X-Men: Where to start?

[cylonpete]

I hope there isn't any thread like this and look like a complete idiot, who can't even use the search function correctly, but...

I need your advice. I read the first two trades of "Astonishing X-Men", mainly because I'm a Joss Whedon fan, but I really liked the characters. I picked up the first two parts of the "Messiah Complex" and really dug that too. But I have the feeling I only get the half out of the characters and the stories.
So I'd like you to point me in a good direction, what X-Men story should I read to comprehend it better, what is considered absolutely necessary?

I hope something comes up...

[sullivan85]

Phoenix Saga is required reading I think.

[davegraham]

My favorite X-Men story is Age of Apocalypse. Each of the X-Books (there were like eight of them at the time) told the story of what if Professor X had be killed before he got the chance to form the X-Men. So, yeah. It isn't exactly in continuity. However it isn't completely out of continuity either. Characters from the mini-series transfered over to Marvel's regular continuity when the universe imploded at the end (not really spoiler, because the status quo had to be reset somehow). Each X-Book told a different chapter of the effed up world where Prof. X was dead and Apocalypse ruled North America. Some of the good guys were bad and some of the bad guys were good. Generally, it is a very satisfying read.

[esophagus]

It's sequel, Age of Parapalegics, was pretty good too. It was a little dense, though, at at 10 volumes long, collecting all of the issues where Proffesor X got the use of his legs back. :rolleyes:

[baldmonkey]

If you are new to the X-men, dont read Age of Apocalypse. At least not yet. How much fun is a "What if" story if you dont know the original story.

If you want to pick up some new books that gives you X-men history, get X-men First Class.

[esophagus]

If you are new to the X-men, dont read Age of Apocalypse. At least not yet. How much fun is a "What if" story if you dont know the original story.

If you want to pick up some new books that gives you X-men history, get X-men First Class.Oooh. Good choice. It's a very good retelling of the X-Men origins. It's a realyl fun story. There's a hard cover out of the first bit of the series. iFanboy mentioned it on a recent video show, I do believe.

[bogotoko]

I hope there isn't any thread like this and look like a complete idiot, who can't even use the search function correctly, but...

I need your advice. I read the first two trades of "Astonishing X-Men", mainly because I'm a Joss Whedon fan, but I really liked the characters. I picked up the first two parts of the "Messiah Complex" and really dug that too. But I have the feeling I only get the half out of the characters and the stories.
So I'd like you to point me in a good direction, what X-Men story should I read to comprehend it better, what is considered absolutely necessary?

I hope something comes up...

I'm glad someone brought this up.... I've been thinking about this since the beginning of Messiah Complex.

Any great X-Men TPB's storylines when Jim Lee was the artist? Wasn't Apocalypse drawn by Lee?

Let the recommendations flow so I can start putting together my graphic novel list for December!

[xyzzy]

The foundation of Astonishing X-Men is Claremont's original run (I think this is traded in the Essential X-Men series) and Morrison's run on New X-Men - Available in trades or as an omnibus.

[jo-relrollins]

jim lee's initial run is good, its when they switched the names of the books and did the first of many relaunches. Magneto's on the moon and you pretty much get the cast that you would know if you watched the 90s cartoon, its a good starting point in my opinion. Also alot of Claremont's run is in trade form. I actually started with Lee's run, reading about Jubilee, Psylocke's realization that shes now a british asian woman, and the whole Acolyte and asteriod M thing. I think its a good starting point.

[jo11ypenguin]

So my question is: If I am familiar with most X characters, and go completely retarded for "alternate reality" stories is Age of Apocalypse for me? cause thats like 100 bucks...

[esophagus]

So my question is: If I am familiar with most X characters, and go completely retarded for "alternate reality" stories is Age of Apocalypse for me? cause thats like 100 bucks...First) Yes. Yes it is for you.

Second) They sell it in smaller volumes, to avoid the huge price.

[cormano]

If you are new to the X-men, dont read Age of Apocalypse. At least not yet. How much fun is a "What if" story if you dont know the original story.


Totally Agree. As far as picking up current X-Men… I started with the Messiah Complex one shot from two weeks ago and had no problem catching up.

For classic X-Men… I'd say just pick up the Essential X-Men (NOT Essential Classic X-Men) trades and read through as much of the first Claremont run as you want.

[cormano]

Also, I've read 3 of 4 "Complete Age of Apocalypse" books and my opinion on them is that they are awesome simply for doing something so huge and different and creating some really interesting alternate versions of so many characters BUT… I think they spent all the time setting all of that up and didn't really have time to tell any great stories with the characters. Any story within the whole "epic" is pretty much forgettable, but it's tons of fun if you know the regular versions of the characters to see how different they would be in a different situation.

[kahunablair]

So my question is: If I am familiar with most X characters, and go completely retarded for "alternate reality" stories is Age of Apocalypse for me? cause thats like 100 bucks...
Check out some used book sites.
Age of Apocalypse was made for people like you (me too). It was an epic What if?.

[cylonpete]

For classic X-Men… I'd say just pick up the Essential X-Men (NOT Essential Classic X-Men) trades and read through as much of the first Claremont run as you want.

I guess I'll do that, sound pretty reasonable to me. Thank you all for the recommendations and keep 'em flowing...

[nicknack18]

For classic X-Men? I'd say just pick up the Essential X-Men (NOT Essential Classic X-Men) trades and read through as much of the first Claremont run as you want.


the thing you have to remember is that the Essential X-men is in Black and white and was originally printed in color. Over all i would suggest getting old issues of the Classic X-men since they are both cheap and give you a great understanding of the charecters.

[mikegraham6]

If you are new to the X-men, dont read Age of Apocalypse. At least not yet. How much fun is a "What if" story if you dont know the original story.

If you want to pick up some new books that gives you X-men history, get X-men First Class.

i agree with this, half of the fun of reading AoA is spotting the numerous X-Cameos. Get to know the universe first then you'll have more fun reading that series.

dark phoenix is definitely the way to go, but just to throw out something different look up some other classic X-Men crossovers like X-Tinction Agenda, Inferno or X-Cutioner's Song

[s1lentslayer]

As someone who has read no X-Men yet, should I start with the Ultimate X-Men trade?

[davegraham]

So my question is: If I am familiar with most X characters, and go completely retarded for "alternate reality" stories is Age of Apocalypse for me? cause thats like 100 bucks...

I would say it is definitely for you. All you need is an understanding of who the different X-Characters are and thanks to wikipedia that much is attainable without having to read a bunch of trades. I don't know if I would spend $100 on it though. Check eBay you might be able to get it cheaper.

[diabhol]

So I'd like you to point me in a good direction, what X-Men story should I read to comprehend it better, what is considered absolutely necessary?

I hope something comes up...

Convince someone (or a group of someone's to pool their money) to get you the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus for Xmas?

Or, you can download the Chronological X-Men torrent. :) It's a lot of reading, but I swear, you won't miss a beat!

[cylonpete]

Convince someone (or a group of someone's to pool their money) to get you the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus for Xmas?

Yeah, I guess that'd be the way to go, if my folks could come up with the money, unfortunately that's not the case. All the people who are willing to give me something to christmas, which aren't that much actually, are not willing to spend that much money...Poor me...:rolleyes:

[esophagus]

As someone who has read no X-Men yet, should I start with the Ultimate X-Men trade?Yes, and no. It's steeped in references to X-Men, which makes it handy. But, obviously, they couldn't just write a story of everything that's been previously told, so there's new spins on the characters, and new plot lines. It might be fun to read for the sake of reading, but don't expect to pull the history, and personalities, of the real X-Men out of it.

[euchre0]

honestly, if you want to get familiar with the characters, i recommend finding a shop that sells back issues and just get random issues from 1985-1998. Not the best or most popular stories, but this is when the X-Men boom was, so you can easily piece things together. As for a trade, i think X-cuitioner's Song or Xtinction Agenda are good places to start because there are a ton of characters in those and you can get familiar with the greater X-Universe pretty quickly.

Whatever route you go, once you've grown comfortable with the massive continuity, definitely check out Age of Apocalypse.

[xyzzy]

Yes, and no. It's steeped in references to X-Men, which makes it handy. But, obviously, they couldn't just write a story of everything that's been previously told, so there's new spins on the characters, and new plot lines. It might be fun to read for the sake of reading, but don't expect to pull the history, and personalities, of the real X-Men out of it.


I have to say, both the 616 and the Ultimate X-men are equally real. I don't see the problem in reading one instead of the other.

[esophagus]

I have to say, both the 616 and the Ultimate X-men are equally real.I know. But, they're look at finding something to pick up what they've missed in the vast X-Men past, from the 616 line-ups. I'm just saying that the Ultimate U team won't give them that.

[xyzzy]

I know. But, they're look at finding something to pick up what they've missed in the vast X-Men past, from the 616 line-ups. I'm just saying that the Ultimate U team won't give them that.

That's what the OP was looking for, but I don't see any indication that's what the person you responded to was looking for.

[esophagus]

That's what the OP was looking for, but I don't see any indication that's what the person you responded to was looking for.Okay. Thanks. I'm not sure how I would get by without you pointing out meaningless shit.

[xyzzy]

Okay. Thanks. I'm not sure how I would get by without you pointing out meaningless shit.

You seem upset. There's nothing here worth getting upset over.

[jo-relrollins]

As someone who has read no X-Men yet, should I start with the Ultimate X-Men trade?

U could,but it would be on a different level and from a different scope than the 'actual' Marvel U. U could honestly start from Messiah Complex and be fine, at the beginning of each part of this crossover it informs u of the status quo, which all X books have drilled into us; Since M day no mutant has been born,seen,activated, or other wise. Thats pretty much where Messiah Complex starts. Another set of books that are easy to read in trade and easy to follow are New Xmen and Xfactor (Investigations Edition). They aren't hugely into their runs,they actually are just reaching 50. And they don't always pull from the past of the X universe.

[moco]

So a buddy of mine lent me the first 3 issues of Astonishing X-men. I loved every bit of it. Even though it was a fun read I don't really know much about x-men aside from the movies and every odd episode of the cartoon i watched as a kid. I REALLY want to check this out but I don't know where to start. Should I buy the essentials or just start off from something recent? Any help will be much appreciated :)

[fred]

By the title, I thought that you were looking for a way to join the X-Men. I guess that this is cool too. ;)

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this. In mine, the recent stuff mostly sucks. If I were you, I'd go back to the Essentials. I believe that volumes 3 and 4 are the best. I'm trying to point you towards Uncanny X-Men 94-150. I may have my Essential volume numbering off.

[labor_days]

Hey ya, Moco. Welcome to the forums.

Astonishing is the best X-men series ever written. While it's hard to live up to that lofty standard, you may find the suggestions in this thread (http://www.revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11713&highlight=x-men) helpful.

We also have a general recommendation thread, here (http://www.revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12078). There are links to previous iFanboy shows and reviews. As well as links to threads we've had by other people looking for a place to start.

I say delve into Grant Morrison's New X-men (http://www.amazon.com/New-X-Men-Vol-E-Extinction/dp/0785108114/ref=pd_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196408203&sr=8-6). Astonishing builds on Morrison's ideas set in that series.

[fred]

I second Morrison's New. It was really good.

[moco]

Oh holy crap I can't believe I missed that thread. I even did a search before I posted. My bad.

Nifty, I think I might pick up New X-men tomorrow along with an essential or two. I'll check out the thread and see what else is recommended there.

Thanks again :)

[labor_days]

No problem dude. Enjoy 'em.

The X-men have a really fun and rich history.

[s1lentslayer]

I just started with the Messiah Complex and it's pretty good.

[kwok_talk]

I just started with the Messiah Complex and it's pretty good.

Great place to jump on currently and you'll get somewhat of a flavor of the x-books out currently that you can decide what you want to stick with when its over.

[paper]

I'm waiting on X-Men: First Class based on the iFanboy recommendation. Probably another good way to start, even if it's not in direct continuity.

[jaflanagan]

I'm shocked that no one has said this, but the most essential X-Men story there is is the Dark Phoenix Saga. All X-Men from that point forward depends on it. After that, I say you read the Astonishing X-Men trades.

The only thing weird in there is that Emma goes from evil, to Scott's girlfriend. I don't know why either. Just go with it.

[fred]

I'm shocked that no one has said this, but the most essential X-Men story there is is the Dark Phoenix Saga. All X-Men from that point forward depends on it. After that, I say you read the Astonishing X-Men trades.

The only thing weird in there is that Emma goes from evil, to Scott's girlfriend. I don't know why either. Just go with it.

The Dark Phoenix Saga is in the run that I recommended at the top.

[esophagus]

I'm waiting on X-Men: First Class based on the iFanboy recommendation. Probably another good way to start, even if it's not in direct continuity.I was just going to suggest this. I hadn't been an X-Reader for long, and that really gives you a feel for what went on. First Class should have been the Ultimate X-Men title.

[jaflanagan]

The Dark Phoenix Saga is in the run that I recommended at the top.

Yeah, but you did it in the Essentials volumes, which for me, is overkill. I don't have that "have to read everything" gene. Plus it's in black and white. But if you get the Dark Phoenix trade (first trade I ever owned), it's a great snapshot into that phase of X-Men. And you didn't actually say Dark Phoenix Saga, which stands on its own.

Just trying to help.

[fred]

I get what you mean, BUT I think it reads best in context. I suggessted Essentials (which I don't care for also because they're B&W and on crappy paper) because he mentioned them and I didn't think he'd want to drop a bunch of money on stuff that he might not like.

[jaflanagan]

I've never read the context, and it worked fine for me.

Everybody be diff'rent dawg.

[esophagus]

I've never read the context, and it worked fine for me.

Everybody be diff'rent dawg.Josh, do you have any problems with the Essentials past the B&W and crap paper? I refuse to read them, and agree, the story works fine without the context of everything else. BUT. This guy mentioned essentials, which means he is fine with the format. If he's fine with it, why wouldn't he just buy that entire run for the same price? Everybody's different.

[horatio616]

For me the best X-Men runs have been (you can probably wiki to see how they've been collected:

Claremont/Neal Adams run

Claremont/Byrne, of course

Claremont/Paul Smith from Uncanny mid-150s to 175.

Claremont/John Romita Jr Uncanny 175 to mid 210s.

Claremont/Silvestri Fall of the Mutants to Inferno.

Claremont/Jim Lee/Whilce Portacio. (This was the last time Uncanny was good.)

Morrison/Quitely/et al. particularly E is For Extinction

Astonishing X-Men

[jaflanagan]

Josh, do you have any problems with the Essentials past the B&W and crap paper? I refuse to read them, and agree, the story works fine without the context of everything else. BUT. This guy mentioned essentials, which means he is fine with the format. If he's fine with it, why wouldn't he just buy that entire run for the same price? Everybody's different.

Yeah, I don't tend to like the essentials/showcases for that reason. I think the color lends a lot of context to the time period the comics came from. I also don't like the cheap paper. And finally, I think I just like smaller chunks of stuff, unless it's like the greatest thing of all time. But that's just a preference.

[neb]

I also found the Essentials to have crappy binding. I picked up Nova Essentials in my comic shop and by the time I got to the counter, two chunks of paper had fallen out of it, leaving large gaping holes in the B&W art and crappy paper.

[deezer]

dunno if this technically counts as "X-Men", but X-Factor is really good...
I've also been reading Messiah Complex with extremely little knowledge about past history, and I'm still loving it.

[bogotoko]

I think Messiah Complex has been a perfect spot to get into the X-Men mutant mania world!

[cylonpete]

So, I've been reading the first Essential X-Men trade and am now halfway through with it. WOW. It's amazing.
At first I thought it was a bit boring, but as the story unfolds, and every issue in there has to do with the main story, it gets better and better. I'm loving it and the second and third trade are ordered...:D

[travisonphonics]

So first let me take a moment to introduce myself: My name is Travis (clearly). I haven't been on the Rev3 forums since the Geekdrome days, and I swore to myself I would never come back. However, Tad (I believe that was his name) told me to two podcasts ago, so I figured I would stop in as I usually flood my current forum (Geekscape) with questions about comics. I do not follow anything in issue format (which is why I like the show, so I can at least be somewhat caught up). I only buy trades, because I'm relatively new to the game and the whole thing is overwhelming for me. Plus I just don't have the money to buy single issues. So this leads me into my query concerning mutants:

What are the best and most classic X-Men trades? I have Vols. 1-3 of Astonishing and love it, and I have such a fanboy hard-on for anything to do with X-Men, yet I'm practically a virgin when it comes to the comics (wow, that was alot of sexuality in that sentence). I don't care about getting caught up to what's happening now, I just care about getting a taste of what the X-Men have been through over the years.

Thanks in advance to anyone who could help me out. Jesus, I typed a fucking essay.

[acomicbookgirl]

My favorites are The Dark Phoenix Saga and God Loves, Man Kills. I swear there's a thread somewhere about this but I don't have the patience to look. Sorry..

[travisonphonics]

I figured there was, but I couldn't find it. Sorry Fanboys, if this is a repeat.

[jimski]

I'm the only person-- perhaps on earth-- who likes these things, but I can never pass up the chance to mention them:

Until very recently, Marvel licensed a company called Git to produce a DVD with PDFs of every Uncanny X-Men from 1963 to 2005. (http://www.amazon.com/40-Years-of-the-X-Men/dp/B000E28UT2/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1199726437&sr=8-1) No, they're not physical books, but they are printable, and for the cost of a couple of trades you can have every issue of Uncanny that Claremont ever wrote and tons more besides.

[daeyeth]

Heyo. This is a noob question, sorry. I just got into comics recently and I was wondering what's an excellent X-Men series I can jump into? I have basic X-Men knowledge from the cartoon that I watched religiously as a kid but that's about it. I'm looking to start a series from issue #1. Specifically, I'm looking for an X-Men comic that's considered one of the best and centers around the X-Men team. But I want them to be "relatively" recent comics, like within 20 years or so.

Btw, there any iFanboy episodes that talk about this?

[mikegraham6]

Heyo. This is a noob question, sorry. I just got into comics recently and I was wondering what's an excellent X-Men series I can jump into? I have basic X-Men knowledge from the cartoon that I watched religiously as a kid but that's about it. I'm looking to start a series from issue #1. Specifically, I'm looking for an X-Men comic that's considered one of the best and centers around the X-Men team. But I want them to be "relatively" recent comics, like within 20 years or so.

Btw, there any iFanboy episodes that talk about this?
dude, Astonishing X-Men is made for you, it's only 24 issues in and trades of the first 3 arcs are readily available. It's the best one out there and it has the core members of the team

[gobo]

I'd just start with Messiah Complex and run from there, it's pretty much like a reboot anyway.

But make sure to read some oldies-but-goodies like the Dark Phoenix Saga and Age of Apocalypse

[goliath553]

Hey all, I started reading comics a couple years ago and have read a lot of the stand alone story tpb, watchmen, dark knight returns, ultimates etc....

I am really most interested in Marvel and X-Men.... Where is a good point to start reading this very long running series? I am partial to the more modern art and dialogue, so I figured late 80's early 90's ?

I really don't know, any suggestions? Are there any good tpb that collect a whole story arc?

I know I'm a pretty big noob. Thanks for the help,

Goliath.

[optimus187prime]

Id say start with New X Men or Astonishing.

[gobo]

Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon. It's easily the best run with the weakest ties to continuity in the last while, if not ever.

IF you dig it then I'd just jump back in at issue 500 of Uncanny and start reading again, really you haven't missed much good stuff (aside from Morrison's New X-Men which has been almost completely abandoned) since you left.

[poltah]

Yeah. Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon is the way to go. The only reason not to is that everything else will seem bad compared to the brilliance that is Astonishing X-men.

[oh_caroline]

I agree with everybody about 'Astonishing.' I'd just add that reading this book should give you a clue of the characters and eras you want to read more about. There's a lot of back canon out there, frankly of varying quality, but if you're interested in the X-Men that can be a blessing because there's a lot to choose from.

If you're interested in a more classic take, the 'God Loves, Man Kills' graphic novel by Chris Claremont is a great read (which really showcases Claremont's strengths as a writer, and minimizes the ahem, quirks, of some of the rest of his writing). 'Days of Future Past' is another good collection you should be able to find in TPB; and 'The Dark Phoenix Saga' is (despite some pretty glaring flaws) a foundation text for a lot of genre writing that's come since.

And if you just want fun, fresh X-Men stories without worrying too much about continuity, you can't go wrong with 'X-Men First Class'.

[goliath553]

Thanks for all the great replies!
I actually have the Astonishing HC but have yet to read volume 3 of the series. That I will do.

Also I will def take Caroline's recommendations and grab a couple of those tpb to get a better idea of the back stories.

Again, thanks for the opinions!

[brandeezy]

The time period starting with Mutant Massacre up into The Inferno would be my recommendation. The cast is mostly new (Longshot, Dazzler, Psylocke, Madelyne Prior, Rogue (sorta)) with the cool X-Men (Storm, Colossus, Wolverine and Havok) and it forgoes most of the old villians and the doctrine of Xavier for one long action ride against mutant killers, a god of chaos, invaders from a demon dimension and more.

Best of all, this time period has no Xavier or the original X-Men.:p

[oh_caroline]

The time period starting with Mutant Massacre up into The Inferno would be my recommendation. The cast is mostly new (Longshot, Dazzler, Psylocke, Madelyne Prior, Rogue (sorta)) with the cool X-Men (Storm, Colossus, Wolverine and Havok) and it forgoes most of the old villians and the doctrine of Xavier for one long action ride against mutant killers, a god of chaos, invaders from a demon dimension and more.

Best of all, this time period has no Xavier or the original X-Men.:p

So. . .it's a good period to read the X-Men if you don't like the X-Men?

[joncrites]

I have been reading through the Essentials Vol. 5 and they are great. I can't wait to start picking up the X-Factor Essentials too. Definitely a tour de force through X History.

[cam-]

So. . .it's a good period to read the X-Men if you don't like the X-Men?

Mutant Massacre is EPIC. A legendary storyline in my book.

Plus Cyclops is kicking around during inferno, I mean Madeline and all...

SO, no, not really, it's just good X-men books.

[oh_caroline]

Mutant Massacre is EPIC. A legendary storyline in my book.

Plus Cyclops is kicking around during inferno, I mean Madeline and all...

SO, no, not really, it's just good X-men books.


I was being a little facetious ;). I like Inferno and a lot of the stuff from that era. I've just only seen it in individual issues instead of trades, so it's hard to keep it all straight!

[cam-]

I was being a little facetious ;).

Yeah, I figured, didn't mean to come off harsh, just wanted to emphasize the awesomeness that was the Mutant Massacre.

Also, I guess Cyclops was really more in X-factor, but it was all crossing over during inferno, so...you know...

[diabhol]

I really don't know, any suggestions? Are there any good tpb that collect a whole story arc?

I know I'm a pretty big noob. Thanks for the help,

Goliath.

Plenty of other people have suggested trades to pick up. All are good suggestions.

If you want to start reading right now, though, I'd just suggest picking up the issues starting from Uncanny X-Men 500. We're only currently on 504 or so, so it's not too big of an investment of time or money.

[oh_caroline]

Plenty of other people have suggested trades to pick up. All are good suggestions.

If you want to start reading right now, though, I'd just suggest picking up the issues starting from Uncanny X-Men 500. We're only currently on 504 or so, so it's not too big of an investment of time or money.

X-Men Legacy is also starting a new arc this week; it's been pretty solid and it's supposed to feature Rogue & Gambit who are popular characters in some circles.

[mr_glass]

I want to read X-men but I don't know where to start. I read Astonishing X-men, and it was amazing, but are there any other graphic novels/trades/runs that can start me out on x-men and where do I go from there? (besides Dark Phoenix Saga)

[labor_days]

Whedon's Astonishing borrowed heavily from Grant Morrison's New X-men. Those two runs, Whendon's Astonishing and Morrison's New X-men, are the best the X-men ever were.

Go get Grant's New X-men trades.

The Claremont stuff is super dated and not good.

[labor_days]

Conor, you the man.

[oh_caroline]

I want to read X-men but I don't know where to start. I read Astonishing X-men, and it was amazing, but are there any other graphic novels/trades/runs that can start me out on x-men and where do I go from there? (besides Dark Phoenix Saga)

It depends a lot on what you liked about 'Astonishing.' Were there particular characters or story-elements that appealed to you?

I don't think you can go wrong with 'God Loves, Man Kills', though (the graphic novel from the 80s by Claremont, not the X-Treme X-Men with the same title). And X-Men: First Class among recent books.

[labor_days]

Ultimate X-Men. That's your connoisseurs X-book.



jk