Superheroes are more popular and more mainstream than ever. It seems like every week there’s a new superhero movie, TV show, or videogame hitting the screens. Nearly all of these superheroes and their stories originated in comic books. Of course, there are decades and decades worth of comics out there, and to a new fan it can be daunting trying to figure out which ones to read. In this column, I’m gonna try my best to give new fans fun, easy to understand jumping-off points into the world of comics. As far as accessibility goes, most of these comics are collected and readily available from comic shops, bookstores or online from subscription services such as Comixology, Marvel Unlimited, and DC Universe. Additionally, I always recommend your local library as a free source of comics to read, and with inter-library loan systems you can get your hands on pretty much anything.
For this edition of Where to Begin, I’d like to take a look at the X-Men. The X-Men have been some of my favorite superheroes since I was a kid, and I’ve always loved their movies, cartoons, and comics. The X-Men comics have become known for wide, sprawling stories with a lot of characters and spin-off series, and they can get kind of confusing to newcomers. If you’re a new fan looking for some easy entry points into the mutant world or to get ready for their eventual introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, here’s where to begin.
The Original: The X-Men, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (1963-1970)
The X-Men are often excluded from the discussion of Lee and Kirby’s greatest creations, mostly because the original run was a sales flop that Kirby left after 17 issues. I really don’t know why the 60s fans didn’t take to the X-Men, because this run is honestly pretty great. The writing is just as snappy and fun as all of Lee’s other series, and Kirby’s art literally never disappoints. The ensemble-driven style that defines the X-Men is present right from the start. In these comics, you get to see the original X-Men team of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Angel grow up and change as superheroes and as people. The iconic relationship between Professor Xavier and Magneto is also in its early stages here. In addition to Kirby’s issues, I’d like to recommend the 1969-1970 issues done by one of my favorite artists of all time, Neal Adams.
Since the beginning, the X-Men have been cast as outsiders, feared because of the genetic mutations that give them superpowers. Plenty of Marvel heroes, like the Hulk and Spider-Man, were outsiders. However, the X-Men are really the only ones at the time that were starting to tackle social issues in their comics. Although Lee was limited by the Comics Code about what political content he could include, these comics really tap into the political turbulence of the sixties and the civil rights movement. Unlike the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, the X-Men are simultaneously hated for their powers and expected to act as heroes and role models towards a public and a government that does nothing but persecute them. Amid the very fun and exciting superhero action stories of these original X-Men comics, there are some powerful messages about tolerance and acceptance.
Uncanny X-Men, by Chris Claremont, Len Wein, Dave Cockrum, and John Byrne (1975-1980s)
This is the gold standard, folks. Starting with Giant-Size X-Men 1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, the X-Men began the journey to incredible popularity. In Giant-Size, fan-favorites such as Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler all join the team, giving the team its trademark multinational diversity. This is one of the best comic runs of all time, coming to define the careers of Chris Claremont and John Byrne.
Basically every issue in this run is awesome. Without break, the series jumps from one awesome story to another. If you’re a fan of the 90s X-Men cartoon (and who isn’t?) you’ll find that almost all the cool episodes of that show have their basis in the work of Chris Claremont. This run has the Phoenix Saga, the Dark Phoenix Saga, the post-apocalyptic Days of Future Past, Xavier battling the Shadow King, the Shi’ar, Arcade, Juggernaut, the list goes on and on. Nothing about these comics disappoint. They have some of the best stories and some of the best art of all time. These comics still hold up as the best X-Men comics of all time.
Some X-Covers by John Byrne.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont and Brett Anderson (1982)
In this standalone graphic novel, the X-Men are hunted by a church of anti-mutant fanatics. Led by the genocidal Reverend Stryker. This is one of Claremont’s best works, taking on the social issues surrounding the persecution of minority groups and succeeding in making a compelling superhero story out of them. This story looks at the famous ideological dissonance between Xavier and Magneto, and how blind religious fervor can lead to hatred. There are some really powerful moments in this series. It’s the kind of comic that sticks with you long after you finish the final pages and every X-Men fan should read it. It’s also the primary inspiration for my favorite X-Men movie, X2.
New X-Men, written by Grant Morrison (2001-2004)
Grant Morrison’s run on the X-Men is pretty controversial among X-Men fans, but I really like it, so I’m going to include it here. The reason some fans don’t like it is that Morrison, who is always respectful and even reverent of Superman and other DC comics characters, shows very little in the way of respect to established X-Men lore here. However, this allows him to tell some very outside-the-box stories with the X-Men, and his comics are the most aesthetically similar to the original X-Men movies.
There are a number of artists on this run, but the best is Frank Quitely, who gives the mutant superheroes a touch of the odd and grotesque. The X-Men really needed this run. I believe the X-Men are at their best when they’re undiluted, but they spent the nineties overexpanded with a million spinoff books. Morrison’s run gets them out of limbo, simultaneously getting them back to basics and pushing forward to progress the characters. Without it, my next selection would definitely never have existed either.
Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (2004-2007)
Joss Whedon is much more known for his work in TV and movies, but he can write a damn good comic book too. These are some of my favorite comics of all time. Whedon takes the interpersonal drama that defined Morrison’s run and balances it with some really fun stories. He definitely pushes the X-Men further into the superheroes-saving-the-day realm than a lot of people before or since, and it really works for him. There are some really inventive concepts and unique villains in this run.
This run is made good by Joss Whedon, but it’s made great by John Cassaday, one of my all time favorite artists. Cassaday’s art is incredibly clean and cinematic in his use of shadow and his framing of shots. This is an X-Men book by X-Men fans for X-Men fans, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Wolverine cuts loose. 
So does Cyclops.
That concludes my introduction to the world of X-Men comics. If you’re interested in their most recent adventures, check out the House of X/Powers of X series, written by one of my favorite writers, Jonathan Hickman. Leave a comment below if you’re interested in more X-Men recommendations, if you have some of your own, or if you have a character you want to see featured in another edition of Where to Begin.
