Once every year, thousands of Marvel collectors from around the world gather together online to watch Near Mint Condition and vote on their most-wanted omnibus titles. That time approaches – time for the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 14th Annual Secret Ballot! This post explains every X-Men omnibus map for story material from 1963 to 2000 that has not yet been collected comprehensively in omnibus.
To be very clear, this post only deals with books with “X-Men” in the title – and only through 2000! Stories from 2001 and onward will continue in a post tomorrow. Other X-Teams will be in one of my upcoming posts.
As one of the organizers of the poll, I work closely with Tigereyes and a team of Mapping Minties to be sure Marvel’s entire publishing history has been mapped, with every issue fitting somewhere into an omnibus volume to fill your oversize Marvel shelf. Then, we’ll kick off the poll on Near Mint Condition on March 22, 2026.
Marvel only released one X-Men omnibus with pre-2000 material in 2025, but in 2026 we’re on a hot streak of classic material. We’re getting X-Men: Road To Onslaught Vol. 2 next week; X-Men: The Trial of Gambit in May to continue our post-Onslaught coverage; X-Men: Blue & Gold – Bloodties [AKA Vol. 3] in August after multiple sell-outs of the first Blue & Gold book; and the hotly-anticipated classic omnibus of Uncanny X-Men Vol. 6 is due in October.
Plus, there’s post-2000 material coming in omnibus as well – Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen, X-Men: The Messiah Trilogy, X-Men: Age of Krakoa – Dawn of X Vol. 2, X-Men: Age of Krakoa – Reign of X Omnibus Vol. 1, Way Of X [AKA Nightcrawler by Simon Spurrier], and X-Men: Age of Krakoa by Kieron Gillen!
That means fully 15% of all Marvel omnibuses out in 2026 are X-Men flagship omnibuses! And that doesn’t even take into account other X-Teams or solo heroes.
Where does that leave us when it comes to pre-2000 coverage of flagship books? Many of the books people will be voting for on this poll will be recollecting issues already in another oversize format, but in an improved reading order. In terms of original, never-before-oversize collections of pre-2000 story material we’re now down to ONLY TWO BOOKS.
🚨 TWO MORE OMNIS FOR COMPLETE PRE-2000 FLAGSHIP X-MEN COVERAGE 🚨
I’ll explain all of that below, plus highlight a series of retcon stories set prior to 2000 that we could see collected in omnibus.
Read this post and others in the series for a list of titles and omnibus mappings created by a group of the biggest collected edition enthusiasts on the internet. Every map is informed by Crushing Krisis comic guides and over a decade of polling data as explained by yours truly – keeper of the most-definitive guides to Marvel’s collected editions on the planet.
That includes the original two guides that kicked it all off – Guide to X-Men by Chris Claremont (1975 – 1991), plus Guide to Uncanny X-Men in the 90s & Guide to X-Men Vol. 2 (1991 – 2001).
Even if you don’t own a single omnibus, you can use this post to learn about Marvel’s history of material and find great comics to read physically or digitally!
This post covers the following speculated omnibus volumes:
- Silver & Bronze Age X-Men
- X-Men: Silver Age Vol. 3 (1972 – 1975) [AKA The Lost Years AKA Darkest Before the Dawn; could include The Champions]
- Chris Claremont’s X-Men in MMW-Based Omnibuses
- X-Men: Uncanny X-Men Vol. 7 (1988 – 1989) [AKA MMW 16-17]
- Chris Claremont’s X-Men in Line-Wide Event Omnibuses
- X-Men: X-Men – Inferno Aftermath (1989 & on) [a line-wide “event” omni including X-Factor and New Mutants]
- X-Men in the 90s – Before Age of Apocalypse
- X-Men: X-Men Blue & Gold Vol. 2 (1993 – 1994) [Shattershot, Fatal Attractions, Gambit mini]
- X-Men: X-Men Blue & Gold Vol. 4 (1994 – 1994) [Phalanx Covenant, LegionQuest, Rogue & Bishop minis]
- X-Men: X-Men Unlimited Vol. 1 (1993 & on)
- X-Men in the 90s – After Age of Apocalypse
- X-Men: Uncanny X-Men by Kelly & Seagle (1998 – 1999) [AKA The Hunt for Xavier, follows Trial of Gambit]
- X-Men: X-Men – Magneto War (1999) [fits prior to The Twelve]
- Pre-2000 Retcon Material
- X-Men: X-Men Origins (1996 & on) [origin-retelling series, minis, & one-shots]
- X-Men: First Class (2006 – 2011) [retcon YA comics]
- Wolverine & The X-Men: First Class (2008 – 2010) [retcon YA comics]
- X-Men: X-Men Legends & Flashbacks by Chris Claremont et al (2021 & on) [X-Men Legends and retcon/flashback mini-series]
- X-Men: Forever by Claremont & Simonson (2009 – 2011) [all “Forever” retcon series]
Remember: These titles and mappings are a suggestion of how Marvel could assemble these books. They are meant to make the books easy to find and to vote for. Your vote on the poll is a vote in favor of Marvel creating a book with that title or covering that period, NOT an endorsement of a specific mapping. Maps are presented as a proof of concept and to help you build your personal reading list.
Want to check out all of the other voting options for the 2026 Tigereyes Poll? Check out my 2026 Tigereyes poll overview page that explains the poll, how to vote, and lists every title that will appear – including links to all of the posts in this series.
In depth posts like this one are made possible via the support of Patrons of Crushing Krisis. For less than the cost of a single comic issue a month you can fuel some of the most thoroughly-researched guides to comics on the internet, plus gain access to dozens of exclusive collecting guides & reading orders – including all of the Crushing Comics Guide to Marvel Comics.
X-Men Omnibus Mapping: Silver & Bronze Age X-Men Omnibus
We already have the X-Men’s complete run of Silver Age comics in The X-Men Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 and a recton book in X-Men: The Hidden Years (see Guide to Silver Age X-Men), and then all of their Bronze Age run in a series of The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 through Vol. 5 and a “special features” book with X-Men Classic (see Guide to X-Men by Chris Claremont (1975 – 1991).
What’s left to collect from 1963 to 1985? We’re literally just one book of material away from complete X-Men collection – not only of their main title, but all of their tie-ins and spinoffs. ONE BOOK! Let’s get it printed, Marvel!!!
X-Men: Silver Age Vol. 3 (1972 – 1975) [AKA The Lost Years AKA Darkest Before the Dawn; could include The Champions]
When X-Men (1963) went into reprint-only mode starting with X-Men (1963) #67 in 1970, Xavier and the X-Men (plus Magneto!) became cameo stars across the rest of the Marvel Universe.
(In X-Men canon, these appearances happen after John Byrne’s X-Men the Hidden Years (1999), which still has the team working together under Professor Xavier’s tutelage.)
The team’s guest appearances included one-off adventures with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up (1972), Beast gaining his fur in Amazing Adventures (1970), and Cyclops & Jean involved in the original “Secret Empire” storyline in Captain America (1968)… plus, the debut of a certain Canadian mutant in the page of Incredible Hulk (1968)
This hiatus-years material has been collected in both the X-Men Marvel Masterworks and X-Men Epic Collection lines, officially establishing it as part of Marvel’s own canonical X-Men reading order.
Some folks balk at the idea of this becoming an omnibus if it only mirrors that one Epic Collection… although that was 540 pages in Masterworks and 512 pages in Epic Collection!
We’re limited by mirroring the content of those existing collections, although there are a handful of additional Magneto appearances we can add to nudge this closer to 600 pages of a material. And, if you want more than 600 pages of material, this could easily include the full contents of The Champions, featuring Angel, Beast, & Iceman, for just another 472 pages!
A vote for this book is a vote to finally collect the Hiatus Years in oversize format including all of the contents of those existing books, plus a few more issues (or: a lot more issues) to make this omnibus a desirable purchase.
This would collect Amazing Adventures (1970) #11-17 (transformation of The Beast), Incredible Hulk (1968) #150 & 161 (Havok/Polaris & Beast/Mimic), Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #92 (Iceman), Marvel Team-Up (1972) #4 (full team), Avengers (1963) #110-111 (Magneto vs. Avengers), Incredible Hulk (1968) #172 (minor Xavier/Scott/Jean) and #180-181 (debut of Wolverine), Captain America (1968) #172-175 (Cyclops & Jean in the original Secret Empire), Marvel Team-Up (1972) #23 & 38 (Iceman), Defenders (1972) #15-16 (Magneto’s infamous de-aging), and Giant-Size Fantastic Four (1974) #4 (the debut of Jamie Madrox, The Multiple Man).
To this, we could insert Magneto’s appearances in Fantastic Four (1961) #102-104 and Amazing Adventures (1970) #9-10, another 100 pages of contemporaneous material!
It’s an unlikely option, but Marvel could also follow Angel and Iceman’s next appearances throughout all of The Champions by adding Champions (1975) #1-17, Iron Man (1968) Annual #4, The Avengers (1963) #163, Super-Villain Team-Up (1975) #14, and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #17-18.
X-Men Omnibus Mapping: Chris Claremont’s X-Men in MMW-Based Omnibuses
First, let’s get one thing out of the way: We have all of Chris Claremont’s X-Men covered in omnibus already! All of it! Every last issue! However, it is collected in a mix of multiple formats.
Right now, the classic omnibus format based on Masterworks tags out with Uncanny X-Men (1963) #231. Marvel has been forthright with the fact that they plan to continue releasing this Masterworks-based line of omnibuses, including at least an Uncanny X-Men Vol. 7.
Meanwhile, an Event-Based omnibus format collects each line-wide status quo of X-Men and ends at Uncanny X-Men (1963) #243. The next uncollected status quo would be what omni collectors have dubbed “Inferno Aftermath.”
But wait a moment… didn’t I just say we have all of Chris Claremont’s X-Men covered in omnibus already?!? What about everything after UXM #243? Based on recent releases we’ve learned that X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 may actually be a third format which will overlap both of the other ones.
See Guide to X-Men by Chris Claremont (1975 – 1991) for details. Or, if you’re more of an aural/visual learner, check out my impeccably researches stream on Near Mint Condition with Omar on “How to Collect X-Men in Omnibus.”
Ready? Let’s explore your voting options.
X-Men: Uncanny X-Men Vol. 7 (1988 – 1989) [AKA MMW 16-17]
We’re getting Uncanny X-Men Vol. 6 in October, and Marvel’s cadence between books in this MMW-based line has ranged anywhere from 2-5 years between volumes. That means if you want Marvel to hurry up and continue this classic line, Marvel will need a nudge.
A vote for this books is a vote that you want Marvel to continue their Masterworks-based collection of Uncanny X-Men (1963) sooner than later.
Volume 7 would very likely collect the contents of MMW 16-17, which are Uncanny X-Men (1963) #232-255 & Annual 12-13, the direct Inferno crossover issues from X-Factor (1986) #37-39, and material from Classic X-Men #39 and What The?! (1988) #1-5.
It could also add X-Men material from Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #10-17 (Colossus, with a Longshot story in #17), #24-32 (Havok) & #48 (Storm) – all set during this run of Uncanny X-Men.
Less likely are other x-related stories from Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #32 (Sunfire), #41 (Freedom Force), #43 (Siryn) and #49 (Gladiator).
X-Men Omnibus Mapping: Chris Claremont’s X-Men in Line-Wide Event Omnibuses
Some fans have gone all-in on the X-Men line-wide “Event” omnibuses that run though X-Men: Mutant Massacre Prelude, X-Men: Mutant Massacre, X-Men: Fall of the Mutants, X-Men: Inferno Prologue, and X-Men: Inferno and also picked up X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda.
If they have all six of those books, they have all of Uncanny X-Men (1963) from #194-243 (and likely own Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1-4 before that), all of New Mutants (1983) from #55-73 (and likely own New Mutants Vol. 1-2 before that), and all of X-Factor (1986) from #1-40!
That currently leaves them with a gap on their shelf from Uncanny X-Men (1963) #244-269 & Annual 13 … which happens to be PERFECTLY COVERED by X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Vol. 1!!! See Guide to X-Men by Chris Claremont (1975 – 1991) for details.
So, why are we voting for another book? Because those collectors don’t want to buy two more New Mutants omnibuses and two more X-Factor omnibuses to capture the rest of both of those series – both with considerable overlap with this event line. X-fans want to see the material from X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Vol. 1 be collected into a continuing line-wide set of books that also pick up the contents of both New Mutants (1983) and X-Factor (1986) throughout the same period.
Clearly that would need to be 2-3 books, since it took one book to collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) material and we’re adding two more series!
X-Men: X-Men – Inferno Aftermath (1989 & on) [a line-wide “event” omni including X-Factor and New Mutants]
A vote for this book is a vote to continue the X-Men line-wide event omnibus after Inferno to begin filling the gap from there to X-Tinction Agenda, which will almost certainly require three volumes.
This would likely collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #244-254 (or 258) & Annual 13, New Mutants (1983) #74-83 (or 86) & Annual 5, and X-Factor (1986) #41-50, as well as contemporaneous other X-Men material, ending just prior to or just after Acts of Vengeance.
Then, a follow-up volume would collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #255 (or 259) -269, New Mutants (1983) #84 (or 87) -94, Annual 6, & The New Mutants Summer Special (1990) #1, and X-Factor (1986) #51-59, Annual 5, & Prisoner of Love OGN, as well as contemporaneous other X-Men material, meeting with X-Tinction Agenda on the other side.
Finally, a post-X-Tinction Agenda volume would collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #273-280, New Mutants (1983) #98-100, and X-Factor (1986) #63-70. All of the Annuals from this period have already been captured in the X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda omnibus, but this could also include any other contemporaneous mutant material before the beginning of the X-Men: Blue & Gold omnibus line.
X-Men Omnibus Mapping: X-Men in the 90s – Before Age of Apocalypse
Wait a second… isn’t this period already entirely covered in eight omnibuses and oversize hardcovers?
It was, but now it’s not. Again, I’ll refer you to our extensive “How to Collect X-Men in Omnibus” video if you need a video primer on this era.
Those prior oversize hardcovers puzzled together every issue of Uncanny X-Men (1963) and X-Men (1991) in this period, plus every issue of X-Men Unlimited (1993). But, they were imperfect. Some of the books had only Uncanny issues while others had only adjectiveless issues. Even in books that had both, they weren’t necessarily in perfected reading order. And, they skipped out on a trio of key mini-series that contributed to the overall plot of the line – Gambit (1993) #1-4, Bishop (1994) #1-4, and Rogue (1994) #1-4.
Luckily, that was all fixed by the Epic Collection line, clearly put together by collection editors that know their X-Men continuity.
And then, last year, we got X-Men: Blue & Gold – Mutant Genesis – an omnibus modeled on the reading order of the Epic Line! For the first time, all of both flagship titles were presented in reading order in a single oversize book from the 1991 launch of X-Men (1991) onward.
Unsurprisingly, it was a massive, massive hit – selling out immediately through multiple restocks. However, that omnibus didn’t have a volume number on it, so we weren’t sure if Marvel would continue with their collection. Maybe it was just a one-off to support the surge of interest in 90s X-Men from the X-Men ’97 cartoon.
Not only did Marvel continue the line, but they used the lack of numbering to release the books out of order just as they do with Epic Collections! We’ll be seeing X-Men: Blue & Gold – Bloodties this October, but it isn’t a Vol. 2 – it’s a Vol. 3! That’s because Marvel put a reprint of X-Men: Fatal Attractions Omnibus on the schedule before they knew how big a hit Blue & Gold would be, and a Blue & Gold Vol. 2 would heavily overlap Fatal Attractions.
We need two more Blue & Gold volumes to reach Age of Apocalypse on the other side. After that, X-Men omnibuses already merge both books into a single line. See Guide to Uncanny X-Men in the 90s and Guide to X-Men Vol. 2 (1991 – 2001) for details.
X-Men: X-Men Blue & Gold Vol. 2 (1993 – 1994) [Shattershot, Fatal Attractions, Gambit mini]
Now that X-Men: Blue & Gold – Bloodties is already announced, we know the exact contents of this volume – since it must fit perfectly between Mutant Genesis and Bloodties.
This would merge the remaining contents from the Shattershot OHC, the non-X-Factor material from X-Men: Fatal Attractions Omnibus, and the mini-series Gambit (1994) and Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda (1994).
A vote for this book is a vote to continue the complete, sequential collection of the pair of flagship X-Men titles for another volume, finally merging issues into the correct comprehensive reading order for the first time outside of the Epic Collection line.
This would collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #298-306 & Annual 17, X-Men (1991) #17-25, Wolverine (1988) #75, X-Men Unlimited (1993) #1-2, X-Men: Survival Guide to the Mansion (1993) #1, X-Men Anniversary Magazine (1993) #1, Gambit (1993) #1-4, and Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda (1994) #1-3.
It may also collect the other three main issues of the Fatal Attraction storyline from X-Factor (1986) #92, X-Force (1991) #25, and Excalibur (1988) #71.
Less likely, would be the addition of Sabretooth (1993) #1-4. This is mapped into the Wolverine line, but it is also very relevant to the ongoing plot of the X-Men flagship titles. If it did collect that mini-series, it would likely add an Iron Fist & Sabretooth story from Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #133-136 that occurs just prior to the Sabretooth miniseries.
Since Mutant Genesis established the convention of including later material that complements this period, it is possible this could also include X-Men Legends (2021) #7-9, a retcon Wolverine & Jubilee story by Larry Hama that occurs while Wolverine still has adamantium.
Here you would read the upcoming X-Men: Blue & Gold – Bloodties.
X-Men: X-Men Blue & Gold Vol. 4 (1994 – 1994) [Phalanx Covenant, LegionQuest, Rogue & Bishop minis]
This volume would collect all of the remaining X-Men flagship material following the X-Men: Blue & Gold – Bloodties Omnibus up to Age of Apocalypse.
That means it will collect a trailing issue from the X-Men: Fatal Attractions omnibus, all of X-Men: Phalanx Covenant and X-Men: Legionquest, and the otherwise abandoned Rogue (1994) & Bishop (1994) mini-series. (The Bishop series has not been recollected since the 1990s).
And, because we’ve already received Bloodties out of order, there is no reason we can’t have this before Volume 2 – especially since the material in this book has been longer out of print than the material in Volume 2.
A vote for this book is a vote to complete sequential collection of the pair of the flagship X-Men titles for a final volume prior to Age of Apocalypse, finally merging issues into the correct comprehensive reading order for the first time outside of the Epic Collection line.
This would collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #315-321, X-Men (1991) #36-41 & Annual 3, X-Men Unlimited (1993) #4-7, Rogue (1995) #1-4, Bishop (1994) #1-4, X-Factor (1986) #108-109 Cable (1993) #20, and material from Marvel Valentine Special.
It may also collect the core of Phalanx Covenant crossover issues from the other two pieces of the crossover, which is only five more issues (Excalibur (1988) #82; X-Factor (1986) #106; X-Force (1991) #38; Wolverine (1988) #85; & Cable (1993) #16).
Since Mutant Genesis established the convention of including later material that complements this period, it is possible this could also include X-Men Legends (2021) #1-2, penned by Fabian Nicieza to fit sometime after X-Men (1991) #39. A similar Mr. Sinister story from X-Men Legends (2021) #10 could also fit here, also by Fabian Nicieza.
X-Men: X-Men Unlimited Vol. 1 (1993 & on)
I need to go on the record with the comment that I think voting for this book this a very bad idea.
X-Men Unlimited (1993) was an anthology series that was originally released quarterly, with each issue telling one extra-length, one-shot X-Men tale that could sometimes be as long as 64 pages.
Due to the length of these stories, there’s no way to make it past collecting half of this 50-issue series in a single omnibus. And, because the series continued to X-Men Unlimited (2004), this is likely three volumes of content.
Also, these stories often extended, complemented, or kicked off a plot point in the flagship X-Men books or other X-titles. While they could be read as standalone tales, the story of the return of Magneto from issue #1 pays off in Fatal Attractions, the story of Mystique from issue #4 pays off in both Rogue (1994) and the pages of X-Factor (1986), and so one.
Considering that the main line of X-Men omnibuses is making a concerted effort to completely collect an unbroken run of this material, it seems wasteful to fill up three spots on the X-Men release calendar in the coming years with these books.
There’s a future when we have all of the other omnibuses on this list where it will become clear what has been missed from them – and at that point we will know how necessary these books might be. So, maybe voters are just thinking ahead.
A vote for this book is a stubborn vote that X-Men Unlimited (1993) ought to have its own omnibus line despite it largely being collected along with other X-Men material from this period.
This would begin to collect X-Men Unlimited (1993) #1-50 and X-Men Unlimited (2004) #1-14. It could likely collect a maximum of 20-24 issues in a single volume, due to the double-sized page count of the issues.
Here you would read the existing X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Omnibus & Companion Omnibus – see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Age of Apocalypse.
X-Men Omnibus Mapping: X-Men in the 90s – After Age of Apocalypse
Right now our coverage of Uncanny X-Men (1963) and X-Men (1990) in the 90s ends in 1997 just after Onslaught with X-Men: Onslaught Aftermath and X-Men: The Trial of Gambit. It doesn’t pick up again until 1999 with X-Men vs. Apocalypse: The Twelve.
Two years is a long time in X-Men comics – we’ll need two omnibuses to fill the gap! See Guide to Uncanny X-Men in the 90s and Guide to X-Men Vol. 2 (1991 – 2001) for details.
X-Men: Uncanny X-Men by Kelly & Seagle (1998 – 1999) [AKA The Hunt for Xavier, follows Trial of Gambit]
This long-demanded volume would collect a pair of runs that used to be our last color collection gap in X-Men comics, which was finally filled by a pair of 2018 trades called X-Men Blue, Vol. 0: Reunion and X-Men Gold, Vol. 0: Homecoming.
Neither of them were the “Vol. 0” of anything – they were just titled that way to attract fans of the current X-Men Blue (2017) and X-Men Gold (2017) runs to buying some difficult-to-market trades.
This is a run of the X-Men getting somewhat back to basics with a merged cast that absorbs Kitty & Nightcrawler (and Colossus) back from Excalibur after over 10-years of absense from X-Men flagships! It also includes a very active Jean Grey, who gets some of her first major plots for several years.
Some people have wondered if this would omit X-Men (1991) #65-69, since they were previously printed in the X-Men: Zero Tolerance oversize hardcover. I don’t see the point of skipping them. Marvel has been meticulous in ensuring the X-Men omnibus line no longer needs to be puzzled together from different books over the past few years, so it would be downright outlandish of them to defer to the contents of a 2012 book that has never been reprinted.
A vote for this book is a vote to finally see this material in oversize format, which fills one half of the remaining oversize gap in X-Men from 1997 to 1999.
This would collect X-Men (1991) #65-84, 1/2, & X-Men/Dr. Doom Annual 1998, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #351-365 & Uncanny X-Men/Fantastic Four ’98 (1998), X-Men Unlimited (1993) #17-22, and Cerebro’s Guide to the X-Men (1998) One Shot.
For purposes of evening out the material between this book and the next book (which would be considerably shorter), it is possible this could cut off prior to “The Hunt for Professor X” story in Uncanny X-Men (1973) #360-365; X-Men (1991) #80-84 & 1/2; & X-Men Unlimited (1993) #22.
It might also include X-Men Liberators (1998) #1-4, which fit in reading order here and Alpha Flight (19972) #9, a mirrored perspective on the events of UXM #355.
Note that the Blue/Gold trades omitted X-Men Unlimited (1993) #19 (Nightcrawler), #20 (Generation X), and #21 (X-Factor). However, the convention of the X-Men omnibus line is to include every issue of X-Men Unlimited (1993).
X-Men: X-Men – Magneto War (1999) [fits prior to The Twelve]
This is the final omnibus we need to collect the gap prior to X-Men vs. Apocalypse: The Twelve. Since it collects a relatively standalone story, there’s no reason we have to wait for the prior to volumes to get this one.
Since this is only recollecting the content of one 500-page paperback, there’s the opportunity to right some prior collection wrongs here. The most-tantalizing one would be to collect all of Bishop: The Last X-Man (1999) up until his return to the X-line. But, there are other possibilities to fill the rest of this space… including the prior volume ending slightly earlier to move more material into this volume
A vote for this book is a vote to finally see the “Magneto War” storyline in oversize hardcover, which fills one third of the remaining gap in oversize X-Men prior to 2001.
This would collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #366-371, X-Men (1991) #85-91 & Annual 7/1999; X-Men: The Magneto War (1999) #1; X-Men Unlimited (1993) #23 & 24 (B-stories); and Magneto Rex (1999) #1-3.
For purposes of evening out the material between this book and the prior volume, it is possible this could start earlier with “The Hunt for Professor X” story in Uncanny X-Men (1973) #360-365; X-Men (1991) #80-84 & 1/2; & X-Men Unlimited (1993) #22.
As this volume concludes with the “M-Tech” storyline, it could extend to include all of Warlock (1998) #1-9 and X-relevant material from X-51: The Machine Man (1998) #1-12. This could also could collect all of Bishop: The Last X-Man (1999) #1-14 (issues #15-16 are collected in the X-Men: Revolution Omnibus).
Here you can ready read X-Men vs. Apocalypse: The Twelve Omnibus, X-Men: Revolution by Chris Claremont Omnibus, and X-Men: Eve of Destruction. Voila – you’ve reached 2001 and the debut of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men and Chris Claremont’s X-Treme X-Men!
PS: I know those books omit X-Men: Magik (2000). Check out the next post to see my solution to that.
X-Men Omnibus Mapping: Pre-2000 Retcon Material
A “retcon” is a portmanteau for “retroactive (or retrospective) continuity” – stories that insert new or revised developments in the past. They’re hard to do on screen, because actors get older, but so easy to do in comics that Marvel and DC are addicted to them!
We already have omnibuses of the two most major X-Men retcon ongoing series – X-Men: The Hidden Years (see Guide to Silver Age X-Men) and X-Men Classic (see Guide to X-Men by Chris Claremont (1975 – 1991)). But, there are three more potential omnibuses worth of retcon material that fit into this period.
X-Men: X-Men Origins (1996 & on) [origin-retelling series, minis, & one-shots]
We deliberately left this title vague so folks could imagine whatever they wanted for its contents.
Personally, it seems obvious to me it could be anchored by a series of 11 X-Men Origins one-shots from 2008 to 2010. They’ve been collected in a single 320 page paperback, so we’d need more material to turn this into an omnibus.
Luckily, there is no shortage of X-Men origin material we could use to flesh this out. To me, the next most obvious material to insert is the contents of the similar Uncanny Origins (1996), six issues of which retold the origins of Cyclops, Quicksilver, Archangel, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Storm.
Where to go from there? You could argue that both runs of Wolverine’s origins could be collected here, from Wolverine: The Origin (2001) and [Wolverine] Origin II (2013). Of course, Logan has many pre-Logan adventures, but these two mini-series focus on his earliest life and fit the theme of this collection.
At that point we’re close to 30 issues of content, which is certainly enough to justify this book. But, there’s more we could add – from The Magneto Testament (2008), First X-Men (2011), Storm (2006), 1997 flashback issues, key Classic X-Men (1986) back-ups, and more!
However, I think we’d leave out the entirety of Emma Frost (2003), which at 18 issues would dominate the bulk of this book. The White Queen deserves her own omnibus.
A vote for this book is to collect all of the X-Men’s canonical retcon origin stories in one place so you can easily read them prior to any X-Men read!
This could collect Wolverine: The Origin (2001) #1-6 and [Wolverine] Origin II (2013) #1-5, The Magneto Testament (2008) #1-5, X-Men Origins one-shots (Colossus, Jean Grey, Beast, Sabretooth, Wolverine, Gambit, Iceman, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Emma Frost and Deadpool), Uncanny Origins (1996) #1-3, 6, 8, & 9, Classic X-Men (1986) #15, 16, 19, 41-42 (back-ups, Storm (2006) #1-6, Angel: Revelations (2007) #1-5, First X-Men (2011) #1-5, the #-1 flashback issues from 1997 (from Uncanny X-Men (1963), X-Men (1991), Excalibur (1991), X-Force (1991), Wolverine (1991), Generation X (1994)), and Mythos: X-Men (2006) #1.
You could also argue for Rise of Apocalypse (1996) #1-4 and The Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix (1996) #1-4, which both also fit this theme.
X-Men: First Class (2006 – 2011) [retcon YA comics]
In the mid-00s, Marvel ran a pair of series called X-Men: First Class (2006) that was a YA-appropriate comics inserting school-focused continuity into the Silver Age of X-Men.
(Remember, unusual kids at weirdly supernatural schools were a big deal back then.)
X-Men: First Class was a series of YA (but not all ages) tellings of continuity-lite stories that could have formed connective tissue between the pages of Silver Age X-Men. These stories tracking the team from their recruitment to Xavier’s school to their “final exams” before graduating, weaving in more connections between them as well as with Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch.
A vote for this book would be a vote to gather all 40 issues of the X-Men: First Class material in one place for the first time!
This would collect Cyclops (2011) #1, Iceman and Angel (2011) #1, Magneto (2011) #1, Marvel Girl (2011) #1, material from Spider-Man Family (2007) #8-9, [Uncanny] X-Men (1963) #1, X-Men First Class (2006) #1-8, X-Men First Class (2007) Special & #1-16, and X-Men: First Class Finals (2009) #1-4.
Wolverine & The X-Men: First Class (2008 – 2010) [retcon YA comics]
In that same period, Marvel ran a similar series called Wolverine: First Class (2008). However, this wasn’t the adventures of a youthful Wolverine. It was more like a “Wolverine & Kitty Pryde: The Early Years” series to insert more stories about Kitty’s life at the X-Mansion into Claremont’s run.
Also, after the conclusion of X-Men: First Class Finals (2009), Marvel continued the YA approach to early Claremont X-Men with Uncanny X-Men: First Class (2009), which all occur just prior to the Wolverine series (since they occurred before the Dark Phoenix Saga). These stories are a little harder to reconcile with continuity, since early Claremont is plotted so tightly – especially with the addition of stories from Classic X-Men (1986).
A vote for this book is a vote to collect all of these kid-friendly Claremont-era retcon tales into the same place for the first time.
This would collect Uncanny X-Men: First Class (2009) Giant-Size Special & #1-8, Wolverine: First Class (2008) #1-21, and Weapon X: First Class #1-3.
This could potentially also collect X-Men / Power Pack (2006) #1-4 and Wolverine / Power Pack (2008) #1-4, which have a similar vibe but exist outside of continuity.
X-Men: X-Men Legends & Flashbacks by Chris Claremont et al (2021 & on) [X-Men Legends and retcon/flashback mini-series]
From 2021 and on, Marvel has been on a major retcon stories kick in the X-Men line. Maybe that was due to the radical story themes of Krakoa alienated older readers, or maybe it was because Marvel had classic creators on tap who they didn’t want to put onto ongoing series.
This period of flashback material kicked off with a pair of X-Men Legends series inserting specific “missing” and untold stories into the history of X-Men as written by their original creators, including Fabian Nicieza, Larry Hama, Peter David, Louise & Walt Simonson, Roy Thomas, Ann Nocenti, & Whilce Portacio.
That’s quite a line-up!
To that, Marvel added more flashback series towards the end of Krakoa for Gambit, Storm, and Magneto.
Then, as Krakoa concluded, Chris Claremont got on on the action, writing a string of Wolverine mini-series that fit perfectly into points in his original X-Men run. Plus, Marvel added more retcon series for White Queen and Rogue.
A vote for this book is a vote to primarily collect the Krakoa-adjacent pair of X-Men Legends series into an omnibus, but in reality it could collect all of the flashback and retcon X-Men material from 2021 and onward.
This would collect X-Men Legends (2021) #1-12 and X-Men Legends (2022) #1-6, but maybe also the classic stories that spun off into each of these retcon tales.
Then, it would continue to collect other retcon comics from 2021 and on, including Gambit (2022) #1-5, Storm (2023) #1-5, Magneto (2023) #1-4, X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday (2023) #1-4, Power Pack: Into the Storm (2024) #1-5, Wolverine: Deep Cut (2024) #1-4, Wolverine: Madripoor Knights (2024) #1-5, Wolverine and Kitty Pryde (2025) #1-5, Emma Frost: The White Queen (2025) #1-5, X-Men by Chris Claremont: Prelude to a Future Past (2025) #1, Wolverine by Chris Claremont (2025) #1, Rogue: The Savage Land (2025) #1-5, and X-Men: Outback (2026).
X-Men: Forever by Claremont & Simonson (2009 – 2011) [all “Forever” retcon series]
A vote for this book is a vote to collect Chris Claremont’s weird, woozy, and occasionally downright absurd dream extension of his original run on X-Men, as well as two similar sibling series by Louise Simonson.
This would collect X-Men Forever Alpha (2009) #1 (a reprint of X-Men (1991) #1-3), X-Men Forever (2009) #1-24 & Annual 1, X-Men Forever Giant-Size (2010) #1, X-Men Forever 2 (2010) #1-16, and material from X-Men Forever Digital Preview (2009) #1.
We could also add two separate continuity “Forever” series by Louise Simonson to extend her respective runs that cut off shortly before Claremont’s departure, New Mutants Forever (2010) #1-5 and X-Factor Forever (2010) #1-5.
Want more X-Men omnibus mapping? Tune in tomorrow for the next 20 years of X-Men flagship titles!
Hi Krisis! I would add Team X 2000 from 1998 that goes exactly after Uncanny X-.men 358 to the Kelly and Seagle omni