Which volume of Uncanny X-men is this...? Astonishing X-Men is something all X fans should read at some point

" I'm just getting into comic books, X-Men being my favorite, and I don't know where to start. I guess I already started by buying and reading Grand Morrison's New X-Men (amazing series). But Where should I go now?"

I really think that Whedon and Cassaday'sAstonishing X-Men(issues 1-24, Gifted, Dangerous, Torn, andUnstoppable) is just about the best place a new reader can start, short of going back to the early 80's. If you've read Morrison's run on new X-men, this is also a good next step, since it's the run that actually followed it.

Of course, I do think the current Uncanny X-Men (vol.3?) is a pretty cool and different style of X-men story right now, so if you're more interested in what the X-men are doing now, it's not a bad place to start either, especially if you've already been introduced to the characters in Morrison's run. It's about Cyclops' outlaw X-men school, it's cool.

It's hard to compare them, since Whedon's run is long over and Uncanny's is still going, but I like them both in different ways.

I like Whedon's Astonishing run more myself, as a classic rendition of the characters, but I would suggest starting with the first trade, Gifted, and then trying the first trade of Uncanny X-Men next before deciding.