Reading the Entire Uncanny X-Men Run

[stwaz]

I recently completed my Uncanny X-Men collection on Comixology, and am planning to read from X-Men #1 through Uncanny X-Men #22 from 2019. It's a ridiculous undertaking, which i'm sure many of you have attempted. I'm curious, if you have tried this, have you also read other X-Men series while you've read the entire run? Uncanny used to be the main storyline, with other offshoots focusing on other teams, stories etc...

But which books would you consider to be crucial? The original X-Factor run? The Claremont/Lee X-Men from 1991 which turned into Morrison & Quitely's New X-Men run and finished up as Legacy? What about in the last 5 years or so. What would you consider to be the "main" storyline?

And what would you use as parameters? Following Scott Summers (up to a certain point, obviously)?

Just reading Uncanny is going to take a long time, so I'm trying to keep it tight. Not planning to expand to New Mutants, X-Force, the later X-Factors, the various Wolverine books etc...

If you did it, or would do it, how did/would you do it?

Any input would be appreciated.

[misty101]

Yes, I started this task around 2012/13 but I started from Giant Size X-Men. I've read pretty regularly and read 99% of anything x-related and I'm only up to UXM 394.
It's a mammoth task.

[Rev9]

I didn't start from issue 1, I started from #400 and read all the way until it transitioned into X-Men #1 around 2013, the Matthew Malloy story.I don't think I could do from issue 1 ,sure classic but I find that too far away and missing a lot of my favourite characters. Good luck on the herculean task though.

[Rev9]

Yes, I started this task around 2012/13 but I started from Giant Size X-Men. I've read pretty regularly and read 99% of anything x-related and I'm only up to UXM 394.
It's a mammoth task.

Much respect man, you're getting right to where I started off wow.Big exodus fan here btw,sucks that since issue 400 until about Messiah complex in 2007/8 he was nowhere to be seen.I was pretty gutted about that

[shooshoomanjoe]

I plan on doing this after I finish the run I'm currently reading but I'm going to add all x-titles. I've done it before with the WildSorm comics, Liefeld's Image universe and Marvel's Conan series. I feel like the stories flow better when you read them back to back instead of monthly.

[Captain Nash]

At very least Uncanny X-Men (all volumes) and X-Men vol 2 (the one that ran through 1991 to....2012/2013? - aka at times as New X-Men and X-Men Legacy) The other titles that popped up as "X-Men" during that time were more contained stories except for crossovers, as well Astonishing X-Men. Though I would recommend throwing Whedon's Astonishing X-Men in there. Then there's X-Treme X-Men 2001-2004/2005 I believe, but that was also mostly self contained, but it did have a strong cast.
Then you have crossovers, the various New Mutants (and other assorted "new mutant" type titles/X-Factor/X-Force... o-O

it's definitely a problem to consider what to include! I guess I find myself fortunate that I started in the late 80s, and there were only 3 team books at the time (Wolverine and Excalibur started shortly thereafter). It feels like if you haven't been reading for at least a couple of decades already it's a bit daunting.

[Uncanny X-Man]

I've also been thinking of doing this, but definitely not from the early years but rather from Giant-Size X-Men 1. The whole Claremont run basically, including New Mutants, Excalibur and Wolverine. I've never actually read most of this stuff in English as I was living in Italy and reading comics in Italian when those were published, so in a way it might feel a bit fresher

I'm almost done with a similar endeavour reading (albeit for the first time) all of the Legion of Super-Heroes from The Great Darkness Saga to the 5 Years Later Legion to the end of volume 4. Man do 80s comics kick today's comics in the ass, there's just no contest.

[Nick Miller]

I just got my Uncanny Xmen Omni vol 1 today and plan on doing a big reread to the end of Morrison.

I was pretty shocked to see that Xmen came out only 5 times in 75, 6 times in 76-77, and 8 times in 78, before going monthly in 79.

[Slicknickshady]

I’ve tried. But really I’ve read a lot out of order.

[stwaz]

At very least Uncanny X-Men (all volumes) and X-Men vol 2 (the one that ran through 1991 to....2012/2013? - aka at times as New X-Men and X-Men Legacy) The other titles that popped up as "X-Men" during that time were more contained stories except for crossovers, as well Astonishing X-Men. Though I would recommend throwing Whedon's Astonishing X-Men in there. Then there's X-Treme X-Men 2001-2004/2005 I believe, but that was also mostly self contained, but it did have a strong cast.
Then you have crossovers, the various New Mutants (and other assorted "new mutant" type titles/X-Factor/X-Force... o-O

it's definitely a problem to consider what to include! I guess I find myself fortunate that I started in the late 80s, and there were only 3 team books at the time (Wolverine and Excalibur started shortly thereafter). It feels like if you haven't been reading for at least a couple of decades already it's a bit daunting.

I read Uncanny from 1980 to about 1990 and then took a very long break until Joss Whedon's Astonishing run and Claremont's return to Uncanny. I've been reading most of the X-Titles ever since. So, I have read a large chunk already. I thought it might be fun to go back to the beginning and chip away at it for as long as it takes. I'm doing the same thing with Star Trek right now, watching or rewatching everything in chronological order.

[Captain Buttocks]

I'd suggest (bearing in mind this is off the top of my head, so the order may not be quite spot on)

Uncanny X-Men 1-66.
Giant Size X-Men #1
Uncanny 94-137

Then take stock a bit. There's certain back-up stories in Classic X-Men that aren't essential but add a bit of flavour.
Next up

Uncanny 138-142
God Loves, Man Kills (It doesn't really fit here, but it's as good a place as any and is essential reading
Uncanny 143-161
Wolverine by Claremont and Miller (certainly before UXM 173)
Graphic Novel : The New Mutants (it's good)
Then Uncanny and New Mutants run concurrently - probably head up until about 210 when the Mutant Massacre begins.
Excalibur launches around Fall of the MUtants *but* whilst great fun I dont think it's *essential*. It's a nice change of tone though.
You could read Longshot 1-6 around here, but NXM annual 10 will fill in enough of his story if you dont fancy it (I think its great)
X-Factor launches around here as well, so it's probably essential reading.
All three titles then go through up to Inferno.
Wolvie gets his solo book around here. I'd skip it.
After that you're good to keep reading the three core books right up until the Muir Island saga.

X-Men launches as Uncanny reaches 281, and whilst it's seperate teams at first, it eventually becomes, over the course of the nineties, often the same story across both books. X-Force is launched here as well as New Mutants is cancelled. I consider both it, and X-Factor from #71 pretty skippable (unless you like the New Mutants characters, in which case, after Liefeld goes X-Force is excellent stuff) barring the crossover events, which are easier to read online.
Fatal Attractions (1993 crossover) has some Avengers tie-in issues. Skippable.
Cable gets his own book. It's skippable.
Generation X is fun, but skippable.

You'll need to read the age of apocalypse when you get there. Plus X-Men Prime.
There's an alternate reality book from around 98-99 called Mutant X which is staggeringly dreadful.
Deadpool gets his own book. It's fun but hardly essential reading.

The two main x-books then kind of intertwine until the Morrison/Casey era. If you like a bit of Claremont, then X-Treme X-Men might do it for you. I consider it skippable.
X-Statix is fun, but again, skippable.
When Morrison leaves with NXM #154, Joss Whedon replaces him. Astonishing is very well-written and drawn, but delays with it means it actually doesnt have much to do with the main storyline. I would still read it though, because you want to read something good before you (unfortunately) have to read House of M.
After that there's a lot of drift, but Uncanny and X-Men (later X-Men: Legacy) are what you need to follow, through Messiah Complex and Second coming.
There's a Cable ongoing at this point that you *might* want to follow. It's slow but it follows two key characters.

After that, I fell out of love with the X-Books (it was only side books that kept me going after House of M) and I took Uncanny 544 as a jumping off point.

[stwaz]

Thank you! This is a good road map to start with.

[H-E-D]

The original Lee/Kirby issues are... not good.