Grimm Fairy Tales reading order, part one
I've talked about a lot of Grimm Fairy Tales, so I wanted to put the reading list together properly. This covers everything I can identify in my collection from Sela Anthology Foundation through Arcane Acre and Apocalypse, including the Wonderland books, the other series, the annuals, and the specials.
I've grouped consecutive issues together. The main order follows my numbered folders. The companion books are listed with their eras, because the folders don't give every special an exact place between two main-series issues. Collected editions are alternatives to the same issues, not another set of stories you have to read twice.
01. Sela Anthology Foundation
Main reading order
1. Grimm Fairy Tales #1–20.
Also included in this era
2. Grimm Fairy Tales Annual 2007, also labeled #18b in my collection.
3. Grimm Fairy Tales collected Volumes 1–2. Keep their bonus material when reading the collections.
02. Wonderland Begins
Main reading order
1. Return to Wonderland #0–6.
2. Tales from Wonderland: Queen of Hearts.
3. Tales from Wonderland: Alice.
4. Tales from Wonderland: The Mad Hatter.
5. Beyond Wonderland #0–6.
6. Tales from Wonderland: The Cheshire Cat.
7. Tales from Wonderland: The Red Queen.
8. Tales from Wonderland: Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
9. Tales from Wonderland: Mad Hatter II.
10. Escape from Wonderland #0–6.
11. Escape from Wonderland Script Book, for anyone who wants the script material too.
12. Tales from Wonderland: The White Knight.
13. Tales from Wonderland: The Red Rose.
14. Tales from Wonderland: Queen of Hearts vs. the Mad Hatter.
15. Grimm Fairy Tales #21–43.
Annuals and collected stories
16. Wonderland Annual 2009.
17. Wonderland Annual 2010.
18. Wonderland: House of Liddle.
19. Wonderland Annual 2011.
20. Tales from Wonderland Volumes 1–3, as the collected alternative to the Tales stories listed above.
03. Expanding Realms
Main reading order
1. 1001 Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad #0–13.
2. Grimm Fairy Tales #44–59.
3. Salem's Daughter #0–5.
4. Salem's Daughter: The Haunting #1–5.
Other stories and collections in this section
5. Neverland #0–7.
6. Neverland Bonus and Neverland Introduction, retained separately in my collection.
7. Different Seasons Volumes 1–3.
8. Neverland: Hook #1–5.
9. Tales from Neverland #1–3, also available as a collection.
10. The Library #1–5.
11. The Piper #1–4.
12. Inferno #1–5.
13. Myths & Legends #1–25, or its collected Volumes 1–5. This series crosses into the following eras; #6–7 belong to Dream Eater, so don't read all 25 straight through before that event if you're following the crossover sequence.
14. Sinbad: The Eyes of Fire and City of the Dead, the collected Sinbad books.
15. Grimm Fairy Tales collected Volumes 3–10, plus the separately saved Volume 4 Bonus, Volume 4 Introduction, and Volume 5 Bonus. The collection also has a later printing of Volume 1.
16. Salem's Daughter Volumes 1–2, the collected alternative to the two Salem's Daughter series above.
Annuals, holiday issues, and specials
17. Grimm Fairy Tales Annual 2008.
18. April Fools' #1 (2009).
19. April Fools' #2 (2010).
20. April Fools' #3 (2012).
21. Holiday Edition #1 (2009).
22. Halloween Special 2009.
23. Giant-Size 2009, also labeled #32a in the collection.
24. Holiday Edition #2 (2010).
25. Halloween Special 2010.
26. Las Vegas Annual 2010.
27. Holiday Edition #3 (2011).
28. Annual 2011.
29. Halloween Special 2011.
30. Special Edition 2011.
31. Giant-Size 2011.
32. Swimsuit Edition 2010, for the extras side of the collection.
This folder also contains Age of Darkness one-shots and Inferno: Resurrection. Those are included below with the later stories instead of making you jump ahead here.
04. The Dream Eater Saga
The event is collected in The Dream Eater Saga Volumes 1–2. Read both volumes for the full event, not just the opening issues saved separately in the main folder.
The separate files in my numbered order are:
1. The Dream Eater Saga #0.
2. The Dream Eater Saga #1.
3. The Dream Eater Saga #2: The Piper.
4. The Dream Eater Saga Part 3: Myths & Legends #6.
5. Grimm Fairy Tales #60–66.
For the actual crossover, Grimm Fairy Tales #60–62 lead into it; #63–64 are crossover chapters, and #65–66 follow it. Myths & Legends #7 is another crossover chapter. The collected Dream Eater volumes are the simpler way to keep the event together without missing its Wonderland, Neverland, Salem's Daughter, Sinbad, and Inferno chapters.
Different Seasons Volumes 1–3 and House of Liddle are also stored in this era, but they're the same collected titles already included above.
05. Robyn Hood, Oz, Godstorm, and Realm Expansion
Main reading order
1. Grimm Universe #1–5.
2. The Jungle Book #1–5.
3. Grimm Fairy Tales #67–84.
My collection also stores Unleashed Volumes 1–2 and copies of Demons, Hunters, Werewolves, and Vampires here. Those are accounted for in the Unleashed section below.
Other series and one-shots
4. Angel one-shot.
5. Godstorm #0–4.
6. Alice in Wonderland.
7. Bad Girls #1–5.
8. Call of Wonderland, including the separately stored #1 and the collected book.
9. Robyn Hood #1–5.
10. Robyn Hood vs. Red Riding Hood.
11. Madness of Wonderland.
12. No Tomorrow.
13. Oz.
14. Robyn Hood: Wanted.
15. The Jungle Book: Last of the Species.
16. Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole.
17. Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass #1–5.
18. Wonderland collected Volumes 1–3. The ongoing single issues continue in the next sections.
19. Grimm Fairy Tales Animated One-Shot.
20. Sleepy Hollow.
21. Grimm Fairy Tales collected Volumes 11–14, as alternatives to the corresponding main-series material.
Annuals and specials
22. Holiday Edition #4 (2012).
23. Wonderland Annual 2012.
24. Grimm Fairy Tales Annual 2012.
25. Halloween Special 2012.
26. Giant-Size 2012.
27. Holiday Edition #5 (2013).
28. Valentine's Day Special 2013.
29. Annual 2013.
30. Halloween Special 2013.
31. Wounded Warriors Special 2013.
32. St. Patrick's Day Special 2013.
Art and other extras
33. Oversized Cosplay Special 2012.
34. Swimsuit Special 2012.
35. Grimm Fairy Tales Art Books Volumes 1–2.
06. Unleashed
The numbered main folder runs:
1. Unleashed #0–1.
2. Demons: The Unseen #1–3.
3. Hunters: The Shadowlands #1–3.
4. Grimm Fairy Tales #85.
5. Hunters: The Shadowlands #4–5.
6. Vampires: The Eternal #1–3.
7. Werewolves: The Hunger #1–3.
8. Zombies: The Cursed #1–3.
9. Wonderland #1–10.
The rest of the central event is spread across other titles. Keep the 2013 Annual, Grimm Universe #5, the 2013 Special Edition: Night Falls, and Giant-Size 2013 with Unleashed. The last two are marked Parts 5 and 6 in my collection.
Collected alternatives
10. Unleashed Volumes 1–2.
11. Hunters: The Shadowlands.
12. Vampires & Werewolves.
13. Zombies & Demons.
Those collections overlap the single issues above. They're another way to read them, not extra chapters to repeat.
07. Age of Darkness and Realm War
Main reading order
1. Grimm Fairy Tales #86–98.
2. Grimm Fairy Tales #0: FCBD Special Edition (2014).
3. Grimm Fairy Tales #99–100.
4. Dark Shaman #1–4.
5. Masumi #1–4.
6. Oz: Reign of the Witch Queen #1–6.
7. The Jungle Book: Fall of the Wild #1–5.
8. Warlord of Oz #1–6.
9. Wonderland #11–25.
10. Robyn Hood: Legend #1–5.
One correction to the folder sequence: the Oz trilogy itself is Oz, Warlord of Oz, then Reign of the Witch Queen. My folder has the last two the other way around.
Story specials and connected series
11. Code Red #1–5.
12. Quest #1–5.
13. Realm Knights one-shot.
14. Realm Knights #1–4.
15. Age of Darkness collected Volumes 1–5.
16. Godstorm: Age of Darkness.
17. Inferno: Age of Darkness.
18. Oz: Age of Darkness.
19. Realm Knights: Age of Darkness.
20. Robyn Hood: Age of Darkness.
21. The Dark One: Age of Darkness.
22. Wonderland: Age of Darkness.
23. Ascension #1–5.
24. Cinderella: Age of Darkness #1–3.
25. The Dark Queen.
26. Neverland: Age of Darkness.
27. Realm War #1–12. The saved Realm War Volume 1 is a collected alternative, not another event.
28. White Queen #1–3.
29. Wonderland: Clash of Queens #1–5.
30. Realm Knights Annual 2015.
31. Realm Knights Giant-Size 2015.
The collection contains singles and collected editions of Code Red, Quest, Ascension, Dark Shaman, Masumi, Robyn Hood: Legend, the Oz books, and Fall of the Wild. Read either version of each story; you don't need both.
08. Arcane Acre and Apocalypse
Main reading material
1. Grimm Tales of Terror, Volume 1, #1–13.
2. Grimm Tales of Terror, Volume 2, #1–13. The #13 file is stored before the #1–12 run in my folder, so read it at the end of its volume.
3. Hellchild #1–5.
4. Red Agent #1–5.
5. Grimm Fairy Tales #101–125.
6. Wonderland #26–50.
7. Wonderland Finale.
8. Snow White vs. Snow White #1–2.
9. The Jungle Book Holiday Special 2016.
10. Coven #1–5.
For Arcane Acre in collected form, Volume 1 is #101–106, Volume 2 is #107–112, Volume 3 is #113–118, and Volume 4 is #119–125.
Connected stories, specials, and collections
11. Helsing: The Darkness and the Light.
12. Robyn Hood: Riot Girls.
13. Robyn Hood: Monsters in the Dark.
14. Robyn Hood: Attitude Adjustment.
15. Robyn Hood: Uprising.
16. Tales from Oz Volumes 1–2.
17. Wonderland: Asylum.
18. Grimm Fairy Tales vs. Wonderland #1–4.
19. The Little Mermaid.
20. Van Helsing vs. Dracula.
21. Goddess Inc. #1–5.
22. Godstorm: Hercules Payne #1–5.
23. Inferno: Resurrection #1–5, stored in the earlier Expanding Realms folder but belonging to this later material.
24. 10th Anniversary Special: Alice in Wonderland.
25. 10th Anniversary Special: Cinderella.
26. 10th Anniversary Special: Death.
27. 10th Anniversary Special: Red Riding Hood.
28. 10th Anniversary Special: Snow White.
29. 10th Anniversary Special: Van Helsing.
30. Genesis: Heroes Reborn.
31. Genesis: Heroes Rising.
32. Apocalypse #1–5, which are stored in the collected-editions folder.
Annuals and additional material
33. Annual 2014.
34. Halloween Special 2014.
35. Holiday Edition 2014.
36. Giant-Size 2014.
37. Robyn Hood Annual 2016.
38. Halloween Special 2015.
39. Robyn Hood Holiday Special 2015.
40. The 2015 FCBD item. Its saved title is cut off, but the internal pages identify it as FCBD2015-Grimm.
41. Swimsuit Special 2014.
42. Photoshoot Edition 2016.
43. Grimm Fairy Tales Adult Coloring Book (2015), for the extras rather than the story order.
Later stories stored inside these folders
These are also in the folders I checked, so I'm accounting for them here. They are later continuations rather than part of the original Arcane Acre sequence.
1. Hellchild: The Unholy #1–5, after Hellchild.
2. Hellchild: Inferno, then Hellchild: Blood Money #1–4.
3. Red Agent: The Human Order #1–9, after Red Agent.
4. Red Agent: Island of Dr. Moreau #1–5.
5. Red Agent: Beast of Belgium.
6. Red Agent: Friendly Fire.
7. Dance of the Dead #1–6.
8. Day of the Dead.
9. Grimm Fairy Tales: Tarot.
10. Robyn Hood: Tarot.
11. Robyn Hood: I Love NY.
12. Van Helsing vs. Frankenstein.
13. Van Helsing vs. Dracula's Daughter.
14. Van Helsing vs. Robyn Hood.
15. Van Helsing vs. the Werewolf.
16. Van Helsing vs. the Mummy of Amun-Ra.
17. Robyn Hood: The Hunt.
18. Robyn Hood: The Curse.
19. Grimm Spotlight: Cinderella vs. Zombies.
20. Cinderella Annual: Bloody X-Mas.
21. Grimm Fairy Tales Armed Forces Edition 2019.
The collection also includes the Return to Wonderland, Beyond Wonderland, and Escape from Wonderland cover galleries and individual variant-cover files. Those are artwork extras, not additional story chapters.
Grimm Fairy Tales reading order, part one
· Comics/Grimm Universe