X-Men

Being part of the mutantkind comes with a different set of powers. Some people have telekinesis or pyrokinesis—and plenty of other -kinesis. Others can shoot energy from their eyes, control a planet’s magnetic field, or heal from any injury.

If your name is Jubilation Lee, you’re most known for your “fireworks”! While some people have called Jubilee’s powers one of the lamest, that didn’t stop her from becoming popular, especially in the nineties. And since it’s clear she can go nuclear on you, it’s safe to say you should never underestimate any power!

Created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri in 1989, Jubilee joined the X-Men and became Wolverine‘s sidekick, forming a father-daughter bond with him. Later, she joined Generation X and became a fan favorite on X-Men: The Animated Series. Over the years, Jubilee’s life took some wild turns: she had a stint in Hollywood, lost her powers, worked for a pro-mutant group, became a vampire, adopted a child, got her powers back, and even turned human again!

To discover these stories and more, you can follow our Jubilee reading order guide for the best comics to read about one of Marvel’s most popular Asian American superheroes.

Read More »The Best of Jubilee Comics, Your Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)

He is a Master of Magnetism. He is one of the most complex and ambiguous figures among the X-Men. We’re talking about Magneto, alias Max Eisenhardt, or Erik Magnus Lehnsherr.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, Magneto started as a one-dimensional foe for the young X-Men team led by Professor Xavier, mostly defined by his mutant-versus-human ideals. The Magneto we know today was developed by Chris Claremont, who transformed him into a more complex, three-dimensional character. The first turning point came with the classic Uncanny X-Men #150, which introduced the first notion of Magneto’s past as a Holocaust survivor.

Over the next few years, Magneto continued to evolve, leading to the milestone Uncanny X-Men #200—”The Trial of Magneto”—which concluded with a major change in the status quo for the mutants. Magneto’s potential for redemption became central to his character, pushing him into a more complex grey area, often shifting between good and evil depending on the writer’s interpretation.

Here’s a guide to some of the most important and recommended comics featuring Magneto, Marvel’s Master of Magnetism!

Read More »The Best of Magneto Comics, our Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)

Black Cat is not the only Marvel character with lucky-based powers. While Felicia Hardy brings bad luck to those around her, the woman known as Domino shifts the odds in her favor. A member of the X-Men family, Domino often worked as a mercenary, taking on questionable jobs but still guided by a moral compass that pushes her to do the right thing when necessary.

Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, Domino first “appeared” in New Mutants #98. However, it was later revealed that this was an imposter, with her real first appearance taking place in X-Force #8. You know the World of Comics, it’s complicated!

While she was often called “Beatrice” (a name meaning lucky) at first, Domino’s real name was revealed to be Neena Thurman. She became one of the most emblematic members of the X-Force team, a long-time ally to the time-traveling mutant Cable and one of Deadpool’s closest friends. Domino is also visually striking, with her pure-white skin and distinctive black eye patch. As Rob Liefield explained in a Comics Beat interview: “I was obsessed with the game dominoes. And I always thought that a character who was 100% black and white would be a tremendous visual.” He also gave her luck powers, because “when you play dominoes, it’s a game of chance.”

Check out our Domino reading order, guiding you through the essential comics and story arcs featuring Marvel’s luckiest mutant!

Read More »Domino Reading Order (X-Men)

It’s never easy being the brother of a more famous X-Man. Just ask Alex Summers, who has often found himself in the shadow of his brother, Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. While Alex may never reach his older brother’s level of fame, this longtime Marvel character has certainly lived through some wild adventures (and bad editorial decisions) since his debut in 1969!

Before young Alex Summers was introduced to the world of the X-Men, readers already knew that Scott had a brother (there’s a third Summers brother, but it is a subject for another day) who had been separated from him for many years. After their father’s plane was attacked by aliens, the two brothers jumped with the only working parachute. While they survived, they were left orphaned and separated as children. Scott grew up in an orphanage before being recruited to join the X-Men.

But surprise! When Alex made his first appearance in X-Men #54, the two brothers had been close for some time—clearly, this relationship had developed off-panel. Soon enough, Alex was revealed to have powers of his own, capable of generating powerful plasma blasts. He got his famous Neal Adams-designed costume and codename in issue #58. From there, the mutant developed a love-hate relationship with the X-Men and an on-and-off romance with Lorna Dane, a.k.a. Polaris.

Read More »The Best of Havok Comics, Our Alex Summers Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)!

From their first appearance in September 1963 to the present, The X-Men have lived countless adventures filled with action, tragedy, comedy, romance, and more. These adventures have spawned many teams such as New Mutants, X-Factor, Excalibur, and X-Force, as well as solo journeys for many characters in the form of miniseries and ongoing titles!

Naturally, the library of X-Men and X-Men-related comic book titles can look daunting for new readers and even older ones. Throughout the years, Marvel Comics has collected many runs and tens of thousands of X-Men issues in various formats, including classic trade paperbacks, Marvel Masterworks, in the popular Epic Collection, and, of course, the Omnibus line!

With more than 50 omnibuses dedicated to the X-Men and all associated titles—and the number is still growing—, we have decided to create a Specific X-Men Omnibus Reading Order. This guide can serve as a roadmap to the extraordinary adventures of the X-Men in this particular collection, helping new and old readers to find their ways in the vast world of the mutantkind!

Read More »X-Men Omnibus Reading Order!

While it’s obvious to think about Scarlet Witch or Clea and Stephen Strange when talking about magic users in the Marvel Universe, it would be a great mistake to disregard Magik, also known as Illyana Rasputina.

Created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, Illyana made her first appearance in the comic book Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), like many other X-Men characters such as Nightcrawler, Storm, Thunderbird, and her brother Colossus! For a long time, she was only known as Colossus’ little sister until Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema sent her to the magical realm of Limbo. In her time there, Illyana aged seven years,  developed her teleportation abilities and became a sorceress later known as Magik.

Since her debut, Illyana has been abused by demons during her formative years, de-aged, exploited by her government, killed by a Virus, resurrected, turned on the Dark Side and more! With those many traumatic experiences, Magik became one of the most fascinating and ambiguous X-Men and well deserving of her own reading order! 

So today, let’s explore Magik’s history with her best comics to understand her character and motivations, learn more about her place among the X-Men, her relationship with her brother, Shadowcat and more!

Read More »The Best of Magik Comics, Our Illyana Rasputin Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)!

One of the first black comic book characters, Storm is also one of the most important female superheroes in the Marvel Universe. She is a member of the X-Men, a descendant of African witch-priestesses with the ability to control the weather and atmosphere, who uses her powers to fight for peace and equal rights.

Created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, she made her first appearance in the classic Giant-Size X-Men #1, the famous issue introducing several new X-Men such as Wolverine (who already made his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181), Colossus, Thunderbird, and Nightcrawler.

Born Ororo Munroe, Storm is a powerful and strong superheroine with a love of nature. Noticeable for her striking blue eyes and silver-white hair, she is warm, generous, and protective of her friends and family but cold, frightening, and dangerous to her enemies. Recognized as an Omega Level Mutant, she has served multiple times as the leader of the X-Men. Storm has also been worshipped as a Goddess, was Queen of Wakanda, and briefly a member of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.

Discover now our Storm reading order, guiding you through the essential comics and story arcs featuring Marvel’s iconic weather-controlling mutant!

Read More »Storm Reading Order, Your Ororo Munroe Comic Book Guide!

In another Earth, Nightcrawler is part of the DC Universe, as creator Dave Cockrum first submitted the character to the competitor of Marvel. But in our reality, DC rejected him, and Cockrum used him when he started working in the X-Men in 1975. Nightcrawler then became German as editor Roy Thomas wanted the new X-Men to be an international team.

The character made his debut in the now classic Giant-Size X-Men #1, an issue written by Len Wein and penciled by Dave Cockrum. The first X-Men story in five years, it also serves as a bridge between the original X-Men and the New Team, introducing several new X-Men such as Wolverine (who already made his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181), Storm, Colossus, Thunderbird, and as already said, Nightcrawler.

Nicknamed ‘Elf’ by Wolvie, Nightcrawler would go on to become one of the most well-liked and respected members of the X-Men. Born Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler is a former circus acrobat and skilled swordsman fan of Errol Flynn! His physical mutation made it impossible for him to go unnoticed in a crowd, with his dark blue fur, two-toed feet and three-fingered hands, yellow eyes, pointed ears, long sharp canines, and a prehensile tail. His demonic look contrasts with his Catholic faith. He also possesses superhuman strength, the capacity to teleport and to wall climb.

Since his introduction almost 50 years ago, Nightcrawler has lived many adventures with the X-Men but also as a founding member of Excalibur, in solo, and more recently as Spinnenmann. Following is a reading order to help you learn more about the character, or rediscover his rich history!

Read More »Nightcrawler Reading Order, Your Kurt Wagner Comic Book Guide!