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Recommended Reading: Dark Reign

The Dark Reign banner was plastered on the covers of most of Marvel's comics for over a year following Secret Invasion, and the stories under the Dark Reign umbrella varied. Some were good, some bad and some had little to do with the Dark Reign story at all. This is my list of the good stuff. These are the issues I think are worth reading to get as much good stuff out of Dark Reign as Marvel offered.

The list is vaguely in chronological order as far as the stories go only because that is how I went through them in my head. This isn't a serious attempt at a chronological list for Dark Reign.

Some Dark Reign-related issues missing from this list may have just been forgotten by me, but it's more likely that for whatever reason I didn't think much of those stories.

List items

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1. Secret Invasion: Dark Reign

It may be far, far from Alex Maleev's best job on art, but this is where Dark Reign begins.
2.

While it's just a preview book, it does feature a few good original stories to set up other series.
3. Burning Down The House, Pt. 1

Thunderbolts #128
The start of Andy Diggle's Thunderbolts run, and Norman Osborn cleans house on his old Thunderbolts operation in preparation for his new job.
4. Burning Down The House, Pt. 2

Thunderbolts #126
5. Hammer Down, Pt. 1

Thunderbolts #127
6. Hammer Down, Pt. 2

Thunderbolts #128
7. Assemble

Dark Avengers #1
Dark Avengers is the backbone of Dark Reign and the most necessary reading for it.
8. Looking for Blood

Dark Avengers #2
9. Battleground Latveria

Dark Avengers #3
10. Changes Must Be Made

Dark Avengers #4
11. Public Exposure, Pt. 1

Dark Avengers #5
12. Public Exposure, Pt. 2

Dark Avengers #6
13. Dark Reign

New Avengers #48
A new New Avengers team assembles to oppose Norman Osborn's Dark Reign, but first Luke Cage needs Osborn's help to save his daughter from the Skrulls.
14. [untitled]

New Avengers #49
15. [untitled]

New Avengers #50
16. Dark Reign: Part 1

Incredible Hercules #127
Norman Osborn takes notice of the Olympus Group, leading to a battle with Hercules and the Dark Avengers.
17. Gauntlet

Incredible Hercules #128
18. First Contact

Agents of Atlas #1
The Agents of Atlas involve themselves in Dark Reign, posing as a criminal organization looking to make allies with Norman Osborn.
19. The Sale / The Dragon's Corridor, Pt. 1

Agents of Atlas #2
20. The Dragon's Corridor, Pt. 2 / Interlude at Sea

Agents of Atlas #3
21. The Dragon's Corridor, Pt. 3 / Inside America

Agents of Atlas #4
22. Taking the Fall

Agents of Atlas #5
23.

New Avengers #51
The New Avengers help Dr. Strange find the new Sorcerer Supreme, and the Hood from Osborn's Cabal looks to up his game even further by becoming the new Sorcerer Supreme.
24. [untitled]

New Avengers #52
25. [untitled]

New Avengers #53
26. [untitled]

New Avengers #54
27. [untitled]

New Avengers #55
The Hood's gang moves on the New Avengers without him, using a power disruptor to try to strike their own bargain with Norman Osborn.
28. [untitled]

New Avengers #56
29. [untitled]

New Avengers #57
30.

New Avengers #58
31. Spider Showdown!

New Avengers #59
32. Luke Cage: Hero Retired?!

New Avengers #60
33. Up Is Down

Avengers: the Initiative #27
Norman Osborn takes over the Fifty State Initiative and turns it into a criminal free-for-all under his supervision.
34. Even The Losers

Avengers: the Initiative #28
35. Uprising

Avengers: the Initiative #29
36. The Bridge, Chapter One

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1
While Mr. Fantastic tries to figure out how things went so wrong, Norman Osborn comes to the Baxter Building looking to bring the Fantastic Four under his control.
37. The Bridge, Chapter Two

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #2
38. The Bridge, Chapter Three

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #3
39. The Bridge, Chapter Four

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4
40. The Bridge, Chapter Five

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5
41. World's Most Wanted, Part 1: Shipbreaking

Invincible Iron Man #8
Norman Osborn forces Tony Stark to become a fugitive from the very organizations he helped create.
42. World's Most Wanted, part 2: Godspeed

Invincible Iron Man #9
43. World's most Wanted, part 3: No Future

Invincible Iron Man #10
44. World's Most Wanted, part 4: Breach

Invincible Iron Man #11
45. World's Most Wanted, part 5: The High-End Technology of Ultramodern Destruction

Invincible Iron Man #12
46. World's Most Wanted, Part 6: Some King of the World

Invincible Iron Man #13
47. World's Most Wanted, Part 7 - The Shape of the World These Days

Invincible Iron Man #14
48. World's Most Wanted, Part 8: The Danger We're All In

Invincible Iron Man #15
49. World's Most Wanted, Part 9: Titan of the Nuclear Age

Invincible Iron Man #16
50. World's Most Wanted, Part 10: Ashes And Snow

Invincible Iron Man #17
51. World's Most Wanted, Part 11: Kids With Guns Vs. The Eternal Angel of Death

Invincible Iron Man #18
52. World's Most Wanted, Conclusion

Invincible Iron Man #19
53. Payday

Dark Reign: the Hood #1
Portrayals of the Hood varied a lot in Dark Reign, but here we get Parker Robbins' view of Dark Reign as the sympathetic villain fans of the character know him to be.
54. Haunted

Dark Reign: the Hood #2
55. The Devil In The Details

Dark Reign: the Hood #3
56. Family Man

Dark Reign: the Hood #4
57. Chain Of Command

Dark Reign: the Hood #5
58. Dark Reign, Part 1

War Machine #1
Jim Rhodes goes to war against worldwide corruption, putting him on a collision course with Norman Osborn.
59. Dark Reign Part 2

War Machine #2
60. Dark Reign Part 3

War Machine #3
61. Dark Reign Part 4

War Machine #4
62. Dark Reign, Part 5

War Machine #5
63. Homeland Part 1

War Machine #6
64. Homeland Part 2

War Machine #7
65.

War Machine #8
66.

War Machine #9
67.

War Machine #10
68. War Crimes, Part 1

War Machine #11
69. War Crimes, Conclusion

War Machine #12
70. [untitled]

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1
Not every villain wants to play ball with Norman Osborn, and they pay the price for it. As does Wonder Man.
71. [Untitled]

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #2
72. Lethal Legion, Part Three

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #3
73. Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia

Norman Osborn addresses the mutant problem and has Emma Frost head his own Dark X-Men.
74. Utopia Chapter 2

Uncanny X-Men #513
75. Utopia Chapter 3

Dark Avengers #7
76. Utopia Chapter 4

Uncanny X-Men #514
77. Utopia Chapter 5

Dark Avengers #8
78. Utopia Chapter 6
79. Dark Reign: The List - Avengers

Clint Barton decides to finally do something permanent about Norman Osborn.
80. [untitled]

New Avengers Annual #3
The New Avengers' ladies come rescue Clint Barton from his brilliant plan.
81. Mister X

Thunderbolts #132
Norman Osborn completes his conversion of the Thunderbolts into his own private hit squad.
82. Widowmaker, Pt. 1

Thunderbolts #133
83. Widowmaker, Pt. 2

Thunderbolts #134
84. Widowmaker, Pt. 3

Thunderbolts #135
85. Widowmaker, Pt. 4

Thunderbolts #136
86. Dark Reign: The List - Daredevil

Norman Osborn dispatches Bullseye to deal with Daredevil.
87. The Devil's Hand, Part One

Daredevil #501
Daredevil is pushed over the edge by Dark Reign, and both he and Wilson Fisk figure out how to adjust their new empires in Norman Osborn's world.
88. The Devil's Hand, Part Two

Daredevil #502
89. The Devil's Hand, Part Three

Daredevil #503
90. The Devil's Hand, Part Four

Daredevil #504
91. Dark Reign: The List - X-Men

Norman Osborn takes his revenge on Namor's betrayal of the Cabal.
92. 'Nuff Said

Dark Avengers #9
Ares and his son deal with the fact that they are on opposite sides of Dark Reign.
93. I Know Who You Work For

Secret Warriors #7
Dark Reign further complicates Nick Fury's secret war, and the Dark Avengers and Secret Warriors clash.
94. I'm the Perfect Means to an End

Secret Warriors #8
95. The Starting Point is Everything

Secret Warriors #9
96. Dark Reign: The List - Secret Warriors
97. There Will Always Be War

Secret Warriors #10
98. Dark Reign: The List - Hulk

Bruce Banner turns out to be more of a nuisance for Norman Osborn than the Hulk, so Victoria Hand is sent to do something about that.
99. Living In Darkness, Part 1

Punisher #1
Norman Osborn's legitimate status doesn't mean anything to the Punisher, who attempts to assassinate Osborn and then goes after the Hood's growing operations.
100. Living in Darkness, Part 2
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