The definitive issue-by-issue comic book collecting guide and trade reading order for the original run of Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont comic books in omnibus, hardcover, and trade paperback collections. Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated February 2023 with titles scheduled for release through August 2023.
Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont (1975 – 1991)
X-Men did not officially become Uncanny X-Men until issue #142. However, the cover featured the “Uncanny” adjective starting with #114. Ultimately, many fans and comics resources refer to the entire relaunch from issue #94 forward as Uncanny X-Men – a convention Marvel upholds with the titling of their Marvel Masterworks reprints.
This 16-year period of X-Men by Chris Claremont is indisputable as the most classic era of X-Men, as well as generally considered to be one of the best runs of superhero comics of all time. The vast majority of thematic material later expressed in other forms of X-Men media including films, games, and toys originated in this run.
It all begins in 1975 with Len Wein and Dave Cockrum on Giant Size X-Men, which brought back Wolverine from a single appearance in Incredible Hulk and introduced a trio of characters that have become anchors of the franchise: Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. It also brought Banshee and Sunspot back into the X-Men cast from their earlier Silver Age appearances, plus introduced Krakoa – the mutant island!
Chris Claremont took over writing duties from Len Wein just a few issues later. Under his pen, the trio of Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus would persist throughout a historic 16-year run that saw X-Men go from a marginal book returning from cancellation to the most-popular comic book franchise in America.
Along the way Claremont and a who’s who of artist collaborators steered the title through many signature foes and historic plots that have influenced movies, books, games, and toys for decades.
The first half of Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont – alongside Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, and John Romita Jr. – features a core of the classic Giant Size team, plus Kitty Pryde, under the leadership of Cyclops and Professor Xavier.
It included classic storylines like Proteus, The Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past, The Brood Saga, and God Loves Man Kills. Claremont and his collaborators introduced characters including Moira MacTaggert, Lilandra and the Shi’ar Empire, Arcade, Emma Frost and the Hellfire Club, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Summers, Callisto, Caliban, Forge, Selene, and many more – including importing Mystique and Deathbird from his run on Ms. Marvel! Plus, it saw him launch New Mutants and begin Magneto’s heroic turn.
The latter half of Chris Claremont’s landmark run on Uncanny X-Men – with Romita Jr., Marc Silvestri, & Jim Lee – begins with Storm usurping leadership of the team from Cyclops, who leaves the team for X-Factor. That means none of the original five X-Men star in this period of the book. Storm, Wolverine, and Colossus have seniority, and the team features some lesser-known characters such as Longshot, Dazzler, and original-body Psylocke, while introducing Mister Sinister, Jubilee, assassin-body Psylocke, and Gambit – plus, bringing back Sabretooth from his Bronze Age run on Iron Fist. And, it featured Magneto’s slide back to villainy.
That period bears a distinctly more dark and rebellious tone, with 21 issues passing with no X-Men team in existence! It also introduces the idea of both X-book and Marvel-wide crossovers with Mutant Massacre, Fall of the Mutants, Inferno, and X-Tinction Agenda.
This guide is not a complete reading order that follows the team through all of their various guest appearances! Instead, this guide focuses only on the issues of the Chris Claremont run and issues routinely collected alongside them. For a complete X-Men reading order for this period, start with The Definitive X-Men Reading Order: Second Genesis.
This is Marvel’s most-collected run of comic books, which is both a blessing and a source of great confusion. There are a few specific formats of books that cover large portions of this title, and I’ll cover those first – Essentials, Epics, Masterworks, and Omnibuses. Or, you can read the run in its entirety on Marvel Unlimited: Main Title, Annuals
- Marvel Masterworks: Premium-format color sequential collections
- Epic Collections: Trade paperback gapless collections released in random order
- Essentials: Affordable black & white sequential collections of the complete X-Men by Chris Claremont
- Omnibus & Oversize Hardcovers: Massive, collector-edition tomes with oversize pages:
Then, I’ll break down the run by five distinct periods of cast and storytelling, listing any smaller collections of the material.
- Giant Size & #94-142: The Rise & Fall of Phoenix, which also includes:
- back-ups from Classic X-Men (1986) #1-44
- #143-198 & Annual 5-9: The New Mutants, which also includes:
- Avengers (1963) Annual 10
- Special Edition X-Men #1
- Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) #5 [AKA God Loves, Man Kills]
- Wolverine (1982) #1-4
- Magik (1983) #1-4
- Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (1984) #1-6
- X-Men and Alpha Flight (1985) #1-2
- Nightcrawler (1985) #1-4
- New Mutants Special Edition (1985_ #1
- #199-227 & Annual 10-11: Fall of the Mutants, which also includes
- Longshot (1985) #1-6
- New Mutants (1983) Annual 2
- Fantastic Four vs X-Men (1987) #1-4
- X-Men vs. Avengers (1987) #1-4
- Mephisto vs. (1987) #3 (X-Men)
- #228-264 & Annual 12-13: Through the Siege Perilous, which also includes
- X-Terminators (1988) #1-4
- X-Men: Spotlight On Starjammers (1990) #1-2
- #265-280 & Annual 14 and X-Men (1991) #1-3: X-Tinction & Reunification, which also includes
- Days of Future Present 1991 Annuals crossover in New Mutants, X-Factor, & Fantastic Four
- Kings of Pain 1992 Annuals crossover in New Mutants, X-Factor, and New Warriors
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Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont in Standard Collected Edition Formats
X-Men by Chris Claremont in Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Masterworks editions are high quality, full color reproductions of original issues. The same print sequence of books is now being released as paperbacks through the end of 2014, at which point the paperback line ended. If you decide to buy hardcovers, the newest editions are 2003 or newer, with silver dustjackets.
For a boxed set collection with a similar form-factor to these Masterworks, check out X-Men: Children of the Atom Box Set, which collects Uncanny X-Men #1-143 in a series of hardcovers (though they do not line up exactly with the breaks in these books)
.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 1
(2003 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785111924 / 2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785137023 / digital)
Collects Giant-Size X-Men (1975) #1 & Uncanny X-Men (1963) #94-100
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 2
(2004 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785111931 / 2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785137047 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #101-110
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 3
(2003 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785111948 / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785145707 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #111-121
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 4
(2009 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785131960 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785158691 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #122-131 & Annual 3
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 5
(2005 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785116981 / 2012 paperback, ISBN 978-0785158721 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #132-140 & Annual 4. This also includes material from Bizarre Adventures #27 & Phoenix: The Untold Story
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 6 (2008 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785130130 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #141-150
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 7 (2011 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785135135 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #151-159 & Annual 5 and Avengers (1963) Annual 10. Both the X-Men and Avengers annuals fit chronologically at the beginning of this volume.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 8 (2012 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785158707 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #160-167 & Annual 6. The annual comes at the end of this run. Also collects material from Special Edition X-Men #1 and Marvel Treasury Edition #26-27.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 9 (2015 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785191544 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #168-175 & Annual 7, Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) #5 [AKA God Loves, Man Kills], and Wolverine (1982) #1-4. Annual 7 occurs during #175.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 10 (2017 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302903602 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #176-188, Magik (1983) #1-4, and material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) #40.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 11 (2019 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302915186 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #189-193 & Annual 8, X-Men and Alpha Flight (1985) #1-2, and Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (1984) #1-6.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 12 (2020 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302922382 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #194-200 & Annual 9; New Mutants Special Edition (1985) #1; Nightcrawler (1985) #1-4; material from Bizarre Adventures (1981) #27.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 13 (2021 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302929459 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #201-209, Longshot (1985) #1-6, and material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) #33
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 14 (2022 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302933449 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #210-219 & Annual 10, New Mutants (1983) Annual 2, and Fantastic Four vs X-Men (1987) #1-4.
Marvel Masterworks, Volume 15 (2023 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302949228 / digital)
Uncanny X-Men (1963) 220-231 & Annual 11, X-Men vs. Avengers (1987) #1-4, and material from Best of Marvel Comics (1987)
#232-280 & Annual 12-14: Not yet collected as Masterworks.
X-Men by Chris Claremont in Epic Collections
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 X-Men Essentials and Masterworks, The X-Men Epic collections continue their numbering from the four volumes that cover the classic 1963 X-Men series – and onward into the next era!
Epic Collection, Volume 5: Second Genesis
(2017 paperback, ISBN 978-1302903909 / 2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950453 / digital)
Collects Giant-Size X-Men (1975) #1, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #94- 110, Marvel Team-Up (1972) #53 & 69-70 & Annual (1976) 1, Iron Fist (1975) #14-15, and material from Foom (1973) #10
Epic Collection, Volume 6: Proteus
(2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1302922528 / 2023 paperback, ISBN pending / digital)
Epic Collection, Volume 7: The Fate of the Phoenix
(2021 paperback, ISBN 978-1302922535 / 2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950507 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #129-143 & Annual 4, Marvel Treasury Edition (1974) #26-27, Phoenix: The Untold Story (1984), and material from Marvel Team-Up (1972) #100.
X-Men Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1302913670 / digital)
Though not an Epic Collection, this can be considered the “Epic Companion” to Volumes 5-6. Collects back-up stories and extra material from Collects Classic X-Men (1986) #1-23.
X-Men Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 2 (2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302920586 / digital)
Though not an Epic Collection, this can be considered the “Epic Companion” to Volumes 6-7. Collects back-up stories and extra material from Collects Classic X-Men (1986) #24-44 and material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) #60.
Epic Collection, Volume 8: I, Magneto (2021 paperback, ISBN 978-1302929527 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1981) #144-153 & Annual 5, Avengers (1963) Annual 110, Bizarre Adventures (1981) #27, material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) #1-4.
Epic Collection, Volume 9: The Brood Saga (2023 paperback, ISBN pending / digital TBA)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #154-167 & Annual 6 and Special Edition X-Men #1
Epic Collection, Volume 10-11: Not yet announced. Will collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #168-188 & Annual 7, Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) #5 [AKA God Loves, Man Kills], Wolverine (1982) #1-4, Magik (1983) #1-4, Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (1984) #1-6, and material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) #40 and Marvel Treasury Edition #26-27
Epic Collection, Volume 12: The Gift (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-0785192176 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #189-198 & Annual 8, X-Men and Alpha Flight (1985) #1-2, and Nightcrawler (1985) #1-4.
Epic Collection, Volume 13-16: Not yet announced. Will collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #199-247 & Annual 9-13, New Mutants Special Edition (1985) #1, New Mutants (1983) Annual 2, Longshot (1985) #1-6, X-Factor (1986) #37-40, Fantastic Four vs X-Men (1987) #1-4, X-Men vs. Avengers (1987) #1-4, and material from material from Bizarre Adventures (1981) #27, Marvel Fanfare (1982) #33, and Best of Marvel Comics (1987)
Epic Collection, Volume 17: Dissolution and Rebirth
(2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302918477 / 2022 paperback, ISBN 978-1302946814 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #248-267
Epic Collection, Volume 18: Not yet announced. Will collect Uncanny X-Men (1963) #268-277 & Annual 14, New Mutants (1983) #95-97, X-Factor (1986) #60-62, and material from New Mutants Annual 6, X-Factor Annual 5,and Fantastic Four Annual 23;
Epic Collection, Volume 19: Mutant Genesis
(2017 paperback, ISBN 978-1302903916 / 2021 paperback, ISBN 978-1302929992 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) Annual 15, X-Factor (1986) #65-70, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #278-280, X-Men (1991) #1-3 and material from New Mutants (1983) Annual 7 and X-Factor (1986) Annual 6.
This Epic Collection line continues into the next period, as covered by Guide to Uncanny X-Men – The Crossover Era.
X-Men by Chris Claremont in Essentials
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!
Essential X-Men, Vol. 1 (1996 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785102564 / 2006 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785123767 / 2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785132554)
Collects Giant-Sized & #94-119. Also available in a 2008 edition with slightly different cover.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 2 (1998 b&w paperback / 2002 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785102984 / 2005 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785120070 / 2011 b&w paperback, same ISBN)
Collects #120-144.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 3 (2001 paperback, ISBN 978-0785106616 / 2010 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785143666)
Collects #145-161 & Annual 3-5.
#162-179: Essential X-Men, Vol. 4 (2001 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785107750 / 2006 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-1905239078 / 2011 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785122951)
Collects #162-179 & Annual 6, as well as the God Loves, Man Kills OGN.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 5 (2005 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785113669 / 2007 b&w paperback, / 2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785126928)
Collects #180-198 & Annual 7-8.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 6 (2005 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785117278 / 2011 b&w paperback)
Collects #199-213 & Annual 9, a crossover from Annual 9 to New Mutants Special Edition #1, plus Mutant Massacre tie-ins X-Factor #9-10, New Mutants #46, Thor #373-374, and Power Pack #27.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 7 (2006 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785120551 / 2011 b&w paperback)
Collects #214-228 & Annual 10-11, plus Fantastic Four vs. The X-Men #1-4.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 8 (2007 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785127635 / 2011 b&w paperback)
Collects #229-243 & Annual 12-13, plus the core of Inferno in X-Factor #36-39.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 9 (2009 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785130796)
Collects #244-264 & Annual 13
Essential X-Men, Vol. 10 (2012 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785163244)
Collects #265-272 & Annual 14 and the entirety of the X-Tinction Agenda & Days of Future Past crossovers by adding Fantastic Four Annual 23; New Mutants 95-97 & material from Annual 6; and X-Factor 60-62 & material from Annual 5.
Essential X-Men, Vol. 11 (2013 b&w paperback, ISBN 978-0785166849)
Collects #273-280 & Annual 15, X-Factor (1986) #69-70, X-Men (1991) #1-3; and material from X-Factor Annual 6 and New Mutants Annual 7.
The Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont Omnibus Line
Omnibus 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!
This sequential “Uncanny X-Men Omnibus” line follows the mapping of Marvel Masterworks volumes, collecting only the minimum amount of crossover issues required from other X-books and elsewhere in the Marvel line. One key difference between this line and the Line-Wide omnibuses in the next section is that it will not omit any of the late-80s event Annuals.
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 1
(2006 oversize hardcover (glued binding), ISBN 978-0785121015 / 2007 oversize hardcover (sewn binding), ISBN ?? / 2013 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785185697 / 2016 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302900830 / 2020 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302924805 / digital)
Collects Giant-Sized X-Men (1975) and X-Men (1963) #94-131 & Annual 3. Note that the first printing of this omnibus had a glued binding, which is not desirable (and would be phased out of all true omnibus books a few years later, though it would continue in newly-released event oversize hardcovers).
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 2
(2014 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785185727 / 2016 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302901660 / 2020 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302926342 / digital)
Collects X-Men (1963) #132-141 & Annual 4-5, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #142-153, Avengers Annual 10, Marvel Fanfare #1-4, Marvel Treasury Edition #26-27, Marvel Team-Up #100, Bizarre Adventures #27, & Phoenix: The Untold Story #1. Note that the addition of the X-Men stories in Marvel Fanfare and Marvel Team-Up differentiates this from the same sequence of issues collected in MMW editions.
X-Men Classic Omnibus (2017 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302908119)
Collects backup stories and expanded story pages from Classic X-Men (1986) #1-44 (which reprinted Giant-Sized X-Men (1975) and (Uncanny) X-Men (1963) #94-138), plus material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) #60. The majority of this material is scripted by Chris Claremont himself, and represents canonical expansions of his early run on the title.
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 3
(2016 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785199229 / 2021 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302927028 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #154-175 and Annual 6-7, God Loves, Man Kills AKA Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) 5, Wolverine (1982) #1-4, Special Edition X-Men (1983) 1, and Magic (1983) #1-4.
Secret Wars occurs entirely during #180-181.
The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 4 (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302927042)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #176-193 & Annual 8, Kitty Pryde And Wolverine (1984) #1-6, X-Men And Alpha Flight (1985) #1-2, and material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) 40
Uncanny X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 5 (2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302948719)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #194-209 & Annual 9-10, New Mutants Special Edition (1985) #1 (a crossover with Annual 9), New Mutants (1983) Annual 2 (a crossover with Annual 10), Nightcrawler (1985) #1-4, Longshot (1985) #1-6, and materialfFrom Marvel Fanfare (1982) #33.
Secret Wars II occurs throughout the Volume 5 omnibus.
This point in the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus line matches perfectly with the next omnibus in the Line-Wide omnibus line, which is the Mutant Massacre omnibus, below. However, Marvel has confirmed that this sequential Uncanny X-Men Omnibus line will continue to Volume 6 and beyond.
Line-Wide Omnibuses & Oversize Hardcovers
These omnibuses and oversize hardcovers offer comprehensive coverage of the X-Men line across multiple titles – covering key events and the issues that surround them as the books increasingly interconnected with each other.
#94-198: Not collected in a line-wide format, but in the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus line, above.
Annual 9: X-Men: Asgardian Wars
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785141488 / 2014 paperback, ISBN / digital)
Collects X-Men and Alpha Flight #1-2, New Mutants Special Edition, and X-Men Annual #9. This falls before #199.
#199-209 & Annual 10: Not collected in a line-wide format, but in the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus line, above.
#210-219 & Annual 11: X-Men: Mutant Massacre Omnibus
(2018 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302914240 / 2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302931599)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #210-219 & Annual 11, X-Factor (1986) #9-17 & Annual 2, New Mutants (1983) #46; Thor (1966) #373-374, 377-378; Power Pack (1984) #27; Daredevil (1964) #238; Fantastic Four vs. The X-Men (1987) #1-4; and X-Men vs. The Avengers (1987) #1-4
The Mutant Massacre material was previously collected in a slimmer oversize hardcover that did not line up with Fall of the Mutants:
#210-214: X-Men: Mutant Massacre
(2010 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785138051 / 2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785138051 / digital / 2019 “Milestones” paperback, ISBN 978-1302918538 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #210-214, X-Factor (1986) #9-11, New Mutants (1983) #46, Thor (1966) #373-374, Power Pack (1984) #27, and Daredevil (1964) #238. I have verified personally that this includes #214, even though not all online listings include it.
#220-227: X-Men: The Fall of the Mutants
(2011 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785153122 / 2022 “Omnibus” oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302934118)
Collects the entire Fall of the Mutants storyline in one massive tome: New Mutants (1983) #55-61, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #220-227, X-Factor (1986) #18-26, Captain America (1968) #339, Daredevil (1964) #252, Fantastic Four (1961) #312, Incredible Hulk (1968) #336-337 & 340, Power Pack (1984) #35.
#228-238 & Annual 12: X-Men: Inferno Prologue
(2014 oversize hardcover, ISBN 0785192735 / 2021 “Omnibus” oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302931360 / digital)
Collects the disparate stories from Uncanny X-Men (1981) #228-238 and Annual 12; X-Factor (1986) #27-32 & Annual 3; New Mutants (1983) #62-70 and Annual 4; and material from Marvel Age Annual 4 and Marvel Fanfare #40.
Note that issues #235-238 are repeated in the X-Tinction Agenda hardcover, below.
#239-243: X-Men Inferno Omnibus
(2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302928544)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #239-243; X-Factor (1986) #33-40; X-Terminators (1988) #1-4; New Mutants (1983) #71-73; Power Pack (1984) #40 & 42-44; Avengers (1963) #298-300; Fantastic Four (1961) #322-324; Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #311-313; Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #146-148; Web of Spider-Man (1985) #47-48; Daredevil (1964) #262-263 & 265; Excalibur (1988) #6-7; Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger (1988) #4, material from X-Factor (1986) Annual 4
This single Inferno omnibus was previously collected in a pair of volumes:
#239-243: X-Men: Inferno
(2009 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785137771)
Not officially an Omnibus, but just about the right size! Collects the entire Inferno storyline from the core X-Men books – X-Factor (1986) #33-40 & Annual 4, X-Terminators (1988) #1-4, Uncanny X-Men (1963) #239-243, New Mutants (1983) #71-73.
X-Men: Inferno Crossovers
(2010 oversized hardcover, ISBN 978-0785146711)
A companion Inferno tome that collects the tie-in issues from through-out the Marvel Universe. Collects Power Pack (1984) #40 & #42-44, Avengers (1963) #298-300, Fantastic Four (1961) #322-324, Amazing Spider-Man (1962) #311-313, Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #146-148, Web of Spider-Man #47-48, Daredevil (1964) #262-263 &265, Excalibur (1988) #6-7, and Cloak & Dagger (1988) #4.
#244-269 & Annual 13: X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus – Volume 1
(2011 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785158226 / 2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302927127)
Also collects the back-up story from X-Men Classic (1986) #39.
Annual 14: X-Men: Days of Future Past
(2014 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785184423)
Collects the original Days of Future Past story in X-Men #141 and Uncanny X-Men #142; the Days of Future Present 1990 crossover from New Mutants Annual 6, X-Factor Annual 5, Uncanny X-Men Annual 14, and Fantastic Four Annual 23; and Excalibur’s foray into Ahab’s future from #52 and 66-67; plus Wolverine: Days of Future Past and Hulk Broken Worlds #2. Note that there are MANY collections with this title, but most of them do not collect the Annuals and Excalibur issues!
#270-272: X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda
(2011 oversize hardcover, IBSN 978-0785155317 / 2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302901004 / digital)
Collects Uncanny X-Men (1963) #235-238 & 270-272, New Mutants (1983) #95-97, and X-Factor (1986) #60-62. Later recollected as X-Men: Milestones edition (2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302919689 / digital). An earlier edition omited the earlier four-issue arc of Uncanny X-Men – X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda (1996 paperback, ISBN 978-0871359223).
#273-280 & X-Men (1991) #1-3: X-Men by Claremont / Lee Omnibus, Vol. 2
(2012 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-0785159056 / 2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302927141/ digital)
An utterly classic collection of the stories wrapping up Chris Claremont’s era of scripting Uncanny and leading up to the launch of X-Men, Vol. 2. Includes Uncanny X-Men (1963) #273-280; X-Factor (1986) #63-70; X-Men (1991) #1-9 & 10-11 (A-stories only); & Ghost Rider (1990) #26-27.
Omnibuses & Oversize Hardcovers by Author, Character, Storyline, or Event
These oversize books do not collect complete, sequential runs of comics. Instead, they collect issues selected based on author, character, or storyline – which may leave some gaps in your reading.
Click to expand the list.
X-Men by Chris Claremont by Single Issue or Storyline
Uncanny X-Men #94-142: The Rise & Fall of Phoenix (1975 – 1981)
New writer Chris Claremont began sowing the seeds of the Dark Phoenix story in issue #99, which would bear fruit as one of comic’s most classic storylines more than three years later! His period with penciler John Byrne and inker Terry Austin includes some of the most indelible X-Men stories and images, still referenced to this day.
This run has the core team of the surviving Giant Size quartet of Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, plus Cyclops and Jean (as Phoenix). Moira McTaggert, Banshee, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde, and then-villain White Queen also make appearances.
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Uncanny X-Men #143 – 198: The New Mutants (1981 – 1985)
This era of Uncanny X-Men was penned entirely by Chris Claremont, with significant runs from artists Dave Cockrum, Paul Smith, and John Romita, Jr.
In the period after the Dark Phoenix Saga, Cyclops as the only original X-Man left on the team. It adds Shadowcat and, later, Rogue (in issue #171) to the roster. Angel is a member briefly at the beginning of this era, while Forge and Rachel Summers begin to appear late in the run.
At this point X-Men was well-established and widely-read enough that it had been spun off to a single companion book written by Chris Claremont, New Mutants, as of issue #167. While the books had a tight continuity with each other, they only directly crossed over in Annuals – which means this era represents the end of being able to read Uncanny as a “standalone” X-Men series.
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Uncanny X-Men #199 – 227: Fall of the Mutants
Begins in November 1985, concurrent with the release of New Mutants #33 and a few months prior to X-Factor #1 (the impetus for which is Storm’s defeat of Cyclops in issue #201).
In this sequence of issues the team loses Cyclops, acquires new members, endures the Mutant Massacre in the Morlock tunnels, and ultimately gets labeled as terrorists for blowing up a federal building. The team is anchored by Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, and Colossus, with the additions of Psylocke, Dazzler, and Longshot.
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Uncanny X-Men #228-264: Through The Siege Perilous
Begins in April 1988, concurrent with New Mutants #62 and X-Factor #28. Excalibur #1 starts around issue #235, with Wolverine’s regular series beginning as of issue #237.
After being labeled as fugitives by the government the X-Men relocate to the Australian outback and are rendered invisible to electronic surveillance equipment.
The unraveling of the team continues until it is effectively disbanded by issue #251, leaving Wolverine crucified, Psylocke in a new body, Polaris possessed, and Storm completely MIA.
Issue #248 features the X-Men debut of Jim Lee, who would not only transform the way each character looked, but would also ultimately lead to the addition of the adjectiveless X-title and the departure of Chris Claremont.
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Uncanny X-Men #265-280 & X-Men #1-3: X-Tinction & Reunification
Begins in November 1990 with the X-Tinction Agenda crossover, continuing in New Mutants #95 and X-Factor #60. Elsewhere, it is parallel to Excalibur #31 and Wolverine #33.
This final era of Claremont’s run begins with one of his last major acts of creation – the debut of Gambit, as he rescues an adolescent Storm from The Nanny. That’s followed by a pair of prohibitive classic single issues – #268, featuring a WWII team up of Captain America, Black Widow, and Wolverine, and #269, featuring the reappearance of Rogue as she fights for her life against the specter of her absorbed Carol Danvers personality.
The X-Tinction Agenda brings all of the X-characters back together in a single location along with their colleagues in New Mutants and X-Factor. It marks the first time that more than two X-books held a direct, sequential cross-over with each other where every issue was essential to the continuing story.
Some would argue this was the beginning of a dark, overly-commercialized age for comics in the 1990s.
On the plus side, the crossover effectively reformed the team in the short term with a remarkable cast of heavy-hitters like Storm, Gambit, Wolverine, and Psylocke. It also sets up a massive restructuring that would see the transformation of New Mutants to X-Force and the introduction of an all-new X-Factor – plus, the launch of the adjectiveless X-Men title in 1991.
This brief span marks the end of Chris Claremont’s unprecedented run on Uncanny X-Men (he stuck around for the first three issues of X-Men, Vol. 2). It’s some of Jim Lee’s most remarkable X-book art, including his 1991 reimaginings of everyone’s costumes that would carry through to many forms of 90s media.
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Continue to The Guide to Uncanny X-Men #281-393 – The Crossover Era
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There is a new Mutant Massacre Omnibus which has the following:
COLLECTING: UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) #210-219; X-MEN ANNUAL (1970) #11; X-FACTOR (1986) #9-17, X-FACTOR ANNUAL #2; NEW MUTANTS (1983) #46; THOR (1966) #373-374, #377-378; POWER PACK (1984) #27; DAREDEVIL (1964) #238; FANTASTIC FOUR VS. THE X-MEN #1-4; X-MEN VS. THE AVENGERS #1-4
That should probably replace your current suggestion
Thanks for dutifully flagging this several years ago, Grant. This page is finally updated through present day!