The definitive issue-by-issue comic book collecting guide and trade reading order for the 2000s trade paperback era of Uncanny X-Men comic books from 2001 to 2011 in omnibus, hardcover, and trade paperback collections – including runs by Chuck Austen, Chris Claremont, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, & Kieron Gillen and events like House of M, Messiah Complex, Second Coming, & Fear Itself! Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated March 2023 with titles scheduled for release through August 2023.
Uncanny X-Men (1963) #394 – 545: The Trade Paperback Era (1991 – 2001)
The X-Men franchise reached a crossroads in 2001 that would forever alter its direction, but also usher in a decade of substantial runs penned by just five authors – all of which was collected upon initial release starting with issue #410!
That’s why I think of this final decade of Uncanny X-Men as “The Trade Paperback Era.” It was the beginning of the idea of X-Men being “written for trade,” with tidy 4-6 issue story arcs rather than bursts of shorter stories and one-shot issues.
The slick, black leather costumes of the first Fox X-Men film existed in the public consciousness in 2001, but X-Men comics of the period were a hard-to-parse mess of neon spandex. Not only that, but Marvel’s newly-launched Ultimate Spider-Man reimagining of Spider-Man for the modern day was proving to be massively popular. An Ultimate X-Men followed at the beginning of 2001 that felt closer in style and tone to the films.
Together, these two changes allowed Marvel to experiment with the core of the X-Men franchise. Writer and actual psychedelic warlock Grant Morrison reimagined X-Men (1991) as the sci-fi, leather-clad, and frequently absurd New X-Men. Meanwhile, X-Force metamorphosed into X-Statix under the guidance of Peter Milligan and Mike Allred.
What’s often forgotten is that Uncanny X-Men also relaunched at the same time. Twice, actually! First, Joe Casey took the reins for a similarly leather-bound and slightly-absurdist take on X-Men. Then, midway through Morrison’s run, Uncanny swapped to author Chuck Austen.
Austen’s run is often reviled for its soap opera elements, as well as for deeply unpopular moments for Nightcrawler and Angel. Despite that, it remains very much in the Claremontian tradition of constantly-churning conflict and romance. It often introducing wild concepts from far outside the X-Men’s typical range of influences.
Chris Claremont himself would return as Austen’s replacement with The New Age in 2004. While opinions remain split on this run, it’s certainly more popular than his prior return on “Revolution.” The New Age finds Claremont intermingling new toys and old favorites, writing a team that includes Storm and Rachel Summers, but also playing with Bishop and X-23. His run crossed the House of M event that would decimate Marvel’s mutant population, though he did not deal with the fallout – instead, choosing to focus more on Rachel and the return of Psylocke.
Ed Brubaker took over from Claremont with an audacious change in direction. Brubaker followed up on his Deadly Genesis mini-series by taking a core of X-Men to space for Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire. The cosmic plot lasted for an entire year of comics and lead into the massive War of Kings event. It eschewed many popular mainstays of the team for a cast of Xavier, Havok, Polaris, Nightcrawler, Rachel Summers, and Warpath – along with the Starjammers. Afterward, Brubaker refocused on Earth, steering the flagship towards a rebirth from the ashes of Messiah Complex.
Though Brubaker wrote for an arc following Messiah Complex, the following era of the X-Men in San Francisco mostly belongs to Matt Fraction. Fraction reimagines Uncanny X-Men less as a team and more as a society of mutants, with nearly every heroic mutant passing through the background panels of the book at some point in his run. He writes through Dark Reign to the considerable crescendo of Second Coming, a resolution of the remaining threads of House of M.
Finally, Kieron Gillen gradually transitions onto the title over the course of the following year, graduating from Matt Fraction’s secret co-plotter to Fraction’s credited co-writer before finally taking over the reigns with issue #534.1. Gillen slims down Fraction’s massive cast to one foreboding “Extinction Team” lead by the increasingly revolutionary Cyclops and featuring Emma Frost, Wolverine, Magneto, Namor, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, and Hope. His run continues past the punctuation of Schism through to the following run of Uncanny X-Men, Volume 2.
For a complete X-Men reading order for this period, start with The Definitive X-Men Reading Order: New X-Men.
- in Omnibus & Oversize Hardcover
- The Collected Era
- #394 – 409 & Annual 24/2001: Joe Casey – Poptopia & X-Corps (July 2001 – Sept 2002)
- #410 – 443: Chuck Austen (Oct 2002 – June 2004)
- #444 – 474 & Annual 1/2006: Chris Claremont’s New Age (July 2004 – Aug 2006)
- Decimation: House of M – The Day After (2006) #1
- #475 – 499: Ed Brubaker – Shi’ar Empire & Messiah Complex (Sept 2006 – Aug 2008)
- X-Men: Deadly Genesis (2006) #1-6
- X-Men: Endangered Species (2007) #1 & back-ups
- X-Men: Messiah CompleX (2008) One-Shot & crossover
- X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008) #1-2
- #500 – 525 & Annual 2/2009: Matt Fraction – Manifest Destiny & Second Coming (Sept 2008 – Aug 2010)
- Wolverine: Manifest Destiny (2008) #1-4
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny Nightcrawler (2009) #1
- X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008) #1-5
- Secret Invasion: X-Men (2008) #1-4
- Dark Avengers (2009) #7-8
- Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men (2009) Exodus & Utopia
- Dark Reign: The Cabal (2009)
- Dark X-Men: The Beginning (2009) #1-3 & The Confession
- Dark Reign: The List – X-Men (2009) #1
- Nation X (2009) #1-4
- X-Men: Second Coming (2010) #1-2 & crossover
- X-Men: Blind Science (2010) #1
- X-Men: Hellbound (2010) #1-3
- X-Men: Hope (2010) #1
- #526 – 544, 534.1, & Annual 3/2011: Kieron Gillen – The Heroic Age, Fear Itself, & Schism (Sept 2010 – Dec 2011)
- Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age (2010) One Shot
- X-Men: To Serve and Protect (2010) #1-4
- X-Men: Schism (2011) #1-5
- X-Men: Regenesis (2011) #1
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Uncanny X-Men #394 – 544 in Omnibus & Oversize Hardcovers
Marvel has yet to issue a single comprehensive omnibus of any portion of this decade-long run of Uncanny X-Men. That means the only oversize coverage is of major stories and crossovers that saw original release in oversize hardcover format.
#394-461: Not collected in this format
#462-465: See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – House of M. These tie-in issues have been collected across multiple oversize books as part of this event.
#466-474: Not collected in this format
X-Men: Deadly Genesis (2006) #1-6: Giant-Size X-Men 40th Anniversary
(2015 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785197775 / digital)
Collects Giant-Size X-Men (1975) #1 & 3-4 (#2 was a reprint issue); Classic X-Men (1986) #1; X-Men Origins: Colossus (2008); X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2008); X-Men: Deadly Genesis (2006) #1-6; What If? (1989) #9 & 23; and material from X-Men Gold (2013) #1. This has also been collected along with War of Kings material since it acts as a prologue to that event; see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – War of Kings.
#475-486: Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’ar Empire
(2007 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785125150 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785118008 / digital)
Prior to reading this collection consider picking up X-Men: Deadly Genesis, as the events of that mini-series have an impact on the Shi’ar storyline, which eventually evolves into the War of Kings event. This has also been collected along with War of Kings material; see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – War of Kings.
#487-491: Not collected in this format
X-Men: Endangered Species
(2008 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785130123 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785128205 / digital)
Collects X-Men: Endangered Species (2007) #1 and serialized back-up stories from New X-Men (2004) #40-42, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #488-491, X-Factor (2006) #21-24, and X-Men (1991) #200-204. It’s effectively a prelude to Messiah Complex (and has the same trade dress). The back-up from Uncanny X-Men (1963) #489 is sometimes collected along with Age of Apocalypse materials; see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Age of Apolcaypse.
#492-494: X-Men: Messiah Complex
(2008 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785128991 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785123200 / digital / 2020 “Milestones” paperback, ISBN 978-1302922801 / digital)
Collects X-Men: Messiah CompleX One-Shot, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #492-494, X-Men (1991) #205-207, New X-Men (2004) #44-46, X-Factor (2005) #25-27, and X-Men: Messiah CompleX – Mutant Files. (Milestones edition may omit Mutant Files).
#495-499: Not collected in this format
#500-503: Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785138174 / 2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785124511 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men #500-503, X-Men FCBD #1, and material from X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1-5. Issue #500 is also collected in X-Men: The Adamantium Collection (2014 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785154600 / digital)
X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1448727230 / 2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785139515 / digital)
Collects Wolverine: Manifest Destiny (2008) #1-4, X-Men: Manifest Destiny Nightcrawler (2009) #1, and material from the anthology series X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008) #1-5.
#504-512: Not collected in this format
#513-514: Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia
(2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785142331 / 2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785142348 / digital)
Marks a huge milestone in the overall plot of the X-Men, and introduces Namor to the team. Collects Dark Avengers (2009) #7-8, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men (2009) Exodus & Utopia, Dark Reign: The Cabal (2009), Dark X-Men: The Beginning (2009) #1-3 & The Confession, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #513-514, and X-Men Legacy (2008) #226-227. Also, see Guide to Thunderbolts & Dark Avengers for further collection information as a part of their collection lines.
#515-522: X-Men: Nation X (2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785138730 / 2010 paperback, ISBN / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men #515-522, Dark Reign: The List – X-Men, and Nation X 1-4. Material from Nation X #2 also appears in X-Men Origins: Gambit.
#523-525: X-Men: Second Coming
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785146780 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785157052 / 2020 “Milestones” paperback, ISBN 978-1302923976 / digital / “Milestones” digital)
A direct crossover between all of the core X-titles. Wolverine’s team and their secret operation is a major topic! Collects X-Men: Second Coming (2010) #1-2, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #523-525; New Mutants (2009) #12-14, X-Men Legacy (2008) #235-237, X-Force (2008) #26-28, and material from Second Coming: Prepare (2010) #1.
Second Coming: Revelations
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785150077 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785157069 / digital)
Collects tie-in issues X-Factor (1986) #204-206, X-Men: Blind Science (2010) #1, X-Men: Hellbound (2010) #1-3, and X-Men: Hope (2010) #1
#526-534: Not collected in this format
Annual 3/2011: X-Men / Steve Rogers: Journey To the Negative Zone
(2011 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785155607 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785155614 / digital)
Collects a Hope-starring story from 2011′s annuals from Uncanny X-Men, Namor: The First Mutant (2010), and Steve Rogers: Super Soldier (2010). This is also re-collected along with Steve Rogers material from this period; see Guide to Captain America.
#534.1 & 535-544: Not collected in this format
X-Men: Schism (2012 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785156680 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785156888 / digital)
Collects X-Men: Schism (2011) #1-5 and X-Men: Regenesis (2011) #1. This event reshapes the X-Men line and occurs entirely between issues #543-544. [Marvel Unlimited – Schism, Regenesis]
Uncanny X-Men (1963) #394 – 545: The Trade Paperback Era – Reading Order
Uncanny X-Men #394 – 409:
Uncanny X-Men by Joe Casey – Poptopia & X-Corps (July 2001 – Sept 2002)
Begins April 2000, parallel to X-Men (1991) #99, X-Force (1991) #101, Wolverine (1988) #149, Cable (1993) #78, and Deadpool (1997) #39. Both New X-Men and X-Treme X-Men begin around issue #395.
X-Force, Cable, and Deadpool end approximately at the end of this sequence – leaving X-Men and Wolverine as the only original X-book spinoffs still running.
Joe Casey’s take on the X-Men is at once more standard and more unusual than Morrison – he pens familiar superhero fair through the lens of explores tabloid fame, the dissolution of the team, and even mutants as prostitutes. Starting in issue #400, the title features Banshee assembling a team from scratch, including appearances from other characters from the canceled Generation X. [Marvel Unlimited: Uncanny, Annual 2001]
as collected in a single 2013 paperback…
X-Men: X-Corps (2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785185024 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #394-409 & Annual 24/2001. The annual fits between #400-401.
as previously collected…
#394-399: X-Men: Poptopia (2002 paperback, ISBN 978-0785108016)
A standalone, off-beat adventure featuring Chamber.
#400-409 & Annual 24/2001: Not collected, except for issue #401 in ‘Nuff Said (2002 paperback, ISBN 978-0785109815), a collection of all of Marvel’s 2002 silent issues.
Uncanny X-Men #410 – 443:
Uncanny X-Men by Chuck Austen (Oct 2002 – June 2004)
Begins October 2002, parallel to New X-Men (2001) #130, Wolverine (2003) #181, and X-Treme X-Men (2001) #16.
This era ends at the same time as the end of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run.
This era of Uncanny is frequently slammed by fans, partially due to Austen’s propensity for soap opera dramatics in his plotting. Also, though the covers are largely striking, the same cannot be said for the interior art – even when handled adequately by Salvador Larroca the colors are wan.
Due to a presumably tepid response, these trades are now out of print. Most complaints can be sourced to the lackluster team of leftovers from Morrison and Claremont’s pickings of first-stringers: Iceman, Angel, Nightcrawler, Husk, and a perfunctory Wolverine. Juggernaut and Northstar are amended (and generally well-characterized), later joined by Havok and Polaris (written rather poorly).
However, if you turn your nose up at Austen, you’ll miss some big plot points – though many have been quickly forgotten: Angel’s secondary mutation, Husk’s time as an X-Man (and affair with Angel), Iceman’s transformation from flesh to ice, Nightcrawler leaving the church, Juggernaut’s turning good, Havok’s return to X-continuity, Polaris’s descent into madness, and the secret of Nightcrawler’s lineage.
That’s a lot of major developments! Also, with the hindsight of over two decades of reading, even the worst parts of this story are just specks in the long and peculiar fabric of X-Men continuity.
At the end of this run, Austen wrote a two-issue epilogue to Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, and then continued writing the title as it converted back to adjectiveless X-Men. See Guide to New X-Men for more details. [Marvel Unlimited: Uncanny]
As recollected beginning in 2019…
This trio of books could have easily been titled as “X-Men by Chuck Austen Complete Collection” if Austen had any sales power for modern comic fans, as it comprehensively collects his run on the title. (If anything, his name might be a sales deterrent!)
X-Men: Unstoppable [AKA X-Men by Chuck Austen, Vol. 1.]
(2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302916121 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #410-424 and X-Men Unlimited (1993) #44-45.
X-Men: Trial of the Juggernaut [AKA X-Men by Chuck Austen, Vol. 2]
(2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302920371 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #425-435, Exiles (2001) #28-30, and material X-Men Unlimited (1993) #40 & 48
X-Men: Reload [AKA X-Men by Chuck Austen, Vol. 3]
(2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1302924010 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #437-443, New X-Men (2001) #155-156, and X-Men (1991) #157-164
As originally collected…
#410-415: Volume 1: Hope (2003 paperback, ISBN 978-0785110606 / digital)
#416-420: Volume 2: Dominant Species (2003 paperback, ISBN 978-0785111320 / digital)
#421-427: Volume 3: Holy War (2003 paperback, ISBN 978-0785111337 / digital)
#428-434: Volume 4: The Draco (2004 paperback, ISBN 978-0785111344 / digital)
#437-441: Volume 5: She Lies With Angels (2004 paperback, ISBN 978-0785111962 / digital)
#435-436 & #442-443: Volume 6: Bright New Mourning (2004 paperback, ISBN 978-0785114062 / digital)
Also collects New X-Men #155-156.
Uncanny X-Men #444 – 474:
Chris Claremont’s New Age of Uncanny X-Men (July 2004 – Aug 2006)
Begins in July 2004 concurrent with the X-Men Reloaded event -parallel to X-Men (1991) #157 and the launches of the Whedon/Cassidy Astonishing X-Men, Excalibur (2004), and New X-Men: Academy X (2004). Also, it was just two months into the run of Cable & Deadpool.
In the Marvel Universe, House of M occurs halfway through the run.
Writer Chris Claremont made a much-hyped return to Uncanny (along with artists Alan Davis and Chris Bachalo) after largely staying away since his original, unbroken run of Uncanny X-Men #94-280, though he had been scripting spin-off X-Treme X-Men in recent years.
Claremont’s return to the book was part of the “Reload” event, relaunching all of the X-titles at the same time to simplify storylines and continuity for new readers. The first three arcs are unquestionable the best combination of art and script Uncanny had seen in many years – some would say since the 200s!
The team for these issues is far-ranging, but focuses mostly on Storm, Bishop, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Marvel Girl AKA Rachel Summers. X-23 makes frequent appearances, as does a revived Psylocke (a favorite of both Claremont and Davis).
This group of characters is stunningly rendered by Davis, who developed the definitive Nightcrawler and Marvel Girl during his years on Excalibur. It must be said, the coloring is also exemplary. Unsurprisingly, Captain Britain also sneaks in. [Marvel Unlimited: Uncanny, Annual 1/2006]
as recollected as “X-Men: Reload” starting in 2018…
X-Men: Reload By Chris Claremont Vol. 1 – The End of History
(2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302913786 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #444-461 and the Claremont-penned X-Men (1991) #165
X-Men: Reload by Chris Claremont Vol. 2 – House of M
(2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302920531 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #462-474 & Annual 1/2006 and Decimation: House of M – The Day After (2006) #1
as originally collected…
#444-449: The New Age Vol. 1: The End of History (2004 paperback, ISBN 978-0785115359 / digital)
#450-454: The New Age Vol. 2: The Cruelest Cut (2005 paperback, ISBN 978-0785116455 / digital)
Introduces X-23 to X-Men comics continuity after she debuted in the NYX mini-series.
#455-461: The New Age Vol. 3: On Ice (2005 paperback, ISBN 978-0785116493 / digital)
Heavily featuring Storm and Rachel Summers.
#462-465: House of M: Uncanny X-Men (2006 paperback, ISBN 978-0785116639 / 2006 paperback alternate listing / digital)
Also collects Secrets of the House of M (2005). This primarily stars Captain Britain and occurs entirely in the alternate House of M reality. See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – House of M for other collection options.
House of M: See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – House of M. This event is anchored by the Astonishing X-Men team, which includes Cyclops and Emma Frost.
#466-471: The New Age Volume 4: End of Greys (2006 paperback, ISBN 978-0785116646 / digital)
If you are a fan of Rachel Summers this storyline is a must-read!
#472-474 & Annual 1/2006: The New Age Volume 5: First Foursaken (2006 paperback, ISBN 978-0785123231 / digital)
Primarily starring Psylocke.
Uncanny X-Men #475 – 499 & X-Men Deadly Genesis (2006):
Uncanny X-Men by Ed Brubaker – Shi’ar Empire & Messiah Complex (Sept 2006 – Aug 2008)
Begins in July 2006, parallel to X-Men (1991) #188, the beginning of the Civil War arc in Wolverine (2003)#42, Cable & Deadpool (2004) #28, New X-Men (Academy X) (2004) #26, X-Factor (2005) #7, the launch of Wolverine: Origins (2006), and during the run of Astonishing X-Men (2004) #13-18.
In the Marvel Universe, it begins in the midst of Civil War.
Ed Brubaker’s turn at the writer’s seat is a peculiar blend – one massive space blowout (to jettison characters Havok, Polaris, and Rachel Summers, seemingly by editorial mandate), followed by a sweaty sewer braul with the Morlocks.
The following Messiah Complex cross-over sets the stage for a re-launch of Uncanny X-Men as the core of the X-Universe, rather than the fringe. [Marvel Unlimited: Deadly Genesis, Uncanny, Endangered Species, X-Men: Divided We Stand]
X-Men: Deadly Genesis (2006) #1-6
(2006 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785119616 / 2007 paperback, ISBN 978-0785118305 / 2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302913748 / digital)
A prologue to Ed Brubaker’s run, this solves the long-gestating question of the third Summers brother and launches the next major arc of the title. This has also been collected in Giant Size X-Men 40th Anniversary (2015 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785197775 / digital) and along with War of Kings material since it acts as a prologue to that event; see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – War of Kings.
#475-486: Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’ar Empire
(2007 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785125150 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785118008 / digital)
Prior to reading this collection consider picking up X-Men: Deadly Genesis, as the events of that mini-series have an impact on the Shi’ar storyline, which eventually evolves into the War of Kings event. This has also been collected along with War of Kings material; see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – War of Kings.
#487-491: The Extremists (2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785119821 / digital)
X-Men: Endangered Species
(2008 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785130123 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785128205 / digital)
Collects X-Men: Endangered Species (2007) #1 and serialized back-up stories from New X-Men (2004) #40-42, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #488-491, X-Factor (2006) #21-24, and X-Men (1991) #200-204. It’s effectively a prelude to Messiah Complex (and has the same trade dress). The back-up from Uncanny X-Men (1963) #489 is sometimes collected along with Age of Apocalypse materials; see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Age of Apocalypse.
#492-494: X-Men: Messiah Complex
(2008 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785128991 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785123200 / digital / 2020 “Milestones” paperback, ISBN 978-1302922801 / digital)
Collects X-Men: Messiah CompleX (2008) One-Shot, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #492-494, X-Men (1991) #205-207, New X-Men (2004) #44-46, X-Factor (2005) #25-27, and X-Men: Messiah CompleX – Mutant Files. (Milestones edition may omit Mutant Files).
#495-499: Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785119838 / digital)
X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785132653)
Collects X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008) #1-2, a two-issue anthology series detailing the lives of the fractured X-Men community. Also collects X-Men: Messiah Complex – Mutant Files (2007) One Shot. The Nightcrawler story from issue #1 is collected with Matt Fraction, below. The Havok story from issue #2 is also collected with War of Kings material – see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – War of Kings.
Uncanny X-Men #500 – 525:
Uncanny X-Men by Matt Fraction – Manifest Destiny & Second Coming (Sept 2008 – Aug 2010)
Begins in April 2008, parallel to the transformation of X-Men (vol. 2) into X-Men Legacy (2008) and the launch of X-Force (2008) and Cable (2008), as well as Wolverine (2003) #63, X-Factor (2005) #28, Wolverine: Origins (2006) #22, and after the final issues of Cable & Deadpool and New X-Men (Academy X) (2004). Warren Ellis’s run on Astonishing X-Men (2004) begins sometime after #503.
In the Marvel Universe, it begins just prior to Secret Invasion.
Two years before Marvel could tout their line-wide relaunch with The Heroic Age in 2010, Uncanny X-Men began an impressive new era of storytelling, helmed by Matt Fraction. (Actually, Brubaker continues scripting duties on the first trio of issues, along with Fraction).
Fraction worked with alternating pencilers Greg Land and Terry Dodson, though classic 90s artist Whilce Portacio contributed #522. Longtime fans generally despise the creative team, reviling their decompressed storytelling, focus on Scott and Emma, and generic (frequently traced) females.
All that said, Fraction is a longterm plotter who relaunched Uncanny as the centerpiece of X-Men continuity rather than a obligatory collection of less-popular characters. He also successfully transferred the X-Men to San Francisco (their first major scenery change since Claremont shipped them to Australia), mining the new setting for fresh stories between major events. [Marvel Unlimited: Uncanny, Annual 2/2009, Secret Invasion: X-Men, Utopia, Exodus, Dark Avengers, Dark X-Men: The Beginning, Confession, Dark Reign: The List – X-Men, Nation X]
as recollected in Complete Collections…
Uncanny X-Men: The Complete Matt Fraction Collection, Vol. 1
(2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785165934/ digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #500-511 & Annual 2/2009; and material from X-Men Unlimited (2004) #9 and X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008) #1. (This does not collect X-Men: Secret Invasion, since it was not written by Fraction.)
Uncanny X-Men: The Complete Matt Fraction Collection, Vol. 2
(2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785165941 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #512-519, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men (2009) Utopia & Exodus, Dark Avengers (2009) #7-8, Dark Reign: The List – X-Men (2009) #1, and material from Dark Reign: The Cabal (2009). (However, it does not collect the critical “Dark X-Men: The Confession” because it was not written by Fraction.)
Uncanny X-Men: The Complete Matt Fraction Collection, Vol. 3
(2013 paperback, 978-0785184508 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #520-522 & 526-534 and Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age (2010) #1. Note that this skips Second Coming entirely, since it would be impossible to excerpt the Uncanny issues without the rest of the crossover.
as originally collected…
#500-503: Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785138174 / 2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785124511 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men #500-503, X-Men FCBD #1, and material from X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1-5. Issue #500 is also collected in X-Men: The Adamantium Collection (2014 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785154600 / digital)
X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1448727230 / 2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785139515 / digital)
Collects Wolverine: Manifest Destiny (2008) #1-4, X-Men: Manifest Destiny Nightcrawler (2009) #1, and material from the anthology series X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008) #1-5.
Secret Invasion: X-Men (2008) #1-4 (2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785133438 / digital)
Fits after issue #503. Collects X-Men: Secret Invasion (2008) #1-4 and Fantastic Four (1961) #250. See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Secret Invasion for more information.
#504-507 & Annual 2/2009: Uncanny X-Men: Lovelorn (2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785129998 / digital)
The annual falls at the end of this run. The Annual is also a key part of Dark Reign; see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Dark Reign for more information.
#508-512: Uncanny X-Men: Sisterhood (2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785141051 / digital)
#513-514: Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia
(2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785142331 / 2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785142348 / digital)
Marks a huge milestone in the overall plot of the X-Men, and introduces Namor to the team. Collects Dark Avengers (2009) #7-8, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men (2009) Exodus & Utopia, Dark Reign: The Cabal (2009), Dark X-Men: The Beginning (2009) #1-3 & The Confession, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #513-514, and X-Men Legacy (2008) #226-227. Also, see Guide to Thunderbolts & Dark Avengers for further collection information as a part of their collection lines.
#515-522: X-Men: Nation X (2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785138730 / 2010 paperback, ISBN / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #515-522, Dark Reign: The List – X-Men (2009), and Nation X (2009) #1-4. Material from Nation X #2 also appears in X-Men Origins: Gambit (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302902476 / digital)
#523-525: X-Men: Second Coming
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785146780 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785157052 / 2020 “Milestones” paperback, ISBN 978-1302923976 / digital / “Milestones” digital)
A direct crossover between all of the core X-titles. Wolverine’s team and their secret operation is a major topic! Collects X-Men: Second Coming (2010) #1-2, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #523-525; New Mutants (2009) #12-14, X-Men Legacy (2008) #235-237, X-Force (2008) #26-28, and material from Second Coming: Prepare (2010) #1.
Second Coming: Revelations
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785150077 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785157069 / digital)
Collects tie-in issues X-Factor (1986) #204-206, X-Men: Blind Science (2010) #1, X-Men: Hellbound (2010) #1-3, and X-Men: Hope (2010) #1
Uncanny X-Men #526 – 544:
Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen – The Heroic Age & Schism (Sept 2010 – Dec 2011)
Begins in September 2010 parallel to X-Men Legacy (2008) #238, X-Factor (2005 / 1986) #207, and New Mutants (2009) #15, and just before the debut of Wolverine (2010), Daken: Dark Wolverine (2010), X-23 (2010), and Uncanny X-Force (2010).
In the Marvel Universe, The Heroic Age starts at the same time as this era. Chaos War occurs between Quarantine and Breaking Point.
The landscape of X-Men changed significantly with the conclusion of Second Coming – some major characters died, and Hope joined the fold of present-day characters.
Matt Fraction began his transition off of Uncanny with issue #526, co-plotting and then co-writing with Kieron Gillen – who had created all of the new “Five Lights” mutants in anticipation of writing Generation Hope. The two authors then shared scripting duties on the “Quarantine” arc before Gillen took over full time with issues #534.1 & 535.
Though Marvel typically uses that pair of issues as the opening of Gillen’s run, in a full read of this era it’s immediately apparent that the tone of the book has shifted as soon as Second Coming ends. Gillen’s scripts move at a quicker pace than Fraction’s, and he consistently widens the scope from a tighter focus on Scott and Emma to include Wolverine, Magneto, Namor, Kitty, and other regular characters. [Marvel Unlimited: Uncanny, To Serve And Protect, Annual 3/2011, Schism, Regenesis]
as recollected in Complete Collections…
Uncanny X-Men: The Complete Matt Fraction Collection, Vol. 3
(2013 paperback, 978-0785184508 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #520-522 & 526-534 and Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age (2010) #1. Note that this skips Second Coming entirely, since it would be impossible to excerpt the Uncanny issues without the rest of the crossover.
Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
(2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302916497 / digital)
Collects S.W.O.R.D. (2009) #1-5; Uncanny X-Men (1963) #534.1 & 535-544; X-Men: Regenesis (2011), and Uncanny X-Men (2011) #1-3 (but, not Annual 3/2011 or Schism, since neither was written by Gillen).
This reprint line continues into the next volume of the title.
as originally collected…
#526-529: Uncanny X-Men: The Birth of Generation Hope (2010 paperback / digital)
Also collects Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age (2010) One Shot. This was co-plotted by Kieron Gillen, though he is uncredited. It introduces the cast of new characters who continue in Generation Hope (2010). The backup story from issue #526 is often collected along with Young Avengers material. See Guide to Young Avengers or Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Children’s Crusade.
X-Men: To Serve And Protect (2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152286 / digital)
Collects the X-Men: To Serve and Protect (2010) #1-4 anthology series set in the status quo immediately following Second Coming.
#530-534: Uncanny X-Men: Quarantine (2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152255 / digital)
Fraction and Gillen share scripting duties on this arc, which features a fairly wide array of characters.
Annual 3/2011: X-Men / Steve Rogers: Journey To the Negative Zone
(2011 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785155607 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785155614 / digital)
Collects a Hope-starring story from 2011′s annuals from Uncanny X-Men, Namor: The First Mutant (2010), and Steve Rogers: Super Soldier (2010). This is also re-collected along with Steve Rogers material from this period; see Guide to Captain America.
#534.1 & 535-539: Breaking Point (2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152262 / digital)
Issue #534.1 is a special one-shot issue meant to assist newer fans in joining the title. Issues #535-538 is an arc following up on the conclusion of Astonishing X-Men. Issue #539 is a one-shot issue featuring Wolverine and Hope. Issue #534.1 is also collected in Marvel Point One (2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785156260), which collected several of the disparate “where to start” issues from 2010 and 2011.
#540-544: Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Men (2012 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785157977 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152279 / digital)
Does not require reading the main Fear Itself series to appreciate. Schism occurs between #543 and #544, which is the final issue of Volume 1 of Uncanny X-Men. See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Fear Itself for more information about Fear Itself.
X-Men: Schism (2012 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785156680 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785156888 / digital)
Collects X-Men: Schism (2011) #1-5 and X-Men: Regenesis (2011) #1. This event reshapes the X-Men line and occurs entirely between issues #543-544.
Continue to Schism & Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 2 & Vol. 3
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#512-519 — Just a minor note, the collection definitely includes: UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #512-519, DARK AVENGERS/UNCANNY X-MEN: UTOPIA & EXODUS, DARK AVENGERS (2009) #7-8, DARK REIGN: THE LIST – X-MEN and material from DARK REIGN: THE CABAL.
There’s a very small reference to the Secret Invasion through a newspaper in X-Men: Manifest Destiny issue 4 , meaning X-Men: Manifest Destiny should be placed after the Secret Invasion one
Missing X-Men: Trial of the Juggernaut, which collects; Uncanny X-Men (1981) 425-436; Exiles (2001) 28-30; Material From X-Men Unlimited (1993) 40, 48
As well as X-Men: Reload, which collects; UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) 437-443, NEW X-MEN (2001) 155-156, X-MEN (1991) 157-164