Reading X-Men #1-544?

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Maybe try to find the "Masterworks" reprint editions? The "X-Men" titled books start with vol. 1 and reprints #1-10, vol. 2 reprints #11-21, vol. 3 reprints #22-31, etc. The "Uncanny X-Men" titled Masterworks books start with vol. 1 and reprint #94-100 plus GSX #1, vol. 2 reprints #101-110, and so on.

 

I have heard of the MasterWorks" collection but I was under the impression it was not all inclusive. I have also seen them to be rather pricey. I tried wiKi but unlike alot of other comic titles it is really not giving me much information on where to find consecutive reprints.

 

MW would be the most desirable thing I can find at this point.

 

Does anyone know what would be the best electronic source? Or are there multiple options?

 

Thanks.

 

They go in and out of print. I put together the original run with an Epic collection and Masterworks and just got the Omnibus starting with GSX 1 / 94. You can also get some of the 94 issues on with Classic X-Men issues pretty cheap but there are alterations to those stories. Omnibus' can be annoying to read due the size. I prefer Masterworks due to this. I refuse to do electronic issues.

 

Ahh yes, Classic X-men. I had forgotten about that as an option. Good thinking.

 

I am not totally against reading it electronically. The problem I have is thus: I do not own a lap top. So that means sitting up in my chair at my desk through an entire 200 issue run. I am not aghast at the notion however it is somewhat foreign and would take some getting used to.

 

But I gotta do what I gotta do.

 

Thanks.

 

Do you have a smart phone? I do most of my reading on my iphone. It takes a little getting used to scrolling through 1 panel at a time and sometimes you do have to zoom in a little if there is a lot going on in a larger panel but once you get used to it it's not bad at all. This is coming from someone who was saying less than a year ago I'd never go digital.

 

Plus, I always have my phone on me so anytime I have a little spare time I can do a little reading.

The thing is there is nothing like reading the original comic.

Even a graphic novel falls short of that. The colors and the feel are totally different. I enjoy the comic medium. Short of the original the digital is not too far off.

It seems the digital means is probably the easiest route and I deeply appreciate all of the feedback I have gotten . It will be thoroughly helpful and I am sure in the coming months I will complete my quest. I have for sure found what I am looking for.

Thanks.

If you want easy and cheap (and don't mind black and white art) go with the Essential books. The early issues are covered in 2 volumes and GSX forward made it to 11 volumes I believe.

Maybe try to find the "Masterworks" reprint editions? The "X-Men" titled books start with vol. 1 and reprints #1-10, vol. 2 reprints #11-21, vol. 3 reprints #22-31, etc. The "Uncanny X-Men" titled Masterworks books start with vol. 1 and reprint #94-100 plus GSX #1, vol. 2 reprints #101-110, and so on.

 

I have heard of the MasterWorks" collection but I was under the impression it was not all inclusive. I have also seen them to be rather pricey. I tried wiKi but unlike alot of other comic titles it is really not giving me much information on where to find consecutive reprints.

 

MW would be the most desirable thing I can find at this point.

 

Does anyone know what would be the best electronic source? Or are there multiple options?

 

Thanks.

 

They go in and out of print. I put together the original run with an Epic collection and Masterworks and just got the Omnibus starting with GSX 1 / 94. You can also get some of the 94 issues on with Classic X-Men issues pretty cheap but there are alterations to those stories. Omnibus' can be annoying to read due the size. I prefer Masterworks due to this. I refuse to do electronic issues.

 

Ahh yes, Classic X-men. I had forgotten about that as an option. Good thinking.

 

I am not totally against reading it electronically. The problem I have is thus: I do not own a lap top. So that means sitting up in my chair at my desk through an entire 200 issue run. I am not aghast at the notion however it is somewhat foreign and would take some getting used to.

 

But I gotta do what I gotta do.

 

Thanks.

 

Do you have a smart phone? I do most of my reading on my iphone. It takes a little getting used to scrolling through 1 panel at a time and sometimes you do have to zoom in a little if there is a lot going on in a larger panel but once you get used to it it's not bad at all. This is coming from someone who was saying less than a year ago I'd never go digital.

 

Plus, I always have my phone on me so anytime I have a little spare time I can do a little reading.

 

The thing is there is nothing like reading the original comic.

 

Even a graphic novel falls short of that. The colors and the feel are totally different. I enjoy the comic medium. Short of the original the digital is not too far off.

 

It seems the digital means is probably the easiest route and I deeply appreciate all of the feedback I have gotten . It will be thoroughly helpful and I am sure in the coming months I will complete my quest. I have for sure found what I am looking for.

 

Thanks.

100% agree, especially with older books. I swore off digital before I even tried it because like you said it just isn't the same. But when I finally decided to give Marvel Unlimited a shot with their free (or maybe .99) month trial, I found myself reading way more. I was able to try out different series with no expense, was able to read old issues I can't really afford, and it was just so convenient. Digital hasn't slowed down my collecting, if anything it's done the opposite, but it has changed how I usually read my comics now.

The big conundrum will be how you plan to tackle the crossovers. Are you going to read the events in their entirety, or just the Uncanny issues devoid of their larger context? Don't forget there's also the -1 issue, and the 4 issues it became Astonishing X-Men during AOA.

Omniboo are a great way to get large chunks at once, and some volumes have been reprinted, reducing their secondary market prices. Unfortunately the SA volume 1 has not been reprinted, and is one of the pricier editions. Volume 2 should still be available at cover, though. Some of the content of volume 1 is available as a single Epic collection, and it is available over a few Masterworks volumes. Unfortunately certain numbers are also a bit pricey, not counting volume 1, which is cheap and plentiful. The classic omniboo also include the letter pages, a nice touch that isn't featured in any of the MW printings to date. There's also a Masterworks volume collecting their appearances between the end of the original run and Giant-Size 1, if that matters to you.

There are 3 omnis collecting the run from GS1 up to about #175. There's an Epic collection called 'The Gift' that contains (iirc) 188ish-198. That almost covers all your gaps. A few years ago there were some UK reprints that (again, IIRC) collected the issues that are missing from the late hundreds. They're digest-sized, but cheap and in colour, so would be an inexpensive way to just get the stories, I'd imagine, if you're not concerned about format. Add it all together with what you already have, and you'd probably have a full run at a reasonable price, assuming we're not bothering with most crossovers.

Buy a Kindle for $49 or so.

Is Marvel Unlimited available for the Kindle?

Here's an excellent website detailing the various ways to read the run

http://crushingkrisis.com/definitive-guide-to-collecting-x-men-as-graphic-novels/collecting-x-men-1-93-comic-books-as-graphic-novels/

http://crushingkrisis.com/definitive-guide-to-collecting-x-men-as-graphic-novels/collecting-uncanny-x-men-94-280-comic-books-as-graphic-novels/

http://crushingkrisis.com/definitive-guide-to-collecting-x-men-as-graphic-novels/collecting-uncanny-x-men-281-350-comic-books-as-graphic-novels/

http://crushingkrisis.com/definitive-guide-to-collecting-x-men-as-graphic-novels/collecting-uncanny-x-men-351-443-comic-books-as-graphic-novels/

http://crushingkrisis.com/definitive-guide-to-collecting-x-men-as-graphic-novels/collecting-uncanny-x-men-444-present-comic-books-as-graphic-novels/

Thanks for the shout-out! (I'm like Beetlejuice; if you mention my URL three times in a row I suddenly appear

Honestly, this exact question is what lead me to even start compiling said guide to begin with (although at the time UXM was only up to about #419).

Generally, the path of least resistance is going to be:

- Epics/MMW for #1-66

- Omnis for #94-175

- Upcoming MMW for #176-188

- Epics & pre-Epic trade from #189-209

- OHCs (or trade equivalents, which are cheaper) for #210-243, with a gap before Fall of the Mutants

- The Claremont/Lee Omnis + X-Tinction Agenda for #244-280

- Bishop's Crossing + X-Cutioner's Song + Fatal Attractions for #280-305

- Things are a bit messy until #320

- Road to Onslaught trades for #322-332

- Onslaught trades or Omni for #333-337

- Several gaps and older collections from #338-387

- Various trades from #388-409

- Initial-release trades available from #410-545 with no gaps

To all: please just holler here, on my page, or via Twitter if anyone has questions about reading this run (or, frankly, any Marvel comics run) via collected editions. I can help steer you the right way.

Go for it!

This.

I'm currently a little more than halfway through this myself. The toughest part isn't finding the books (I have singles of 94-600, and marvel unlimited + masterworks got me through 1-94) it's keeping the drive to continue once you get into the 300s.

Maybe try to find the "Masterworks" reprint editions? The "X-Men" titled books start with vol. 1 and reprints #1-10, vol. 2 reprints #11-21, vol. 3 reprints #22-31, etc. The "Uncanny X-Men" titled Masterworks books start with vol. 1 and reprint #94-100 plus GSX #1, vol. 2 reprints #101-110, and so on.

This is what I did. I have Masterworks that reprint all the way to #120. If you find the soft covers it will save some money.

Using Masterworks, trades, reprints, and original books I have the entire 544 book run.

Look on eBay or Amazon for the 40 Years of X-Men GIT DVD. It contains PDF versions of every issue from 1963 up to 2005 (somewhere in the 460s), including the annuals. Each PDF contains the entire issue, cover-to-cover.

You can get a legit copy for around $100-1125. Beware of all the snakes selling copies much cheaper, they're selling bootlegs.

I'm currently a little more than halfway through this myself. The toughest part isn't finding the books (I have singles of 94-600, and marvel unlimited + masterworks got me through 1-94) it's keeping the drive to continue once you get into the 300s.

I'm currently a little more than halfway through this myself. The toughest part isn't finding the books (I have singles of 94-600, and marvel unlimited + masterworks got me through 1-94) it's keeping the drive to continue once you get into the 300s.

 

A supply of Tums will help

On 10/19/2016 at 6:12 PM, H0RR0RSH0W said:

I was hoping for some advice for working on my Uncanny X-Men collection. I would like to (re)read the original series starting in early 2017 or as much of it as I can get my hands on.

 

I would like to know if I could get some advice on what the best way to complete the series would be? Actually I am looking for the cheapest method.

 

I am unaware of a single collection of the works in one volume. Are there a trade paperback versions broken up ? I am vaguely familiar with being able to read it electronically but having them in hand would be preferred.

 

I currently have issues #200-544 in floppy copy plus about 20 or so issues from before that. Therefore I would just be looking for the first 200 issues or so. At this time I am not looking to buy the originals. I would not have the time to put that part of the collection together between now and then anyway.

 

I would definitely appreciate any information that people here would be willing to share. Thank you.

I have been working on this and it is a pretty big read. I read my physical copies starting January 1 thru about early  June.  Currently I am reading the remaining first 200 issues in an online format. I am about 50 issues in and looking forward to finishing the full series soon. Probably around early August.

Every time I read this many issues consecutively I tell my self " never again" !

It has been interesting and fun. A long time labor of love.

Thanks.

The cheapest way is probably bit torrent the whole thing

And ....Done! A full read through of 544 issues minus the 26ish reprints.

1 hour ago, H0RR0RSH0W said:

And ....Done! A full read through of 544 issues minus the 26ish reprints.

What storyline, issues did you like the best?

So I guess starting from the beginning it got good around issue #50 with the introduction of Alex Summers and Lorna Dane. I also dug the upgrades in uniform that were going on through that part of the series and even seeing the retro art as well.  

After that I felt it got interesting again around issue #100-130 with the introduction of the Phoenix. That seems to be the most popular fan favorite. Issue #141 was a great one off that set the tone of the series for a very long  while.

The story arc leading up to #150 was fun with Scott and Madelyne  getting stranded on Magneto's island. The introduction of Rogue was a good arc for a few issues. I found it   through the Fall of the Mutants and Inferno up until the introduction of Bishop and Cable around the Executioners song and Bishop being kidnapped in space. After that it was sort of   again through the trial of Gambit. I was never a big fan of him and still I am not.

My most favorite arc was the Fall of the Shiar Empire 12 issue run from #475-487. I really liked that. Anything with the Shi'ar I found most enjoyable. The art was very cool. I liked how the series wrapped up by being sort of open ended.