Your "Best of the X-Men"

[Brian Cronin]

Wizard awhile back came up with a really cool idea, where they had a "Best of" collection for the X-Men.

The concept was simple - pick the ten best issues of the X-Men.

So I thought it would be interesting to see what we all would come up with, given the same task.

How would the split between Claremont and Morrison go? Would any other writer sneak on to a list?

Here are my picks:

X-Men #132-133 - The first meeting between the X-Men and the Hellfire Club. Decent (if not ripped-off) concept for bad guys highlighted by one of the most classic moments in X-Men history, Wolverine's appearance at the end of #132.

X-Men #141/Uncanny X-Men #142 - Days of Future Past. A story so good it has been imitated dozens of times. And I believe this was even an original idea! And it was all done in two issues - seems hard to believe.

Uncanny X-Men #143 - Byrne's last issue, and it is a great one. Kitty Pryde all alone against a demon. Very fun issue with one of THE best characters to come out of the Byrne/Claremont pairing.

Uncanny X-Men #172-173 - Wolverine's wedding. AMAZING Paul Smith art, and a heartfelt teaming of two former enemies - now teammates - make this the best post-Byrne period in X-Men history, in my opinion.

New X-Men #114-116 - I really enjoyed Morrison's run, but I do not believe he ever managed to top his very first story arc. He and Quitely just knocked this one out of the park.

What are YOUR picks?

-Brian

[Hombre]

1. #108, Armageddon now! - the vision of the harmony of life

2. #111, Mindgames!

3. #112, Magneto triumphant!

4. #152, The Hellfire gambit - a very revealing monologue from Wolverine.

5. #161, Gold rush! - some facts about Magneto and Xavier's relationship.

6. #170, Dancin' in the dark - something turns cold inside Storm.

7. #173, To have and have not - the groom stands waiting at the altar

8. #186, Lifedeath

9. #198, Lifedeath: From the heart of darkness

10. #200, The trial of Magneto!

[Shellhead]

X-Men #44: Angel manages to escape from Magneto, and seeks help. Instead, he accidentally discovers a lost civilization, and clashes with golden age Timely hero Red Raven.

X-Men #57-59: The return of the Sentinels, featuring amazing artwork by Neal Adams, and a pretty cool story by Roy Thomas.

X-Men #107: The X-Men beat the entire Legion of Super-Heroes, or as Marvel calls them, the Imperial Guard. Great artwork by Dave Cockrum, who had previously done some great work on DC's Legion.

X-Men #132: That final panel that Brian mentioned... that was the moment that Wolverine became a star.

X-Men #137: I know it's a cliche, but this issue must be included. The re-match with the Imperial Guard was exciting, the arena had historical significance for Marvel fans, and the dramatic ending was heart-breaking.

X-Men: #141-143: Same reasons that Brian gave.

Although I really liked Whedon and Morrison's work with the X-Men, I don't feel that either writer delivered any fantastic single issues or even short arcs.

[Kirayoshi]

Okay, here's mine:

Giant Sized X-Men #1. Gotta start somewhere!

The Proteus arc

Days of Future Past

Kitty's Fairy Tale.

The Brood arc.

"Professor Xavier is a Jerk!"

Lifedeath

The Fall of the Mutants(X-Men and X-Factor arcs)

E is For Extinction

Gifted

[Brian Cronin]

Uh uh!

The challenge is that is has to be ten issues only! That's the trick!

-Brian

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I think mine are going to be different to anybody else's (based mainly on Nostalgia and how I felt when I first read them) but here goes...

X-Force #116.
Millligans first issue. An X-book had never been this.... out there before. One of the best single issues I have ever read.
It also had the introduction of Doop and U-Go Girl, one of, if not THE, best comic book characters ever!
In fact I'm having trouble making them all not from this book....
(The Orphans first appearance, the first Lacuna arc, the death of U-Go Girl, the issue after her death... possibly my favourite series of all time).

New X-men #114
Can you top the feeling you got when you opened it up to see Cyclops and Wolverine taking down that Sentinal?
Right away you knew the Morrison run was going to be even better than you expected, and that it was going to be one wild ride.

Cable #20
An epilogue to 'Legion Quest', the x-men all stand around waiting to die. At the time I was young and naive and thought that Age Of Apocalypse would be permanent, so this issue was very touching. Even when I'd gotten canny to the lies Marvel will use to make a sale, I still had a fodness for this one.
Everyone says good byes, Rogue and Gambit kiss... it's just a good issue if you like/d the characters.

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
Loved at as a young lad, love it now.
This is how a superhero comic can make a good point about the real wolrd, without needing to add in rape to do it.

X-Force #40
Fabian Nicezia and Tony Daniels. Part one of a two parter, abdout Feral and Thorn, two sisters who are rather furry. Thorn is arrested for killing her father, but says Feral did it.
It's really all in the style rather than the substance with this one. I just remember enjoying the hell out of reading it.

Uncanny X-men Annual #?
Joe Casey shows us what his entire run should have been like, with great art by Ashley Wood. Great stand alone story - if everything he'd done on the book was this top notch, we never would have had to put up with Austen.
(Austen I never read, but I don't like any of the changes he made - not because it messes up how I liked the characters so much, but because they all sound so lame and fan fictiony. Mary Sue Fan Fiction in some cases)

New X-men Annual
The introduction of Xorn. Great art, fast paced story. The first signs of Emma seducing Scott (I think), and the X-men blow up a militrary base.

Part 4 of X-tinction Agenda
I've only got the trade of this, didn't read it when it came out, but I think this is the second part by Claremont and Lee. Proves why Lee was regarded as the best thing since Byrne at the time - especially if you'd just read through the, or even glanced at, the art that the X-force and X-factor part had. It made the corss over enjoyable again.

Factor X #1
First Age Of Apocalypse issue I read, missed the shiny bugger they released first. Blew my little mind. You have to understand I still love Age Of Apocalypse - you had to be 12/13 at the time to truly appreciate the genius.
This issue fell apart within a matter of months, it was passed around me and my friends so much (I'd gone to the comic shop and paid a few bucks more for it, everyone else was waiting the three months it used to take for them all to hit the newsagents).

X-men #30
The marriage of Scott and Jean. I was shocked, SHOCKED!, that it had actually happened, and that not a single villain gate crashed the wedding to stop it (oddly I loved this comic for that, and loved Rick Jones and Marlos wedding for the exact opposite reason - every villain gate crashed it!).

So not the greatest issues ever, but they are the one's I've enjoyed the most as a reader, and even though I have very different tastes to ten years ago, I can't seperate those issues from being great in my mind (I nearly added X-men 2099, but it was hard to pick an issue (maybe number 3).
Tell me if I cheated and it all has to be Uncanny or X-men.

[Gingold]

I'd go with-

1. God Loves/Man Kills (it counts as one issue, right?)- maybe my favorite comic ever

2. Wolverine (original miniseries) #4- This series has to be represented.

3., 4. Uncanny 141/142- because you have to include these two

5. New Mutants #21- Claremont and Sienkievich's "Slumber Party" story that introduced Warlock

6. New X-Men #121 - the only 'Nuff Said issue worth a darn

7. Uncanny X-Men Annual #10- vs. Mojo with Art by Art Adams

8. New X-Men #135. The first part of Riot at Xavier's was a cool issue.

9. X-Factor (first series) #14- Cyclops vs. Master Mold by Walt Simonson. Lots of stuff blows up.

10. Excalibur Special Edition #1 by Claremont and Davis.

These ten best lists are hard to do. I feel like I've snubbed Cockrum, Paul and Barry Smith, and Neal Adams. And I haven't picked nearly enough Morrison or Byrne.

[Brian Cronin]

Yeah, ten best is a total pain in the ass.

Especially as a fifth of it is almost guaranteed to Days of Future Past!!

But it's a good challenge!

-Brian

[Bright-Raven]

BEST OF THE X-MEN Vol. 1:

1-3) X-MEN #57-59: Roy Thomas (& Claremont) and Neal Adams, with the Sentinels. You have to have some Roy Thomas and Neal Adams on the list, and it's either this story or the Savage Land story with Kaz-Zar. Since everyone wants the Days of Futures Past involved, you might as well show how the Sentinels started.

4) X-MEN #95: "Warhunt"; The death of Thunderbird, by Wein, Claremont, and Cockrum. It's a good showing for Dave Cockrum, and a historically significant story, as Marvel has pretty much treated this death with some respect.

4-5) X-MEN #141-142: Claremont / Byrne and Austin. No sense in mentioning any part of the Phoenix Saga (including #132-133) because it's too tightly written. That's it's own entity. But Days of Futures Past is only the two issues, so you can manage to include it, and it is a good representation for the Claremont / Byrne era.

6) "GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS" (GN, Claremont and Brent Anderson)

7-8) UNCANNY X-MEN #169-170 (Claremont / Paul Smith) The introduction of the Morlocks and Storm's transformation from regal goddess into a bad ass.

9) UNCANNY X-MEN #186 "Lifedeath" (Claremont / Windsor-Smith).

10) UNCANNY X-MEN #200 (Claremont / John Romita Jr.)

*******

Yeah, I realize there's a "bunch of cool stuff" that came out after Uncanny #200. But I was trying to include works from the Roy Thomas era up, with each major creative team change, for one thing. Ten issues only gets you so far.

[Dan Apodaca]

6. New X-Men #121 - the only 'Nuff Said issue worth a darn

That issue was definitely well done, but I also thought the X-Force 'Nuff Said issue was pretty awesome. The team gets sucked inside of Doop! Doop's insides are like the dreams of a surrealist on LSD!

[Gingold]

That issue was definitely well done, but I also thought the X-Force 'Nuff Said issue was pretty awesome. The team gets sucked inside of Doop! Doop's insides are like the dreams of a surrealist on LSD!

D'oh! I forgot that one. That was really trippy.

[Kirayoshi]

Uh uh!

The challenge is that is has to be ten issues only! That's the trick!

-BrianAye there's the rub. Considering that most X-writers from Claremont on have seldom if ever written single-issue stories--oh well--

1) "Do or Die, Baby". Last issue of Neal Adams' epic Sentinel 3-parter.

2) Giant Sized X-Men #1.

3) UXM #128. Colossus takes down Proteus.

4) "Kitty's Fairy Tale"

5) "Professor Xavier is a Jerk!"

6) "Lifedeath"

7) Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn

8) XM #110, "One Tin Soldier Rides Away"

9) First issue of Planet X, just for the last page. "X-Men emergency indeed."

10) AXM #4, for the last five pages. "Katya?"

A little Kitty/Peter heavy, but what the hey?

[Hombre]

My problem is, I have read most of the mid-80s stuff only once. Another issue I'm sure could belong in there is #183, He'll never make me cry. I find any story that has superheroes having a couple of brews together hard to resist.

An issue I would have included, but couldn't remember which one it was, is the one that ends with the savage beating of Xavier by a group of anti-mutant students as he was walking away from an university building where he had just given a lecture.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I find any story that has superheroes having a couple of brews together hard to resist.


Then you never read issue 6 of Greg Ruckas Wolverine run.
Wolverine and Nightcrawler drinking beer for an issue, and it was boring.

[Brian Cronin]

Oh lord, was his run on Wolverine bad.

-Brian

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Oh lord, was his run on Wolverine bad.

-Brian

I never made it past the first trade.

It just hurt my brain so much trying to understand that the man who gives me the joy that is Queen & Country wrote five issues of Wolverine and an ATF agent versus hillbilly gun runners.

[atoningunifex]

Just off the top of my head:

Uncanny X-Men 137
Days of Future Past
Kitty's Fairy Tale (was that 153?)
God Loves, Man Kills
Lifedeath
Uncanny 200
The Uncanny Annual where everyone had to face their desires.
The Xorn stand alone issue- not the annual, the one with his journal.
The Cannonball stand alone issue of X-Treme X-Men

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I'm going to be the only perosn with an issue of Cable on their list, aren't I?

[Brian Cronin]

The Uncanny Annual where everyone had to face their desires.

I was thinking about that one during the final battle in X3. Do you think the writers were, as well?

-Brian

[BillR]

Well, off the top of my head, you'd have to have the first issue, a couple issues of Dark Phoenix, Days of Future Past, and two or three issues from Morrison.

But, you know, I never liked any non-Morrison X-Men, so I'm not an authority on such X-matters.

[Hombre]

There's also issue 127 or 128, when Cyclops wins some measure of respect from Wolverine, whom he had to goad into a fight in order to make him recover from the psychological effects of his battle with Proteus.

Truth to tell, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Claremont's original run, all but every issue is excellent.

[Yusaku Jon III]

My personal favorites...

Dark Phoenix Saga from Uncanny X-Men #125 to #137. Especially the battle against Mutant X/Proteus early on and the final battles against Dark Phoenix herself following the first confrontation with the Hellfire Club. This part of the classic Claremont-Byrne-Austin run exemplifies what I liked in comics at the time.

New Mutants during the Claremont-Sinkewicz run with its off-the-wall story arcs and how the artist really made Illyana Rasputin a little hottie. For a teenaged boy like myself, this was a godsend (I knew there was something about her in that issue of Uncanny X-Men that Cockrum drew her for one or two panels).

Uncanny X-Men during John Romita Jr's stints as penciller, both in the middle of Claremont's original writing stint and again with Scott Lobdell writing (#300 - #309). This was where I really got into his particular storytelling ability and art style. It was he who first drew my favorite of Magneto's Acolytes, Amelia Voght.

Generation X at the beginning. Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo had a lot of promise then, and even the Age of Apocalypse crossover issues were well done. I don't know what happened after #6, though. It served as a rude reminder for me of what would happen if editors began directing creative team to stop their ongoing story arcs in favor of the crossover push. Eventually, I returned after things seemed to settle down, but even that wouldn't last.

[Smarty Jones]

OK, Cronin. Only 10 X-Men books? I hope you like these:

UNCANNY X-MEN 4: The first appearance of The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

UNCANNY X-MEN 12: The origin of Professor Xavier, the explanation of Cerebro ... and the coming of The Juggernaut!

UNCANNY X-MEN 66: The return of Charles Xavier seemingly from the dead, and he saves the planet from the invasion of the Z'Nox.

GIANT-SIZE X-MEN 1: The formation of the second-generation X-Men. 'Nuff said.

UNCANNY X-MEN 112: One of the best throwdowns featuring Magneto, who captured The X-Men, chained them down in front of a table and has them fed by a robot as if they were infants.

UNCANNY X-MEN 137: "The Fate of the Phoenix." 'Nuff said.

UNCANNY X-MEN 166: A titanic showdown: the Brood-infected X-Men vs. a ton of Sleazoids and their queen mother.

UNCANNY X-MEN 211: The start of the Morlock Massacre. By the end of the issue, Nightcrawler was in a coma, Kitty Pryde had problems using her powers, Colossus broke a villain's neck and dozens of Morlocks were slaughtered by The Marauders.

UNCANNY X-MEN 303: The death of Illyana Rasputin from The Legacy Virus.

X-MEN 25: The showdown in "Fatal Attractions," where Magneto rips Wolverine's adamantium from his skeleton and Professor X turns Magneto into a vegetable.

[winterteeth]

I should be disqualified as I have never read Morrison's run. I have almost successfully collected every x-related title published between 1964 and 2001 in some form or other. So, here goes nothing (no particular order).

Cable #62, Joe Casey and Ladronn make an epic comic in the grandest Kirby tradition. Cable vs. espionage robots filled with a techno-organic virus that makes them believe they are Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos. It is mind-blowingly awesome.

Uncanny X-Men #255, the finale of the siege of Muir Island. Destiny, Stonewall and one of the last three Reavers eat it. Forge really stepped up in this storyline and became one of my favorite characters.

Uncanny X-Men #211, my first x-comic. I was a huge Thor fan and wondered what all the ruckus of the Morlock Massacre was about. I was hooked from this issue on. This remains my golden era of the x-men if for only this issue and...

Uncanny X-men #209. I backtracked and picked this up. Nimrod, the Hellfire Club and the X-men all throwing down in one issue was almost too much to take. And in case you never got the memo, John Romita Jr. is a great artist.

X-Factor #87. I know, a cliche choice but you have to give props to Peter David for this issue. It was the first time Quicksilver "clicked" for me.

X-Men Alpha- So much fun to see how the world was twisted around. After the Age of Apocalypse I stopped collecting comics alltogether for five years because I wanted to end on a high note. I really enjoyed this series when it came out and of all gimmicky crossover type stories told in the x-universe, this was by far the most satisfying.

Dazzler #2- You laugh but I dare you to find a more entertaining comic book that isn't called Cable 62. Dazzler goes toe to toe with the Enchantress, the Avengers, the X-men, Spider-Man and the FF guest-star, and as a bonus treat Walt Simonsons ghost pencils about 8 pages in the middle of the story. Also, you'll never guess how Dazzler wins (hint:disco balls reflect light).

Uncanny X-Men 134- Just to point out another high point in the Dark Phoenix saga, this showdown with the Hellfire Club often gets left out. This probably has my favorite Wolverine moment wherein Leland panics and makes Wolverine really heavy just as our clawed hero is landing on him with his claws extended. That's gotta hurt.

Wolverine vs. Spider-Man- This is more famous for accidently killing off the Hobgoblin than anything else but I thought it was a great merging of two completely different heroes and their outlooks. Spidey wants to see everything in black and white while Wolverine is facing the shades of gray in between. This comic easily demonstrates the turn in the mid 80s towards deconstructionism.

Wolverine #75- Last but not least, I thought this aftermath to Fatal Attractions was pretty heartbreaking. Taking the horrible pun of the crossover's title and using it to refer to Wolverine's unrequited love for Jean Grey was great. This issue did a lot to explore their relationship with one another in a concise way.

Of course, Warren Ellis wrote dozens of good stories when he was asked to overhaul the whole line just prior to Morrison coming onboard. John Ostrander cranked out good issues of X-Man. Lots of good people wrote lots of great issues but these ten are ten I would want on a desert island with me.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Cable #62, Joe Casey and Ladronn make an epic comic in the grandest Kirby tradition. Cable vs. espionage robots filled with a techno-organic virus that makes them believe they are Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos. It is mind-blowingly awesome.


WOO-HOO!

I'm not the only one with Cable on their list!!!

Now I can finally sleep at night.

[Sanagi]

I'm going to be the only perosn with an issue of Cable on their list, aren't I?
I agree with everything you said about that issue. Despite it being a "Timeline where everybody dies" story, it was quite good, as I recall. It answered the question of what all the characters would say to each other if they knew their time was up.

I'm not enough of an X-Men fan to really do a top ten, but I think my favorite is New Mutants #50, with lots of great scenes for Illyana, Doug, and Warlock, and the big battle against Magus.

[Hombre]

Having dwelled lately upon Marvel's thematic progression over the years, and the relative importance of Claremont in that process, I thought of this issue which, incidentally, I believe ought to to be included also in any best of the X-Men list:

http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/issues/showquestion.asp?fldAuto=503

[stealthwise]

Uncanny X-men 303: I really liked the way that they portrayed Illyana's death and its impact on Colossus, something that more comics should do when dealing with grave subject matter.

[d newton]

Then you never read issue 6 of Greg Rucka's Wolverine run.
Wolverine and Nightcrawler drinking beer for an issue, and it was boring.
I can come up with worse issues than that one! :D
As for my top 10 list:
1 - Uncanny 251.

2 - Uncanny 253.

3 - Uncanny 297.

4 - X Men 25.

5 - Uncanny 318.

6 - Uncanny 328.

7 - New Mutants 45.

8 - Generation X 27.

9 - Uncanny 350.

10 - Uncanny 365.