Thursday 28 April 2016

A Seven Soldiers Reading Order*


So I re-read Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers maxi-comic event and found my reading order was incorrect, and figured out a better one, thought I'd share my working with the internet, who wouldn't?

  
Prelude: JLA Classified #1-3
Neh-Buh-Loh comes to test if our then-present is ripe for Sheeda harvest, I guess it was.

The events of Seven Soldiers takes place the week before Infinite Crisis – which would handily explain why none of the big guns are around to help during the Sheeda invasion, they’re all too busy in the Countdown to Infinite Crisis (OMAC Project, Villains United etc) – the only real ties to then-current events in the DCU though are in Zatanna, which is happening as a direct reaction to Identity Crisis and Crisis of Conscience.

Bulletteer #1
Rationale: we learn in issue 2 that Bulleteer had applied to join The Vigilante’s new Seven Soldiers, although there’s nothing that outright states this, it makes sense that she wouldn’t apply to a super-team until after she’d put on her outfit for the first time, which is how this issue ends

Zatanna #1
Gimmix says she’s going to a gig ‘out west’ (the events of Seven Soldiers #0) in the present day portion of the book

Seven Soldiers #0
The Sheeda return (Boy Blue called them by blowing his horn), anything with the Sheeda in the present has to happen after this.  

Zatanna #2
This takes place the day after Zatanna #1, meaning it’s probably happening at the same day or thereabouts as the hunt for the Monster of Miracle Mesa in Seven Soldiers #0

Shining Knight #1-2
One issue directly follows the other, The Sheeda and Neh-Buh-Loh return in Part 2

Mister Miracle #1
I was sure there was something that said Mister Miracle II’s attempt to escape from the black hole happened the same night as The Shining Knight arrived in the present, but I can’t find it now, regardless it’s a good place to put it as any.

Shining Knight #3-4
Follows directly on from Shining Knight #3, has to happen before Zatanna #3 and Bulleteer #2, it’s my belief that the events set in the present (so not in Castle Revolving or Camelot) take place all in one night. I would suggest it’s the same night Guardian #1-2 and Klarion #1-2 take place in (Klarion emerges in daylight).

Klarion #1
Issue ends ever so slightly before Guardian #1 does

Guardian #1
This probably starts before Bulleteer but the main adventure, which continues into next issue, takes place around the same time as Klarion #1, after the Sheeda have returned

Guardian #2
The monster killed by No-Beard is in fact Horigal from Klarion #1-2

Klarion #2
The train that kills Horigal is the President Clinton, No-Beard’s train that The Guardian is riding in Guardian #2, most of this issue takes place after that and as Klarion takes the second dice (which is still there to find in Guardian #2) it must finish after Guardian #2

Zatanna #3
Zatanna, Misty and Ali-Ka-Zoom visit the estate of the Undying Don in the aftermath of his last stand in Shining Knight #4

Bulletter #2
Happens the day after Shining Knight #3, according to Sky High Helligan

Frankenstein #1
This story takes place over two nights; I’m assuming it’s the night Shining Knight arrives and then the following night.

Mister Miracle #2
Though appearing to carry on straight after issue #1, it’s actually a flashback being told to Desaad, implying that a week has passed since issue #1, but we know that  things aren’t quite what they seem in Mister Miracle (and the whole of Seven Soldiers only takes place over a week), it may as well go here.

Mister Miracle #3
Shilo Norman is just barely missed by the car carrying Klarion (alliteration!) in Klarion #3

Klarion #3-4
The present day portion of the issue starts around three quarters of the way into Mister Miracle #3, the car carrying Klarion is seen just missing Shilo Norman in that issue.

Frankenstein #2
Melmoth has lost to Klarion by the start of this issue

Frankenstein #3
Takes place over one night, one day, and one evening, probably when the events recalled in Zatanna #4  and/or the events of Bulleteer #3 are taking place.

Bulleteer #3
The convention takes place the day after Bulletteer #2 and Zatanna #3, probably the same day as Frankenstein #3 and Zatanna #4, the cliffhanger however takes place on the same day as Seven Soldiers #1

Mister Miracle #4
Mister Miracle escapes the Omega Sanction on the day of Seven Soldiers #1, but the Sheeda don’t seem to be attacking yet (they’re not mentioned by the scientists)

Frankenstein #4
The Winged Horses are still at their roost, they will be with Misty in Zatanna #4

Zatanna #4
Most of the issue is Zatanna telling Etta at her support group what happened, that conversation is set the night of Seven Soldiers #1, Misty says that her step-mother is about to attack, implying she hasn’t yet.

Guardian #3-4
Issues carry on directly from one another, thus the attack at Century Hollow must take place the morning/day of Seven Soldiers #1, issue 4 ends with the Sheeda attacking

Bulleteer #4
Given how ‘busy downtown’ the relevant authorities are, and the time I assume it would take to drive to downtown from her home, I’d say this whole fight is happening during the Sheeda attack

Seven Soldiers #1
It’s the finale, it happens last (even though it’s being told to us by someone in the past…don’t ask), takes place the night of the events in Mister Miracle #4, Zatanna #4, Guardian #3-4, Frankenstein #4 and Bulleteer #4

According to Grant Morrison, Klarion the Witch Boy’s appearances up to Seven Soldiers (so the Jack Kirby character's appearances) takes place next in his personal timeline, having used the Castle Revolving to travel through time, though this was largely ignored by other creators (if he’d, y’know, put it in the book maybe people would have paid it more attention), except (or including, depending on your view) him the Seven Soldiers characters next appear in Infinite Crisis and 52, chronologically speaking.     

No comments:

Post a Comment