Matthew Ledrew's Blog - Posts Tagged "x-men"
Top Ten Books to Read if you like X-Men
So here's a rare opportunity offered by The Broke and the Bookish, as April 29's topic was Top Ten Books If You Like X tv show/movie/comic/play etc. (basically any sort of other entertainment). At first I was just going to do a straight comic-book list, hightlighting the best of each franchise from which I'd read... but then I figured, lets have some fun. I've been on my way through all of the X-Men comics, and although I'm nowhere near done, I'm going to take a moment and do my current Top-Ten favorite X-Men books. Although I'm not limiting it to comics, something tells me they'll dominate the list.
And this time, they are going in order, with #1 being my favorite.
10.
X-Men: X-Cutioner's Song, Scott Lobdell: This book really set in motion that X-Men crossovers had to happen, and had to be as confusing as possible... but you can't blame this book for that! The reason it's that way is because this book is so great! Intriguing and epic in scope and scale, this book focuses on the mysterious Cable and his relationship to Cyclops and Jean Grey! Although the mysteries don't get resolved here, there are enough hints and clues to keep any reader guessing, and the ending will leave you satisfied nonetheless.
9.
X-Men: Kitty Pryde & Wolverine, Chris Claremont: Despite a rocky first chapter, this story works exceptionally well as a sequel to the Claremont/Miller opus of a few years before, but is often overlooked. I actually like it better than the original, cementing the relationship between Pryde and Wolverine while updating her character into Shadowcat, the persona she would inhabit for the remainder of the franchise (to date).
8.
X-Men: Phoenix Rising, Roger Stern: An oddity for an X-Men book, this book features stories from Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Factor... but they all come together to tell the story of Phoenix's rebirth into the Marvel Universe, deftly written by Roger Stern. While probably not the greatest book for someone hoping to break into X-Men, its nevertheless a great tale of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, especially when coupled with the wonderful X-Men Classics Vignettes contained within.
7.
Civil War: Wolverine, Marc Guggenheim: Sure to be one of the only post-2000 books on this list, Wolverine's Civil War arc features Logan traveling the world on quest for vengeance against Nitro, the super-villain responsible for the deaths of nearly 500 schoolchildren that sparked the start of the Marvel Civil War. As much a political thriller as it is action-packed, this comic proves Logan's place in the modern Marvel Universe, as a soul of vengeance and true avenging force.
6.
Wolverine: Not Dead Yet, Warren Ellis: this is an epic tale of survival as Logan is forced to confront a man from his past he thought he'd killed, hunted through the backwoods of New York as the killer physically and psychologically tortures Logan to try and let the beast inside out, and prove who is the better killer. Revealing, interesting stuff.
5.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, Chris Claremont: I'll get flack from fellow fans for putting this one so high up on the list, but while I enjoyed it there was something a little-ham fisted about it. It got points at the time for peeling away the veil of illusion behind the race-parable to X-Men, opting to outwardly claim that the word "mutie" was just like the n-word. Kitty Pryde outwardly says the word. But aside from the surreal nature of seeing the n-word in print in a Marvel comic, there's not a lot going for it. The racial message is ham-handed and is making too broad a point to be successful, and eventually they reveal the giant machine to kill the mutants and the thing because a standard beat-em-up that undercuts the root message. It gets on this list just for its ballsyness, though.
4.
X-Men: Mutant Genesis, Chris Claremont: At the time it was both the best-selling comic book of all time AND Claremont's farewall to the series he revolutionized, but it was also a great book. The X-Men's greatest foe, Magneto, has returned to threaten the Earth because he believes that the "softer" persona he's developed ever since Claremont took over the title was in fact set upon him by Professor Xavier. Outwardly renouncing the amnesty he worked so hard to achieve, Magneto comes back to villainy and we wouldn't have it any other way.
3.
Essential Wolverine, Vol. 1, Chris Claremont: Yes. Not the Frank Miller limited series, or anything else, this. These stories, which take place while the X-Men were thought dead, revolve around Logan in his alternate identity as Patch trying to manage a bar in the fictional ghetto-island of Madripor while navigating the complex political schemes of the crime families therein. It forces him not to simply pop his claws to deal with every problem as it comes up, and forced the character (and the author) to think about what they're doing. The character had never been written better and never has been since, proving why (at the time) he needed his own monthly title.
2.
Astonishing X-Men, Joss Whedon: It's popular to pour the love onto Joss Whedon these days, and why not? A cult success for years, he now helms the most profitable movie franchise in existence. But between Buffy and Avengers, Whedon did a lot of comics. One of which was this amazing run on X-Men, from which he took the main cast leftover from Grant Morrison's run on the title and gave them their own series. Wonderfully written and heartfelt, this was one of the first true modern extensions of the book we loved during the 70s and 80s. Romantic, adventurous, and filled with witty Whedon dialog.
1.
X-Men 1 Backpack Marvels, Chris Claremont: Without a doubt my favorite X-Men collection of all time, and my favorite way to view it as well. The art translates beautifully to this black-and-white collection, whereas modern artists rely so much on color that removing it is damn near impossible. This book is imaginative and epic, taking the reader from the birth of the Morlocks to Rouge joining the team, and finally to Wolverine's wedding. It, and its sequel X-Men 2 Backpack, are some of the best comic books in existence and I would recommend them to anybody.
And this time, they are going in order, with #1 being my favorite.
10.
X-Men: X-Cutioner's Song, Scott Lobdell: This book really set in motion that X-Men crossovers had to happen, and had to be as confusing as possible... but you can't blame this book for that! The reason it's that way is because this book is so great! Intriguing and epic in scope and scale, this book focuses on the mysterious Cable and his relationship to Cyclops and Jean Grey! Although the mysteries don't get resolved here, there are enough hints and clues to keep any reader guessing, and the ending will leave you satisfied nonetheless. 9.
X-Men: Kitty Pryde & Wolverine, Chris Claremont: Despite a rocky first chapter, this story works exceptionally well as a sequel to the Claremont/Miller opus of a few years before, but is often overlooked. I actually like it better than the original, cementing the relationship between Pryde and Wolverine while updating her character into Shadowcat, the persona she would inhabit for the remainder of the franchise (to date).8.
X-Men: Phoenix Rising, Roger Stern: An oddity for an X-Men book, this book features stories from Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Factor... but they all come together to tell the story of Phoenix's rebirth into the Marvel Universe, deftly written by Roger Stern. While probably not the greatest book for someone hoping to break into X-Men, its nevertheless a great tale of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, especially when coupled with the wonderful X-Men Classics Vignettes contained within.7.
Civil War: Wolverine, Marc Guggenheim: Sure to be one of the only post-2000 books on this list, Wolverine's Civil War arc features Logan traveling the world on quest for vengeance against Nitro, the super-villain responsible for the deaths of nearly 500 schoolchildren that sparked the start of the Marvel Civil War. As much a political thriller as it is action-packed, this comic proves Logan's place in the modern Marvel Universe, as a soul of vengeance and true avenging force.6.
Wolverine: Not Dead Yet, Warren Ellis: this is an epic tale of survival as Logan is forced to confront a man from his past he thought he'd killed, hunted through the backwoods of New York as the killer physically and psychologically tortures Logan to try and let the beast inside out, and prove who is the better killer. Revealing, interesting stuff.5.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, Chris Claremont: I'll get flack from fellow fans for putting this one so high up on the list, but while I enjoyed it there was something a little-ham fisted about it. It got points at the time for peeling away the veil of illusion behind the race-parable to X-Men, opting to outwardly claim that the word "mutie" was just like the n-word. Kitty Pryde outwardly says the word. But aside from the surreal nature of seeing the n-word in print in a Marvel comic, there's not a lot going for it. The racial message is ham-handed and is making too broad a point to be successful, and eventually they reveal the giant machine to kill the mutants and the thing because a standard beat-em-up that undercuts the root message. It gets on this list just for its ballsyness, though. 4.
X-Men: Mutant Genesis, Chris Claremont: At the time it was both the best-selling comic book of all time AND Claremont's farewall to the series he revolutionized, but it was also a great book. The X-Men's greatest foe, Magneto, has returned to threaten the Earth because he believes that the "softer" persona he's developed ever since Claremont took over the title was in fact set upon him by Professor Xavier. Outwardly renouncing the amnesty he worked so hard to achieve, Magneto comes back to villainy and we wouldn't have it any other way. 3.
Essential Wolverine, Vol. 1, Chris Claremont: Yes. Not the Frank Miller limited series, or anything else, this. These stories, which take place while the X-Men were thought dead, revolve around Logan in his alternate identity as Patch trying to manage a bar in the fictional ghetto-island of Madripor while navigating the complex political schemes of the crime families therein. It forces him not to simply pop his claws to deal with every problem as it comes up, and forced the character (and the author) to think about what they're doing. The character had never been written better and never has been since, proving why (at the time) he needed his own monthly title.2.
Astonishing X-Men, Joss Whedon: It's popular to pour the love onto Joss Whedon these days, and why not? A cult success for years, he now helms the most profitable movie franchise in existence. But between Buffy and Avengers, Whedon did a lot of comics. One of which was this amazing run on X-Men, from which he took the main cast leftover from Grant Morrison's run on the title and gave them their own series. Wonderfully written and heartfelt, this was one of the first true modern extensions of the book we loved during the 70s and 80s. Romantic, adventurous, and filled with witty Whedon dialog. 1.
X-Men 1 Backpack Marvels, Chris Claremont: Without a doubt my favorite X-Men collection of all time, and my favorite way to view it as well. The art translates beautifully to this black-and-white collection, whereas modern artists rely so much on color that removing it is damn near impossible. This book is imaginative and epic, taking the reader from the birth of the Morlocks to Rouge joining the team, and finally to Wolverine's wedding. It, and its sequel X-Men 2 Backpack, are some of the best comic books in existence and I would recommend them to anybody.
