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Reading Lists

· 6 min read
Brian Pepple
Brian Pepple
Founder of the Metron Project / Code Monkey

I'm happy to announce a new feature to the site that has been requested for awhile: Reading Lists.

What Are Reading Lists?​

Reading Lists allow you to create curated, ordered collections of comic book issues. Think of them as your personal reading guides that you can build, customize, and share with the community.

Key Features​

🎯 Create Custom Reading Orders​

Build reading lists from scratch by searching through Metron's comic database. Our smart search makes it easy to find exactly the issues you need (provided it exists in the database):

  • Search by series name and issue number
  • Use the # separator for precise searches (e.g., "Amazing Spider-Man #700")
  • Add multiple issues at once
  • Drag and drop to reorder issues exactly how you want them

🔒 Public or Private Lists​

Share your research with the community by making your lists public, or keep them private for personal reference. It's your choice!

  • Public Lists: Help other readers discover great reading orders
  • Private Lists: Perfect for tracking your personal reading queue

📚 Smart Organization​

Every reading list automatically displays helpful information:

  • Date Range: See the start and end years covered by the list
  • Publishers: View all publishers represented in the reading order
  • Issue Count: Know exactly how many issues you're committing to

🔍 Easy Discovery​

Find the perfect reading order with our search functionality:

  • Search by list name (e.g., "Civil War")
  • Search by creator/username
  • Filter by attribution source
  • Browse all public lists

📥 CBL Import (Admin Feature)​

For site administrators, we've included support for importing Comic Book List (.cbl) files from popular reading order websites. This means we can quickly add curated reading orders from trusted sources like:

  • Comic Book Reading Orders (CBRO)
  • Complete Marvel Reading Orders (CMRO)
  • Comic Book Herald
  • And many others!

Curated Reading Lists Coming Soon​

We'll be importing a collection of curated reading lists from trusted sources in the near future! These researched reading orders will be available under the Metron user account for the entire community to enjoy.

What to expect:

  • High-quality reading orders from established comic reading order websites
  • Major crossover events and story arcs
  • Character-specific reading guides
  • Publisher-specific chronologies
  • All properly attributed to their original sources

These curated lists will complement the community-created lists and provide excellent starting points for readers looking to dive into complex storylines or explore new series.

Use Cases​

Here are just a few ways you can use Reading Lists:

For Event Readers​

Create comprehensive reading orders for major crossover events:

  • "Secret Wars (2015) - Complete Reading Order"
  • "DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths"
  • "Infinity Gauntlet and Tie-ins"

For Character Fans​

Track a character's appearances across multiple series:

  • "Wolverine's First Appearances"
  • "Spider-Gwen Complete Chronology"
  • "The Many Robins of Gotham"

For New Readers​

Help newcomers find the perfect entry point:

  • "Getting Started with the X-Men"
  • "Best Batman Stories for New Readers"
  • "Modern Marvel Essentials"

For Completionists​

Organize entire eras or creative runs:

  • "Claremont's X-Men Run"
  • "Hickman's Marvel Universe"
  • "Grant Morrison's DC Work"

Getting Started​

Ready to create your first reading list? Here's how:

  1. Log in to your Metron account
  2. Navigate to Reading Lists in the menu
  3. Click "Create Reading List"
  4. Give your list a name and description
  5. Choose public or private
  6. Click "Create"

Once created, you can start adding issues:

  1. Click "Add Issues" on your reading list
  2. Search for issues using the autocomplete field
  3. Drag and drop to reorder
  4. Click "Submit" to save

Search Tips​

Our autocomplete search makes finding issues quick and easy:

Basic Search:

  • Type "spider" to find all Spider-Man related series

Smart Search with #:

  • Type "amazing #700" to find Amazing Spider-Man #700
  • Type "batman #1" to find Batman issue #1
  • Type "#100" to find all issue #100s

Pro Tip: The search works on both series names and issue numbers, so you can be as specific or as broad as you need!

Community Sharing​

One of the most exciting aspects of Reading Lists is the ability to share your research with the community. If you've spent hours researching the perfect reading order for a complex storyline, make it public and help other readers benefit from your work!

When creating public lists, consider:

  • Using clear, descriptive names
  • Adding detailed descriptions explaining what the list covers
  • Organizing issues in the optimal reading order
  • Keeping the list updated as new issues are released

Attribution and Sources​

We believe in giving credit where it's due. When creating a reading list based on someone else's research, please mention the source in your description. Admin users can also set official attribution sources and URLs when importing reading lists.

Examples to Inspire You​

Here are some reading list ideas to get you started:

Event-Based Lists​

  • "Avengers vs. X-Men - Complete Reading Order"
  • "Blackest Night - Full Crossover"
  • "House of M and Decimation"

Character-Focused Lists​

  • "Miles Morales: Complete Journey"
  • "Harley Quinn: From Villain to Hero"
  • "The Death and Return of Superman"

Creator Runs​

  • "Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways"
  • "Ed Brubaker's Captain America"
  • "Gail Simone's Birds of Prey"

Beginner Guides​

  • "Start Here: Modern Marvel"
  • "DC Comics for New Readers"
  • "Essential Image Comics"

Thematic Lists​

  • "Best Time Travel Stories"
  • "Multiverse Madness"
  • "Street-Level Heroes"

What's Next?​

This is just the first part of the features for Reading Lists! I'm already planning on some future enhancements:

  • Provide API to search and retrieve Reading Lists data.
  • List statistics and analytics
  • Progress tracking (mark issues as read)

Join the Conversation​

We'd love to hear your feedback! What reading lists are you excited to create? What features would you like to see added? Let us know in the comments or reach out to the Metron team.

Start Building Today​

Reading Lists is live now! Log in to your Metron account and start creating your first reading list. Whether you're organizing your next reading marathon, helping new readers find their footing, or sharing your expertise with the community, Reading Lists makes it easy.

Ready to get started?

Happy reading, and we can't wait to see what amazing reading lists you create!