Originally published October 18, 2013 | Updated April 2026
Originally published in 2013, this post explores how to approach reading three major Dead Universes: Defiant, Valiant, and the Ultraverse. The reading strategy you choose affects how you collect. Do you read series-by-series as they were originally published? In chronological order? Or by release date? Knowing this decision upfront will help you invest in Dead Universes strategically.
This post has become even more relevant in 2026. ShooterWorks.com‘s notes on Schism, Defiant’s never-published universe-wide crossover event, now pair with an active Schism Kickstarter that successfully funded in 2025. All 160 pages of Schism were penciled and inked in 1994 before Defiant’s closure halted completion. Backers will receive at minimum digital issues 1 through 4, with print editions and hardcover collections available at higher tiers. This makes the reading order question more urgent for collectors interested in completing Jim Shooter’s vision for this universe.
Deciding how to read a Dead Universe informs the best way to collect a Dead Universe. Do you read it series-by-series, as it was originally published? In chronological order? Or by release date? Knowing this will help determine how to invest in Dead Universes.
Table of Contents
Chronological Reading Order
Reading a Universe in chronological order is tempting, especially if the publisher has taken the time to plot a rough skeleton of the timeline. This is easiest with Defiant, since fewer than 60 issues were published thanks to Marvel’s company-killing lawsuit. The website ShooterWorks.com has posted notes from the never-published universe-wide crossover event, Schism, which helps establish a solid reading order. Using those notes and my own reading of the titles, I’ve built a preferred Defiant Comics chronology.
The original Valiant Universe (VH1), on the other hand, had a long and healthy life before greed brought it down. Due to that long publishing life, putting the whole thing into a chronological reading order would be a bit of a bear. Thankfully, Joshua Eves at ValiantFans.com enjoys wrestling bears and did the heavy lifting to establish a timeline. While it would definitely be interesting to read the universe in this order, it would require waiting until all of the relevant issues have been collected. Putting that collection together will take time and money because it isn’t very often someone puts up for sale an entire lot of all published Valiant issues.
Series-by-Series Reading Order
Steve Englehart, one of the founding fathers of the Ultraverse, has said the intention was “from the outset to share the playground and join in each other’s games,” so there’s a great deal more crossover in the Ultraverse than in some of the other Dead Universes. That makes a chronological reading enticing. However, if you include everything published, including after the accursed Marvel buyout, there are nearly 800 single issues in the Ultraverse. Subtracting the issues after the Marvel takeover, you’re still looking at more than 500 single issues. It isn’t as many as the Valiant Universe, but it would still take a great deal of work to figure out the rough chronology. Of course, there’s far less time jumping in the Ultraverse than in Valiant, so arguably someone could read the issues as they initially hit the market and probably come close to a chronology.
I’ve decided to read Malibu’s Ultraverse series-by-series, in the order they started. For example, Prime, Hardcase, and The Strangers were first to market in June 1993, so I’ll read them all the way through, starting with The Strangers, which is considered the launch title of the universe. Next would be Freex and Mantra, both of which came out in July 1993. Those would be followed by Exiles and Prototype (August 1993), The Solution (September 1993), Sludge and Night Man (October 1993), and so on and so forth. It’ll be interesting to first see the Ultraverse evolve entirely through the eyes of Prime and then see how it all connects through the perspective of Night Man.
One important benefit of reading series-by-series is that it lets a reader get started without the budget to buy everything at once. If a reader’s lucky enough to find a complete run of Solar, Man of the Atom, that’s a great place to start. Solar has 60 issues, so devouring the entire run won’t happen overnight.
By Release Date
Not every Dead Universe has a clear chronological order, because not every Dead Universe was plotted with that intention (especially Dead Universes pre-90s). If there’s a loose chronological order to the Universe, it’s most likely no one’s taken on the task, as with VH1, to map it out and post it online. In forum discussions, the suggestion is usually to simply read the universe as it was originally released. Not all companies list the release month on the cover, but I’ve found Comic Vine to be a great resource for figuring out the original start date. Figuring out the week of release is a bit more difficult, but not as necessary as with the Big Two Universes, which could see, for example, X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, etc., all crossing over in a single month.
Trade paperbacks
In many cases reading the trades isn’t a viable option because the trade is out of print or doesn’t exist. Many of the trades published when the Universes were alive can be found for sale on eBay or Amazon. The argument to be made for collecting some of the trades is they’ll occasionally reprint ashcans or other one-shots. The Ghost omnibus collections, for example, collect all of the Dark Horse Presents appearances and one-shots. The Warriors of Plasm trade is handy because it collects the issue zero trading card set in a proper comic book format. So it’s worth weighing the value of what’s in the trade versus the cost. Collecting the trade also saves space and reduces the clutter of hundreds of floppies.
Valiant Entertainment did collect portions of the original Valiant run in trade paperback format, but unfortunately, these reprints remain incomplete and appear to have stalled. This means trades remain an incomplete solution for most Dead Universe readers, making the single-issue hunt the primary path to completion.
Which Reading Approach for Which Universe?
Each Dead Universe presents different practical challenges. Defiant Comics is small enough that chronological reading is achievable and worthwhile. Its tight continuity and Schism’s planned crossovers make this the recommended approach. Valiant’s size makes chronological reading impractical without years of collecting, so series-by-series reading is more realistic while still capturing the universe’s evolution. The Ultraverse sits between them: complex crossovers make pure series-by-series reading difficult, but the 500-plus issues post-Marvel buyout make full chronological reading overwhelming. The best approach is series-by-series through the original Ultraverse only, stopping before the Marvel takeover.
For all universes, community resources matter. Comic Vine helps you find release dates and build a complete issue list. ValiantFans.com and similar forums help you ask questions, get recommendations, and learn from collectors who’ve already navigated these universes.
Your reading order choice shapes your collecting strategy. In the next post, we’ll explore a specific reading order for Defiant Comics, Jim Shooter’s third major shared universe creation, and share the chronological approach that makes the most sense.
Previously in the Dead Universes Series:
Dead Universes: Reading Dead Universes
Dead Universes: Best Collecting Practices
