Comics Comic Noob, suggestions please.

[henzINNIT]

I'm pretty new to comics and haven't read many. I'd love to get some X-Men graphic novels but have no idea where to start. Things like Batman seem to have really well-known "must haves" but I'm not seeing it so much here.

Which books are the X-Men essentials?

Cheers

 

[TheShah]

Whedon's X-Men run.

 

[henzINNIT]

Bought and read "Gifted". It's great. On to "Dangerous"...

 

[EvilClareToo]

Well, if you want some of the classics, you will have to get "The Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Saga", "Days of Future Past", and the "The Morlock Massacre". Current X books will refer to events from these stories (such as the Phoenix Force, Sentinels, Sinister and Apocalypse). They should be easy enough to find in most comic books stores. I would stay away from alternate reality crossovers such as "Age of Apocalypse" until you have a firm background in the X world and its characters, otherwise it will just confuse you. You should also check the X Men article in Wiki. They have a list of all the major storielines from every period so you can read them chronologically.

Welcome to the X-verse and I hope you enjoy your reading!

 

[RootBeerMaster]

For Modern Day x-men comics either read the Graphic Novel Astonishing X-men gifted and continue the volumes from there, thats were I started or read Uncanny X-Men - The New Age Vol. 1: The End of History.
and contiune the volumes.

If you want to go back father than that I can't help you, but these two are good places to start to get caught up to current x-men comics.

 

[henzINNIT]

Cheers for the suggestions guys. Ordered the Dark Phoenix Saga. I'm interested to better see how X3 screwed things up.

 

[Boba_Fett_123]

Yeah, Dark Phoenix is pretty much the "Dark Knight Returns" of X-Men. Whedon's run is very good. Grant Morrison's New X-Men is excellent, and available in one omnibus for an easy purchase. If you can get a copy, Claremont's "God Loves, Man Kills" (the original one, not the sequel from X-Treme X-Men) is also good.

You're right, though, X-Men doesn't have a huge back catalog of graphic novels the way things like Batman do. It's a lot more like a television drama, where the stories are ongoing for years at a time. The Essential Collection, even though it's black and white, is a pretty good experience, and there's a ton of volumes now to keep you busy.

As for what's out now, I would recommend Fraction's Uncanny. It's uneven sometimes, but when he's on, he's on.

 

[henzINNIT]

Thanks again. I'm looking into the classic arcs that have been suggested. Can I bother you guys further...

Are there any particularly good Wolverine Origin collecteds? I've seen loads.

Are there any good Cyclops focused/dominant stories out there? He's my favourite character

 

[javi1024]

Thanks again. I'm looking into the classic arcs that have been suggested. Can I bother you guys further...

Are there any particularly good Wolverine Origin collecteds? I've seen loads.

Are there any good Cyclops focused/dominant stories out there? He's my favourite character

well you cant go wrong with the original Wolverine limited series by Claremont and Miller or the Weapon X story by Barry Windsor-Smith (both available in trade for cheap). thats the extent of the solo Wolverine ive read besides Enemy of the State and soon to read Old Man Logan.

as far as Cyclops goes he doesnt really have many stories that focus soley on him, and those that do are probably only found in single issues as solo side stories (when he visits his old orphanage and is confronted by Sinister comes to mind). of course theres the Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix where they go to the future to raise baby Cable. Whedon's Astonishing X-Men is always a great recommendation because that's exactly what he wanted to address, shining the light on Scott and making him his own man, so 'Torn' and 'Unstoppable' deal with him heavily and really its made me a fan of him. another one was Morrison's New X-Men 'Assault on Weapon Plus', an arc starring Scott, Logan, and Fantomex. but if your reading any of the current X-Men books (Messiah Complex and on) he's a major figure now so theres plenty to read there.