Some of the best X-Men Graphic Novels
It's hard to hear the word "X-Men" these days and not have that iconic X-Men '97 intro music ringing in your ears. It's even harder to realize that there's more than 60 years of written and drawn content, and you may not have read much or any of it.
No worries, that's why we're here today, to find out what great X-Men graphic novels are worth checking out. Presenting: some of the best X-Men graphic novels!
"They were born that way. They were mutants!"
The first superheroes to be born with powers and not to get their powers in an accident or through experiments, the X-Men, saw the light of the day in 1963. Stan Lee explained that "They were born that way. They were mutants!" and thus the first X-Men team consisting on Professor X (Charles Xavier), Jean Grey (Marvel Girl/ sometimes known as host of the Phoenix), Scott Summers (Cyclops), Hank McCoy (Beast), Warren Worthington III (Angel) and Iceman (Bobby Drake) came to be. And the series with five white boys and a white woman was cancelled in 1969.
Why the emphasis on race and gender? Because this comic book series has often been associated with real-world issues of prejudice, discrimination, and civil rights struggles.
Stan Lee's mutant had failed commercially - until 1975 when Chris Claremont, started writing for the Uncanny X-Men series. Today, he is credited with co-creating and shaping the iconic mutant characters and refining their roles as social outcasts.
The mutants that are again and again marginalized by society, embody the struggle against prejudice and discrimination. Claremont's era introduced a more diverse cast, highlighting intersecting identities such as mutant and Black, indigenous, religious, queer, and disabled. He gave them backstories, desires and individual personalities and while this added depth, it occasionally stereotyped these intersecting aspects. Nevertheless, Claremont's tenure made the mutants one of Marvel's most beloved heroes.
These stories struck a powerful chord with readers of different marginalized communities. This time the X-Men made it.
X-Men: Grand Design Trilogy by Ed Piskor -
To get to know their stories
You could try to read all the X-Men stories starting with 1963, we won't stop you. Or you could read a summary of sorts in Ed Piskor's X-Men: Grand Design. He even helps you feel like you are reading the older issues through his use of color and gradients that define each era he retells. Ed Piskor distills the content of over 200 issues into 6.
Why is it great? Grand Design retells the story of the mutants and the various writers up to the 2000's, with a few changes here and there to create an introduction with less plot holes and a timeline of major events in the lives of the X-Men team and various mutant characters. Or at least it makes you believe that the timeline was always supposed to be that way. Genius!
What is it about?
The content includes the formation of the original team by Professor X, their conflicts with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants led by Magneto, and the introduction of iconic characters such as Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine.
It's a wonderful entry point to help new readers get into the most essential continuity. And it's even a wonderful book for OG fans who want to read it and grumble "it wasn't like that".
X-Men: Grand Design Trilogy TP
€35,99
€39,99
Over six tumultuous decades, the X-Men have carved a singular place in comic-book lore and popular culture. Now, New York Times best-selling author Ed Piskor (Hip Hop Family Tree, Wizzywig) takes you on a pulse-pounding tour of X-Men history unlike… read more
X-Men: House of M by Brian Michael Bendis -
You need to know about this storyline
"No more mutants" is every evil man's dream. "No more oppression and hate and fear" is every mutant's dream. "Only Mutants" is Magneto's dream. How do you achieve that with a supremacist species that just won't learn from history? You make them the minority. And this is what Brian Michael Bendis did in "House of M".
Why is it a good read? Because it is not only a great story, but it is a great story that unfolds into a lot more great stories in the Marvel Universe. And it's the Ultimate What If? What if the mutants were the majority, how would they treat the minority?
What is it about?
Dr. Stephen Strange and Charles Xavier are alarmed: Wanda Maximoff is too powerful and must be controlled, for the entire world can bend to her will. But Wanda, generous as she is, bends to the wishes of her friends - and the universe is rewritten in their image. Perfect, right? Of course not.
It is also a story about siblings, about parents who fail their children, and how they construct their ideal world to escape, only to realize that it might have been worth trying therapy before.
House of M features some of the most iconic lines ever spoken by a mutant, as well as some of the best cinematic and dramatic panels ever drawn by Olivier Coipel. It's not just the action sequence, it's the quiet seconds before the world goes boom.
Was the execution of this great idea great? Opinions vary greatly. You'll have to decide for yourself.
House Of M TP
€20,99
€24,99
Collects House of M (2005) #1-8. The Scarlet Witch is out of control, and the fate of the entire world is in her hands. Will Magneto help his daughter or use her powers to his own benefit? Starring the Astonishing… read more
The Krakoa Era -
For when you finally catch up
The Mutants as dysfonctional as they can: Mutants are no longer the minority. Mutants are immortal. Mutants are geographically far away from their most lethal enemies - humans. They are no longer victims and can finally flourish.
And for the first time in years, the concept of mutant life has changed drastically, the rules and politics have changed, and mutants have had to rebuild a whole new society.
Living on the living island of Krakoa, an island that is itself a mutant, they could finally live in peace. Could, but it's the X-Men, so peace won’t come as easy.
Why is it great?
With no direct fight for their right to be, mutants could, for the first time, just be themselves, and so this series offered many underused mutants the chance to step into the spotlight and be more than just the bad guy, the backstabbing boyfriend or the hungry power man. Magneto isn't just the good guy at heart (🤞) who might make bad decisions out of a troubled past, and Professor X isn't just the righteous mutant leader who wants peace and prosperity for mutants and humans.
Hickman, working with many talented artists including Pepe Larraz who gave a signing session in our shop, has created a new, interesting, and unexpected world for the X-Men beyond the battles they were best known for, in House of X and Powers of X. The beginning of what is now called the Krakoa Era.
The beginning of the future of mutant life and all future mutant stories.
€36,99
The next great evolution of the X-Men! "While you slept, the world changed." With those words, Professor X announces to the people of Earth the new mutant nation of Krakoa. It is a safe haven for all Homo superior, with… read moreHouse Of X / Powers Of X TP
€44,99
