The hood comic recommendations!
The hood is one of my favorite marvel villains ever, and I’m excited to see him in rivals. He’s not as well known, but has great stories that I want to share with all of you!
Before we begin, I have two caveats. The first is that this is not a reading order. A proper reading order can be found here: https://marvelcrossovers.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-hood-reading-order-parker-robins.html](https://marvelcrossovers.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-hood-reading-order-parker-robins.html) which is thorough enough to around 2022. I’ll get into comics released after, don’t worry.
The second caveat is that these recommendations are for 616 only aka the main marvel universe. For marvel rivals hood, he has a comic arc starring him in marvel rivals from 43-49. It’ll also eventually be published in physical form in August.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it!
Humble Beginnings
The hood vol 1: blood from stones. Not many villains can say they had their debut in a comic that centers them! It’s marvel max mini and I like it a lot to show the kind of person Parker was before he became an all powerful dark magic gangster. He had to learn what he could and keep his family above water. I like this mini because it shows something that goes unsaid: what seperates Parker from every other crook and low level mook that friendly street level heroes fight? Nothing. It’s that we got to spend time in his head, and what happens when he gets a taste of true power.
New avengers: the trust. 33-37, avengers annual 2: I’ll especially highlight new avengers 35, but the entire arc of “the trust” is a good introduction to see how Parker takes over a new niche of a supervillain syndicate after the first marvel civil war.
Secret invasion: dark reign. This is mostly set up for the stuff he’s in the big leagues quote unquote.
Dark reign:
this is a lot of sprawling events and if you want every appearence during this time check the guide I linked. my highlights are:
Punisher 2009 2-6, 8, 10. Punisher versus hood. Enough said.
Dark reign: the cabal: story “family trust” a short mini story that leads into his second solo.
Dark reign: the hood. A great mini that picks up a lot of the stuff left off from his first volume. Now he has to balance his time as a supervillain crime boss and keeping his wife out of the know. There’s also a hero of his own creation gunning to avenge what she lost, and the hood’s “host” grows more demanding. I’m keeping it brief, but this is good stuff. Definitely in my top 5.
New avengers: 50-54: dormammu wants the eye of agamatto. But since dr strange is no longer sorcerer supreme… how will he get it? Aka, this story arc is about Parker having a really no good terrible time! This arc is great for hood x Madame masque as well. (Another note about new avengers is he tends to show up a lot right up to the finale; I just wanna highlight this arc in particular. This happens around the same time as dark reign: the hood)
Siege happens here. Check the guide.
New avengers finale & The initiative: 35. Parker’s luck finally runs out as he’s arrested at the tail end of dark reign and gets his identity revealed to his wife and child. Perfect send off for his rivalry with Tigra.
The Hood: Has Been?
Not quite! He may not have the prestige he did before, I still think he’s got plenty interesting stories to offer:
Avengers academy 8 and avengers (2011) 7-12: aka “Infinity quest.” An underrated gem. He gets the shit kicked out of him by the avengers academy kids and it leads into him trying to get his mojo back. Parker becomes the first human to collect the most infinity gems.
The illuminati 2017. He makes a new criminal syndicate! Kinda. It’s much smaller scale. This book leans more on the comedy side of things as Parker tries his best to reclaim power and it never quite works out for him. Mostly self contained.
Hawkeye: freefall. Back into crime boss territory, albeit at a smaller scale. He isn’t really a protagonist but his dynamic with Clint is fun.
Ghost rider annual 2023: not required but a fun one off that leads into…
Ghost rider: final vengeance: Genuinely? If you read nothing else in this category, read this. It’s the best modern Parker writing since dark reign. Parker becomes a ghost rider to take power in Chicago, and try and get his family back. Can he handle making a deal with the devil? Read and find out!
That’s my recommendations! There are plenty of comics I’ve left out, so if you’re ever confused or want to make recs of your own feel free to comment! I had a ton of fun putting this together. Enjoy reading!