Starting my Xmen Journey

[babyblob]

SO for a long time I stayed away from the xbooks. Too many mutants, confusing story lines. I was just turned off. But I have decided to give the Xmen a chance. I am currently reading the 90s Xforce, the one with Cable and am up to issue 19. I am enjoying it so so. Though I dont know what a High Lord is or why is such a big deal that Sam is one. Also is Cable Scott Summers son?
As for the Xmen I am going to start at the beginning with the original five. I have read a couple of issues a few years ago and enjoyed them. I like Angel and Beast.

So since I am giving the Xmen and other Xbooks another shot with an open mind is there anything I need to know? Anything I should be looking out for?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

[Anduinel]

If you're interested in hopping on board while there's a relatively clean slate, I'd say look into the big minis that just wrapped - House of X and Powers of X - and move forward from there.

What about 90's X-Force in particular appeals? Getting that figured out can help decide what you'd have fun with next.

If you're liking the antics of the original five X-Men, either X-Men: Season One or Jeff Parker's X-Men: First Class books would probably be a good way to go.

[JasmineW]

Start with The Magneto War

[tuck frump]

Dont lissen to anyone that dont recommend starting with Giant Size XMen #01 and then (Uncanny) X-Men #94. Claremont's run is legendary and the foundation for everything that came afterwards. Do yourself a favor and start there.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Also is Cable Scott Summers son?

Yes.

Thanks in advance for all the help.

I think you are on your way as it is. And your instincts are solid and eventually you'll get to the good stuff on your own pace.

My own introduction to X-Men was the cartoon X-Men Evolution and the Fox movies. I still think X-Men Evolution is the best introduction to X-Men as a whole in terms of adaptation. It captures the spirit of the X-Men more than the letter and is overall a pretty good look at the different strands of the X-Men.

In terms of comics, if you want personal recommendations.

Ed Piskor's X-Men Grand Design.
-- Get the enlarged print edition if you can from your public library because digital doesn't do justice to it.
-- This comic is non-canon but it's basically an incredible compendium and snapshot of the entire history of the X-Men from the 60s to the 80s covered in 6 issues.

Grant Morrison's New X-Men
-- A short run of comics some 40 issues. This was my introduction to the comics. It peaks early in my view but everything from E is for Extinction to Riot at Xavier's is very good.

X-Men Red by Tom Taylor
-- Something more recent but great and fun (which people don't often say about the X-Men). 12 issue run focusing on Jean Grey. It represents the X-Men quite well.

Magneto by Cullen Bunn.
-- The greatest villain in the X-Men, arguably their greatest character, gets a 21 issue series by Cullen Bunn that represents Magneto in all his complexity and charisma. Great stuff.

Giant Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum
-- This classic issue (#1) is maybe the most important single issue in the entire history of X-Men and it's a great story, a good example of packing content in a short package.

Among Chris Claremont's stuff
-- The Phoenix Saga and The Dark Phoenix Saga.
-- The Octopusheim Saga (UXM #148-151)
-- Days of Future Past

Paul Jenkins' Wolverine Origin
-- Very controversial when this came out but I remember reading it feeling I was seeing comics history take shape and I got a thrill out of the original series. It's stuck and it's lasted, featuring Wolverine as you've never seen him before.

Brian K. Vaughan's Cyclops Odyssey
-- This series is totally forgotten but if you are a Cyclops fan it's worth tracking down. It's a great look at who Scott Summers is as a character, what makes him tick and why he's the leader of the X-Men and all-around badass.

And also,
Jonathan Hickman's House of X and Powers of X
-- This new series is actually quite reader-friendly and it's 12 issues filled with total love for the characters and setting and it reminds everyone just why the X-Men were so special and why they are the greatest team in comics (forget FF and the Avengers they are better than Justice League, Legion of Superheroes, Green Lantern, Teen Titans too).

[Steroid]

Generation X by Lobdell and Bachalo. To this day it is still my favorite series out of the X-books.

[babyblob]

Thats one thing that kinda scared me about the Xmen is the number of Xbooks. There seem to be a ton of them. I like Xforce because I like Cable. And the apperances of Deadpool were nice. I am not a huge fan of Deadpool but in the issues I read he has not turned into the joke character that he is now. I am starting at the beginning with Uncanny Xmen but I also want to read Xfactor. Is that a good series? And Alphla fight seems like something I would be interested in. I read a couple of Alpha Flight Vs Xmen issues. So some heads up on the Alpha Flight comics would be cool.

THanks again for your help.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Thats one thing that kinda scared me about the Xmen is the number of Xbooks.

It can be daunting, but after a while it becomes a feature rather than a bug. If you love the X-men you are glad that you always have stuff to check out.

I am starting at the beginning with Uncanny Xmen but I also want to read Xfactor. Is that a good series?

It is. Peter David's run was quite good.

And Alphla fight seems like something I would be interested in.

Alpha Flight are more spin-offs than X-Men books. By that I mean that Alpha Flight doesn't really deal with mutant issues and such. It's basically Canadian Avengers. The characters were introduced in the X-Men as the team Wolverine left to join the X-Men and never looked back. Co-Creator John Byrne who was Canadian decided to give it a go to see if he could make that work.

Byrne's original series is good and some Alpha Flight members show up in later titles, and currently in Immortal Hulk.

THanks again for your help.

The most important non X-men book is New Mutants. Especially Claremont and Sinkiewicz's collaboration on that title. Stuff like Demon Bear Saga. So you might check that out.

[Anduinel]

Thats one thing that kinda scared me about the Xmen is the number of Xbooks. There seem to be a ton of them. I like Xforce because I like Cable. And the apperances of Deadpool were nice. I am not a huge fan of Deadpool but in the issues I read he has not turned into the joke character that he is now. I am starting at the beginning with Uncanny Xmen but I also want to read Xfactor. Is that a good series? And Alphla fight seems like something I would be interested in. I read a couple of Alpha Flight Vs Xmen issues. So some heads up on the Alpha Flight comics would be cool.

Alpha Flight I can definitely help with.

If you're interested in just their encounters with the X-Men, the X-Men/Alpha Flight collection is probably your best bet.

If you'd like to know more about the team in general, the Byrne era has been collected in three Alpha Flight Classic trades. The rest of the issues (from around #28-120) haven't ever been collected consecutively, so those you'd have to look to eBay for.

The whole Byrne series and all of the comics guest-starring Alpha Flight from around that era were collected in an omnibus a year or so back, but it's pricey.

There were a couple of other Alpha Flight series, but they hardly involved the original team at all. There was a 2011 series that featured the classic crew and had some high points, but it didn't treat Heather, Aurora, Sasquatch or Marrina very well, so how much you enjoy it may depend on who your faves are.

There was an Alpha Flight one-shot released recently that's pretty enjoyable even if you just have basic knowledge of the team. The last story ties into the 2011 series, but the other two are stand-alone.

Puck, Aurora, and Sasquatch were running around with Captain Marvel until a couple of years back, and Puck and Sasquatch are currently support characters in Immortal Hulk (which is worth reading in its own right).

[Charm]

If you're enjoying Cable & his interactions with Deadpool, I'd also recommend Cable & Deadpool - yes, they actually had a series together :-) - the Burnt Offering is very good.

[JB]

SO for a long time I stayed away from the xbooks. Too many mutants, confusing story lines. I was just turned off. But I have decided to give the Xmen a chance. I am currently reading the 90s Xforce, the one with Cable and am up to issue 19. I am enjoying it so so. Though I dont know what a High Lord is or why is such a big deal that Sam is one. Also is Cable Scott Summers son?
As for the Xmen I am going to start at the beginning with the original five. I have read a couple of issues a few years ago and enjoyed them. I like Angel and Beast.

So since I am giving the Xmen and other Xbooks another shot with an open mind is there anything I need to know? Anything I should be looking out for?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

Everyone gave great suggestions so welcome aboard, hope you survi... welcome aboard.

[babyblob]

Everyone gave great suggestions so welcome aboard, hope you survi... welcome aboard.

Thanks. I am really enjoying what I have read so far.

[Criticalfan]

My advice is to not get hung up on any one point of continuity or detail. Your project is so massive, it's be like focusing on one snowflake in a blizzard right now for you.

Actually if it sticks out as weird to you, it probably did to the audience at the time and a writer later on probably retconned it anyway.