For 50 years, the X-Men have fought to protect a world that hates and fears them. That's a
lot of comics (and cartoons, and movies, and novels, if you're a completist), and it can be hard to find a decent jumping-on point — or figure out which of thousands of stories are worth hitting when you're trying to catch up. To help get newcomers get up to speed on the
50th anniversary of the X-Men, we've picked 10 of the most important storylines and series from the long, long history of the mutant menace, from time-travel and clones to splinter universes and student uprisings.
Above: X-Men: Season One
When Did It Appear? X-Men: Season One hardcover, 2012, by Dennis Hopeless, Jamie McKelvie, et. al.
What Happens? X-Men Season One is an updated retelling of the first arc of X-Men: Jean Grey joins the team; they fight Magneto, Unus the Untouchable, and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; and there's a lot of teen drama.
Why Is It Important? Lee and Kirby's original X-Men issues may be important, but they're also not very good. Hopeless and McKelvie take the core elements of those issues and reposition them in a way that captures the spirit of the original while very much improving its substance. If you're looking for a one-volume introduction to the X-Men's roots,
Season One is the way to go.
All images courtesy Marvel
