![]() ![]() While his run technically starts a few issues after this, Giant-Size X-Men #1 lays the foundation for a decade and a half of intricate long-form storytelling, interwoven plotlines, and the kind of slow-burn soap opera for which the X-Men are famous. In the fast-moving world of shared-universe superhero comics, Chris Claremont has spent a staggering 17 years shaping the X-Men. Len Wein, Dave Cockrum/Marvel Comics If you like long, intricate stories, try Giant-Size X-Men #1Īnd onward ( starting with Uncanny X-Men #94) by Chris Claremont and various artists If the main stories aren’t enough, the series also features a string of ludicrously adorable back-up stories drawn by Colleen Coover. Writer Jeff Parker’s extensive knowledge of and affection for the weirdness of the Marvel Universe is matched only by his skill at rendering that weirdness digestible to readers of all ages. Unlike Season One, First Class was serialized - and is collected in multiple volumes. X-Men: First Class is a modernized retelling of - again - the Silver Age adventures of the first team of X-Men. No, there’s no relation to the film of the same title. There’s no single X-Men title I’ve recommended more to readers looking for an inroad to the series. ![]() Hopeless and McKelvie’s teen X-Men read like actual teenagers - in particular, the historically underwritten Jean Grey, who serves as the book’s primary point-of-view character - and the story itself is fun, heartfelt, and deftly crafted. But for readers who want a more modern take on the early days of the team, Dennis Hopeless and Jamie McKelvie’s graphic novel provides a great self-contained introduction to the original five X-Men, distilling down the first half dozen issues of the often-overwrought Silver Age. Okay, look, you could start with X-Men #1. Read on for a guide to the core stories of X-canon, and where to go next.ĭennis Hopeless, Jamie McKelvie/Marvel Comics If you want to begin at the beginning, try X-Men: Season One The upside of the breadth and variety of the line is that there’s a custom point of entry for pretty much anyone interested in reading X-Men. I pay my rent podcasting about X-Men continuity, which should be a pretty good indication of both how much of it there is, and how confusing readers find it. It’s complicated - clones, time travel, and retcons galore - but it’s also just really, really big. The Internet has brought with it the possibility of previously near-impossible completism, and with it, the overwhelming implicit weight of years of continuity and the necessity of “catching up” before you dive in.Īmong the already forbiddingly convoluted worlds of shared-universe superhero franchises, X-Men continuity is legendary for its density. I'm trying to make sure my work is aligning with how the character looked and also the attitudes the characters had.Back in the old days (I say, settling into my rocking chair to dream dreams of VHS tapes and floppy disks), getting into a new superhero universe was largely a matter of cracking open an issue - or borrowing a few favorites from a friend - and catching what you could as you went. "So I captured the first 30 years of that team, from the '60s through the '80s. "In the case of the Avengers, I wanted to capture something of the era I grew up with, but also something extensive," Ross said. I added in the bit with lightning coming from Storm, which would be a split second of movement."Īs for the Avengers cover, Alex Ross came up with an original idea that covers the first 30 years of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. ![]() Wolverine is completing a full attack swipe and everybody is attacking harder. "The X-Men piece is showing an accentuation of the action, where it's a split second difference later. I copied an existing classic cover design that everybody would know and connect to," Ross explained. "With the X-Men piece, I didn't originally make the design. The first part of the Alex Ross commemorative covers will come on August's Uncanny Avengers #1, which reunites Earth's Mightiest Heroes and mutantkind under the Unity Squad banner yet again. ![]()
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