As it turns out, what I said in my last blog post, Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four Reckoning War doesn’t have a must-read list of comics to read before diving in. In fact, Dan Slott himself has said:

“…if you have been reading my stuff for the last 18 years, you have got all the pieces. But if you haven’t, you can jump in and be fine.”

Dan Slott, Newsarama interview, 2021.

But, if you’re someone who loves reading things in full, or you just love Easter Eggs, then I have all the information you need!

I’m going to go in order of release, as that seems the best way to go about things!

Before he became a superstar on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Dan Slott delighted readers with his sensational SHE-HULK run! Jennifer Walters is a gamma-powered green goliath just like her Hulkish cousin, but her home is in the courtroom – where she takes on some of the wildest legal cases in the Marvel Universe! Alongside coworkers like reformed android Awesome Andy, and researching old Marvel comics to set legal precedents, could She-Hulk’s career get any stranger? Sure -when she gets summoned to outer space to practice Universal Law for the Living Tribunal or pulled out of the timeline by the Time Variance Authority! But when the Superhuman Registration Act leads to a civil war, whose side will She-Hulk argue? Plus: All out smackdowns against Titania, the Champion and an A-Z of the Hulk’s enemies!

She-Hulk’s run has two references to Reckoning War, specifically in issues 3 and 20. I’d say just read those two, but with the She-Hulk TV show coming out, and for readability of said issues, I’m recommending the entire run. If you can’t get the omnibus, then the volumes are called: Single Green Female, Superhuman Law, Time Trials, Laws Of Attraction, Planet Without A Hulk, Jaded, Here Today…, Secret Invasion and Lady Liberators.

The Fantastic Four is the World’s Greatest Comics Magazine – and superstar writer Dan Slott is about to show you why! Separated across dimensions, the Thing, the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic are reunited at long last! But as Reed and Sue return home with their children, they find that big things have changed! Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters have major plans of their own – like a wedding years in the making! And a new fabulous foursome, the Fantastix, are muscling in on the scene! But now that the FF are back, can Doctor Doom be far behind? And what about Galactus? Brace yourself for the world-eater vs. the lord of Latveria – with the fate of the planet hanging in the balance!

This run spins out of Secret Wars (guide coming soon!) and is a must-read if you want to know what the Fantastic Four have been up to in the lead up to Reckoning War. The Easter Eggs in question are in issues 25 and 35. Again, I recommend you read the entire series, not just those specific issues. If you can’t get hold of the omnibus, then the individual volumes are called: Fourever, Mr And Mrs Grimm, The Herald Of Doom, Thing VS Immortal Hulk, Point Of Origin, Empyre, The Forever Gate, The Bride Of Doom and Eternal Flame.

Empyre Fallout Fantastic Four

The fate of all future Kree/Skrull Wars is placed in the hands of… Reed Richards and his family, the Fantastic Four. This is NO standard issue of a Marvel Comic, True Believer. Two MAJOR TURNING POINTS for THE ENTIRE MARVEL UNIVERSE will take place here! Also in this issue… The Profiteer returns, but is she here for revenge… or justice? And a special appearance by the most ominous cosmic character of them all, The Unseen!

Part of the Empyre event, and seeing as I already have a guide up, I won’t repeat myself here!

And that’s all your pre-reading sorted for the moment! Dan Slott has teased characters appearing will be from Stan Lee’s days, but as Reckoning War has only just begun, we don’t know who those characters are. Once we do, I’ll get working on a guide to those characters too.

So, that’s the end of this reading guide! I hope it helped, and if you have any questions, please do leave them in the comments below and I’ll get right on with answering them!