Which Krakoa era series/books can I skip?

[xpyred]

As the title states, I'm looking to dive into the Krakoa era but there are far too many series and books and I just want the main story portions of the era. I only ever followed the main X-Men title after House/Powers of X. I remember seeing here that X-Corp was pretty weak. I see Way of X and think about how uninterested I am of Onslaught despite somewhat enjoying the original Onslaught saga. Are series like Fallen Angels, Excalibur, Knights of X, Legion of X, Children of the Vault, Realm of X and so many others important?

[H-E-D]

I mean, if you don’t want to read them, just don’t read them.

The must-read of the Krakoa era is Hellions.

[Criticalfan]

As the title states, I'm looking to dive into the Krakoa era but there are far too many series and books and I just want the main story portions of the era. I only ever followed the main X-Men title after House/Powers of X. I remember seeing here that X-Corp was pretty weak. I see Way of X and think about how uninterested I am of Onslaught despite somewhat enjoying the original Onslaught saga. Are series like Fallen Angels, Excalibur, Knights of X, Legion of X, Children of the Vault, Realm of X and so many others important?

Probably at bare minimum need to at least read the crossovers, the hellfire gala issues, & immortal x-men for a skeleton of the Krakoa saga.
To put meat on the bones would take a bit more: Hellions, Marauders, X-Men Red. More people will have more suggestions about what else really fleshes it all out.

I don't know what your budget is but it sounds small so I'm not recommending things that are likely "worth it" in terms of enjoyment per page but one must draw a line somewhere.

[JamJams]

Dawn of X
Completely Skippable: Fallen Angels, Children of the Atom, Empyre Tie-Ins

Main Book(s) to Read: X-Men, Excalibur

-X of Swords
Main Book(s) to Read: X of Swords Creation, Stasis, Destruction


Reign of X
Completely Skippable: Children of the Atom, King in Black Tie-Ins, X-Corp

Main Book(s) to Read: Marauders, SWORD

-Hellfire Gala
Main Book(s) to Read: Planet Sized X-Men


Reign of X II
Completely Skippable: X-Men Unlimited, Devil's Reign Tie-Ins

Main Book(s) to Read: X-Factor, Trial of Magneto, Inferno, X Deaths of Wolverine


Destiny of X
Main Book(s) to Read: X-Men: Hellfire Gala, Immortal X-Men

-Judgment Day
Main Book(s) to Read: A.X.E.: Judgment Day 1 - 6 and Omega


Destiny of X II
Complete Skippable: X-Men Unlimited, Bishop: War College, X-Terminators, Dark Web Tie-Ins, New Mutants: Lethal Legion
Main Book(s) to Read: Immortal X-Men Sins of Sinister

-Sins of Sinister
Main Book(s) to Read: Sins of Sinister, Immortal X-Men/Storm & the Brotherhood/Nightcrawlers #3, Sins of Sinister: Dominion


Fall of X
Completely Skippable: Astonishing Iceman, Alpha Flight, Dark X-Men, Children of the Vault, Jean Grey, Ms Marvel: The New Mutant

Main Book(s) to Read: X-Men: Hellfire Gala, Fall of House of X, Rise of House of X, Dead X-Men, X-Men Unlimited

[Winter_fury]

Except gillen and Ewing you can skip everything after Hickman left

[Factor]

Skip Fallen Angels and X-Corp for sure.
They’re both bad AND irrelevant. Then there are tons of bad ones that are somewhat relevant (like X-force and most of Duggan’s work).

[Corwin]

As the title states, I'm looking to dive into the Krakoa era but there are far too many series and books and I just want the main story portions of the era. I only ever followed the main X-Men title after House/Powers of X. I remember seeing here that X-Corp was pretty weak. I see Way of X and think about how uninterested I am of Onslaught despite somewhat enjoying the original Onslaught saga. Are series like Fallen Angels, Excalibur, Knights of X, Legion of X, Children of the Vault, Realm of X and so many others important?

It really depends on how deep you are into the X-Men.
If you're a classic X-Men Claremont fan (and New Mutants) who has also enjoyed some 90s Blue/Gold, Gen X I'd say...

HoX/PoX -beginning
X-Men
Marauders (2019)
X-Force (ups and downs but averages to a good run)
Excalibur (ups and downs but averages to a good run)
New Mutants - Hickman issues (1,2,5,7)
Hellions
Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey/Emma Frost, Magneto, Fantomex, Storm
X of Swords Event
S.W.O.R.D.
All three Hellfire Galas
Trial of Magneto
Inferno -middle
X Lives X Deaths of Wolverine
Immortal X-Men
X-Men Red
Giant Sized X-Men: Thunderbird
New Mutants by Vita Ayala (14-30)
Sins of Sinister Event
X-Men Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike/Heralds of Apocalypse/Sinister
Invincible Iron Man
Uncanny Avengers
Jean Grey
Uncanny Spider-Man
X-Men Blue: Origins
Fall of the House of X -end. This and the titles below all tie together to end the Krakoan Age.
Rise of the Powers of X
Dead X-Men
X-Men Forever
Resurrection of Magneto


Fun but not vital
X-Terminators is a fun raunchy ride
Legion of X/Way of X/Onslaught Revelation/Before the Fall of X: Sons of X - Si Spurrier's run starring Nightcrawler. Not for everyone but I liked it a lot. Also leads into Uncanny Spider-Man/X-Men Blue: Origins

[dkrook]

As the title states, I'm looking to dive into the Krakoa era but there are far too many series and books and I just want the main story portions of the era. I only ever followed the main X-Men title after House/Powers of X. I remember seeing here that X-Corp was pretty weak. I see Way of X and think about how uninterested I am of Onslaught despite somewhat enjoying the original Onslaught saga. Are series like Fallen Angels, Excalibur, Knights of X, Legion of X, Children of the Vault, Realm of X and so many others important?

Anything after Hickman was done by just writers with less creativity and ability to take big swings conceptually. When he left the writing slogged back to basic kiddie level stories focused on the same few cycled characters doing the same tired stuff. The exception will have to be Al Ewing written books they are well done, while using new and old characters to great efficiency. I don't think will you see a better written Storm for a decade at least.

[Itchpfork]

Jeez. I'm so burned out on Krakoa at this point and so disappointed in all its wasted potential that I'm not sure I can recommend it. I think my absolute bare-bones reading list would be something like:

- House of X/Powers of X
- X of Swords
- Planet-Size X-Men (Duggan's only indispensable contribution to Krakoa)
- Inferno
- (X Lives/Deaths of Wolverine—maybe)
- Sins of Sinister
- (Hellfire Gala 2023—though you could really just look at a plot summary because Duggan's books tend to be like plot summaries with pictures.)
- Rise of the Powers of X

To my mind, these are the ones that move the overall story forward and are for the most part well-written and fun to read. You can read various other series to fill in the gaps afterwards.

Otherwise: Hellions is an absolute must-read. Immortal X-Men is pretty good, but would be a whole lot better if so many of its issues weren't backdoor pilots for all of Gillen's Big Event limited series. X-Men Red is good, but it needed more room than it was given. And I've got a very soft spot for Way of X.