The X-Men were my first fandom. More than that X-Men comics are what turned me into an avid reader, a trait that has defined me my whole life. So, I’m always trying to share my love of Marvel’s Merry Mutants with others. Here are ten great jumping-on points if you’re looking to expand your x-men knowledge during this lockdown.
- Gifted– Joss Whedon of Buffy, Avengers, and Firefly fame got his own X-title called Astonishing X-men. It was genius. Gifted is the first arc of that run.
- Age of Apocalypse– Twenty-five plus years later this is still one of the most ambitious comic book events of all time. This event answers a simple question: What would happen in a world without Charles Xavier?
- God Loves, Man Kills– One of those classic, stand-alone stories that encapsulates one of the core elements of the X-Men. In this case the themes of hate and prejudice and how pervasive they can be and how important it is to stand against them. This is not just a great comic book arc. This is a transcendent piece of literature.
- Powers of X/House of X- You’ve heard me drop Jonathon Hickman’s name before. He’s the best high-concept storyteller in comics right now and this is him doing the X-men. It’s bonkers and wild and oh so good. The best X-men comics in the last decade by a country mile.
- E is for Extinction– The first arc in Grant Morrison’s complete reinvention of the X-men. This starts one of the greatest runs in the X-Men’s sixty-year history and is a great jumping-on point for readers who aren’t up to date on all the X-Men’s history.
- Mutant Genesis- The X-Men vs Magneto. Okay its not the best Magneto story, but this is the first arc of the X-Men’s second-ever ongoing monthly title and introduced a new X-lineup that would shape the franchise for decades. The perfect starting place if you want to relive the 90’s era X-Men.
- Generation X– This is a personal favorite of mine. Technically you should start with the “Phalanx Covenant” crossover but its not necessary. Banshee and longtime villain Emma Frost train the next generation of X-Men. If you loved Jubilee on the animated series this is the book to pick up.
- Uncanny X-Force– Cyclops forms an X-Men black ops team run by Wolverine. Must read.
- X-men Season One– The early X-Men comics aren’t actually all that great. This series goes back to that first year and tells a cleaner story with a lot more focus on character development.
- House of M– This crossover event sets up a whole new status quo for the X-Men with just three little words. A great jumping-on point for a whole era of stories that follow this one.