X-Men Reading Order

Introduction

This is intended to be a personal reading order of X-Men and certain related titles, from the Bronze Age and Giant Size X-Men #1 in 1975 to the present.

Notes

• where to place
  • Wolverine
  • Excalibur
  • Marvel Comics Presents stories
  • X-Factor #16-18
  • Uncanny X-Men #213
  • Annuals
  • Alpha Flight
  • Spotlight on Starjammers

Reading Order

Bronze Age

Part 1 - The Bronze Age Golden Age

• Giant Size X-Men #1
• X-Men #94-100
• X-Men #101-109 -- Phoenix Saga
• X-Men #110-128
• X-Men #129-139 -- Dark Phoenix Saga
• X-Men #140-141 -- Days of Future Past
  • Book officially changes names in #141 (to Uncanny X-Men)

Part 2 - New Mutants and Space Bugs

• Uncanny X-Men #142-144
• Marvel Team-Up #100 - Karma's debut
• Uncanny X-Men #145-149
• Avengers Annual 10 - Rogue's debut
• Uncanny X-Men #150 - Magneto's first turning point from villain to hero
• X-Men Annual 5
• Uncanny X-Men #151-159
• Uncanny X-Men #160-166 -- Brood Saga
• Magik #1-4
• Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants -- New Mutants
  • New Mutants debut
• New Mutants #1-7 - happens concurrently to Brood Saga
• Uncanny X-Men #167 - X-Men return from Brood Saga, meet New Mutants

Part 3 - Professor Xavier Is A Jerk!

• Marvel Graphic Novel #5 -- God Loves, Man Kills
• Uncanny X-Men #168-171
• Wolverine #1-4 –– Chris Claremont & Frank Miller
• Uncanny X-Men #172-180 - Wolverine's Wedding
• New Mutants #8-17
• Secret Wars #1-12 -- Can be skipped (is trash); I would look up spoilers; does have
• Uncanny X-Men #181-183
• Marvel Graphic Novel #12 -- Dazzler the Movie
• Beauty and the Beast #1-4
• New Mutants #18-20 -- Demon Bear Saga
• Uncanny X-Men #184

Modern Age

Part 1 - The Trial of Magneto

• New Mutants #21 - Warlock's debut
• New Mutants Annual 1
• Uncanny X-Men #185-188
  • #186 - 'Lifedeath'
• New Mutants #22-25
• Kitty Pryde & Wolverine #1-6
• Uncanny X-Men #189-192
• Uncanny X-Men Annual 8
• X-Men/Alpha Flight #1-2
• Uncanny X-Men #193-199
  • #198 - 'Lifedeath II'
• Nightcrawler #1-4 - occurs between UXM #194 & #195
• New Mutants #26-34
• New Mutants Special Edition & Uncanny X-Men Annual 9 -- Asgardian Wars
• Uncanny X-Men #200

Part 2 - Mutant Massacre

• New Mutants #35-40 – New Mutants & the Beyonder, Magneto takes over the school
• Longshot #1-6 - Longshot solo series
• Uncanny X-Men #201-205 – Wraps up Secret Wars II stuff
• Avengers #263, Fantastic Four #286, X-Factor #1-4, Iron Man Annual #8 - X-Factor origins
• Uncanny X-Men #206-209
• X-Factor Annual #1
• X-Factor #5-8

• Mutant Massacre

  • Uncanny X-Men #210-211 - #210 is a prologue to the X-Men/New Mutants half of the story
  • New Mutants #46
  • Uncanny X-Men #212-213
  • X-Factor #9-10 - #9 is a prologue to the X-Factor half of the story
  • Thor #373
  • Power Pack #27
  • Thor #374
  • X-Factor #11
  • Daredevil #238 - tangential and mostly just a Daredevil/Sabretooth story
• New Mutants #47-50
• X-Factor #12-16
• Thor #377-378
• Mephisto Vs. #1-4
• Uncanny X-Men #215-218 - Shadowcat & Nightcrawler leave

Part 3 - Fall of the Mutants

• New Mutants #51
• New Mutants Annual #3
• New Mutants #52
• Fallen Angels #1-8 - A fun, weird X-adjacent series with Boom-Boom, Sunspot, Warlock, the Vanisher, & Moon-Boy & Devil Dinosaur
• Power Pack #33 - An epilogue to Fallen Angels
• New Mutants #53-54
• Uncanny X-Men #219
• Fantastic Four vs. X-Men #1-4 - A great Doctor Doom-, Kitty Pryde- and Franklin Richards-centric story
• X-Men vs. Avengers #1-4 - A much less good story that sets up Magneto's eventual turn back to villainy
• Uncanny X-Men Annual #11 - Sort of a set-up for Excalibur

Fall of the Mutants

• X-Factor #17-18
• X-Factor Annual #2
• X-Factor #19-20
• Incredible Hulk #336-337
• X-Factor #21-25
• Power Pack #35
• New Mutants #55-61
• Uncanny X-Men #220
• Daredevil #248-249
• Uncanny X-Men #221-224
• Incredible Hulk #340
• Uncanny X-Men #225-227
• New Mutants #62-66
• Daredevil #252
• Captain America #339
• X-Factor #26
• Fantastic Four #312
• X-Factor #27-29

Part 4 - Inferno and Excalibur

• Mutant Misdventures of Cloak and Dagger #1-2
• Uncanny X-Men #228-231 - The start of the Australia Era!!!
• Marvel Comics Presents #1-10 - Wolverine stories; lead up to Wolverine's ongoing
• Wolverine (1988) #1-3 - The beginning of Wolverine being EVERYWHERE, ALWAYS
• X-Factor #30-32
• Uncanny X-Men #232-234

Evolutionary War -- extremely skippable

• X-Factor Annual #3
• The Punisher Annual #1
• Silver Surfer Annual #1
• New Mutants Annual #4
• Fantastic Four Annual #21
• The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22
• Uncanny X-Men Annual #12
• Web of Spider-Man Annual #4
• West Coast Avengers Annual #3
• The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #8
• Avengers Annual #17
• Uncanny X-Men #235-238
• Marvel Comics Presents #10-17 - Colossus: God's Country

Pre-Excalibur Captain Britain

• Marvel Super-Heroes #377-388
• The Daredevils #1-11
• Mighty World of Marvel vol 2 #7-16
• Captain Britain vol 2 #1-14
• Excalibur Special Edition: The Sword is Drawn
• Excalibur #1-5
• New Mutants #67-70

Inferno

• Power Pack #40
• Uncanny X-Men #239
• X-Factor #33-35
• X-Terminators #1-3
• New Mutants #71
• X-Terminators #4
• New Mutants #72
• Uncanny X-Men #240-241
• X-Factor #36-37
• New Mutants #73
• Uncanny X-Men #242
• X-Factor #38
• Uncanny X-Men #243
• X-Factor #39

Inferno Tie-Ins:

- `The Amazing Spider-Man #311-313`
- `Spectacular Spider-Man #146-148`
- `Web of Spider-Man #47-48`
- `Avengers #298-300`
- `Power Pack #42-44`
- `Daredevil #262-265`
- `Cloak and Dagger #4`
- `Fantastic Four #322-324`

• Excalibur #6-11

-- Good Stopping Point --

• Marvel Comics Presents #24- 31
• Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown #1-4
• Uncanny X-Men #244-247
• New Mutants #74-76
• X-Factor #40-42
• Atlantis Attacks - also super skippable
• Uncanny X-Men #248-251
• X-Factor #43-50 - Judgement War
• New Mutants #77-80 - Asgard Adventure
• Excalibur #12-19, #21-24 - Cross Time Caper
• Uncanny X-Men #252-255
• New Mutants #82-85
• New Mutants #81
• Excalibur #20
• X-Factor #47
• Uncanny X-Men #256-263

The 90's Begins

Part 1 - Cable

• New Mutants #86-89 - Cable's debut, Rob Liefeld era begins
• X-Factor #51-53, #55
• Uncanny X-Men #265-267
• Excalibur #25-27
• New Mutants #90-91, #93-94
• X-Factor #54, #56-59
• Uncanny X-Men #264, 268-269

Days of Future Present

• Fantastic Four Annual #23
• New Mutants Annual #6
• X-Factor Annual #5
• Uncanny X-Men Annual #14
• Excalibur #28-31

X-Tinction Agenda

• Uncanny X-Men #270
• New Mutants #95
• X-Factor #60
• Uncanny X-Men #271
• New Mutants #96
• X-Factor #61
• Uncanny X-Men #272
• New Mutants #97
• X-Factor #62
• Uncanny X-Men #273-277
• New Mutants #98-100 - Deadpool's debut, end of New Mutants
• X-Factor: Prisoner of Love
• X-Factor: #63-64 - Louise Simonson's final issues
• Excalibur #32-36 - Girls' School from Heck
• Marvel Comics Presents #72-84 - Weapon X

Part 2 - Muir Island Saga

Kings of Pain

• New Mutants Annual #7
• New Warriors Annual #1
• Uncanny X-Men Annual #7
• X-Factor Annual #7
• X-Factor #65-68 - X-Factor: Endgame
• Excalibur: Weird War III
• New Mutants Summer Special: A Mutant in Megalopolis
• Excalibur #37-41
• X-Factor: Forever - Alternate ending for Louise Simonson's run

Muir Island Saga

• Uncanny X-Men #278-279
• X-Factor #69
• Uncanny X-Men #280
• X-Factor #70
• Marvel Comics Presents #85-92

Part 3 - Mutant Genesis

• X-Factor #71-75 - Peter David's run begins
• X-Men #1-3 - Mutant Genesis
• X-Force #1-4
• X-Men #4-7 - Omega Red
• Uncanny X-Men #281-283 - Bishop's Crossing

War and Pieces

• Incredible Hulk #390-391
• X-Factor #76
• Incredible Hulk #392
• X-Factor #77-78
• X-Force #5-7
• Uncanny X-Men #284-286 - Mikhail Rasputin's return
• Uncanny X-Men #287-290 - Randall and Malcolm's demise

Brood Trouble in the Big Easy

• X-Men #8
• Ghost Rider (1990) #26
• X-Men #9
• Ghost Rider (1990) #27
• X-Force #8-10

Shattershot

• X-Men Annual (1992) #1
• Uncanny X-Men Annual (1992) #16
• X-Factor Annual (1992) #7
• X-Force Annual (1992) #1

Part 4 - X-Cutioner's Song

• X-Men #10-13
• X-Factor #79-81
• Uncanny X-Men #291-293
• X-Force #11-15
• Cable: Blood and Metal #1-2
• X-Factor #81-83

X-Cutioner's Song

• Uncanny X-Men #294
• X-Factor #84
• X-Men #14
• X-Force #16
• Uncanny X-Men #295
• X-Factor #85
• X-Men #15
• X-Force #17
• Uncanny X-Men #296
• X-Factor #86
• X-Men #16
• X-Force #18
• Stryfe’s Strike File
• Uncanny X-Men #297-300
• X-Force #19-23
• X-Factor #87
• X-Men #17-19

The 90s Continue

Part 1 - Fatal Attractions