The Reboot Reading Order (part 3)

This is a work in progress from June 2024 until roughly when the Legionnaires who were trapped in the 20th century make it back home, in LSH v4 #100. 

This is the next part of the Reboot Legion following part 1 and part 2, in chronological reading order and not necessarily in publishing order. Anything with an asterisk (*) is something published earlier or later that fits the timeline elsewhere.

1. Legionnaires #48
2. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #92
3. Legionnaires #49
4. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #93
5. Legionnaires #50
6. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #94
7. Legionnaires #51
8. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #95
9. Legionnaires #52
10. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #96
11. Supergirl v4 Annual #2
12. Inferno #1
13. Genesis #1
14. Inferno #2
15. Genesis #2
16. Legionnaires #53
17. Inferno #3
18. Genesis #3
19. Adventures of Superman #551
• cameo in flashback that takes place during Genesis #3
20. Superboy v3 #44
• Triad cameo in a dream, no actual appearance
21. Genesis #4
22. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #97
• takes place during Genesis #4
23. Superboy and the Ravers #14
• cameo, takes place during Genesis #4
24. Wonder Woman v2 #126
• cameo, takes place during Genesis #4
25. Power of Shazam! #32
• Valor cameo in flashback
26. Starman v2 #36
• Valor cameo in flashback to Eclipso
27. Legionnaires #54
28. Speed Force #1
• XS in Flash Family pinup only, no actual appearance
29. Superboy v3 #45
30. Unlimited Access #1
31. Unlimited Access #2
• The 20th century team visits the X-Men in the Days of Future Past timeline of 2012
32. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #98
33. Legionnaires #55
34. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #99
35. Legionnaires #56
36. Action Comics v1 #741
37. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #100 (story 1)
• Concurrent with Legionnaires #56, in the 20th century
38. Inferno #4
• Concurrent with LSH v4 #100 story 1; however, the story in her miniseries only takes 3 days while 8-9 days pass for the Legion
39. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #100 (story 2)
40. * Legion of Super-Heroes Secret Files #1 (story 2)
41. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #100 (story 3)
42. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #100 (story 4)
43. Adventures in the DC Universe #10
44. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #100 (story 5)

Legion Continuity Flowchart

I put this draft flowchart together over the weekend after updating and posting the recent roadmap. I think this is pretty understandable, but what do y'all think? Am I missing anything, especially from the last few years, that has affected Legion continuity?

(Click to embiggen)

Legion Timeline Roadmap v3

First posted in April 2020, then updated in Feb 2025. Here's the latest Legion roadmap for August 2025, now updated to try to show the simultaneous presence of both the Rebirth and Retroboot Legions in the current present, plus the Absolute Legion (aka Darkseid's Legion), plus highlighting the standings of all four mainstream heroic Legions. Let me know if you think I've messed something up or forgotten something!

Don't read anything into the "point" numbers here, it doesn't signify importance or anything, just there to denote what is branched off of what.

The four bright colors represent the four mainstream versions of the Legion, with their common names. I also added a layer for the Absolute Universe.

yellow = Reboot

orange = Threeboot

cyan = Retroboot (technically the inheritor of the pre-5YL history and continuity)

green = Rebirth

gray = Absolute Universe aka Darkseid's Legion

• 0.0: Earth history proceeds without Darkseid's essence permeating the universe
• 1.0: 1958-1985 (everything up to the beginning of Crisis on Infinite Earths; Adventure Comics  #247 to LSH v3 #17)
• 1.1: 1985-1989, Crisis [1985] happens (Crisis to the end of the Magic Wars; LSH v3 #18-63)
• 1.1.1: 1989-1990, Great Collapse [1989] happens (Five Years Later pre-Mordruverse; LSH v4 #1-4)
• 1.1.1.1: 1990-1994, Mordruverse [1990] happens (Five Years Later post-Mordruverse; LSH v4 #6-61)
• 1.1.1.1.1: 1994-2004, Zero Hour [1994] happens ("Reboot"; LSH v4 #62-125) - see 2.0
• 1.1.1.1.1.1: Infinite Crisis [2004] happens ("Threeboot"; LSH v5) - see 3.0
• 1.1.1.1.1.2: Infinite Crisis [2004] does not happen (as yet unseen)
• 1.1.1.1.2: Zero Hour [1994] does not happen (as yet unseen)
• 1.1.1.2: Mordruverse [1990] doesn't happen (as yet unseen)
• 1.1.2: 2007-2011, Great Collapse [1989] doesn't happen ("Retroboot"; LSH v6)
• 1.1.2.1: 2011-2015, Flashpoint [2011] happens (New 52; LSH v7)
• 1.1.2.1.1: 2015-2019 Convergence [2015] happens and undoes the New 52
• 1.1.2.1.1.1: Rebirth [2019] happens and affects the future - see 4.0
• 1.1.2.1.1.2: Rebirth [2019] happens and does not affect the future (continuation of Retroboot; JSA v3)
• 1.1.2.1.1.3: Rebirth [2019] does not happen (as yet unseen)
• 1.1.2.1.2: Convergence [2015] does not happen and New 52 remains in place (as yet unseen)
• 1.1.2.2: Flashpoint [2011] doesn't happen (as yet unseen)
• 1.2: Crisis [1985] doesn't happen (as yet unseen Earth-1985 post Doomsday Clock #12)
• 2.0: 1994-2004 (post Zero Hour "Reboot"; LSH v4 #62-125)
• 3.0: 2004-2009 (post Infinite Crisis "Threeboot"; LSH v5)
• 4.0: 2019-present (post Rebirth; LSH v8)
• 0.1: Earth history proceeds with Darkseid's essence permeating the universe (Absolute Universe; Darkseid's Legion)

Each of my breakpoints in the 1.0 section is a "mini-reboot" or a place with retcons and new continuity:

• In 1985, either the Crisis happens (1.1, as published 1985-89) or it doesn't happen (1.2, as seen on Earth-1985 which we haven't seen yet)
• At the end of the Magic Wars in 1989, either the Great Collapse happens (1.1.1, as seen in LSH v4 #1-4) or it doesn't (1.1.2, the Retroboot)
• I consider the Mordruverse itself (LSHv4 #5) to be an alternate reality, so it's not in this roadmap
• The Mordruverse aftermath created a world in which there never was a Superboy or Supergirl, and Valor and Laurel Gand filled their spots, giving 1.1.1.1 (we have not seen a timeline in which the Mordruverse did not happen, which would be 1.1.1.2)
• New 52 was arguably different from what had been before in the aftermath of Flashpoint, so that becomes 1.1.2.1 (and 1.1.2.2 would be a world where Flashpoint didn't affect the Legion). 
• Convergence (1.1.2.1.1) undid New 52 and brought back the Retroboot, as seen in the 2023-24 JSA series which ignored the New52 team deaths and other changes, but Flashpoint did happen.

And of course, we know that the there are lots of timelines out there that we just haven't seen yet, now that every timeline exists: the one where Crisis didn't happen (Earth-1985), the one where Zero Hour didn't happen and the 5YL timeline is still going, etc.

20th Century Flight Ring Hot Potato

While recording an episode of the podcast, someone asked about who was using which flight ring in the 20th century stories, as they seemed to be passing them around like hot potatoes. After some research, here's what I came up with (and there seems to be only one editorial error).

1. Legionnaires #31: Superboy is given a flight ring as an honorary member while in the 30th century, for helping get Valor out of the Stasis Zone.
   
   
   
2. LSH #84: Imra gives Inferno and Shvaughn flight rings to help fight Emerald Vi. Shvaughn has been physically de-aged to a baby, but with her adult intelligence. She's also wearing a Legion costume. At the end of the issue, half the team is caught up in an emerald explosion, which we find out next issue has thrown them back in time. 
   
   
   
3. LSH #85: The team pops out in the 20th century, but Shvaughn has inexplicably turned back into an adult and she's wearing an SP uniform, and does not have a ring. There's no explanation for her transformation, making me think this is an editorial oversight. Without a flight ring, she falls from the sky, and Jo flies down to catch her. Tinya, who is a ghost at this point who nobody can see, tells Jo to give Shvaughn Tinya's ring, which Jo still kept. So now Shvaughn has Tinya's ring.
   
   
   
4. Final Night #3: Spark lends Ferro her flight ring during Final Night, but takes it back shortly after it was over (this takes place just before LSH #86).
   
   
   
5. Impulse #21: Cosmic Boy lets Impulse borrow Imra's flight ring, but she takes it back by the end of the issue (takes place prior to LSH #88)
   
   
   
6. LSH #90: Ferro mentions that he does not yet have a flight ring.
   
   
   
7. LSH #93: Ferro borrows Jo’s flight ring for the issue, but after the death of his brother, Cos offers Ferro his ring to keep.
   
   
   
   
   
8. LSH #94: Triad goes to find Superboy, only to find that Superboy has given his ring to Roxy. Later, Cosmic Boy comes back with Gates and Triad and takes back Superboy’s ring. Cos later says that he will use Superboy’s ring since he had just given his own to Ferro. 
   
   
   
   
   
9. LSH #96: Inferno leaves the team, and throws her flight ring at Jo and then flies off under her own power. 
   
   
   
10. SBOY #45: After helping the team, Cos gives Superboy's ring back and tells him not to give it away (takes place prior to LSH #97, just before Genesis).
    
    
    
11. LSH #97: Cosmic Boy is shown using a flight ring, and since all the others are accounted for, he must be using Inferno's old ring.
    

So here's the summary up to this point:

• Shvaughn has Tinya’s old ring [#3]
• Ferro has Cos’s old ring [#8]
• Inferno had a ring but gave it back when she left the team [#9]
• Superboy still has the ring that he was given [#10]
• Cos (presumably) has Inferno’s old ring [#11]
• Everyone else (Gates, Saturn Girl, Spark, Brainiac 5, Triad, Ultra Boy) still has their original ring

The Retconned Timelines of the Tornado Twins

Getting ready to do an episode (LOSP 849) covering Impulse #24-25. This one has Bart's mother Meloni coming back in time (for her first appearance) from the 30th century because she wants to take him back home for good. He learns his history and origin but ends up leaving his mom there and going back to the 20th century. This led me down the rabbit hole trying to figure out the history (or "histories", as it turns out!) of the Tornado Twins, because there appear to be three distinct versions depending on which continuity it is and what's been retconned in or out. I'm pretty sure this is accurate now, but help me out if I missed something important.

Let's explore!

PRE-ZERO HOUR

Originally, the Tornado Twins Don & Dawn Allen were introduced as descendants of Barry Allen, aka The Flash from the 20th century. This was later retconned into them being his children, because in the Silver Age when they first appeared, Barry was still alive. Here's the timeline in the original continuity up through Zero Hour (includes the 5YL timeline), some of which came from Flash Secret Files & Origins #1.

• 2927: Iris Russell born to Eric and Fran Russell. Fearing a nuclear war on Earth, her parents send her back in time to the mid-20th century, where she is adopted and raised by Ira and Nadine West, who had just lost a daughter in childbirth, as Iris West. She later marries Barry Allen (Flash #203, 350; Flash Secret Files & Origins #1).
• 2957: Barry and Iris Allen arrive in the 30th century of Earth-1 after his trial to try to restart their lives together. Tragically, he disappears only a month later, and dies before finding out Iris is pregnant with twins (Life Story of the Flash).
• 2958: Don & Dawn born on Earth-1
• 2979: the Legion meets the Tornado Twins. (ADV #373)
• 2981: the twins attend the wedding of Chuck Taine and Luornu Durgo on Mars (Superboy v1 #200)
• 2986: the twins are targeted by Professor Ivo in a plot of revenge against descendants of the Justice League (LSH v3 Annual #1)
• 2993: Bart Allen born to Don Allen and Carmen Johnson.
• 2995: Iris Allen wrote a series of articles exposing the Dominators' covert domination of Earth and campaign to wipe out former members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. In revenge, and to prevent others from doing the same, the Dominators fabricated evidence that implicated the twins in the explosion of the Quebec fusion powersphere and had them executed for the crime by the corrupt Earthgov working with the Dominators (LSH v4 #17). Not long after, Iris Allen kidnaps her young grandson Bart, who is rapidly accelerating and aging, and takes him back to the 20th century shortly before Zero Hour in hopes Wally West could help teach and cure him, where Bart becomes Impulse (Flash v2 #91).

Remember, Bart actually first appeared BEFORE Zero Hour.

REBOOT TIMELINE, PRE-INFINITE CRISIS

In the Reboot Legion timeline which came out of Zero Hour, it was revealed that Bart had a cousin Jenni Ognats, who was the daughter of Dawn Allen and Jeven Ognats. Jenni joined the (Reboot) Legion as XS. But she had to be retconned in, so Dawn was now married and had a child. Carmen Johnson was retconned into being Meloni Thawne, a descendant of Eobard Thawne. Further, they wanted to keep the aspect of the Dominators killing the twins, so that got retconned into something different too. With the Silver Age Legion retconned away, these twins never met the Legion, and the Reboot Legion was later revealed (retroactively) to be on Earth-247. In some retellings, Jenni and/or Bart were said to have been aged to teenagers within days, but that doesn't fit the timeline unless she aged naturally (born 2978, joined the Legion in 2994). Most of this timeline is from Flash Secret Files & Origins #1.

• 2927: Iris Russell born to Eric and Fran Russell. Fearing a nuclear war on Earth, her parents send her back in time to the mid-20th century, where she is adopted by Ira and Nadine West, who had just lost a daughter in childbirth, and raised as Iris West. She later marries Barry Allen (Flash #203, 350; Flash Secret Files & Origins #1).
• 2957: Barry Allen and Iris arrive in the 30th century of Earth-247 after his trial to try to restart their lives together. A short time later, he meets his granddaughter Jenni (XS), traveling through time (Legionnaires Annual #3). Tragically, he disappears only a month later, and dies before finding out Iris is pregnant with twins (Life Story of the Flash; Flash Secret Files & Origins #1).
• 2958: Don & Dawn born on Earth-247 (Flash Secret Files & Origins #1)
• 2976 (approx.): Traveling through time, Wally West meets the teenage twins Don and Dawn (Flash v2 #114).
• 2978: Dawn Allen (age 20) marries Jeven Ognats and their daughter Jenni Ognats is born. (Flash Secret Files & Origins #1)
• 2980: Don Allen (age 22) marries Meloni Thawne and their son Bart Allen is born. Not long after, Dawn and Don were killed. Meloni was told that they were killed helping overthrow a Dominator invasion and they died nobly in the final battle against the alien forces (Impulse #24), but they were actually killed by Dominator agents with aid from Earthgov President Thawne (Meloni's father) and a corrupt Earthgov (LSH v4 Annual #6, Impulse #24), leaving an infant Bart and a two-year-old Jenni. 
• 2982: Bart Allen rapidly ages (at age 2, he appears 12 years old). The Dominators abduct him and Earthgov holds him for observation and experimentation, raising him in a virtual reality environment so that he ages as swiftly mentally as he does physically. Iris Allen kidnaps her grandson Bart, and takes him back to the 20th century in hopes Wally West could help teach and cure him, where Bart becomes Impulse (Flash v2 #91; Flash Secret Files & Origins #1). Bart stays in the 20th century for a couple years (his time) before his mother comes to retrieve him, but he only stays there briefly (Impulse #24-25).
• When Bart makes it back to the 30th century (Impulse #25), it's supposed to be shortly after Iris sent him back in time. But he is 2 years old (even though he looks 14), which makes Jenni 4 years old. However, Impulse #25 shows her as an infant, which would only have been the case before he was born.
• The timeline works out if Jenni is not aged to a teenager at this point.
• 2994: Jenni joins the Earth-247 Reboot Legion as XS as a representative from the planet Aarok.

POST-INFINITE CRISIS

Later, the original Legion was revealed to be still around (in the Lightning Saga storyline). That led to more retconning, with the twins originally being from Earth-0 and fleeing the Thawnes during the first Legions of 3 Worlds meeting, escaping to Earth-247. That preserved Jenni being able to join the Reboot Legion and the twins being killed by the Dominators; however, I had to move the entire timeline (from Flash Secret Files & Origins #1) up by 10 years starting when Barry arrived in the 30th century to accommodate both Jenni and Bart being aged up by the Dominators and still have Jenni be the correct age when she joined the Legion.

• 2927: Iris Russell born to Eric and Fran Russell. Fearing a nuclear war on Earth, her parents send her back in time to the mid-20th century, where she is adopted by Ira and Nadine West, who had just lost a daughter in childbirth, and raised as Iris West. She later marries Barry Allen (Flash #203, 350; Flash Secret Files & Origins #1).
• 2967: Barry and Iris Allen arrive in the 30th century of Earth-0 (future home of the Retroboot Legion) after his trial where they try to restart their lives together. A short time later, he meets his granddaughter Jenni (XS), traveling through time (Legionnaires Annual #3). Tragically, he disappears only a month later, and dies before finding out Iris is pregnant with twins (Life Story of the Flash).
• 2968: Don & Dawn born
• 2986 (approx.): Traveling through time, Wally West meets the teenage twins Don and Dawn (Flash v2 #114).
• 2987 (approx.): Barry and Iris travel to the future to hang out with the twins (Flash v1 #800).
• 2988: Dawn Allen (age 20) marries Jeven Ognats and their daughter Jenni Ognats is born.
• 2990: Don Allen (age 22) marries Meloni Thawne and their son Bart Allen is born. Zoom tries to attack the Twins, but with the help of the first meeting of the Legions of 3 Worlds (L3W #3), the Allen families escape with Iris to find refuge on Earth-247. Shortly after migrating to Earth-247, Dawn and Don Allen were killed by Dominator agents under the guidance of Meloni's father Earthgov President Thawne, another sworn enemy of the Allens (Flash Secret Files #1). They left behind an infant Bart and a two-year-old Jenni. (LSHv 4 Annual #6.) The Dominators capture both youngsters, and as a result of experimentation, both are aged to teenagers within days (L3W #3).
• 2991: Jeven Ognats frees Jenni from the Dominators and takes her to his home planet of Aarok, where she learns to control her super-speed. (LSHv 4 Annual #6.)
• 2992: Bart Allen rapidly ages (at age 2, he appears 12 years old). The Dominators abduct him and Earthgov holds him for observation and experimentation, raising him in a virtual reality environment so that he ages as swiftly mentally as he does physically. Iris Allen kidnaps her grandson Bart, and takes him back to the 20th century in hopes Wally could help teach and cure him, where he becomes Impulse (Flash v2 #91). Bart stays in the 20th century for a couple years (his time) before his mother comes to retrieve him, but he only stays there briefly (Impulse #24-25).
• 2994: Jenni joins the Earth-247 Reboot Legion as XS as a representative from the planet Aarok.

(Hat tip to Cosmic Teams, Hyperborea, the Legion of Super-Bloggers, and DC Fandom (Tornado Twins, Impulse, XS) for help with continuity and timelines)

The Reboot Reading Order (part 2)

This one is going to be a work in progress from June 2024 until roughly when the Legionnaires who were trapped in the 20th century make it back home, in LSH v4 #100, when we get to it sometime in late 2025. I'll put in a horizontal line so you can see what's current and what's still to be determined. 

This is the rest of the Reboot Legion following part 1, in publishing order and not necessarily in reading order (yet). There are books in here (e.g., Green Lantern 98-100, Inferno 1-4) that probably fit together back to back instead, but I'll have to figure that out as we go - and figure out where in continuity the non-core books (Starman, Universe Ablaze, etc.) books go. Anything with an asterisk (*) is something published earlier or later that fits the timeline elsewhere.

1. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #85
2. Showcase '96 #10
3. *Final Night Preview #1
• Published earlier, but this is where it takes place in continuity
4. Final Night #1
5. Adventures of Superman #540
• Final Night crossover
6. Impulse #19
• The Legionnaires appear in Impulse's nightmare
7. Final Night #2
8. Legionnaires #42
9. Final Night #3
10. Flash v2 #119
• Final Night cameo
11. Aquaman v5 #26
• Final Night cameo
12. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #86
• Final Night crossover
13. Takion #6
• Final Night cameo
14. Final Night #4
15. Green Lantern v3 #81
• Final Night crossover
16. Legionnaires #43
17. Showcase '96 #11-12
18. * Legion of Super-Heroes Secret Files #1 (story 3)
19. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #87
20. * Green Lantern Gallery #1
• Pinup that takes place during Zero Hour
21. * Sovereign Seven Annual #2
• Non-canonical; takes place after the 20th century team returns to the 30th century
22. Superman v2 #119
23. Impulse #21
24. Legionnaires #44
25. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #88
26. Legionnaires #45
27. Superman Plus the Legion of Super-Heroes #1
28. * Sovereign Seven Plus #1
• Non-canonical
29. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #89
30. Legionnaires #46
31. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #90
32. Legionnaires #47
33. Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #91

The Reboot Reading Order (part 1)

I was recently asked to create a Reboot Legion reading order list, to go with my 5YL reading order list. For the most part, you'll just alternate back and forth between "LSH" and "Legionnaires", but there are some odd appearances here and there in other titles (in particular, XS with Impulse and/or Flash, or appearances in Showcase '95 or '96). 

Additionally, there are some published stories that take place out of chronological publishing order - for example, Legionnaires Annual #3 came out after Legionnaires #43 but it takes place chronologically before Legionnaires #35. These stories are marked with an asterisk (*).

See part 2 here.

There were a few stories of the 30th century that pre-date the Legion:

1. * Flash Secret Files #1
• Story of 30th century President Thawne
• Flash timeline including the 30th century (Iris, Tornado Twins, XS, Impulse)
2. * Flash v2 #114
• Wally meets the Tornado Twins in the 30th century, pre-Legion
3. * Impulse #24-25
• No LSH appearance; Bart's mom comes back from the 30th century shortly after she sent him back, and they both go to the 30th century - but it's before the LSH is formed. New backstory on the Tornado Twins. Jenni is still a baby.

This is the story of the Reboot Legion:

1. LSH v4 #0
2. * LSH Secret Files #1 (story 1 only)
3. Legionnaires #0
4. * LSH v4 Annual #6 (story 1 only)
5. LSH v4 #62
6. Legionnaires #19
7. LSH v4 #63
8. Legionnaires #20
9. LSH v4 #64
10. Legionnaires #21
11. LSH v4 #65
12. Legionnaires #22
13. LSH v4 #66
14. Legionnaires #23
15. LSH v4 #67
16. Legionnaires #24
17. LSH v4 #68
18. Showcase '95 #6 (Legion story 1 only)
19. Legionnaires #25
20. New Titans Annual #11 
• Not a Legion story, but the Pre-Zero Hour Time Trapper appears in a video, retconning some Titans history and some of Zero Hour. Time Trapper next appears in Legionnaires Annual #3.
21. LSH v4 #69
22. LSH v4 Annual #6 (stories 2 and 3)
23. * Showcase '95 #6 (Legion story 2 only)
24. Legionnaires #26
25. LSH v4 #70
26. Legionnaires #27
27. LSH v4 #71
28. Legionnaires #28
29. Legionnaires Annual #2
30. * Superboy v3 #17-19 (for Lar Gand appearance)
• Published concurrently with LSH 70-72, but reads best all at once and this is a good spot for it
31. LSH v4 #72
32. Legionnaires #29
33. * Guy Gardner, Warrior #29
• Brainiac 5 has a cameo in this story that ties into Legionnaires #29
34. LSH v4 #73
35. Legionnaires #30
36. Superboy v3 #21 (Future Tense)
37. LSH v4 #74 (Future Tense)
38. Legionnaires #31 (Future Tense)
39. Underworld Unleashed
• Not required to read the whole thing, but it explains what's going on with Chronos in the next two issues
40. LSH v4 #75
41. Legionnaires #32
42. LSH v4 #76
43. Legionnaires #33
44. LSH v4 #77
45. Legionnaires #34
46. LSH v4 #78
47. Dead Heat storyline (Flash & Impulse with XS)
• Note: the Dead Heat storyline was published simultaneously with LSH 75-79, but reads best all at once and fits best here. XS leaves the 20th century after a few pages of Flash #112 and immediately goes into Legionnaires Annual #3.
1. Flash v2 #108
2. Impulse #9
3. Flash v2 #109
4. Impulse #10
5. Flash v2 #110
6. Impulse #11
7. Flash v2 #111
8. Impulse #12
9. Flash v2 #112
48. * Legionnaires Annual #3 (Dead Earth)
49. Legionnaires #35
50. LSH v4 #79
51. Legionnaires #36
52. LSH v4 #80
53. * Showcase '96 #8 (Legion story only)
54. Legionnaires #37
55. LSH v4 #81
56. Sergio Aragones Destroys DC #1
• Non-continuity, but this is publishing order
57. Legionnaires #38
58. LSH v4 #82
59. Legionnaires #39
60. LSH v4 #83
61. Legionnaires #40
62. LSH v4 #84
63. Wonder Woman Gallery #1 
• Pin-up book, one page shows some Legionnaires for some reason, but not required reading
64. Legionnaires #41
    
65. LSH v4 Annual #7 (Dead Earth)
66. Power of Shazam! Annual #1 (Dead Earth)

As of Legionnaires #41, we find that the teams have been split and half are back in the 20th century (the LSH book) while half are still in the 30th century (the Legionnaires book). One of the first things that Team 20 runs into is the Final Night crossover....

This concludes part 1 of the Reboot Reading order, covering about the first two years of publishing history. Look for part 2 later this year, and part 3 sometime in late 2025 when the 20th century team makes it back to the 30th century. Oops, spoilers!

The 5YL Legion Reading Order

The Definitive 5YL Timeline

• Part 1: Five Year Gap, year 1 (June 2989-June 2990)
• Part 2: Five Year Gap, year 2 (July 2990-June 2991)
• Part 3: Five Year Gap, year 3 (July 2991-June 2992)
• Part 4: Five Year Gap, years 4-5 (July 2992-October 2994)
• Part 5: Five Years Later (Oct 2994-Dec 2994)
• Part 6: Five Years Later (Jan 2995-April 2995)
• Part 7: Five Years Later (May-July 2995)
• Part 8: Five Years Later (Aug 2, 2995-Sept 20, 2995)
• Part 9: Five Years Later (Sept 21, 2995-Oct 1, 2995)
• Part 10: Five Years Later (Oct 1-2, 2995)

Over at the Legion of Substitute Podcasters, here is the order in which we recapped the issues, which is pretty much publishing order. We grouped the early Valor issues, the Timber Wolf miniseries, and the Amethyst miniseries as one just to get them out of the way. The Eclipso storyline is mostly irrelevant, but it introduces him to the greater DCU and he gets the name Valor here. I'm leaving out the L.E.G.I.O.N. series, since Tinya was already gone from the main Legion series, until the crossover at the very end of this list.

Note that this is the reading order if you're going to read full issues. If you want to know the intricate chronology of this time period you can follow the continuity of Valor and Legionnaires (which overlap, show expanded versions, or versions from different points of view) or the definitive chronology of the entire 5YL timeline which I've just published in 10 parts (using the links at the top).

• LSH v4 #1-13
• LSH v4 Annual #1
• LSH v4 #14-24
• LSH v4 Annual #2
• LSH v4 #25-30
• LSH v4 Annual #3
• LSH v4 #31-36
• Timber Wolf miniseries #1-5
• Doesn't need to be here precisely, but this a convenient location
• LSH v4 #37-41
• * Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1, various annuals, #2 
• [see note at bottom]
• Legionnaires #1
• LSH v4 #42
• Legionnaires #2
• LSH v4 #43
• Legionnaires #3
• Amethyst (1987) miniseries #1-4
• Reveals the new origin of Mordru, plus it's an intro to Amethyst who will play a part in the series coming up
• LSH v4 #44
• Legionnaires #4
• LSH v4 #45
• Legionnaires #5
• LSH v4 #46
• Legionnaires #6
• Valor #1-11
• The early issues are mostly irrelevant, but there are some plot points introduced here that pay off later; takes place in the 20th century
• LSH v4 #47
• Legionnaires #7
• LSH v4 Annual #4
• Valor #12
• LSH v4 #48
• Legionnaires #8
• Valor #13
• LSH v4 #49-50
• Legionnaires #9
• Valor #14
• LSH v4 #51-52
• Legionnaires #10
• Valor #15
• LSH v4 #53
• Legionnaires #11
• Valor #16
• LSH v4 #54
• Legionnaires #12
• Valor #17
• LSH v4 #55
• Legionnaires #13
• Valor #18
• LSH v4 #56
• Legionnaires #14
• Valor #19
• LSH v4 #57
• LSH v4 Annual #5
• Legionnaires #15
• Valor #20
• LSH v4 #58
• ** Legionnaires #16
• [see note at the bottom]
• Valor #21
• LSH v4 #59
• Legionnaires Annual #1
• L.E.G.I.O.N. #68 pages 22-24 only
• L.E.G.I.O.N. #69 
• Legionnaires #17 (End of an Era part 1)
• Valor #22 (End of an Era part 2) 
• LSH v4 #60 (End of an Era part 3)
• Showcase '94 #8-9
• Not Legion-related, but kicks off Zero Hour
• Zero Hour #4
• L.E.G.I.O.N. #70 pages 7-9 and 16-17 only
• Legionnaires #18 (End of an Era part 4) 
• Valor #23 (End of an Era part 5) 
• Superboy v3 #8
• Zero Hour #3
• Zero Hour #2
• LSH v4 #61 (End of an Era part 6) 
• Zero Hour #1
• Zero Hour #0

* Eclipso was a 20-issue story spanning that year's Annuals, that took place in the 20th century and spun off the Valor solo series (also set in the 20th century). In the first issue, Eclipso eclipses Lar Gand, then spends the next 18 story issues trying to figure out what to do next with all of the other heroes he has eclipsed. Of course, he is defeated in the end, but Lar Gand not only gets a boost in name recognition but he gets a new name (Valor) and his own series ("Valor"). It's pretty forgettable, but here is the reading order for the Eclipso story. 

1. Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1
2. Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #1
3. Green Lantern Annual #1
4. Detective Comics Annual #5
5. Superman Annual #4
6. Justice League America Annual #6
7. Demon Annual #2
8. Flash Annual #5
9. Green Arrow Annual #5
10. Action Comics Annual #4
11. Robin Annual #5
12. Hawkworld Annual #3
13. Deathstroke Annual #1
14. New Titans Annual #8
15. L.E.G.I.O.N. Annual #3
16. Wonder Woman Annual #3
17. Justice League Europe Annual #3
18. Batman Annual #16
19. Adventures of Superman Annual #4
20. Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2

Or, if you don't want to read 1100 pages, you can read the recaps here (part 1, part 2).

** Valor #11-21 takes place pretty much in between pages and panels of Legionnaires #16. It partially takes place in the 20th century, and partially outside of time when he meets the 30th century Legion. You can read the Valor issues in the same order as above, as by the time you get to #16 you're already caught up in the Valor series, which by this point is tied into regular Legion continuity. But see this blog post for the details of what happens when and where.

The Definitive 5YL Legion Timeline part 10: Five Years Later (Oct 1-2, 2995)

The Definitive 5YL Timeline

• Part 1: Five Year Gap, year 1 (June 2989-June 2990)
• Part 2: Five Year Gap, year 2 (July 2990-June 2991)
• Part 3: Five Year Gap, year 3 (July 2991-June 2992)
• Part 4: Five Year Gap, years 4-5 (July 2992-October 2994)
• Part 5: Five Years Later (Oct 2994-Dec 2994)
• Part 6: Five Years Later (Jan 2995-April 2995)
• Part 7: Five Years Later (May-July 2995)
• Part 8: Five Years Later (Aug 2, 2995-Sept 20, 2995)
• Part 9: Five Years Later (Sept 21, 2995-Oct 1, 2995)
• Part 10: Five Years Later (Oct 1-2, 2995)

The "Five Years Later" story concludes on Oct 1-2 2995 (plus events on Aug 8-9 1994, the dawn of time, and the end of time, covering all of Zero Hour to the "fade to white". See the entry for Year 1 for the details.

In this table, rows are color-coded yellow if it was a date confirmed by the 2995 Sourcebook; green if it was a date confirmed in the comic itself; and blue for when I had to estimate a date. If the row is in italics, it means there was no specific date given. And finally, during Zero Hour, there were some things happening in 1994 (red text), in 2995, and at the dawn or end of time (blue text) "simultaneously". Once we get there, it's not strictly chronologically linear, but narratively linear instead.

End of Time	Time Trapper is blasted by someone unknown, who starts to destroy time from the end going backwards and from the dawn of time going forwards	Zero Hour #4
8/8/1994	Jo tries to go back to the future with Enya/Phase, but at the last second she leaves him and returns to her L.E.G.I.O.N. team	L.E.G.I.O.N. #70
	Jo’s time bubble is blocked from going to the future moments later. SW6 Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Livewire fall out of the timestream in 1994, where they are met by Jo	Legionnaires #18
	The pre-Crisis Earth-1 Kal-El Superboy appears after helping the Legion and meets Kon-El Superboy in Smallville. Kal-El quickly realizes that this is a mix of his town and the post-Crisis version, and after a fight with Kon-El he realizes that he is the time anomaly here. Kon-El tells Kal-El that he will carry on the job as Superboy, and Kal-El vanishes	Superboy v3 #8
	Batman, Superman, Metron, and GL Kyle Rayner contact heroes, including Emerald Dragon and the SW6 founders and Kon-El, to join up in New York City	Legionnaires #18, Superboy v3 #8, Zero Hour #4
	Metron notices that Impulse is from the 30th century	Zero Hour #3
End of Time	Rokk spends an infinite amount of time in the Infinite Library and meets the Time Trapper when he finally escapes	Legionnaires #18
	The Time Trapper explains his history and reveals that the SW6 Legionnaires were taken from time by him, not cloned by the Dominators. But their continued existence warped time and caused the Trapper to go insane trying to “fix” things to actually protect the Legion from the Zero Hour energy wave. He then reveals himself to Rokk that the two of them are really temporal duplicates	Valor #23, Zero Hour #3
8/8/1994	In the middle of the night, SW6 Saturn Girl, Livewire, and Cosmic Boy and Emerald Dragon join the gathering of heroes, including Superboy and Impulse. Vril Dox launches a probe into the time stream to try to figure out what’s going on; it will reappear in ZH #1	L.E.G.I.O.N. #70, Zero Hour #3
	While trying to save NYC, Emerald Dragon reminds Booster Gold that they’ve met before. Afterwards, Waverider tells the heroes that they must try to stop time from eating itself in the past and in the future; the Legionnaires choose to go on the future mission, as this is their only way home.	Zero Hour #2
Beginning of Time	Waverider leads a team to the distant past. They are attacked by Extant, and Waverider sends the heroes back to their own time	Zero Hour #2
10/2/2995	Meanwhile, Superman leads a team to New Earth in the 30th century where they see “the end of time and space”. Metron devises a plan to stop the future from collapsing; Captain Atom blasts Metron’s Mobius Chair inside a boom tube which apparently saves the day in the future. Polestar arrives with Time Trapper, who sends the 20th century heroes back to their home while the Legionnaires remain in the 30th century	Zero Hour #2
8/8/1994	Extant says that he was not supposed to lose in the 30th century	Zero Hour #2
10/2/2995	A little while later later, someone appears in the 30th century and reopens the rift in time to make sure things happen correctly	Zero Hour #2
	The remaining Legionnaires (adult and SW6) arrive on Pocket Earth from Talus, only to find that they can’t stop the imminent destruction of the planet. The Time Trapper brings Rokk and the Legionnaires who just helped out at New Earth to Talus, and tells them that they are temporal duplicates and the only way to save the universe is by combining all of the counterparts. The Time Trapper leaves the Legionnaires on Pocket Earth, saying the future is in their hands. It’s now a group of both adult and SW6 Garth, Imra, and Rokk, and the Trapper’s Iron Curtain of Time is the only thing protecting them. The Legionnaires and the universe fade to white	LSH v4 #61, Zero Hour #1
	Then the Time Trapper confronts someone, who blasts him again and apparently destroys him. The 30th century fades to white	Zero Hour #1
8/9/1994	Heroes from the future start disappearing – first Impulse, then Booster Gold. Metron theorizes that the time entropy wave is coming back through time and that their times are now gone. At Vanishing Point. Superman and Kyle retrieve Vril Dox’s time probe (from Zero Hour #3 and LEGION #70) for Atom to use its components in creating a new Waverider. Later, on Earth, the one behind it all reveals himself: it’s Hal Jordan, aka Parallax, who says he knows how to fix the universe, even if it means destroying it. Hal was the one who stripped the Time Trapper of his powers and killed him, and Hal has decided that the universe needs him as a protector and he wants to reboot the universe	Zero Hour #1
Dawn of Time	Hal Jordan, now Parallax, wants to remake the universe and fix what he thinks is wrong with it. The Spectre joins the fight and the heroes funnel the energy of Parallax’s new universe into Damage, who explodes, re-creating the universe but without the guiding hand of Parallax. Waverider says there will be slight differences from what they knew before. Power Girl’s son is born.	Zero Hour #0
End of Time	The new Time Trapper is glimpsed at the end of time (originally intended to be the alternate Batgirl, per Dan Jurgens’ intro to the Zero Hour Omnibus)	Zero Hour #0, Omnibus

The Definitive 5YL Legion Timeline part 9: Five Years Later (Sept 21 to Oct 1, 2995)

The Definitive 5YL Timeline

• Part 1: Five Year Gap, year 1 (June 2989-June 2990)
• Part 2: Five Year Gap, year 2 (July 2990-June 2991)
• Part 3: Five Year Gap, year 3 (July 2991-June 2992)
• Part 4: Five Year Gap, years 4-5 (July 2992-October 2994)
• Part 5: Five Years Later (Oct 2994-Dec 2994)
• Part 6: Five Years Later (Jan 2995-April 2995)
• Part 7: Five Years Later (May-July 2995)
• Part 8: Five Years Later (Aug 2, 2995-Sept 20, 2995)
• Part 9: Five Years Later (Sept 21, 2995-Oct 1, 2995)
• Part 10: Five Years Later (Oct 1-2, 2995)

The "Five Years Later" story continues in August and part of Sept 2995, from when the Zero Hour time shenanigans start taking effect to just before Zero Hour #4. See the entry for Year 1 for the details.

In this table, rows are color-coded yellow if it was a date confirmed by the 2995 Sourcebook; green if it was a date confirmed in the comic itself; and blue for when I had to estimate a date. If the row is in italics, it means there was no specific date given. And finally, during Zero Hour, there were some things happening in 1994 (red text), in 2995, and at the dawn or end of time (blue text) "simultaneously". Once we get there, it's not strictly chronologically linear, but narratively linear instead.

Date unknown, between 9/19 and 9/29	Triad reviews Valor’s history with Catspaw	Valor #11, in between Legionnaires #15 & #16
Sun 9/23/95	The team arrives on Rimbor, and Jo brings a team to an old warehouse but he and Sussa are captured by a rival gang.	LSH v4 #55
Wed 9/27/95	Legionnaires start the process of going undercover while hiding out on Rimbor, and Sussa escapes	LSH v4 #54
	Universo looks for the Legion on Rimbor; Jo recruits other gangs to go against the government, while Mysa and Vi sneak into government HQ to find out what’s going on; on Starhaven, Dawnstar undergoes a vision quest	LSH v4 #55
	The Legion exposes Khundish interference on Rimbor and escape	LSH v4 #56
Thu 9/28/95	The Legion tries and fails to protect Starfinger III from the Khunds, while fighting the Legion Academy, the Khundish ex-Legionnaires, and the mind-controlled Heroes of Lallor; Polestar leaves for New Earth while the rest of the team go to Weber’s World; Valor finds something strange with Dev-Em; Rond Vidar finds something strange in the time stream	LSH v4 #57
Fri 9/29/95	Arriving at Weber’s World, the team tries to stop the Khunds’ bombs from destroying the planet; Dawnstar arrives and meets Wildfire; Firefist kills Veilmist; after studying at the Infinite Library, Glorith travels to Tharn where she restores Mordru’s powers to help her conquer the universe	LSH v4 #58
	Meanwhile, SW6 Brainy & Triad find that Valor has been retconned from history	Valor #13, Legionnaires #16 pages 9-10
	A team of Legionnaires goes back in time to find out what happened to Valor	Valor #14, Legionnaires #16 page 10
Outside of time	The Legionnaires enter the time stream and crash their Time Bubble	Valor #15
	The Legionnaires fight Valor and find out that Valor’s companion Lori is Glorith	Valor #16
	The Legionnaires fight Glorith, but Valor succumbs to the effects of his lead poisoning and dies; SW6 Valor appears	Valor #17
	Brainiac 5 tells SW6 Valor that he will have to spend another 1000 years in the Phantom Zone in order to save time, and Valor does not take it well	Valor #18
	The presence of Waverider and seeing his fellow Legionnaires vanish changes Valor’s mind. Once he accepts his fate, the Legionnaires appear back in their own time and the legend of Valor is restored	Valor #19, Legionnaires #16 page 11
	From Vanishing Point, the Linear Men see a timequake affect the 30th century, which causes Dream Girl and Star Boy to appear	Legionnaires #16, Valor #20
Fri 9/29/95	The Legionnaires instantly return to their present, unaware of their meeting with Glorith and the Valors	Legionnaires #16 page 11
	Star Boy, Dream Girl, and Bouncing Boy appear with the Legionnaires and Ferro Lad is long dead, leading Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad – who seem to be the only ones aware that something funny is going on – to take a Time Bubble to figure it out (even though Invisible Kid and Rond Vidar are secretly aware that something’s happening); Polestar appears at New Earth	Legionnaires #16, LSH v4 #59
	Rond, SW6 Brainiac 5, and SW6 Invisible Kid arrive on Weber’s World along with Mon-El, Shadow Lass, and Dev-Em too late to prevent the death of Laurel Gand from the Khund bomb, after which Jo leaves for 1994 to find Tinya	LSH v4 #59
	The SW6 Legionnaires confront Polestar at New Earth	Legionnaires #17
8/6/1994	Valor tries to re-create the feats he did before he went into the Phantom Zone, but fails; the Linear Men watch Valor from Vanishing Point, and see timequakes affect the 30th century	Valor #20, Legionnaires #16, LSH v4 #59
	As a result of the timeline issues, Valor splits into multiple copies of himself and manages to do all the things that legend said he did over the years, in just a few hours, then resigns himself to having Glorith send him back to the Bgztl Twilight dimension. But the Linear Men realize it’s too late, the future is doomed	Valor #21
8/7/1994	Jo Nah arrives from the future in the time bubble He meets who he thinks is Tinya, but it turns out to have been her cousin Enya all along.	L.E.G.I.O.N. #68
	Jo wants to bring Enya back to the 30th century	L.E.G.I.O.N. #69
Sat 9/30/95	Laurel Gand is laid to rest on Shanghalla in a ceremony attended by a number of adult and SW6 Legionnaires, after which Glorith and Mordru attack the group with replicas of some of their old foes and then kidnap Rokk, and then Dawnstar fades out	Legionnaires #17
	Valor and others go to New Earth to help Brande bring Pocket Earth into this universe, but while the Subs and several Legionnaires blink out of existence, Pocket Earth turns out to be unstable and will explode in 72 hours	Valor #22
	Rokk tries but can’t escape Mordru and Glorith	LSH v4 #60
Sun 10/1/95	Rokk escapes Mordru and Glorith by going into the Infinite Library; the surviving members of the adult and SW6 Legions meet on Winath to help look for Rokk, but when Glorith and Mordru show up on Talus seeking the Time Beacon, the Legions go there. The magicians call forth the Infinite Man, and then they take his powers. Gim Allon disappears when his SW6 counterpart Leviathan is killed	LSH v4 #60
	Mordru and Glorith begin to remake the universe, and the Legion teams fight them and their evil dopplegangers. But one by one, more Legionnaires fade out. Mysa manages to break Mordru and Glorith apart which causes their spell to fail, at least temporarily, before she fades out	Legionnaires #18
	Valor and Shadow Lass meet Pre-Crisis Superboy, who helps the Legions fight Glorith and Mordru. The team beats Glorith, and her Infinite Man powers flow to Valor. He then dumps it all on Mordru, who is unprepared to have his mind merge with the universe. Mordru teleports away into the core of Pocket Earth, which is ready to explode in a couple of days. Valor and Shady vanish, and after Superboy makes a rousing speech, he too vanishes	Valor #23