In 2005, Marvel Comics published House of M. The ‘event’ series was written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, and featured multiple heroes from across the Marvel Universe in an alternate reality story.

In House of M, the Marvel Universe is dramatically altered after the Scarlet Witch suffers a mental breakdown and makes changes to the world around her. In this new reality, iconic characters (Spider-Man, Captain Marvel etc) are given new lives, while Magneto and his family become rulers of the world’s mutant population.

Released to critical acclaim, House of M quickly became a popular series, and across eight issues and multiple tie-in comics, it presented an intriguing tale with Scarlet Witch at the centre. House of M also helped to set in motion future Marvel tales (Decimation, Secret Invasion, Young Avengers etc), and it provided inspiration for the live-action TV series, WandaVision.

If you didn’t read House of M when it was originally published, fear not, you have plenty of time to catch up. Marvel has republished the story across a series of trade paperbacks, so that both old and new readers can dive right in.

But where do you start? With this post, of course!

Below I am running through a list of the books you should check out, if you wish to read House of M. The list(s) include the core story, as well as some additional material to enhance your reading experience.

Speaking of which…

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Avengers Disassembled

Image: ©Marvel Comics

If you plan to read House of M, then I implore you to begin your journey with Avengers Disassembled. This event, which preceded House Of M, helps to build up to the main event, with an imaginative Avengers tale that is a MUST READ – and very important for understanding the Scarlet Witch’s mental state prior to House of M.

The main action takes place in Avengers Disassembled (Avengers #500 – #503 + Avengers Finale), which has been collected together as a trade paperback. In addition, the Avengers Disassembled story also includes some tie-in comics (detailed below), which are optional reads.

The books to seek out are as follows:

  • Avengers Disassembled – Avengers #500 – #503 and Avengers Finale
  • Avengers: Disassembled: Thor – Thor #80 – #85
  • Avengers: Disassembled: Iron Man – Iron Man #84 – #89
  • Avengers: Disassembled: Captain America – Captain America #29 – #32 and Captain America and the Falcon #5 – #7

OK, now onto House of M…

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House of M

Image: ©Marvel Comics

The core story to read is House of M, which takes place across eight issues (House of M #1 – #8). However, in addition to the main storyline, House of M is accompanied by a series of tie-in books (including a prelude) which enhance the tale and offer further insights into characters and situations from the House of M reality.

If you wish to immerse yourself in the full experience, then follow the list of books below. I’ve placed House of M Prelude: Excalibur at the top of the list, as it leads into House of M. The tie-in books take place during the events of House of M, so can be read as you see fit.

  • House of M Prelude: Excalibur – Excalibur #11 – #14
  • House of M – House of M #1 – #8
  • House of M: Fantastic Four / Iron Man – House of M: Fantastic Four #1 – #3 and House of M: Iron Man #1 – #3
  • House of M: The Incredible Hulk – Hulk #83 – #87
  • House of M: Uncanny X-Men – Uncanny X-Men #462 – #465
  • House of M: Mutopia – Mutopia X #1 – #5
  • House of M: New X-Men – New X-Men #16 – #19 and Secrets of House of M
  • House of M: Spider-Man – Spider-Man House of M #1 – #5
  • House of M: World of M Featuring Wolverine – Wolverine #33 – #35, Black Panther #7, Captain America #10 and Pulse #10
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Return to House of M

Image: ©Marvel Comics

In addition to the original run of House of M comics, Marvel has revisited House of M on a number of occasions for additional stories set in this altered reality. The additional House of M books include:

  • House of M: Avengers – House of M: Avengers #1 – #5
  • House of M: Civil War – Civil War: House of M #1 – #5
  • House of M: Masters of Evil – House of M: Masters of Evil #1 – #4
  • House of M: Warzones – House of M #1 – #4 and House of M #1

You don’t have to read all of the books featured in this post to understand House of M. The titles listed above help to explain the full and rich world that Marvel created.

If you are pushed for time, and simply want the key stories from this list, then I highly recommend you read Avengers Disassembled and House of M. These two stories are milestone events in the Marvel Universe and are also great reads!

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Marvel’s House of M – I hope the information proves useful. For more Marvel-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

Read more:

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