With the release of the highly anticipated second season of X-Men ’97, as well as the mutants’ big screen return in Avengers: Doomsday, many people will be looking to jump into the X-Men comics, but may not know where exactly to start…and considering these characters have been around for over 60 years, I don’t blame you.
That’s why we have gone out of our way to give you five essential X-Men comic books (and maybe a few extras) to read ahead of these big releases. Whether you’re thinking of starting at the beginning, looking for a strategic jumping-on point, or trying to find some good standalone stories, this list has you covered.
X-Men (1991)
Written by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee, Artwork by Jim Lee
Chris Claremont and Jim Lee’s 1991 revamp of the X-Men comics is what many consider the definitive take on the mutant team. Opening with the now classic Mutant Genesis storyline and pretty much heading up from there, this era defined the look that these characters would become synonymous with, even going as far as to heavily inspire the designs used in X-Men: The Animated Series one year later. If you’re a fan of that ’90s animated show and X-Men ’97, then this comic is an ideal one to go for.
This series, which went on to break all sorts of records, becoming one of Marvel’s biggest-selling comics at the time, led a resurgence in the X-Men brand that took the ’90s by storm, which was also greatly helped by the success of the animated series.
Though this run doesn’t start from the very beginning, it concisely runs through all of the key lore that took place in the comics during the ’80s and hits the ground running from there, throwing readers into an epic story that sees the X-Men facing off against Magneto once again. The latter end of the ’90s for X-Men comics often gets a bad reputation, but there is no denying that the way it was brought back to life by Lee and Claremont at the start of the decade was impactful and needed at that point.
X-Men is available digitally via Comixology UK.
New X-Men (2001-2004)
Written by Grant Morrison, Artwork by Frank Quitely
Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men is essential reading for newer readers, as it laid the groundwork that modern X-Men media and comics would build upon. From including the likes of Emma Frost as a core team member to the introduction of iconic villains such as Cassandra Nova, Morrison’s turn as writer for this series established the foundation that X-Men comics still work from to this day, both narratively and thematically.
One of the many reasons New X-Men works so well as a starting point is that it perfectly strips things back to basics, offering refreshing takes on ideas and storylines that had been done to death and repeated continuously in previous runs. X-Men comics had also gotten extremely convoluted by this point, allowing New X-Men and Mark Millar’s Ultimate X-Men to swoop in and start from scratch. Morrison very much retains the essence of the classic era X-Men with an updated look and feel, while Ultimate X-Men took on an edgier persona that could be hit or miss for some people.
New X-Men, specifically the opening storyline E for Extinction, is so influential in fact, that some of the most pivotal scenes from season 1 of X-Men ’97, such as the Sentinel attack on Genosha, are directly adapted from Morrison’s run in this series.
New X-Men is available digitally via Comixology UK.
Giant-Size X-Men (1975)
Written by Len Wein, Artwork by Dave Cockrum
If you’re looking to get into the classic era of X-Men, your best option is to go with Giant-Size X-Men, the 1975 relaunch that followed the slightly underwhelming original run by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This very much is the reboot that established the X-Men status quo as we know it today, with a core line-up that saw the debut of fan favourites such as Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus.
This fresh restart for the X-Men set up an era that would go on to feature some of the most timeless stories in Marvel’s history, including The Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past and Inferno, all of which were courtesy of Chris Claremont. This era also resulted in a more diverse team beyond the group of white Americans that were present during its origins. Adding characters such as Sunfire, Thunderbird and Storm to the mix was a bold move for the time that certainly paid off for the future of the X-Men in many ways.
Giant-Size X-Men is also noteworthy for kick-starting the Bronze Age of comic books, an era in comic history where superheroes stayed as the main focus, but the storylines they were involved in grew darker, allowing relevant social issues to become more prevalent.
Giant-Size X-Men is available digitally via Comixology UK.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982)
Written by Chris Claremont, Artwork by Brent Eric Anderson
If you’re looking for a simple, one-and-done read that exemplifies everything we’ve come to expect from an X-Men story, then God Loves, Man Kills is the perfect book for you. There are plenty of great standalone X-Men stories, such as Days of Future Past or Age of Apocalypse, but what makes God Loves, Man Kills such an essential read is that this story marks one of the first major instances of mutants being viewed as a persecuted group within society on a mass scale.
These themes of antisemitism and racial discrimination have been prevalent in X-Men comics from the beginning, but God Loves, Man Kills really pushed them to the forefront, using the scenario at hand to analyse and scrutinise these real-world issues head-on in a manner that would greatly shape X-Men stories moving forward.
This story is one that most X-Men fans would recommend, and for good reason. It’s a great one to go into with no prior context, as it is, supposedly, detached from the main Marvel continuity from that period. Claremont’s work here is bold and vital to the X-Men identity, whilst approaching important topics that still remain relevant today. God Loves, Man Kills is so impactful that it would later go on to be partially adapted for the plot of X-Men 2.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills is available digitally via Comixology UK.
Ultimate X-Men (2001-2009)
Written by Mark Millar, Artwork by Adam Kubert
Though this may be a controversial pick to some, Ultimate X-Men still functions as a great starting point if you’re looking for a slightly alternate take on the team. For fans of the early, live-action X-Men movies, you’ll feel right at home with this series, as Adam Kubert borrows many visual and stylistic elements from that first movie, all whilst carving his own personality in the process through the artwork.
At times, the writing can be a bit too edgy for its own good, leading to some stories towards the back end of its life, greatly affecting the reputation of the series in the long run. However, the first half contains some truly brilliant stories, such as The Tomorrow People, Return to Weapon X and World Tour, introducing fresh takes on classic characters and arcs that worked for the time it was released and still feel distinct to this day.
Speaking personally for a second, this series was not just the first X-Men comic I read, but was one of the first ever comics I picked up as a kid at all. This series, along with Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man, was mine and a lot of people’s gateway into comics during the 2000s, which shows just how important they are to many readers of a certain age, but the fact that these titles hold up over 20 years later proves that they have staying power. If this series is what got me into X-Men in the first place, then it may do the same for you as well.
Ultimate X-Men is available digitally via Comixology UK.
Honourable Mentions
X-Men: First Class (2006-2007) – Written by Jeff Parker, Artwork by Roger Cruz. This comic is available digitally via Comixology UK.
Age of Apocalypse (1995) – Written by various, Artwork by various. This comic is available digitally via Comixology UK.
Days of Future Past (1981) – Written by Chris Claremont & John Byrne, Artwork by John Byrne. This comic is available digitally via Comixology UK.
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted (2004-2013) – Written by Joss Whedon, Artwork by John Cassaday. This comic is available digitally via Comixology UK.
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