By Zack Quaintance — DC Comics Shadow War crossover event is well underway, which means — that’s right — it is now time for a DC Comics Shadow War reading order checklist. As of this writing, the crossover — which takes place in the pages of Batman, Deathstroke Inc., and Robin — has published two more installments, with two more due this week.

Before we get to the full reading order, it is first important to note that the events of Robin #1 - Robin #12 as well as Deathstroke, Inc. #1 - Deathstroke, Inc. #7, inform this story in a fairly direct way. It is possible to read Shadow War without having read those titles, but if you want the full experience, I highly recommend checking those out too (which you can do with Robin, Vol. 1, as well as Deathstroke, Inc. Vol. 1 and Robin, Vol. 2 pre-orders). Trust me, it won’t fell like a chore — both books are well-done, with expert building toward this crossover.

Now onto the checklist!

DC Comics Shadow War Reading Order Checklist

Part One: Shadow War Alpha #1 — released on March 29, 2022
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Part Two: Batman #122 — released on April 5, 2022
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Part Three: Deathstroke, Inc #8 — released on April 26, 2022
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Part Four: Robin #13 — released on April 26, 2022
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Part Five: Batman #123 — due out on May 3, 2022
Buy It Here: Digital

Part Six: Shadow War Zone #1 — due out on May 17, 2022
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Part Seven: Deathstroke, Inc. #9 — due out May 24, 2022

Part Eight: Robin #14 — due out May 24, 2022

Part Nine: Shadow War Omega — due out May 31, 2022

Phew, so there are the books you’ll need to follow the Shadow War crossover as it is unfolding. In addition, Batman #124 — which is due out June 7, 2022 — promises to detail some of the aftermath of the Shadow War event. I should also note that writer Joshua Williamson is helming DC Comics BIG summer event, Dark Crisis, and he has said repeatedly in interviews that the events of the Shadow War will factor into that story as well.

Now, you might be wondering what Shadow War is even about. So, in brief it is a mystery, in which two factions — one helmed by Deathstroke and consisting of many supervillaisn, and another helmed by Talia Al Ghul — are warring, possibly under false pretenses, as Batman, Damian Wayne Robin, and their associates try to resolve things and minimize death.

Hope you found this list helpful!

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He has written about comics for The Beat and NPR Books, among others. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.