The X-Men has been having a rather predictable upswing in popularity lately. Back in 2019, Disney bought 20th Century Fox and regained the film rights to their mutants and fans have been counting down ever since, watching as Marvel Studios started to put more and more behind the men and women of X. X-Men ’97 was the nostalgic reminder of why fans loved the group, Deadpool/Wolverine was a big screen extravaganza, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day threw more fuel on the fire. The X-Men are a big part of lot of people’s childhoods, leading to numerous casual X-Men fans out there, people who like the mutants, but don’t want to become PhDs in X-Men-ology.
Being a casual fan of the X-Men is difficult. The team has a very complicated history and sometimes, a casual fan might pick up a story they were recommended and quickly become completely lost in all of the minutiae of X-Men continuity. It can be hard to know what books are right, but that’s what I’m here for. There are some X-stories that are amazing for casual fans; they give them the full X-perience (I’m really sorry about this). These five X-Men stories are perfect for casual fans, simple, fun stories that will make them love the team even more.
5) X-Men: Deadly Genesis
X-Men: Deadly Genesis, by Ed Brubaker and Trevor Hairsine, might feel like a weird choice for casual fans, but I think it works. The six-issue story sees a mysterious enemy attack the X-Men, one who knows everything about them, and has a terrible past with the team, leading to the discovery of the long-teased third Summers brother. This is the story that changed Professor X forever, revealing how far he would go to hide his own mistakes. Casual fans know Xavier one way and this story shows them a side of the character that they’ve never seen before, which will ready them for more stories where Xavier isn’t exactly the kindly mentor. On top of that, it’s just classic X-Men goodness, with the soap opera ups and downs and excellent action that makes X-comics so great. It might seem a little off the beaten path for a casual fan and that’s kind of the point. It shows the group in another light, but it’s not as confusing of some of the other stories that do the same thing, making it perfect for a casual fan who wants to branch out.
4) X-Men: God Love, Man Kills
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, is classic X-Men goodness in every sense of the word. This story introduces readers to Reverend William Stryker and his Purifiers, a group of anti-mutant bigots using religion to explain away their racism. When mutant children start to turn up dead, the X-Men and Magneto team up against Stryker, leading to a confrontation on national TV. Fighting against racism is basically the X-Men’s entire MO and this story is the ultimate example of that. It’s more mature than most X-comics and this helps make it feel ever more realistic. It’s social commentary at its finest, showing how even something like religion, meant to be a comfort and a balm to the soul, can be twisted into something terrible. This kind of story is what the X-Men are about and casuals need to X-perience it (okay, I’m not sorry about this one).
3) “E Is for Extinction”
New X-Men is the pinnacle of 21st century X-comics and there isn’t an X-Men list I can’t put a story from Grant Morrison’s landmark run in. Morrison’s X-Men might seem like a tough sell for casual fans, but here’s the thing – it was meant to appeal to them too. “E Is for Extinction”, running through New X-Men #114-117 by Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Ethan Van Sciver, sees the X-Men face off against Cassandra Nova for the first time. This story was meant to take people who had loved 2000’s X-Men and get them through the door of the X-Men comics. Morrison and Quitely do this by ignoring old continuity and giving readers everything they need to know right there on the page. I debated whether I should include #117, since it was an epilogue issue meant to make you keep reading, but put it in because it really is that good and I do want the casual fans to learn to love New X-Men. This story is the perfect gateway into the Morrison run and will knock the socks off fans who never thought the X-Men could be like this.
2) “The Dark Phoenix Saga”
“The Dark Phoenix Saga” is the greatest Marvel story ever in my opinion. It’s the culmination of over 2 years of stories, ending Jean Grey’s time as the Phoenix with tragedy of the highest order. Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s saga introduced readers to Kitty Pryde and the Hellfire Club, with the villains taking control of Jean’s mind and pushing out her dark side, leading to the birth of the Dark Phoenix. “The Dark Phoenix Saga” is perfect from the first page. Claremont is able to build up the emotional core of the story, capturing the heartbreak of the X-Men as they do everything they can to save their friend while stopping her horrible rampage. By the end, the team has suffered their greatest loss, one that we feel so acutely because of just how great Claremont and Byrne could be as creators. This is the ultimate X-story and if a casual fan hasn’t read it yet, I’d be surprised. However, I’m still going to recommend it because it really is that good.
1) X-Men (Vol. 2) #1-3
The X-Men’s 1991 reboot was massively successful for a variety of reasons, but the biggest is right here. X-Men (Vol. 2) #1-3, by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee, was the final story of the writer’s first 16-year run with the mutants and he knocked it out of the park. The story saw Magneto return as a villain, introducing his Acolytes, and is the ultimate story starring the mutant master of magnetism. This book took the X-Men back to the mansion, introduced the idea of the Blue and Gold Teams, and revealed secrets about the history of Xavier, Magneto, and Moira MacTaggert that no one ever expected to learn. The first issue of this book sold eight million copies and is the reason why the X-Men got so popular in the ’90s. It’s everything a casual fan could want from an X-Men story – action, adventures, awesome art, adroit writing, and the best characters in comics. It’s the X-Men gateway story and has been for almost 40 years now.
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