Cosmic Marvel · Broader events and universe landmarks
No. 155 — Longer term

War of Kings

Ed Brubaker · Chris Yost · Dan Abnett · Andy Lanning

Story era 09 · Invasion, Dark Reign, Siege

War of Kings brings the post-Conquest cosmic powers into conflict, intersecting with Nova and the Guardians.

0 of 1 book owned1,304 pages52 full issues

Setup & reading order

Required setup along this run

These earlier stories explain events this book builds on. Reading checkpoints show where to switch books during a crossover.

  1. After War of Kings finale

    The event omnibus already contains Guardians of the Galaxy #13–19 and Nova #23–28. Resume the creator collections at Guardians #20 and Nova #29 to avoid rereading those chapters.

Optional context & path

Path: Marvel Cosmic by Abnett & Lanning. Related projects that read well in this order; the order is a suggestion, not a requirement.

Useful background and earlier stops: Annihilation: Conquest · Guardians of the Galaxy by Abnett & Lanning.

Only required setup and earlier volumes in the same project affect the queue. Everything here is optional.

About these books · 4 sources

Publisher and reference pages describe the editions. Reviews and reader discussions offer different views of the stories.

The books

UnownedWar of Kings OmnibusEd Brubaker · Chris Yost · Dan Abnett · Andy Lanning1,304 pp

War of Kings Omnibus

Omnibus hardcover · 1,304 pages · Unowned

Book 1 of 1 · Invasion, Dark Reign, Siege

The X-Men’s Shi’ar reckoning opens the book, which then detonates into full war between the Inhumans and the Shi’ar Empire.

Required setup

Annihilation OmnibusUnowned

Annihilation: Conquest OmnibusUnowned

Guardians of the Galaxy by Abnett & Lanning OmnibusUnowned

See reading checkpoints
Released 11 Apr 2023 · 1,304 pages · David Yardin cover9781302945671Planned edition
Uncanny X-Men (1981)#475–486
X-Men: Emperor Vulcan (2007)#1–5
Secret Invasion: War of Kings (2009)#1
X-Men: Kingbreaker (2008)#1–4
War of Kings: Darkhawk (2009)#1–2
War of Kings: Warriors (2009)#1–2
War of Kings (2009)#1–6
War of Kings: Ascension (2009)#1–4
War of Kings: Savage World of Skaar (2009)#1
Nova (2007)#23–28
Guardians of the Galaxy (2008)#13–19
War of Kings: Who Will Rule? (2009)#1
Marvel Spotlight: War of Kings (2009)#1
X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008) (partial — relevant material)#2
Earth-616 Primary

Guardians of the Galaxy #13–19 and Nova #23–28 repeat in their solo collections; read those chapters here once if following the event across teams. X-Men: Divided We Stand #2 contributes only an excerpt, not its unrelated anthology stories.

Edition sources

Each ISBN identifies a specific printing and cover. “Owned copy” identifies the edition on my shelf; “Planned edition” identifies the edition listed for collecting.

Duplication across this project

These books share full issues or parts of issues with other books in the plan. Open the lists below to see which stories repeat.

7 shared full issues — War of Kings Omnibus ↔ Guardians of the Galaxy by Abnett & Lanning OmnibusThese books share full issues; the list identifies the repeated stories.
Show exact issuesGuardians of the Galaxy (2008) #13Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #14Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #15Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #16Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #17Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #18Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #19

Connected stories

The next cosmic event War of Kings follows the post-Conquest Nova and Guardians status quo.

Connected project: Annihilation: Conquest