The definitive, chronological, and up-to-date guide on collecting X-Men comic books via omnibuses, hardcovers, and trade paperback graphic novels. A part of Crushing Krisis’s Collecting X-Men: A Definitive Guide. Last updated November 2018 with titles scheduled for release through July 2019.
Classic X-Men (1963 – 1975)
The X-Men debuted in 1963 under the pen of the father of the Silver Age Marvel Universe, Stan Lee, and his frequent collaborator, Jack Kirby.
This run features the classic team assembled by Professor Xavier: Cyclops, Marvel Girl AKA Jean Grey, Angel, Iceman, & Beast – all lead by Professor Xavier against foes like Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Namor, The Blob, and Juggernaut, and many other classic X-Men enemies that are recalled to this day.
Below I’ve listed ways to collect the entire run, by escalating price: Marvel Essentials, Epic Collections, Marvel Masterworks, and Omnibus. Because this era is covered completely by multiple formats, I have not listed any other collections by story or single issue – there’s no reason to collect this run in that fashion.
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Marvel Essentials are phone-book-sized collections of issues printed in black and white on thin paper. They’re a great way to read classic comics on a budget, and to experience the original pencils and inks of revered comic artists! This line was discontinued, but not before it completely covered this era of X-Men.
#1-24: Essential Classic X-Men, Vol. 1 (b&w) (ISBN 0785109919)
Currently out-of-print, but still obtainable at or near cover price. A new edition was released in July 2010.
#25-53: Essential Classic X-Men, Vol. 2 (b&w) (ISBN 0785121161)
Also collects Avengers #53.
#54-66: Essential Classic X-Men Vol. 3 (b&w) (ISBN 0785130608)
Also collects #67-80 (covers only); Amazing Adventures #11-17; Marvel Team-Up #4; Incredible Hulk #150 and #161.
#67-93: These were reprint issues with new covers. Stories featuring the entire team in the period after #66 were latered filled in by the 1999 series X-Men: The Hidden Years Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Volume 2 also collects a Magneto story from Fantastic Four (1961) #102-104).
Marvel Epic collections give you quality reprints on a budget, featuring hundreds of pages of full color comics on matte paper stock. The series is being released out-of-order, so you never know which volume will come next! Unlike all of the other collections of this classic portion of X-Men, this sequence of volume numbers continues to the Uncanny era.
X-Men: Season One told a modernized version of roughly the first eight issues of X-Men. It is available as a hardcover OGN and as reprinted in 2018 as Uncanny Origins.
#1-23: Volume 1: Children of the Atom
#24-45: Volume 2: Lonely Are The Hunted
Also collects Avengers #53 (not #45, as some solitics say) and material from Not Brand Echh (1967) #4 and 8.
#44-66: Volume 3: The Sentinels Live
Also includes material from Ka-Zar (1970) #2-3 and Marvel Tales (1966) 30
Stories featuring the entire team in the period after #66 were latere filled in by the 1999 series X-Men: The Hidden Years Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Volume 2 also collects a Magneto story from Fantastic Four (1961) #102-104).
#67-93 & Annuals 1-2: Volume 4: It’s Always Darkest Before The Dawn (2019 paperback, 9781302916039)
This issue range is a polite lie meant to help more casual fans understand where this volume fits in, as these were reprint issues and only their covers were new material. Other than 29 new covers, collects Amazing Adventures #11-17 (transformation of The Beast), Incredible Hulk #150 and 161, Amazing Spider-Man #92, Marvel Team-Up #4, Avengers #110-111 (Magneto vs. Avengers), Incredible Hulk #172 and #180-181 (debut of Wolverine), Captain America #172-175 (Cyclops and Jean in the original Secret Empire), Marvel Team-Up #23 (but not #38!), Defenders #15-16 (Magneto’s infamous de-aging), and Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4 (the debut of Jamie Madrox, The Multiple Man)
Marvel Masterworks editions are high quality, full color reproductions of original issues. The volumes were originally released as hardcovers, with many now out of print.
The same print sequence of books was released as paperbacks through the end of 2014, at which point the paperback line was ceased. If you decide to buy hardcovers, the newest editions are 2003 or newer, with silver dust jackets.
#1-10: The X-Men: Vol. 1
hardcover 
(ISBN 0785108459) / paperback (ISBN 0785136983) / 2015 hardcover (ISBN 978-0785191384)
[Here you can read the X-Men’s appearance in Fantastic Four #35-36, available in Fantastic Four Masterworks Vol. 4 hardcover / paperback.]
#11-21: The X-Men: Vol. 2
hardcover (ISBN 0785109838) / paperback (ISBN 0785137009)
#22-31: The X-Men: Vol. 3
hardcover (ISBN 0785112693) / paperback (ISBN 0785150706)
#32-42: The X-Men: Vol. 4
hardcover (ISBN 0785116079) / paperback (ISBN 0785150722)
#43-53: The X-Men: Vol. 5
hardcover (ISBN 0785117873) / paperback (ISBN 0785159096) – Includes Ka-Zar #2-3 and Marvel Tales #30
#54-66: The X-Men: Vol. 6
hardcover (ISBN 0785120564) / paperback (ISBN 0785188371)
Stories featuring the entire team in the period after #66 were latered filled in by the 1999 series X-Men: The Hidden Years Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Volume 2 also collects a Magneto story from Fantastic Four (1961) #102-104).
#67-80: The X-Men: Vol. 7
hardcover (ISBN 0785130489) – Includes only covers of #67-80, as they were reprint issues with new covers. Primarily collects Amazing Adventures #11-17 (transformation of The Beast), Incredible Hulk #150 and 161, Amazing Spider-Man #92, and Marvel Team-Up #4.
#81-93: The X-Men: Vol. 8
hardcover (ISBN 0785142225) – Includes only covers of #81-93, as they were reprint issues with new covers. Primarily collects Avengers #110-111, Incredible Hulk #172 and #180-181 (debut of Wolverine), Captain America #172-175, Marvel Team-Up #23 and 38, Defenders #15-16, and Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4.
Omniubus editions are deluxe, oversized, hardcover reprints in full color with dust jackets. They’re the most high-end reprint offering from Marvel at the moment – although, they’re a little unwieldy to hold on your lap!
These books retail for $100 or more, but you should be able to find them only for $65 or less when they are newly printed. Watch out – when they go out of print the price leaps dramatically!
#1-31: The X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 1 oversized hardcover (ISBN 0785129588)
#32-66 & covers from 67-93: The X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 2 oversized hardcover (ISBN 0785153071)
Also includes Avengers #53, KaZar #2-3, and Marvel Tales #30. May also include the covers from #67-93, which were reprint issues.
Stories featuring the entire team in the period after #66 were latered filled in by the 1999 series X-Men: The Hidden Years Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Volume 2 also collects a Magneto story from Fantastic Four (1961) #102-104).
Continue to Uncanny X-Men #94-280
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