@sn4tch said:
Not to bump an old thread, but I'm bumping and old thread.
I'm trying my hand at reading some x-men, and I like emperiums list above. However I want to start even earlier than The Dark Pheonix Saga. I'd like to start even further back. What major arcs before the Dark Pheonix would you all recommends? And are there major arcs in OTHER x-books that aren't listed above that I should check out? (And it can be chronological too, like a modern retelling like Season One and Origin)
As I'm mostly an X-Men fan, I'll answer that question for those who have a similar question to this.
There's almost nothing before Dark Phoenix Saga that's worth a read. Note, however, I said almost nothing.
The Original Years (Uncanny X-Men 1-66) are somewhat cringe-worthy to read but lays the foundation of the characters. You see Xavier's willingness to mess with people's minds, removing memories or even a mutant's ability to access or even be aware of their powers (he did it at least twice), lied to the X-Men multiple times about losing his powers/situations/dying and "gifted" Jean with telepathy. All in all, you understand that Xavier isn't a paragon of virtue in the first run.
You see that the original team weren't all hugs and kisses through their internal scuffles (including one where McCoy shows his arrogance in dealing with Unus without talking with anyone else). You also get introduced to Karl Lykos/Sauron (not my fav character), Havok and Polaris are introduced and you see that not everyone thinks spending their lives fighting as X-Men is the be-all, end-all.
Negatives - Magneto is nothing but a villain and I want to strangle Toad. The writing/dialogue is old school comics and so the story-telling isn't always the best.
"The Professor Xavier and the X-Men" mini-series is an 18 issue retelling of the original 66 books, taking the most important parts and updating the artwork for what we're used in the (relatively) modern era. You also see some updated script as well as extra scenes (notably between Magneto and Scarlet Witch).
The Hidden Years is okay but rather hit-and-miss for me. Highlights include Pre-X-Men Storm, Jean in space with FF meeting Phoenix for "the first time," and McCoy straddling that line between genius and arrogance to become blue and furry.
The Second Genesis run brings in all the fav characters. If you're going to read this then make sure to read the Classic X-Men versions as they include extra small stories that add more to the characters and gives a little more weight to Thunderbird's character and death. Wolverine comes across as a one-note character except in these extras that have him have meaningful conversations with people as well as show his motivation for being a hard-arse on the team.
After this, it gets a bit messy. You've got random plots by Magneto, the rather strange build up to the Phoenix Saga involving Lillandra's arrival and the M'Kraan Crystal escapade. The Phoenix Saga itself is somewhat okay but I don't think the story-telling of the non-Phoenix parts are that great. What I will say is that you get a very nice Pre-Muir Island Saga (the Shadow King one) with Proteus' first appearance and that's definitely worth the read.
So yeah, while there's a lot pre Dark Phoenix Saga, it's all about if you can enjoy the older style of story and dialogue. I admit I struggle in this department, but there's still highlights in those older books even for me.
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