Your Top 10 X-Arcs

[Optic Rage!]

As the thread title says, any period, any book.

Include writers, issue numbers, and the book plz.

[Washout]

This is very difficult. My list is in no particular order. Here are five; I may add more later.

Mutant Massacre - Uncanny X-men #210-213
Just a fun, scary story.

Fall of the Mutants - Uncanny X-men #225-227, Claremont
This story is fun because it led to the Australian X-men which was the greatest X-Cast of all time.

Super Novas - X-Men #188-193, Carey
Showed us how fun the X-men can be and how excellent a writer Carey is.

E is for Extinction New X-men #114-116
Gave us a new status quo and was pretty scary.

Old Ghosts - X-Force #7-11 , Kyle and Yost

Great characterization and a fun story.

The Underground - Weapon X , Tieri
Not that great of a story, but made use of a lot of fun characters and had a few really cool scenes.

[XaviersMisprint]

New X-Men vol. 1- E Is For Extinction

X-Men: Fall Of The Mutants

X-Men: Messiah Complex

X-Men: Supernovas

New X-Men vol 1: Riot At Xavier's

X-Men: Blinded By The Light

Uncanny X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga

New X-Men vol. 2: Quest For Magik

New X-Men vol. 2: Crusade

X-Men/Dark Avengers: Utopia (I'll be the first to admit it)

X-Men: Mutant Massacre

[niconico00]

The Dark Phoenix Saga; Uncanny X-Men #129-138
Mutant Massacre - Uncanny X-Men #210-21
Fall of the Mutants - Uncanny X-Men #225-227
E Is For Extinction - New X-Men #114-116
Planet X - New X-Men #146-150
The Phoenix Saga - Uncanny X-Men #101-108
Here Comes Tomorrow - New X-Men #151-154

Special mentions:
Avengers Annual #10 (Rogue's 1st appearence)
Uncanny X-Men #184 (Rachel Summers vs. Selene)
Uncanny X-Men #168 (Madelyne Pryor)

[Washout]

X-Men/Dark Avengers: Utopia (I'll be the first to admit it)



I respect you and your opinion, my dear friend, but

http://www.jayscheib.com/thumbs_general/head_shake.gif

[Quinnhop]

The Dark Phoenix Saga; Uncanny X-Men #129-138
Mutant Massacre - Uncanny X-Men #210-21
Fall of the Mutants - Uncanny X-Men #225-227
E Is For Extinction - New X-Men #114-116
Planet X - New X-Men #146-150
The Phoenix Saga - Uncanny X-Men #101-108
Here Comes Tomorrow - New X-Men #151-154

These, plus:

Supernovas - X-Men #188-193
Gifted - Astonishing X-Men #1-6
Riot at Xavier's - New X-Men #135-138

[Prodigy55]

How many arcs are in Morrison's run?

[The Fifth Horseman]

thanks guys this is the sort of thread ive been looking for to give me pointers in the right direction

[NewMutant]

Dark Phoenix Saga
X-Cutioner's Song
Phalanx Convant
Age of Apocalypse
E is for Extinction
Riot at Xavier/Planet X
Gifted
Endsong
Blinded by the Light
Messiah Complex

[alf_to_the_rescue]

Mutant Massacre - Uncanny X-Men 211 etc

Psi war - X-Men 77-78

Generation Next (and the whole of the age of apocalypse in general)

Phoenix Endsong

E for Extinction - New X-Men 114 - 116

Here comes Tomorrow - New X-Men 151 -154

Homecoming - X-Men 70

Supernovas - X-Men 188 - 193

Crazy crows versus Original X-Men - Uncanny X-Men 356 - 357

[Perfection/Emma 2]

I don't have too many for as you all know most of my X-Men knowledge are from the cartoon shows, but anyways

Dark Phoenix Saga

The Children of Vault "If it can count as an arc"

The Ghost Box

Manifest Destiny "if it's an actually arc"

Secret Invasion "I know it affected the MU in general"

[Ryan W]

Of all time?

10. "The Phalanx Covenant"

9. "Onslaught"

8. "Supernovas"

7. "Age of Apocalypse"

6. "The Cross-Time Caper"

5. "Fatal Attractions"

4. "E is for Extinction"

3. "Operation: Zero Tolerance"

2. "The Dark Phoenix Saga"

1. "Days of the Future Past"

[niconico00]

Maybe they're not proper X-Arcs, but I forgot
Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn
And, I must admit, the last New Mutants issues that led to X-Force.

PS: I'm new in here, and I like it!

[Hair]

1) God Loves, Man Kills (graphic novel)
2) Astonishing X-Men (vol 1-4)
3) Days of Future Past
4) Fatal Attractions
5) Dark Pheonix
6) Proteus
7) Hellfire Club
8) Messiah Complex
9) X-Cutioner's Song
10) Ultimate X-Men (first arc only)

[witness]

Mutant massacre
God loves man kills
Onslaught
Age of Apocalypse
Messiah Complex
Days of future past
Dark Phoenix saga
Fatal Attractions
The New son (sun) arc in Gambits solo series
X-cutioners song

[Congo Jack]

Wanted: Wolverine - Dead or Alive by Claremont, Byrne, Austin.
Proteus by Claremont, Byrne, Austin.
The Dark Phoenix Saga by Claremont, Byrne, Austin.
Days of Future Past by Claremont, Byrne, Austin.
God Loves, Man Kills by Claremont, Anderson.
Mutant Massacre by Claremont, various.
Gifted by Whedon, Cassaday, Martin.
Dangerous by Whedon, Cassaday, Martin.
Torn by Whedon, Cassaday, Martin.
Unstoppable by Whedon, Cassaday, Martin.

[Azure]

This is difficult, and these aren't in order, but I think my top ten contains:

Bizarre Love Triangle ~ X-Men, Peter Milligan
Quest For Magik ~ New X-Men, Craig Kyle/Chris Yost
Inferno
Tinker Tailor Mutant Spy ~ Mystique, Brian K. Vaughan
Planet X ~ New X-Men, Grant Morrison
Danger ~ Astonishing X-Men, Joss Whedon
Red Data ~ X-Men, Mike Carey
The Only Game In Town ~ X-Factor, Peter David
Messiah Complex
Enemy Of The State ~ Wolverine, Mark Millar

[Triforce]

This is very difficult!

- Whedon & Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men
- Dark Phoenix Saga
- Days of Future Past
- X-Factor by Peter David
- Mutant Massacre
- Fall of the Mutants
- X-Cutioner's Song
- Age of Apocalypse
- Claremont & Larocca's X-Treme X-Men

I can't decide which storyline to give the last spot: I adore the Australian period, but that's not a specific arc. Other contenders are stuff like: Onslaught, Fatal Attraction, Lobdell & Bachalo's Generation X run and God Loves Man Kills.

[Triforce]

This is difficult, and these aren't in order, but I think my top ten contains:

Bizarre Love Triangle ~ X-Men, Peter Milligan


This is a joke, right? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Azure]

This is a joke, right? :eek: :eek: :eek:

You put X-Treme X-Men in your list, and my opinion of that series is very low indeed (!!)

[Talisman]

In no particular order...

New Mutants The PHAT KARMA saga
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1-6
Generation X#1-28
Age of Apocalypse
Operation: Zero Tolerance
Joe Kelly/Steven Seagle's run
Astonishing X-Men
X-Force the road trip era
New Mutants Demon Bear saga
Excalibur Crosstime Caper.

[direction9]

How many arcs are in Morrison's run?

exactly, bro.
but also - supernovas

[NewMutant]

This is very difficult!

- Whedon & Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men
- Dark Phoenix Saga
- Days of Future Past
- X-Factor by Peter David
- Mutant Massacre
- Fall of the Mutants
- X-Cutioner's Song
- Age of Apocalypse
- Claremont & Larocca's X-Treme X-Men

I can't decide which storyline to give the last spot: I adore the Australian period, but that's not a specific arc. Other contenders are stuff like: Onslaught, Fatal Attraction, Lobdell & Bachalo's Generation X run and God Loves Man Kills.

We have fairly similar tastes! I just stuck with main stories. And I didn't think runs counted. Otherwise It would be just a bunch of runs!

You put X-Treme X-Men in your list, and my opinion of that series is very low indeed (!!)

XXM was great. Especially the Larocca issues. I wish he drew the whole series. Claremont returned to his greatness. It was a great secondary book that complimented Morrison's run.

[Midnightblue]

Dark Phoenix Saga
God loves, Man kills
the end of the Outback team
X-men vol2 1-3
Onslaught
House of M
Blinded by the light
Messiah Complex
Xavier's Legacy
X-men: Kingbreaker

[rwsmith]

This is very difficult. My list is in no particular order. Here are five; I may add more later.

Mutant Massacre - Uncanny X-men #210-213
Just a fun, scary story. It also had the greatest Wolverine vs. Sabretooth battle ever, as well as Colossus snapping Riptide's neck!

Fall of the Mutants - Uncanny X-men #225-227, Claremont
This story is fun because it led to the Australian X-men which was the greatest X-Cast of all time. Plus it had Wolverine leading the X-men as I recall, which was a fun change of role for him.

Super Novas - X-Men #188-193, Carey
Showed us how fun the X-men can be and how excellent a writer Carey is. Great use of B-list X-men characters like Cannonball and Cable, as well as a couple of A-listers in Rogue and Iceman, with a few randoms thrown in. Like you said, just plain fun.

E is for Extinction New X-men #114-116
Gave us a new status quo and was pretty scary. Kicked off the most revolutionary X-men run of all time, whether you liked it or hated it.

Old Ghosts - X-Force #7-11 , Kyle and Yost
Great characterization and a fun story. And very, very pretty to look at.

I fully endorse these five. My additional comments in bold.

My other five would be:

The Tomorrow People, Ultimate X-men
An updated take on the X-men for a new generation.

Assault on Weapon Plus, New X-men
Turned everything we thought we knew about Captain America, the Super Soldier Program and the Weapon X Project on its ear!

Messiah Complex, various X-books
Set up the modern status quo and was just a well-done crossover IMO.

Fatal Attractions, various X-books
Had Colossus defecting and Wolverine losing his adamantium (and revealing that his claws were actually bone and part of his anatomy all along).

Days of Future Past, Uncanny X-men
I love this story, despite the fact that it's been played out at this point with so many time-hopping mutants coming from dystopian futures and then deciding to stay in the present. I keep hoping, however, that we'll see some story where hope is restored and all of these horrible future timelines just go away (along with several of the refugees from those timelines like Stryfe, Rachel Grey, Bishop and even Cable if need be). Perhaps Second Coming will do something along these lines, finally freeing the mutants from heading towards one horrible future or another and allowing it to be wide open again.

[Prodigy55]

In no order.

Nimrod - New X-Men 28-32 (Kyle/Yost)

Murder at the Mansion - New X-Men 139-141 (Morrison)

Operation: Zero Tolerance - Generation X 27-31 (Lobdell)

Supernovas - X-Men 188-193 (Carey)

House Divided - New X-Men 16-19 (Weir/DeFillipis)

Torn - Astonishing X-Men 13-18 (Whedon

The Tomorrow People - Ultimate X-Men 1-6 (Millar)

Magnetic North - Ultimate X-Men 61-65 (Vaughan)

Choosing Sides - New X-Men: Academy X 1-6 (Weir/DeFillipis)

Planet X - New X-Men 146-150 (Morrison)

[Deus ex Chris]

E is for Extinction (Morrison)
Imperial (Morrison)
Riot at Xavier's (Morrison)
Murder at the Mansion (Morrison)
Gifted (Whedon)
Quest for Magik/Children of X-Men (Kyle/Yost)
SuperNovas (Carey)
The Tomorrow People (Millar)
House of M (Bendis)
Worlds Apart (Yost)

[NewMutant]

I'm actually surprised how many more recent stories are in peoples favorites.

[Dr-Strange]

Madrox: Multiple Choice #1-5

[JValentine]

Madrox: Multiple Choice
Mutant Masacre
Days of Future Past
Dark Phoenix Saga
Age of Apocalypse
Supernovas/Blinded by the Light
E is for Extinction
Here Comes Tomorrow
Astonishing X-Men - Gifted/Danger/Torn/Unstoppable!
X-Force: Old Ghosts / Not Forgotten

[Triforce]

Is House of M considered an X-Men story?
It's more of a X-Men / New Avengers cross-over isn't it?

[Triforce]

You put X-Treme X-Men in your list, and my opinion of that series is very low indeed (!!)

First of all, I put a specific part of X-Treme X-Men in my list. Not the entire series.
Second, read this: http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/06/worst_comic_run_and_the_winner_is.php

[Triforce]

In no particular order...

New Mutants The PHAT KARMA saga
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1-6
New Mutants Demon Bear saga


Wow, these are also some brilliant choices.

[Triforce]

We have fairly similar tastes! I just stuck with main stories. And I didn't think runs counted. Otherwise It would be just a bunch of runs!

XXM was great. Especially the Larocca issues. I wish he drew the whole series. Claremont returned to his greatness. It was a great secondary book that complimented Morrison's run.

Exactly!

And I kind of bended the rules a bit to include as much good stuff as possible. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

[matthewaos]

Super Novas and all of Carey's run in general. Especially everything before Meshiah Complex

X-Men: Messiah Complex

Age of Apocalypse

Fatal Attractions

Days of the Future Past

X-Factor by Peter David, plus Madrox mini

Weapon X - best Wolverine story ever

Special mention: Onslaught. It got me into X-Men and many marvel characters in general. I am sure going to add more after a while.

[Jack Flash]

Mutant Massacre
Riot at Xaviers
E is for Extinction
X-Force: Road Trip
The Dire Wraith attack on Eagle Plaza
X-Force/X-Statix (if I had to pick an arc it'd be the first one)
New Muties - Demon Bear Saga
Gen neXt (AOA not CC)
Murder @ the Mansion
Gifted

[matthewaos]

Super Novas and all of Carey's run in general. Especially everything before Meshiah Complex

X-Men: Messiah Complex

Age of Apocalypse

Fatal Attractions

Days of the Future Past

X-Factor by Peter David, plus Madrox mini

Weapon X - best Wolverine story ever

Special mention: Onslaught. It got me into X-Men and many marvel characters in general. I am sure going to add more after a while.

Oh, andMorrison's run. Sure it had its ups and downs but sure it is great. Maybe I hate some stuff that affected the continuity, like Planet X. But Here comes tommorow was fantastic.

[Talisman]

First of all, I put a specific part of X-Treme X-Men in my list. Not the entire series.
Second, read this: http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/06/worst_comic_run_and_the_winner_is.php
So what? If Azure likes the arc who are you to be an asshole about it and mock it?

[NewMutant]

First of all, I put a specific part of X-Treme X-Men in my list. Not the entire series.
Second, read this: http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/06/worst_comic_run_and_the_winner_is.php

I think Austen's was much worse than Milligan's run. Golgatha didn't make sense but there were some fun moments. Many of Austen's stories aren't even readable, and have terrible terrible art.

[KandouErik]

In no particular order...

X-Ecutioner's Song - My introduction into the X-Men

Fatal Attractions - Another big Magneto throw down, but still fun

Zero Tolerance - I loved how Iceman was able to prove himself when on the run on his own. And Bastion was an awesesome villain.

Phoenix Saga - The X-Men came into their own during this arc - the culmination of all of Dave Cockrum's great work.

Phalanx Invasion - Pretty cool

Besides the Dark Phoenix Saga, I can't think of any more.

[Deus ex Chris]

Is House of M considered an X-Men story?
It's more of a X-Men / New Avengers cross-over isn't it?

It is an X-Men/Avengers crossover, but that just means it's an X-Men story and an Avengers story. I hadn't realized that needed explaining.

[Azure]

First of all, I put a specific part of X-Treme X-Men in my list. Not the entire series.
Second, read this: http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/06/worst_comic_run_and_the_winner_is.php

I like Peter Milligan's X-Men, and you like Chris Claremont's X-Treme X-Men. Does this threaten you, Triforce?

[NewMutant]

Is House of M considered an X-Men story?
It's more of a X-Men / New Avengers cross-over isn't it?

It is an X-Men/Avengers crossover, but that just means it's an X-Men story and an Avengers story. I hadn't realized that needed explaining.

It just means, like Utopia, it is an X-Men story that Avengers characters appear in.

I like Peter Milligan's X-Men, and you like Chris Claremont's X-Treme X-Men. Does this threaten you, Triforce?

I like BOTH!

;)

[Babylon23]

In no particular order:

1) The Dark Phoenix Saga by Claremont/Byrne - Uncanny 127-137

2) Days of Future Past by Claremont/Byrne - Uncanny 141-142

3) God Loves, Man Kills GN by Clarmeont/Anderson

4) X-Factor Fall of the Mutants by Simonson/Simonson - X-Factor 24-26

5) Asgardian Saga by Claremont/Adams - X-Men Annual 9 & New Mutants Special Edition 1

6) The Necrom storyline by Alan Davis - Excalibur 42-50

7) Wolverine miniseries by Claremont/Miller - Wolverine LS 1-4

8) Demon Bear Saga by Claremont/Sienkiewicz - New Mutants 18-20

9) From the Ashes by Claremont/Smith/Romita Jr. - Uncanny 171-175

10) The London Hellfire Club by Ellis/Pacheco/Jones - Excalibur vol. 1 94-100

[niconico00]

The Dire Wraith attack on Eagle Plaza


I forgot about that...

[Triforce]

So what? If Azure likes the arc who are you to be an asshole about it and mock it?

I wouldn't consider it mocking him/her. I was just surprised to see that someone considered that particular arc as an all-time favourite. That's nothing big.

It wasn't meant to be insulting. I added smileys and everything! :biggrin:

[Triforce]

I think Austen's was much worse than Milligan's run. Golgatha didn't make sense but there were some fun moments. Many of Austen's stories aren't even readable, and have terrible terrible art.

It's a close call in my book. Both runs had fun moments and also stuff that made me cringe.

[Triforce]

It is an X-Men/Avengers crossover, but that just means it's an X-Men story and an Avengers story. I hadn't realized that needed explaining.

Looking at it from that angle, Bloodties (when Luna was kidnapped by Fabian Cortez and the X-Men with daddy Quicksilver and the Avengers with mommy Crystal came to the rescue) was also a pretty cool story.

[Triforce]

I like Peter Milligan's X-Men, and you like Chris Claremont's X-Treme X-Men. Does this threaten you, Triforce?

Nah, you're entitled to your guilty pleasures. :tongue:

Your giant-size letters do scare me a little though... :evilsmile:

[baltiroo]

No particular order:

X-Tinction Agenda - Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor & New Mutants

Asgardian Saga - Uncanny X-Men & New Mutants Annuals

E for Extinction - New X-Men

Legion Quest/Age of Apocalypse - X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, Cable, X-Factor, Excalibur, Generation X, Wolverine

Phalanx Covenant - X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur

The Phoenix Saga - X-Men

Fatal Attractions - X-Men, Uncanny X-Men

Gifted - Astonishing X-Men

Messiah CompleX - Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men

Quest for Magik - New X-Men

[alf_to_the_rescue]

I wouldn't consider it mocking him/her. I was just surprised to see that someone considered that particular arc as an all-time favourite. That's nothing big.

It wasn't meant to be insulting. I added smileys and everything! :biggrin:

What piece of the triforce do you hold?

[Triforce]

What piece of the triforce do you hold?

All of it!

[Ryan W]

Which X-Treme X-men arc specifically rocks your world, triforce?

For me the first arc (collected as 'Destiny' but nameless when published) as well as 'Invasion!' were my favorites. The book really hit its stride and then kinda just fell flat when they forced Claremont to do 'GLMK II' when the second X-Men movie came out. The only good thing about that arc was Lady Deathstrike's characterization, IMO.

[Don't pee in the (Dead)pool]

The Age Of Apocalypse
Phalanx Covenant
Onslaught
Fatal Attractions
Days Of Future Past
X-Cutioner's Song
Planet X
Mutant Massacre
Operation: Zero Tolerance
Dark Phoenix Saga

[NickFury90]

10. Assault on Weapon Plus

A boy's only adventure, with one of my favorite Morrison ideas in the World, a place where generations of lives can be generated in the blink of an eye. I actually enjoyed Bachelo's artwork for the first and only time(Super Sentiel escape into freedom splash was breathtaking), Fantomex is awesomeness incarnate, the idea that the Super Sentinel is so advanced he has MULTIPLE THUMBS is genius, and that first issue with Wolverine and Cyclops dicking around the Hellfire Club is one my favorite single issues ever. I'm so happy Jason Aaron is bringing some of this back soon(including Marvel Boy! Whee!)

9. Dangerous

The weakest arc of the Whedon/Cassaday run, but still filled with lots of great action, beautiful artwork, and Cyclops/Professor X trying to out-awesome each other. And I like Danger, bite me.

8. X-men #4-7

I hated those first three because of Claremont's usual terrible writing, but the dialog and story are much more fun here. X-men playing basketball, ninjas, nazis, Weapon X secrets, and Omega Red is a fun bad guy for the first and only time. And I would be an idiot to forget the incredible pencils of Jim Lee, who really nails the big superhero feel of the entire arc. This is right before X-men got plagued with endless crossover after crossover, but its a bright light before the incoming darkness.

7. Torn

"I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do...is ever so pretty!"

'nuff said. Oh, and Kitty Pyrde's orgasms cause her to fall through the ground. So thats your fun fact of the day.

6. Riot at Xaviers

Proves that even rushed Quitely art is better than 90% of whats out there. I really liked Quintein Quire rebellious struggle against Xavier's ideal world, the one that he always promises but will never come. His death scene talking about "What if the enemy was within all along", and then freakin' Magneto walks in the room was greatness. The real stars of this arc, however, have got to be the special class. Young, curious, funny batch of characters, with the highlights being Xorn telling Angel to keep a secret, and Beak's condom/band-aid.

5. Here Comes Tomorrow

Days of Future Past mixed with the Dark Phoenix Saga, and you get this little gem. A post-apocalyptic tale of the last surviving "x-men" trying to put a stop to Beastalypse. Silverstri has some fantastic work here, making all the characters in this giant fantasy look appropriately exaggerated and somewhat changed(his Emma sucked though). Full of action, emotion(No, don't die Rover! I've come to love you in only 3 issues somehow!), strong themes(one person can make all the difference in the world), and crazy ideas(White Hot Room, anyone?), its the perfect conclusion to the greatest X-men run ever.

4. Gifted

When I first read this, it completely knocked me on my ass. The writing was so sharp and witty, the story somewhat original and intelligent(and thats the best you can hope for with the X-men), the artwork so damn good, AND Colossus has the coolest comeback ever. I remember laughing like a retarded monkey on Fruit Loops when that Fastball Special came out. Great start to a great run.

3. Planet X

The X-men's greatest foe has finally won! And...no one cares. This arc might not work all that well narrative wise, but the themes and ideas that all come together in a big superheroic way really makes it stand out. All the plot threads Morrison has been building too that were left open come to a finale here, and the X-men's complete and total defeat of Magneto(both on a physical and psychological level) was the best its ever been. Phil Jiminez does it all wonderfully with his skill of drawing lots of pretty superhero things in a quick manner. And then it all ends, at the climax and not the resolution, with Scott's best friend and wife Jean dying in his arms. A fitting conclusion to a crazy ass story.

2. Unstoppable

This is one of the most fun things I've ever read. X-men in space! Wolverine on an alien hoverbike! Beast/Agent Brand! Cyclops complete ownage! Ord's quest coming full circle! X-men/SWORD attacking the Marvel version of the Death Star! Kitty's sacrifie! Spider-man being funny as hell! Reading it in trade format helps I guess, but I was in complete love with this from beginning to end. A great end to a great run.

1. E for Extinction

This is one of the few comic story arcs I would call "perfect". Like a lot of Morrison's run, it takes a pretty ordinary plot(Someone sends Sentinels to destroy mutants!), and infuses it with so many fresh ideas, smartly-written dialog, a legitimately scary villain, incredible artwork, and shocking events, while still staying true to its roots. Cyclops begins to come into his own, changing his one dimensional attitude into a positive, badass Zen master thing. Beast is caring and poetic, Jean perfect and powerful, and Xavier's pacifist love of mutantkind portrayed flawlessly. Those panels of his facial expressions looking at the Genosha news were incredible. It felt like the X-men you knew, but at the same time they were changing(and I don't mean just physically, like Hank McCoy). From Genosha's destruction all the way to "My name is Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X and I am a mutant", it really felt like the X-men series was evolving, instead of trying to apt what Claremont was doing. It really saddens me to see the X-men going right back to endless cruddy crossovers and 90s dark and gritty violence, but I will always have this run(and Whedons!) as something to read when I want to experience great X-men stories.

[ClanAskani]

My top 10 (in no particular order):

Gifted
AoA
Inferno
End of Greys
God Loves, Man Kills
Fatal Attractions
Weinberg’s run on Cable (maybe that’s too long to be considered an arc)
The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix
Days of Future Past
Dark Phoenix

[Triforce]

Which X-Treme X-men arc specifically rocks your world, triforce?

For me the first arc (collected as 'Destiny' but nameless when published) as well as 'Invasion!' were my favorites. The book really hit its stride and then kinda just fell flat when they forced Claremont to do 'GLMK II' when the second X-Men movie came out. The only good thing about that arc was Lady Deathstrike's characterization, IMO.

Same here. Destiny and especially Invasion had that really big blockbuster feel to it. The collaboration between Claremont and Larocca was amazing. There was such a fresh feeling to it.

The arc(s) after that were good, but after they changed the artist (Igor Kordey, ugh!) and the GLMK II debacle it slowly went to hell. I pretty much bought it for the covers at that point. A low point was the Storm: Arena arc. As someone pointed out in the bondage topic: it looked like CC was living out some of his fantasies in there. :evilsmile:

[Justin K.]

Did the period between Uncanny X-men 251-255 have a name?

[NewMutant]

Same here. Destiny and especially Invasion had that really big blockbuster feel to it. The collaboration between Claremont and Larocca was amazing. There was such a fresh feeling to it.

The arc(s) after that were good, but after they changed the artist (Igor Kordey, ugh!) and the GLMK II debacle it slowly went to hell. I pretty much bought it for the covers at that point. A low point was the Storm: Arena arc. As someone pointed out in the bondage topic: it looked like CC was living out some of his fantasies in there. :evilsmile:

I thought Schism was great too.

GLMK 2 and The Arena were pretty bad. GLMK had some ok beats but the story itself didn't make sense... and don't get me started on Igor Kordey. The Arena was just another Storm goes wild story.

The last two arcs were alright, would have been better if Larocca was still on art.

I also love the Cannonball one shot issue.

In "From the Creaters on X-Men" Claremont said that Larocca was the best artist he worked with, that he literally drew what he pictured. I think they just work well together. They shouldn't have pulled him from the book.

[niconico00]

Did the period between Uncanny X-men 251-255 have a name?

The Muir Island X-Men?!

[jarvSthe1]

Lets see...

1.The last 12 issues of New Mutants.
2. X-Tinction Agenda
3. Mutant Massacre
4. Inferno
5. The Brood battle during the X-Men outback days (Brood mutants were fun).
6. Alan Davis' 2nd run on Excalibur
7. Dark Phoenix Saga
8. Wolverine #150-154
9. Jim Lee's run on Ucanny X-Men
10. Uncanny X-Men #221-222

[Triforce]

I also love the Cannonball one shot issue.

In "From the Creaters on X-Men" Claremont said that Larocca was the best artist he worked with, that he literally drew what he pictured. I think they just work well together. They shouldn't have pulled him from the book.

The Cannonball-issue: totally awesome.

I can understand that creators are sometimes pulled of projects but for what? Some lame young Namor miniseries. I was outraged at that time!

[GambitXRemy]

X-Men: Magneto Testament
E is for Extinction
X-Men: Messiah Complex
Planet X
Unstoppable
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine
Giant-Size X-Men #1
The Dark Phoenix Saga
Mutant Massacre
The x-men #1

No order

[Mister Mets]

10. X2: X-Men United) The great X-Men movie.

9. New X-Men #127-154) Morrison's run after the big Cassandra Nova arc.

8. Uncanny X-Men #111-114) Chris Claremont's first great arc, as Magneto encounters the New X-Men and finds them wanting.

7.Uncanny X-Men #125-128) The Mutant X arc effectively places the X-Men in a really bad situation.

6. Wolverine (mini-series) #1-4: Established that Wolverine can kick ass without the X-Men. Frank Miller's best work with someone else as artist.

5. Fire in the Night- Classic X-Men #12) Magneto's downfall and the seeds of redemption in twelve pages.

4. New X-Men #114-126) Morrison's first big arc. Christ that was just awesome superhero comics.

3. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills

2. The Dark Phoenix Saga- Uncanny X-Men #132-137

1. Days of Future Past- Uncanny X-Men #141-142

[Radlum]

10. Messiah Complex
9. Planet X (just ignore the whole Xorn is Magneto/Xorn isn't Magneto thing)
8. E is for Extinction
7. Age of Apocalypse
6. Days of the Future Past
5. God Loves Man Kills (I know, not really an arc, but still good)
4. Gifted
3. Torn
2. Riot at Xavier's
1. Dark Phoenix Saga

[Ryan W]

I thought Schism was great too.


Hell yes. It had some of the best moments of that series, from Storm and Emma fighting it out, to Storm's humiliating Quitely-style uniform, to Sage's speech to Xavier . . . Some good stuff there.

[Roo]

The Asgardian Wars
Mutant Massacre
Dark Phoenix Saga
Gifted
Blinded By The Light
X-Cutioner's Song
Age of Apocalypse
The Longest Night (X-Factor)
E Is For X-Tinction
Messiah Complex

[Babylon23]

6. Wolverine (mini-series) #1-4: Established that Wolverine can kick ass without the X-Men. Frank Miller's best work with someone else as artist.


Actually, Miller was the artist. Claremont is the writer on that mini. I'd say Miller had a substantial input into the story though, as it reads more like a Miller story than a Claremont story from that period.

[Brother Justin Crowe]

In no order...

1. Gifted
2. Dangerous
3. Torn
4. Unstoppable
5. The Dark Phoenix Saga
6. God Loves, Man Kills
7. Old Man Logan
8. Return of the King
9. Why, When I Was Your Age... (Cable & Deadpool #19)
10. C&DP Civil War Tie-Ins

Hey, my first thousand posts completed. Cool.

[HollowChatter]

Age of Apocalypse was the first and last time I cared about an alternate reality storyline. Unlike most "reimagined histories", the aoa felt like a full and rich story unto itself, rather than just an opportunity to make good guys bad and vice-versa. Every single detail of the world made sense, every character's new personality/role seemed logical and organic. Oh, and the new costumes and designs were incredible...duh. Whoever came up with Sunfire's redesign deserves an award.

It didn't matter that I knew it would all get resolved in four issues, I was still unsure it could possibly wrap-up positively. That's what was missing from House of M: suspense. Sure, there was a big whammy at the end, but who was really enthralled by any of the HoM reimaginings? They had to invent eXiles just so Blink, Morph, and AoA Sabretooth would have a home afterwards.

God, they don't make alternate universes like that anymore.


I also have fond memories of the Gene Nation storyline, especially the GenX issues (mostly because of the way Marrow and Hemingway react when Emma kicks Leech in the head).

[Dense]

Here is my top 10 X-Arcs
1 AOA
2 Onslaught
3 Phalanx Covenant
4 WWH: x-men
5 CW: x-men
6 Torn
7 Old Man Logan
8 Messiah Complex
9 latest Legacy arc
10 all of CNC x-force

Unfortunately though, they all got swept away in the floods...

[Deus ex Chris]

Sure, there was a big whammy at the end, but who was really enthralled by any of the HoM reimaginings?
I really didn't enjoy the Age of Apocalypse but loved House of M. For one thing, AoA was so typically dystopian, and HoM was not. For another, AoA--being a product of the 90s--had some not so great dialogue. Also, the costumes were awful, and Olivier Coipel wasn't the artist. Finally, yes, I was more interested in the HoM reimaginings. They were more varied and imaginative.

[Michael Sean]

My favs:

1.E is for Extinction

2. Imperial

3. Planet X

4. Here Comes Tomorrow

5. Dark Phoenix Saga

6. Riot at Xavier's

7. Gifted

8. Assault on Weapon Plus

9. Torn

10. Murder at the Mansion

[The Fifth Horseman]

which of these story arcs that you guys have been mentioning are from the nintees

[Ryan W]

which of these story arcs that you guys have been mentioning are from the nintees

'Phalanx Covenant,' 'Fatal Attractions,' 'Onslaught,' 'Age of Apocalypse,' 'Operation: Zero Tolerance,' 'X-Cutioner's Song,' 'X-Tinction Agenda . . .'

P.S. that "Muir Isle X-Men" arc is commonly known as the 'Muir Island Saga' in trades and cons.

[NewMutant]

'Phalanx Covenant,' 'Fatal Attractions,' 'Onslaught,' 'Age of Apocalypse,' 'Operation: Zero Tolerance,' 'X-Cutioner's Song,' 'X-Tinction Agenda . . .'

P.S. that "Muir Isle X-Men" arc is commonly known as the 'Muir Island Saga' in trades and cons.

Well I think Muir Isle X-Men and Muir Island Saga are two diferent things.


Saga is the battle with the Shadow King right before Mutant Genesis (X-Men #1).

Muir Isle is during the period right after Siege where Forge and Banshee are trying to bring the X-Men back together.

[The Fifth Horseman]

thanks phenoix force

[BrightestDay]

10. Mutant Genesis
The beginning of the status quo that defined the X-Men for a long time. The first arc featuring the team I grew up with as envisioned by Jim Lee, whose pencils are awesome and iconic.

9. X-Cutioner's Song
The first crossover event I ever read, this one is still a fave of mine though it may be more of a guilty pleasure now. The sheer amount of action in this is what I always remember, just huge fight scenes throughout.

8. Imperial
Morrison writes a just a great X-Men story here that's reminiscent in scope and tone of the classic stories back when there was only one X-title. He also continues to set up the pieces for his larger overall story with Xorn, the Scott/Emma/Jean situation, and the Phoenix Force. Morrison lost me a little bit towards the end of his run, but the first year or so is brilliant.

7. God Loves, Man Kills
A great example of how some of the best X-Men stories don't involve bad guys with superpowers or colorful costumes. I guess this isn't technically an arc, but it's good enough to be on the list. It's also proof that Claremont has written good stories, which is nice to remember sometimes.

6. Dark Phoenix Saga
Yeah some aspects of it are really dated, but DPS features everything that a "big" X-Men story should have - action, romance, tragedy, etc. Like a summer blockbuster popcorn movie this thing is just unapologetic in its epic-ness. Not to mention all the iconic images and debuts of Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, and the Hellfire Club.

5. Messiah Complex
One of the better "all-encompassing" crossovers ever MC has pretty much the same blockbuster elements as DPS, along with better dialogue and a larger cast. One of my favorite things about this arc is the way personal interactions take center stage much of the time. Cyclops and Xavier, Cable and Bishop, the New X-Men banding together - just great storytelling.

4. Torn
Whedon's run on Astonishing may be my favorite run on X-Men ever. I'm all about set ups and payoffs with story arcs and this one does both very well. We finally see what Emma's been up to and get a great cliffhanger setting up a monster story in the next arc. Plus, Cyclops is my favorite X-Man so I'm a fan of any story giving him a focus.

3. E is for Extinction
Like I said before, the early part of Grant Morrison's run is outstanding and he really opens up with a bang with this one. The increased anti-mutant hysteria, Cassandra Nova, millions killed in Genosha - the whole arc is great and really makes you excited for what's next. And that's not even mentioning Frank Quitely's art, which is awesome and really well suited for the fast pace of the X-Men.

2. Gifted
The first X-Men trade I picked up after a lengthy absence from comics, this really blew me away and renewed my interest in a big way. The art is incredible, the dialogue some of the best I've read, and the plot is exactly the kind of thing I want from my X-books.

1. Unstoppable
Like I said, Whedon's run is my favorite, the whole thing, even the not that well paced Dangerous arc, is an instant classic as far as I'm concerned. This arc is the payoff for all the plots started in Gifted and carried through the entire run and it doesn't miss a beat. Every member of the team gets a chance to shine and the story never lags. It has exactly the right balance of character moments, humor, and action. Just a lot of fun and very satisfying.

[HollowChatter]

I really didn't enjoy the Age of Apocalypse but loved House of M. For one thing, AoA was so typically dystopian, and HoM was not. For another, AoA--being a product of the 90s--had some not so great dialogue. Also, the costumes were awful, and Olivier Coipel wasn't the artist. Finally, yes, I was more interested in the HoM reimaginings. They were more varied and imaginative.

Those costumes were my jam! You've obviously got every right to your opinion, but I can't possibly agree.

HoM wasn't truly an alternate reality, and maybe that's what gets my goat.

Everyone was too similar to their regular counterparts, and the variations/differences kinda seemed played out to me.

But hey, to each his own.

[RuggeSkin]

1. Inferno. For all their talk of mutant rights, the X-men fight mystical threats as many times as they've fought Magneto. More, actually. Maha Yagi (1st Warlock), N'Gari, Juggy, Selene, Kulan Gath, Advesary, Belasco, Goblin Queen ect.

2. Demon Bear. Rhane calls Illiyanna a witch to her face. (It only rhymes with witch sweetie)

3. Days of Future Present. Best backup story ever in X-Factor Annual 5. Plus my favorite scene with Rachel as Phoenix in Uncanny Annual 14 when she busts out with it in the end.

4. Messiah Complex. Sadly it brought us the horridness that is X-Force but other than that, fun.

5. AoA. And I ain't talkin about the 10th anniversary POS.

6. Dark Phoenix- Dazzler blah blah Hellfire Club blah blah...

7. Operation Zero Tolerance. The issue where Jubilee is lying on the ground in mushed up food with a bruised face and bleeding nose and calls Bastion a loser is my favorite scene of hers. Also that issue of Spiderman disguised as an Uncanny ish was great. Led to me almost feeling for Marrow. (I started to like her later when she stabbed Logan in the neck.)

8. Phalynx Covenant. They drew Banshee real sexy in the uncanny issues and they brought up Cannonball's love of Sci-Fi.

9. X-cutioners Song. Love the fights, Jubes tells Shatterstar off (with a Yo Momma joke no less) and Sinister is kinda badass. Wolvie-"You move to slow"
Cable "And you talk too much. So I'll move faster <WHAM> and you'll talk less. And we'll both be happy."

10. Bloodties. Jean getting a Hex Bolt for old time's sake and Sersi TOTALLY WOULDA OWNED EXODUS if it wasn't for Proctor screwing with her powers!

[HollowChatter]

5. AoA. And I ain't talkin about the 10th anniversary POS.


God, I had forced this out of my memory. The worst part is that it negated one of the darkest and best X-moments ever by having Husk return. Even though he and Kitty were tough love teahers, Colossus basically sacrificing his students out of cowardice was so unexpected. The look on Husk's face when he closes the door is one of the single most awesome and terrible moments in comic book history.

I remember that I was just stunned at the end of that issue. I was just thinking "Holy sh$$, they actually went there. These monsters just massacred all of GenX, and Colossus knowingly left them to their fates." That's some messed up stuff right there.

[The Fifth Horseman]

i must say i too am a big fan of the costumes in AoA i think there very fresh and not to different and obscure, we can still identify the characaters wearing them. i particularly liked the long hair on alot of characters and gambits short jacket.

[NewMutant]

God, I had forced this out of my memory. The worst part is that it negated one of the darkest and best X-moments ever by having Husk return. Even though he and Kitty were tough love teahers, Colossus basically sacrificing his students out of cowardice was so unexpected. The look on Husk's face when he closes the door is one of the single most awesome and terrible moments in comic book history.

I remember that I was just stunned at the end of that issue. I was just thinking "Holy sh$$, they actually went there. These monsters just massacred all of GenX, and Colossus knowingly left them to their fates." That's some messed up stuff right there.

The whole thing was a mess. First off the AoA Universe should have ended with Omega. And then they took this cool universe that was so dark all because Xavier died, and it basically became the regular universe with Magneto leading the X-Men. CB is a decent artist, but a terrible designer. His new Northstar and Aurora sucked. His Dazzler was bad too, not soo much bad but she was wearing all white with long blonde hair... I realize Emma isn't the only person to wear white but come on this is a comic. He just turned that costume into Lady Mastermind in 616 lol.