three’s a Crowd
Short story

590

Freedom!
Short story
Red Country
Novel

592

Tough Times All Over
Short story

604

The Thread
Short story published in the novel A Little Hatred

605

A Little Hatred
Novel

606

The Trouble With Peace
Novel
The Wisdom of Crowds
Novel

The Takeshi Kovacs Reading Order

Richard K. Morgan’s excellent sci-fi noir series. Now a Netflix show.

Altered Carbon
Novel published 2002.
Broken Angels
Novel published 2003.
Woken Furies
Novel published 2005.
Altered Carbon: Download Blues
Graphic novel published 2019.
Altered Carbon: One Life, One Death
Graphic novel published 2022.

Your mileage may vary, but many Kovacs fans claim that Morgan’s later A Land Fit For Heroes series is a continuation of his tales. Whether or not you agree with that, they’re a cracking good read, well worth your time.

The Steel Remains
Novel published 2008.
The Cold Commands
Novel published 2011.
The Dark Defiles
Novel published 2014.

The Neal Stephenson Universe Reading Order

It turns out that one of our greatest living science fiction writers has been sneakily building a universe all this time.

Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, volume one)
Novel published in 2003.
The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, volume two)
Novel published in 2004.
The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, volume three)
Novel published in 2004.
Cryptonomicon
Novel published in 1999
Jipi and the Paranoid Chip
Short story published in Forbes magazine’s July 7, 1997 issue
Reamde
Novel published in 2011
Fall, or, Dodge in Hell
Novel published in 2019

The World of Black Hammer Reading Order

Jeff Lemire’s brilliant reimagining of classic superhero tropes.

Barbalien: Red Planet
Reprints Barbalien: Red Planet #1-5 (November 2020 – March 2021).
Set in the 1980s.
The Last Days of Black Hammer
Reprints The Last Days of Black Hammer #1-20 (January 2022 – July 2022), originally published on the Tales from the Farm Substack.
Set in the 1980s.
Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy
Reprints Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy #1-6 (December 2019 – February 2021).
Set in the 1990s.
Black Hammer, vol.1: Secret Origins
Reprints Black Hammer #1-6 (July 2016 – December 2016).
Black Hammer, vol.2: The Event
Reprints Black Hammer #7-11 & 13 (March 2017 – July 2017 & September 2017).
Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil
Reprints Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil #1-4 (October 2017 – January 2018) & Black Hammer #12 (August 2016).
Doctor Andromeda & The Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows
Reprints Doctor Star & The Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows #1-4 (February 2018 – June 2018).
Originally titled Doctor Star, name changed due to legal action.
Black Hammer ’45: From the World of Black Hammer
Reprints Black Hammer ’45 #1-4 (March 2019 – June 2019).
Most of this series takes place in 1945, but it is placed here based on the dating of the framing sequence.
Black Hammer: Streets of Spiral
Reprints Black Hammer Giant-Sized Annual #1 (January 2017); Black Hammer: Cthu-Louise #1 (December 2018); Free Comic Book Day 2019: Black Hammer #1 (May 2019); World of Black Hammer Encyclopedia #1 (July 2019).
It is not entirely clear when the stories in the volume are set, but it is placed here as the Encyclopedia contains spoilers for earlier stories.
Black Hammer, vol.3: Age of Doom, Part I
Reprints Black Hammer: Age of Doom #1-5 (April 2018 – September 2018).
This volume includes a brief crossover with one of Lemire’s other works, Sweet Tooth.
Black Hammer, vol.4: Age of Doom, Part II
Reprints Black Hammer: Age of Doom #6-12 (October 2018 – September 2019).
Black Hammer / Justice League: Hammer of Justice!
Reprints Black Hammer / Justice League: Hammer of Justice! #1-5 (July 2019 – November 2019).
While this story appears to take place much earlier (possibly between Secret Origins and The Event), it also contains spoilers for Age of Doom, hence its placement here.
Crossover, vol.1: Kids Love Chains
Reprints Crossover #1-6 (November 2020 – April 2021).
It is unclear whether Colonel Weird‘s appearance here is canonical.
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog
Reprints Colonel Weird: Cosmagog #1-4 (October 2020 – January 2021).
Black Hammer, vol.5: Reborn, Part One
Reprints Black Hammer Reborn #1-4 (June 2021 – October 2021).
Black Hammer, vol.6: Reborn, Part Two
Reprints Black Hammer Reborn #5-8 (October 2021 – January 2022).
Black Hammer, vol.7: Reborn, Part Three
Reprints Black Hammer Reborn #9-12 (February 2022 – May 2022).
The Unbelievable Unteens
Reprints The Unbelievable Unteens 1-4 (August 2021 – November 2021).
Black Hammer, vol.8: The End
Reprints Black Hammer: The End #1-6 (August 2023 – March 2024).
The Quantum Age
Reprints Quantum Age #1-6 (July 2018 – January 2019).
Set in 2141.

There are also two additional volumes titled Black Hammer Visions volumes 1 and 2 – these have been specified to be non-canon by Lemire, but they’re still fun.

The What We Do In The Shadows Viewing Order

The hilarious mockumentary about vampires living in Wellington, New Zealand and its spinoffs

What We Do In The Shadows
The 2014 film
Wellington Paranormal, season one
The 2018 television series featuring the two cops who appear in the original film
What We Do In The Shadows, season one, episodes 1-7
The 2019 television series.
Episode seven features characters from the original film, as well as numerous guest stars (and allusions to still more), implying that the following films and television series also take place in this world:

What We Do In The Shadows, season one, episodes 8-9
Episode nine features a Babadook.
What We Do In The Shadows, season one, episode 10
 
Wellington Paranormal, season two
The 2019 season of the tv show
What We Do In The Shadows, season two
The 2020 season of the tv show
Wellington Paranormal, season three
The 2021 season of the tv show
What We Do In The Shadows, season three
The 2021 season of the tv show
Wellington Paranormal, season four
The 2022 season of the tv show
What We Do In The Shadows, season four
The 2022 season of the tv show
What We Do In The Shadows, season five
The 2023 season of the tv show
What We Do In The Shadows, season six
The 2024 season of the tv show

The John Wick Chronology

The stylish neo-noir thriller and its world

The Continental: From the World of John Wick
Prequel tv mini-series released in 2023.
John Wick, vol.1
Comic published in 2019, prequel to the first film.
John Wick Chronicles
Game released in 2017, on Steam.
John Wick Hex
Game released in 2019, on Switch. Also available on Xbox and PS4.
John Wick
Film released in 2014.
John Wick, Chapter 2
Film released in 2017.
John Wick, Chapter 3: Parabellum
Film released in 2019.
Ballerina: From the world of John Wick
Film released in 2025.
John Wick, Chapter 4
Film released in 2023.

The Millarworld Reading Order

The Millarworld is a series of interconnected comics, all written by Mark Millar, and arranged according to the order provided in Big Game.

Wanted
Originally published in 2003-2005.
American Jesus, Book One: Chosen
Originally published in 2004.
American Jesus, Book Two: The New Messiah
Originally published in 2019-2020.
American Jesus, Book Three: Revelation
Originally published in 2023.
Kick-Ass, Book One
Originally published in 2008-2010.
Kick-Ass, Book Two
Originally published in 2012-2013.
Kick-Ass, Book Three
Originally published in 2010-2012.
Kick-Ass, Book Four
Originally published in 2013–2014.
Superior
Originally published in 2010-2012.
Kingsman: The Secret Service: Kingsman
Originally published in 2012-2013.
Kingsman: The Red Diamond
Originally published in 2017-2018.
Super Crooks: The Heist
Originally published in 2012.
Jupiter’s Legacy, vol.1
Originally published in 2015.
Jupiter’s Legacy, vol.2
Originally published in 2015–2016.
Jupiter’s Legacy, vol.3
Originally published in 2013–2015.
Jupiter’s Legacy, vol.4
Originally published in 2016–2017.
Jupiter’s Legacy, vol.5
Originally published in 2021–2023.
Chrononauts Book One
Originally published in 2015.
Chrononauts Book Two
Originally published in 2020.
MPH
Originally published in 2014-2015.
Starlight
Originally published in 2014.
Hit Girl, vol.1: in Colombia
Originally published in 2018.
Hit Girl, vol.2: in Canada
Originally published in 2018.
Hit Girl, vol.3: in Rome
Originally published in 2019.
Hit Girl, vol.4: in Hollywood
Originally published in 2019.
Hit Girl, vol.5: in Hong Kong
Originally published in 2019.
Hit Girl, vol.6: in India
Originally published in 2020.
Empress
Originally published in 2016.
Huck
Originally published in 2015-2016.
Reborn
Originally published in 2016–2017.
The Magic Order, Book One
Originally published in 2018–2019.
The Magic Order, Book Two
Originally published in 2021–2022.
The Magic Order, Book Three
Originally published in 2022.
The Magic Order, Book Four
Originally published in 2023.
Prodigy, vol.1: The Evil Earth
Originally published in 2018–2019.
Prodigy, vol.2: The Icarus Society
Originally published in 2022.
Sharkey the Bounty Hunter
Originally published in 2019.
Space Bandits
Originally published in 2019.
Night Club, vol.1
Originally published in 2022–2023.
King of Spies
Originally published in 2022–2023.
The Ambassadors
Originally published in 2023.
Nemesis: Reloaded
Originally published in 2023.
Big Game
Originally published in 2023.
Nemesis: Rogues’ Gallery
Originally published in 2024.
Prodigy, vol.3: The Slaves of Mars
Originally published in 2024.
The Magic Order, Book Five
Originally published in 2025.

The World of the Five Gods Reading Order

Winner of the 2018 Best Series Hugo, Lois McMaster Bujold’s World of the Five Gods series (also known as the Chalion series), is one of the best of the recent fantasy series – a well-thought out world, like ours but not ours, told with a warm heart and a quick mind.

The Hallowed Hunt
Novel published in 2005.
Penric’s Demon
Novella published in 2015
Penric and the Shaman
Novella published in 2016
Penric’s Fox
Novella published in 2017
Testimony of Mute Things
Novella published in 2025
Masquerade in Lodi
Novella published in 2020
Penric’s Mission
Novella published in 2016
Mira’s Last Dance
Novella published in 2017
The Prisoner of Limnos
Novella published in 2017
The Orphans of Raspay
Novella published in 2019
The Physicians of Vilnoc
Novella published in 2020
The Assassins of Thasalon
Novella published in 2021
Knot of Shadows
Novella published in 2021
Demon Daughter
Novella published in 2024
Penric and the Bandit
Novella published in 2024
The Adventure of the Demonic Ox
Novella published in 2025
The Curse of Chalion
Novel published in 2001.
The Paladin of Souls
Novel published in 2003.

The Gotham Chronology

The stories of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne and Gotham City along Bruce’s path to becoming the Batman.

Pennyworth: Season One
On BluRay
Pennyworth: Season Two
On BluRay
Pennyworth: Season Three
in digital format
Gotham: Dawn of Darkness
Prequel tie-in novel by Jason Starr
Gotham: Season One
All 22 episodes on Blu-ray
Gotham: Season Two, episodes 1-11
All 22 episodes on Blu-ray
Gotham Stories: The Whole Frozen Affair
Web series
Gotham: Season Two, episodes 12-22
All 22 episodes on Blu-ray
Gotham: City of Monsters
Tie-in novel by Jason Starr
Gotham: Season Three, Episodes 1-17
All 22 episodes on Blu-ray
A City Gone Mad: Sirens
Tie-in promotional video on YouTube.
A City Gone Mad: The Interview
Tie-in promotional video on YouTube.
A City Gone Mad: Mommy’s Home
Tie-in promotional video on YouTube.
Gotham: Season Three, Episodes 18-22
All 22 episodes on Blu-ray
Gotham: Season Four
All 22 episodes on Blu-ray
Gotham: Season Five
All 12 episodes on Blu-ray
Pennyworth
Reprints Pennyworth #1-7 (October 2021 – April 2022).
Placed here as the ‘present day’ events in this series clearly take place some years after the conclusion of Gotham.
V for Vendetta
The 2005 film on Blu-ray.
Placed here as it has been confirmed to occur at an as yet unrevealed point in the future, but presumably after the conclusion of the Batman’s career. However, it is more closely tied to the events of Pennyworth than those of Gotham, and may actually take place between the two series.