Where X-men's new readers should start.
By Chesapeake 25 Comments
Nov. 2010
NOTE : The intention of this Bloq post is to suggest a good way to catch up with the current sate of affairs of the X-books. There are other great stories about the X-men that you will enjoy and will give you a better knowledge about Who the X-mean really are all about.
Here is my opinion about where to start reading the main X-books:
- The most popular book is Uncanny X-men. By reading it you get to know the key characters and stories. It has a lot of adventures and crossovers. This is the official history book of the X-men. It is important to come to terms with: (For additional info read Decimation and House of M).
There is nothing that anyone can do about it. The next step is to pick up Messiah Complex, Messiah War, Utopia and Second Coming papertrades. It will give you all essentials for where we are. I will also buy the Sisterhood, but it’s not required for continuity. After all that, you can pick up the last three issues to know where the story is right now.
- The Uncanny X-force is the one with most action. The X-men do not kill but this team does what is necessary. They are the secret black ops of the X-world. This version is brand new, issue 1. The previous version of the book had so much success. You can pick it up right now.
- My favorite is X-Factor. They are the detective agency of the Marvel U. This team has remained unaltered for the last years. Therefore, you get to know the team members really well. They are the “independent” book of the X-world. It has a lot of the big surprise elements in it.
They are not limited to the mutant race exclusively. You can jump right into issue 207, 208, 209 and 211. This book stories go separate from the uncanny x-men as a choice but they have the same continuity. In addition, pretty much every four issues, readers get a new case. Issue 200 was the newest starting point because of the highlight number. But you do not need to start there. If you want to get the origins per say, you need to buy the Madrox papertrade.
- X- Men Legacy is the book for the new generation of mutants. I am not sure in which direction this book is going right now. They are not a mutant trainee program but it has a lot of field experimentation. The mentor is Rogue but it is more of a big brother program. You can pick up next issue 242. I do not think that you need to know previous continuity.
- The New Mutants are the next wave of mutants that Professor X trained. They are all grown ups now so they have to start earning their dues into the X-men universe. They are following instructions from X-men central. It has a great cast. The art was stunning a few issues ago. I do not like the new artist but they come and go. The writer is fine but not outstanding.
There are two more main X-books: the Astonishing X-men and X-men but I am not following them so I can really say anything about them. The astonishing X-men have been around for years. Astonishing is focus on the main stream cast of X-men. The other is a new brand book where any X-men are welcome.
There are also other individual x-books:
The most successful ones are about the “Wolverine family gang”, three different titles. The new fan favorite is X-23. It’s been only three issues. I like the Origins series which focus in one X-men beginnings, one at the time. The generation of Hope, etc
25 Comments