Here's a (Nerd-lord) Thought

[adammcdorman]

When people create comic book reading orders for big events (let's take Blackest Night for example), I think they take the chronology of events to the detriment of the narrative structures.

Let's look at part of the more-or-less agreed upon Blackest Night reading order:
...
Blackest Night #2
Blackest Night: Batman #1
Blackest Night: Superman #1
Blackest Night: Titans #1
Green Lantern #45
Green Lantern Corps #40
Blackest Night #3
Blackest Night: Batman #2
Blackest Night: Superman #2
Blackest Night: Titans #2
Green Lantern #46
Green Lantern Corps #41
Blackest Night: Batman #3
Blackest Night: Superman #3
Blackest Night: Titans #3
...

There are some events happening in the background of these stories that make it very easy to plot the issues on a timeline. But if you read the issues in that order, the story events end up as a mess inside your brainlocker.

I don't like it. I'd revise it like this:

...
Blackest Night #2
Blackest Night: Titans #1
Blackest Night: Titans #2
Blackest Night: Titans #3
Blackest Night: Batman #1
Blackest Night: Batman #2
Blackest Night: Batman #3
Blackest Night: Superman #1
Blackest Night: Superman #2
Blackest Night: Superman #3
Green Lantern #45
Green Lantern #46
Blackest Night #3
Green Lantern Corps #40
Green Lantern Corps #41
...

I know this means that some minute details will be read out of order, but the narrative structure is more intact. It's better this way, I promise.

However, my decision to read comics in this way requires SO MUCH MORE WORK. I have to wait until a story line is essentially over to slice up the reading orders that people come up with (often resulting in the spoilage of key story beats) and painstakingly reconstruct the plot in a way that is more digestible.

I wonder if it's even worth it.