Let's face it, getting into comics can be a little tricky due to how long they've been doing and how complicated they can get. I just recently finished an analysis on the character of Brainiac and so I wanted to make a guide on how to read the story of Brainiac if you're interested in learning about the collector of worlds, and maybe use that as a jumping off point for other comic characters you find along the way. I've been wishing I did this for the other comic characters I've done when the knowledge was still fresh.
This is not going a listing of all Brainaic's appearences in order. There are some comics Brainiac appears in but it's just a cameo for instance and reading it out of order of the series is confusing and doesn't help anything. There's also, especially early on, a lot of one-shot issues that don't really further Brainiac's story in any way. I personally don't like filler in my shows and like to look up filler guides when possible. So this is going to be something to that effect.
I've striven to create a more modern experience of viewing the story by creating a bunch of arcs. This is a list of 102 issues, I could probably have gotten it down to an even 100, but I wasn't trying to hit a specific number, I was just trying to create a good guide to how to get into Brainiac. These 102 issues are organized into 10 "arcs" which you could think of as being like seasons of a TV show each being 10 episodes, give or take a few. These arcs are designed to such that you can read them independently and while you might not get everything and maybe a little confused at times, they are relatively self contained. I will be giving a shorter guide at the end if 102 is understandably still a lot for you.
With each arc I'm going to put in bold issues I think are plot important. That's not to say you won't be a little confused if you skip all the non-bolded ones, but this is to say "this is the one you definitely need to read for this arc to understand what's going on." I will also put in italics issues I think are particular highlights of the era. Things neither bolded nor highlighted are things I think make the arc flow better or make more sense. Things only italicized are not neccesary but I would recommened just because I really like them. Things only bolded are just things I consider plot important and things are bold and italicized are definite must-reads for Brainiac. Finally after each arc I'll give a few more thoughts, generally on what troubles if any there is reading it this way. This is I hope something that will allow people interested in Brainiac to learn the overarching story of Brainiac from reading most of the key points in a more contemporary style. This is only up to Convergence as past that I grow a lot less familiar and it's also harder to tell what will and won't be really important.
Arc 1: Silver Age Brainiac
1: Action Comics (1938) #242
2: Action Comics (1938) #275
3: Action Comics (1938) #280
4: Superman (1939) #167
5: Superman (1939) #172
6: Action Comics (1939) #342
7: World's Finest (1941) #164
8: Superman (1939) #271
9: Action Comics (1939) #489
10: Action Comics (1939) #490
11: Action Comics (1939) #491
12: Superman (1939) #338
I'm not the biggest fan of the Silver Age stuff for a couple of reasons but that's not the reason it's probably the most cut down on time period. That's mostly to do with it being the longest and so episodic filled with one-shots that don't advance the plot of Brainiac at all really. This also means it's somewhat easy to make a list like this since there's so little must-read issues, basically just Brainiac's first meeting with Superman, Brainiac's origin story/first team-up with Luthor, and I would add Superman 338 since the restoration of Kandor, Superman rescued at the beginning and it leading first part of the next arc means it makes for an ideal finale to this "arc." The rest are kind of arbitrary, but I included 342 because I really liked that issue, and the three-partner of 489-491 because just as a three-part story it definitely carries the air of importance with a good finale, plus has the first sundipping which will be relevant later in Brainiac's timeline. I included 275 and 280 in the first Lex-Brainiac team-up, Brainiac is treated as a signifigant rogue of Superman's, so I figured this would be a better way to show it. This arc overall is pretty skippable, with the only real must-reads for Brainiac's overall story being Action Comics 242 and Superman 167. You can also read it by itself if you just want some ol silver age sci-fi shenanigans.
Arc 2: Metamorphosis Arc
1: Action Comics (1938) #514
2: Action Comics (1938) #528
3: Action Comics (1938) #529
4: Action Comics (1938) #530
5: Action Comics (1938) #544B
6: Action Comics (1938) #545
7: Action Comics (1938) #546
8: DC Comics Presents #80
9: Superman (1939) #423
10: Action Comics (1938) #583
The Metamorphosis Arc is the Bronze Age Brainiac issues, dominated by two connected arcs, the Planet-Eater battle from 528-530 and Brainiac being reborn and attacking anew from 544B-546. These two are linked and are really great stuff just overall. Action Comics 514 is not strictly neccesary but it does lead into 528 since it has Superman reprogramming Brainiac to good and I added DC Comics Presents 80 in just because I feel it helps not to have this 6-issue arc and then go straight into finale; having a bit of a breater, or what passes for one with Bronze Age Brainiac helps, and it arguably foreshadows Brainiac's nature much later. There's also possibly foreshadowing for Convergence with Brainiac's goal with the planet-eater. For the finale I put "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" which is personally my favorite Superman story and was meant as a finale to the Pre-Crisis age so it works well. It's not technically the canon end to him, but I can't really in good conscience suggest you read all of Crisis of Infinite Earth if you're just trying to read Brainiac's story. I wouldn't recommened skipping this arc just because it's so good and it does contain a lot of classic Brainiac material including the first appearence of the Skull Ship that will be important across his history. Despite liking this period a lot, I wouldn't recommened reading this by itself since some of the effect is lost if you aren't prior acquainted with Brainiac's more goofy antics, and his prior more comical relationship with Superman so the coldness is in sharper relief. I would at least recommened reading the bolded issues of the last arc and Action Comics 514 to get a sense of what is normal for these two.
Arc 3: Milton Fine Arc
1: Adventures of Superman #438
2: Adventures of Superman #445
3: Superman (1987) #25
4: Superman (1987) #30B
5: Superman (1987) #33
6: Superman (1987) #35
7: Action Comics (1938) #646
8: Action Comics (1938) #647
9: Action Comics (1938) #648
10: Action Comics (1938) #649
Past the point of primarily episodic one-shots but before the point of story distinct story arcs, this period is characterized by advancing several distinct plots bits at a time, which makes it particularly tricky for something like this, in my opinion. The Milton Fine Brainiac is quite the departure from the cold robot right before and needs a bit to build on the reader. Milton Fine Brainiac got knocked out from mind attacking Superman in disguise which is tricky because then you have to get into all the gangbuster stuff that was going. I sorta tried to sidestep it with the mention that Brainiac was sent into a coma by Lex in Superman 30B allowing what I hope it a smooth transition from the early stuff meant to introduce Milton Fine Brainiac to Brainiac's plot to take over Lexcorp, although as a side effect the arc does feel segmented in a 3-parter at the start, and the 4-parter at the end with the 3 between acting as an off connector. Not sure how to fix this problem, if possible, while still focusing on Brainiac. At least I think Superman 35 does make for a good midpoint of the arc leading naturally into the 4-parter as it was intended too. Skipping this arc probably isn't a good idea since the next 2 arcs have Milton Fine Brainiac and this is meant to establish him, even if it the weakest of the three arcs with this Brainiac. Reading it by itself would be fine if you just want a cool early post-crisis story of Superman battling a psychic and seeing what early Lex was like, though if you're going to do that, you may as well as read a larger section of this period so you get more of the distinct subplots going on.
Arc 4: Panic in the Sky Arc
1: Action Comics (1938) #674
2: Superman: The Man of Steel #9
3: Superman (1987) #65
4: Adventures of Superman #488
5: Action Comics (1938) #675
6: Superman: The Man of Steel #10
7: Superman (1987) #66
8: Adventures of Superman #489
"Panic in the Sky" was itself intended to be it's own internally self-contained arc so it was sort of a no-brainer. You don't technically need to read the prologue or the epilogue but there's no real reason not to. You can skip this arc if you really want, with the only thing being confusing skipping this arc being why Brainiac is captivity by the New Gods. Alternatively you can absolutely read this arc by itself, it's a good arc, if a bit dated, and made to be somewhat self-contained. If you're interested in Warworld (a planet that is also a superweapon), seeing Brainiac go up against (or just seeing in general) a lot of DC characters, or a relatively more tense serious story with the Milton Fine Brainiac, this would be a good choice.
Arc 5: Extended Identity Crisis Arc
1: Action Comics (1938) #705
2: Superman: The Man of Steel #40
3: Superman (1987) #96
4: Adventures of Superman #519
5: Adventures of Superman #536
6: Action Comics (1938) #723
7: Superman: The Man of Steel #58
8: Superman (1987) #58
Named after the 4-parter at the end of this Identity Crisis (not to be confused with the general DC event "Identity Crisis." I'm not sure if skipping Superman 96 would be confusing to a first time reader. Identity Crisis is a pretty well regarded Brainiac 4-parter and it felt a pretty natural move to link it to the prior 4 issues featuring Brainaic's escape from New God Prison and return to Earth. Skipping this arc probably isn't gonna be a problem. Brainaic's not going to be the Milton Fine Brainiac much longer and I don't think going from Superman 58 to Doomsday Wars is any more natural a progression then going from Panic in the Sky to Doomsday Wars. On the other hand, reading this by itself should also be fine. It opens with Brainiac escaping from New Genesis and if you can understand "dangerous super-criminal escapes super-jail" you probably can get what's going on. It's arguably a slightly more light-hearted arc after Panic in the Sky focusing on Brainiac messing with Superman via illusions and body-swapping shenanigans. Although light-hearted for Brainiac is still things like "tricking Superman into thinking he's killed people" and Identity Crisis still has an end of the world type plot going on as well.
Intermission: The Doomsday Wars
1: The Doomsday Wars #1
2: The Doomsday Wars #2
3: The Doomsday Wars #3
Wasn't sure how to use the Doomsday Wars. It's not a part of an arc, it's a 3-parter that is an important footnote in Brainiac's history, his transition from Milton Fine to his cybernetic body and indeed returning to his colder more rational personality. It's also well regarded as a good story. So I put it as a little special between arcs, the way a TV show might have a special. If you want put it somewhere I'd put it with the Extended Identity Crisis Arc, though it doesn't have the same tone. If you skip this you may be confused while Brainiac now is inside a robot body instead of Milton Fine's psychic body and why his powers are different and why he's acting differnet. You can read this one alone if you want, it's a pretty good story about what if Brainiac possessed Doomsday.
Arc 6: Brainiac 13 Arc
1: Superman Y2K
2: Superman (1987) #154
3: Adventures of Superman #576
4: Superman: The Man of Steel #98
5: Action Comics (1938) #763
6: Superman (1987) #171
7: Green Lantern: Our Worlds at War
8: Young Justice: Our Worlds at War
9: Superman (1987) #173
10: Superman: The Man of Steel #117
11: Action Comics (1938) #782
Hybridizing the two arcs with Brainiac 13. Our Worlds at War was another big crossover event that I didn't feel right just saying read all of it, though I think you can just read the parts with Brainiac, and though mildly confusing I think it mostly works. The Green Lantern tie in is pretty minor basically just foreshadowing that Brainaic had Warworld cloaked so he could absorb Imperiex. Young Justice tie-in features Brainaic much more promintely but it's also pretty confusing at the start without other Young Justice knowledge so I put them as not plot relevant. You can skip this if you want, it's not going to be really referenced later on. I would definitely not recommened reading this by itself, you will be very lost as to where Brainiac 2.5 came from, what he's doing, and what Lena-iac is.
Arc 7: True Brainiac Arc
1: Action Comics (1938) #866
2: Action Comics (1938) #867
3: Action Comics (1938) #868
4: Action Comics (1938) #869
5: Action Comics (1938) #870
6: Action Comics (1938) Annual #12
7: Adventure Comics (2009) #0
8: Superman: The Land Stand of New Krypton #1
9: Superman: The Land Stand of New Krypton #1
10: Superman: The Land Stand of New Krypton #1
This arc starts with the "Brainiac" story arc written in 2008 that is my favorite Brainiac arc of all time, and one of my favorite Superman arcs. I definitely think it's a must-read to get into Brainiac especially as it's apparently the first apperearence of the "real" Brainiac. Action Comics annual 12 I think is a really good follow-up and is just a good story, although technically filler. After that you have Brainiac's escape and team up with Lex in Adventure Comics 0, leading into the Last Stand of New Krypton which makes for a fitting conclusion for the Post-Crisis Brainiac. You can't skip this, it is arguably the most important arc to understanding Brainiac, especially as he is today. You absolutely can read it by itself however, as the first 5 issues was designed to reintroduce Brainiac and form a great story by themselves. Yet despite this, it also gets enhanced if you've read the prior material; it's great if you're reading it by itself or if you're reading it as the culmination of decades of Brainiac.
Arc 8: Collector of Worlds Arc
1: Action Comics (2011) #1
2: Action Comics (2011) #2
3: Action Comics (2011) #3
4: Action Comics (2011) #4
5: Action Comics (2011) #7
6: Action Comics (2011) #8
7: Superman (2011) #23.2
Early New 52 Superman comics were focused on reintroducing the new status quo and as such builds on itself a lot. Brainiac doesn't even appear in the first issue but it's neccesary to read it to get Issue 2 which is neccesary to understand issue 4 and so on. Anyway this features Superman's first interaction with a terminal of "the collector of worlds" finishing with Brainiac's new origin story.
Arc 9: Superdoom Arc
1: Superman (2011) Annual #2
2: Action Comics (2011) #33
3: Superman/Wonder Woman #10
4: Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1
5: Action Comics (2011) Annual #3
6: Action Comics (2011) #34
7: Superman/Wonder Woman #11
8: Supergirl (2011) #34
9: Superman: Doomed #2
10: Convergence #0
A bunch of the New 52 was leading up to the Superman: Doomed event, where Superman was infected by the Doomsday virus, becoming Superdoom and Brainiac invades the Earth. You're obviously free to read the events which has 4 parts, a prologue and an epilogue, however focusing on just where Brainiac is involved and adding in the foreshadowing Brainiac was involved in with the Annual brings it to a good size for an arc, gives time for the connected foreshadowing for Convergence, and it's still understandable. Skipping this is mostly fine but the problem is Convergence 0 is pretty big info for Brainiac and that flows from Superman: Doomed #2 so I would really recommened going through it, or at least reading Convergence #0. Reading this on it's own should be fine, as it's just a big event comic, although might not be as satisifying if one hasn't at lead Brainiac's origin and as no connection to the characters.
Arc 10: Convergence Arc
1: The New 52: Future's End #40
2: The New 52: Future's End #41
3: The New 52: Future's End #42
4: The New 52: Future's End #43
5: The New 52: Future's End #44
6: Convergence #1
7: Convergence #2
8: Convergence #3
9: Convergence #4
10: Convergence #5
11: Convergence #6
12: Convergence #7
13: Convergence #8
I internally debated whether to include the Future's End stuff with God Brainiac, and whether to include Future's End #25 where Cyber Angel tells us of what Brainiac is. That said I think it makes most sense this way, with Convergence 0 going from God Brainiac's first interaction with New 52 Superman and New 52 Superman being flung into deep space to God Brainiac appearing on Earth and New 52 Superman's return as well as using God Brainiac's battle and sealing going directly into Convergence where Telos is alone without his master to guide him. Skipping this arc would be pretty baffling since presumably the point of going through all this Brainiac information is to understand what's going on in Convergence. Reading this alone would also be meaningless as you wouldn't understand what's going on even moreso and it's expected you would have prior knowledge.
A Shorter Guide:
Let's say you just want to be able to read some good stories about Brainiac, rather then learning the overarching story of the character. 102 issues can still be a lot for some people so I've made a shorter version. This is assuming you either know at least a little bit about Brainiac or that you're pretty good at learning through context and so don't need any kind of introduction. What I would recommened then is:
Planet-Eater/Metamorphosis Saga:
Action Comics (1938) #514
Action Comics (1938) #528
Action Comics (1938) #529
Action Comics (1938) #530
Action Comics (1938) #544B
Action Comics (1938) #545
Action Comics (1938) #546
Identity Crisis Arc:
Adventures of Superman #536
Action Comics (1938) #723
Superman: The Man of Steel #58
Superman (1987) #58
The Doomsday Wars:
The Doomsday Wars #1
The Doomsday Wars #2
The Doomsday Wars #3
True Brainiac Arc:
Action Comics (1938) #866
Action Comics (1938) #867
Action Comics (1938) #868
Action Comics (1938) #869
Action Comics (1938) #870
That's 19 issues in total giving 4 stories all widely agreed to really good Brainiac stories from a variety of time periods and with some variance in plot structure and tone. If you just want to read a few good stories with Brainiac, this is what I would recommened.
If you are going to read just one I would highly suggest reading the True Brainiac Arc. It's 5 issues, and it's not only a great story in my opinion, but it's the standard for what Brainiac is and how he acts to date. It's completely accessible to a new reader while also providing jumping off points to read about other Brainiac stories. If you would prefer you can also watch the animated adaptation of this arc "Superman: Unbound" as it covers much of the same material and themes.
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