Uncanny vol.1 # 1-66. Worth reading?

[jignat]

Im not an x-men expert, but I loved CC first Uncanny run and thought the the first four years of Vol.2 was solid.

However, many sites seems not to feature the first decade of X-men stories much in various lists/blogs.

Would you say these issues are good enough to get trades of or have they not stood the test of time?

My only experience with 60's marvel stuff is Stan and Steve Ditko's Amazing Spider-man 1-38 which is quaint but enjoyable.

Thanks.

[Snoop Dogg]

Anyone who tells you not to read the Stan and Jack stuff, like the first 19 issues, is a wuss. Admittedly, the book does become garbo after until Neal Adams makes it look like god's gift. So it gets good again around... 50-ish?

[magneticmushroom]

Occasionally, Marvel has BOGO sales on the digital site. Use that to grab the first few X-Men Masterworks books.

Not all of it is gold, but it has its moments and in a way, helps to explain why the characters are the way they are. Lots of cheesy villains to enjoy, not to mention Magneto's tiny tiny cape.

[Triniking1234]

Book is garbage until Living Monolith shows up.

[mozzle]

Nah, those early issues are sequestered for the tryhards, so they can call the rest of us cowards for avoiding it.
You're better off being a hella dope person who is keen on Clarmount and finds whatever comes before it too pedestrian.

[Snoop Dogg]

Those who do not engage themselves with the original scripture of the faith shall face the light of judgement.

[yogaflame]

The Sentinel stories are cool(Stan's best for sure), I like the Neal Adams art towards the end, and that penultimate story with the Z'Noxx is good, but other than that, it is pretty silly/boring/bad.

[Triniking1234]

Roy Thomas has the X-Boys try to steal Peter Parker's lunch money in #35. Good shit.

[butterflykyss]

most definitely. you cant have a greater appreciation for the franchise if you dont understand its origin.

[MechaJeanix]

Yes, I would argue that they are worth reading. Just be careful not to judge the stories by today's standards but by the era in which they were written. You have to put them in their proper sociohistorical context. The stories were simple, but I think any Cyclops and Jean Grey fan should read them. Same goes for Xavier.

[FUBAR007]

If you're an X-Men fan, yes. If for no other reason than to read the franchise source code and see how much Claremont and, later, Morrison changed it.

As to the quality of the material, it's very much of its time. Very Silver Age, very 1960s. Kurt Busiek has described Silver Age X-Men as "mac-and-cheese"--not great, but not awful, and I agree.

What surprised me reading it is how basic and simple the stories are. For the most part, there aren't long storyarcs. Other than Scott and, to a lesser extent, Jean, the characters don't change much over the course of the run. The complex mythos and intense character development Claremont later brought to the franchise aren't present. For example, Scott and Jean's relationship amounts to a couple of years of pining, a brief heart-to-heart talk, and then they're just together. 99% of the romance takes place off-panel. (IIRC, their 1st on-panel kiss isn't until Claremont's 1st or 2nd issue in the mid-1970s!)

I'll put it this way: if Claremont-era X-Men was a romantic fantasy epic, Silver Age X-Men was more of a quirky sitcom.