X-MEN READING ORDER: Children of the Atom (1963-1970)

Who knew they'd end up being one of Marvel's biggest franchises? The X-Men (originally intended to be launched as 'The Mutants') were created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and really focused heavily on the Marvel vibe of teenage outsiders. Despite the presence of regular nemesis Magneto (now one of Marvel's premiere villains), interactions with the rest of the Marvel Universe and a career-defining run by artist Neal Adams, the teens didn't really click with the audience and the series was cancelled after 66 issues. It ran as a reprint title, rerunning its own stories until issue 94.

In this reading order, I've listed every appearance of the five X-Men members - along with their mentor, Professor X - from their first appearance right up to their cancellation. Their defining moments and key interactions with Spider-Man, the Avengers, Fantastic Four and other receive the spotlight treatment, but you can pick and choose whatever you want to read. It's up to you!

Next up, I'll focus on the period between their cancellation and the relaunch that redefined the team in the mid-70s. For now you can read about the early days of the original X-Men right here... 

MCG Note:

• Issues in blue are worth reading, are major chapters in X-Men history or may play a key part in the great Marvel tapestry.
• Issues in grey are part of these characters' chronology, stories of note that aren't essential or are no longer considered 'required reading'.

[X-MEN READING ORDER: Before the X-Men]

X-Men #1(pp.1-8) (1963)
First appearance of Angel (Warren Worthington III), Beast (Hank McCoy), Cyclops (Scott Summers), Iceman (Bobby Drake), Professor X (Charles Xavier), the X-Men, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and the Danger Room; Professor X uses his school as a cover to train teenage mutants to use their powers.

X-Men Origins: Jean Grey #1(p.18) (2008)
Jean Grey arrives at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

X-Men #1(pp.8-23) (1963)

First appearance of Magneto, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) and Cape Citadel military base; Jean Grey attends the Xavier School and joins the X-Men as Marvel Girl to round off the line-up; the team are sent on their first mission and face the mutant terrorist Magneto when he attempts to take over a military installation and use its missile cache to further his cause.

X-Men #2 (1963)

First appearance of the Vanisher (Telford Porter) and Agent Fred Duncan; FBI agent Fred Duncan calls on Professor X for help in apprehending the mutant teleporter calling himself the Vanisher.

Tales of Suspense #49[1/2] (1964)
Exposure to radiation warps Angel's mind, causing him to quit the X-Men and attempt to join the 'evil mutants'; Angel clashes with Iron Man and defeats him, causing him to snap out of it and save Iron Man from certain death before rejoining the X-Men.

Avengers #3 (1964)
X-Men cameo; the Avengers check in with the X-Men to see if they know where the Hulk is.

Sentry/X-Men #1(pp.4-8) (2001)
Flashback story; Angel recalls clashing with Professor X over his training methods during THE SENTRY.

X-Men #3 (1964)
First appearance of the Blob (Fred J Dukes); the X-Men attempt to recruit the Blob to their team, but he rejects their offer and clashes with them instead.

Thor Corps #3 (1993)
X-Men cameo; a knight is transported through time to the X-Men's Danger Room.

X-Men #4-5(pp.1-9) (1964)
First appearance of Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maimoff), Toad (Mortimer Toynbee), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, John Grey, Elaine Grey and Asteroid M; the X-Men' first  clash with Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Strange Tales #120[1/2] (1964)
First appearance of Captain Barracuda; after trying to steal his girlfriend, Dorrie Evans, Iceman teams up with the Fantastic Four's Human Torch against the pirate Captain Barracuda.

Sentry/X-Men #1(pp.15-22) (2001)
Flashback story; Angel recalls meeting the Sentry for the first time and being inspired by him; Angel and Sentry battle the General during THE SENTRY.

X-Men #5(pp.9-24) (1964)
Angel is captured by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and taken to their space station headquarters, Asteroid M; Professor X lies to his students about losing his powers to test them; Asteroid M is destroyed when the X-Men successfully rescue Angel.

Fantastic Four #28 (1964)

Puppet Master and the Mad Thinker manipulate Professor X into ordering the X-Men to attack the Fantastic Four; when the X-Men break free, the two villains leave the Awesome Android to fight the allied teams to cover their escape.

Marvels #2(pp.9-12) (1994)

The X-Men's attempt to rescue a construction worker is misinterpreted.

Unlimited Access #3-4 (1998)

Access summons the X-Men and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants among other heroes and villains from various points in time, amalgamating them with heroes and villains from the DC Universe to battle his future self during UNLIMITED ACCESS.

X-Men #6 (1964)

Magneto briefly convinces Namor the Sub-Mariner to join his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, pitting him against the X-Men.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1[1/3] (1964)

X-Men cameo; the X-Men spot a message for Spider-Man from the Human Torch, but are ordered by Professor X not to interfere; Mysterio creates robot versions of Angel, Beast and Cyclops to pit against Spider-Man.

X-Men Origins: Jean Grey #1(pp.19-23) (2008)

Marvel Girl begins to exhibit greater telekinetic power in the Danger Room; the X-Men learn the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are in New York.

Journey into Mystery #109[1/2] (1964)

Off-panel 'appearance'; while Magneto battles Thor, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants locate the X-Men in New York City.

X-Men Origins: Jean Grey #1(pp.24-30) (2008)

Marvel Girl skips out on the X-Men's fight with Magneto, landing herself in detention.

Marvels #2(pp.19-20) (1994)

The X-Men attend Alicia Masters sculpture exhibit in civvies.

Excalibur Special Edition #1 (1992) (aka Excalibur: XX Crossing#1)

The X-Men find themselves fighting a mutant team from the future - Excalibur - who have been pulled out of their own time by Sidestep.

X-Men #7(pp.1-6) (1964)
First appearance of Zelda Kurtzberg and Cerebro; Magneto recruits the Blob into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

X-Men Origins: Cyclops #1 (2010)

Cyclops recalls the moments of his life leading up to gaining membership with the X-Men.

X-Men #7(pp.6-22) (1964)
The Blob is abandoned by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants the moment they face defeat at the hands of the X-Men.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man #21 (1997)
The X-Men and Spider-Man join forces against a man called Menace, a member of Team Alpha hoping to use anti-mutant sentiment to his advantage.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man '97 Annual[1/3] (1997)
The X-Men are among the heroes attempting to subdue Spider-Man's newest nemesis, Sundown.

X-Men #8 (1964)
First appearance of Unus the Untouchable (Gunther Bain); Unus battles the X-Men to prove his potential to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; Beast creates a device that amplifies Unus' powers, making his life impossible and forcing him to submit.

X-Men #9 (1965)
First appearance of Lucifer and the alien Quists; Professor X confront Lucifer, the alien who cost his the use of his legs; a case of mistaken identity leads to the first ever clash between the X-Men and the Avengers.

X-Men: Gold #1[2/6] (2014)
The four male members of the X-Men race to the Danger Room to win a date with Marvel Girl.

Fantastic Four #35-36 (1965)
X-Men cameo; Professor X and Cyclops investigate reports of a mutant at Empire State University; the X-Men attend Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Girl's engagement party during BEDLAM AT THE BAXTER BUILDING!

X-Men #10 (1965)
First appearance of Ka-Zar, Zabu and the Savage Land; the X-Men travel to the Savage Land to find out if Ka-Zar is a mutant.

X-Men #11 (1965)
First appearance of the Stranger; the Stranger kidnaps Magneto and the Toad for study, giving Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch the chance to leave the Brotherhood during THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH.

X-Men #12-13 (1965)
First appearance of the Juggernaut, the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak and the Temple of Cyttorak; the X-Men face Professor X's evil step-brother whos powered himself up to become the Juggernaut using the magical Crimson Gem of Cyttorak; the X-Men receive some help from the Human Torch to defeat the Juggernaut.

X-Men Forever #3 (2001)
Marvel Girl's body is briefly inhabited by her future self and reads Professor X's files to learn he considers her to be an Omega Class mutant with unlimited potential.

X-Men #14(pp.1-6) (1965)
First appearance of Dr Bolivar Trask; the X-Men take a day off while Professor X worries about growing anti-mutant sentiment.

Marvels #2(p.31) (1994)
Photographer Phil Sheldon sees Iceman and the Beast bounding through the streets of New York.

Fantastic Four Annual #3[1/4] (1965) / Heroes & Legends #1 (1996)
The X-Men attend Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Girl's wedding when villains attack during THE WEDDING OF SUE AND REED. 

X-Men #14(pp.7-20)-16 (1965-1966)
First appearance of the Sentinels, Warren Worthington Jr, Kathryn Worthington, Master Mold, Edna McCoy, Norton McCoy; Bolivar Trask sends his mutant-hunting Sentinel robots after the X-Men; the X-Men destroy the Master Mold robot that generates the Sentinels and Bolivar Trask is killed in the explosion; 

X-Men #17-18 (1966)
Magneto returns to Earth to challenge the X-Men until the Stranger comes back to collect him.

X-Men #19-21 (1966)
First appearance of Mimic (Calvin Rankin), Vera Cantor and the Dominus; Calvin Rankin gains super-human powers when he becomes the subject of one his father's experiments, attacking the X-Men on his father's behalf as the Mimic while using the team's own powers against them; Mimic loses his powers and Professor X uses his telepathic abilities to erase his memory; flashbacks reveal how Lucifer cost Professor X the use of his legs; Unus and the Blob team up and try to sully the X-Men's name; the X-Men battle the Dominus to rescue Professor X.

X-Men #22-24(pp.1-8) (1966)
First appearance of the Locust (Dr August Hopper); Count Nefaria tries to recruit the X-Men into the ranks of his super-criminal army, but soon finds their ideology opposes his; Marvel Girl leaves the X-Men; the remaining team members battle the Locust.

Monsters on the Prowl #1[1/2] (2005)
Beast joins forces with Giant-Man, Hulk and the Thing to save New York from the Mole Man and Collector's warring monsters during MARVEL MONSTERS.

X-Men #24(pp.8-20)-26 (1966)
First appearance of El Tigre (Juan Meroz) and Kukulkán; the X-Men clash with El Tigre, a mercenary possessed by the Mayan god Kukulkán.

X-Men #27-28 (1966-1967)
First appearance of Banshee (Sean Cassidy), Ogre (Brian Dunlap) and Factor Three; the repowered Mimic is manipulated into attacking the X-Men by the Puppet Master; after the Puppet Master's defeat, Mimic joins the X-Men as the deputy team leader; the X-Men first clash with the villainous Banshee of Factor Three.

X-Men #29-31 (1967)
First appearance of Candy Southern and Cobalt Man (Ralph Roberts); Mimic faces the Super-Adaptoid, a robot with the same powers as him; the Super-Adaptoid is defeated, but Mimic is left powerless and leaves the X-Men; the X-Men battle the magical Warlock (Maha Yogi) before facing the Cobalt Man.

X-Men Unlimited #42[3/4] (2003)
The X-Men celebrate Marvel Girl's birthday.

X-Men #32-33 (1967)
Factor Three send the Juggernaut on a mission to kill Professor X.

Strange Tales #156[1/2] (1967)
X-Men cameo; the X-Men are among the heroes who stand helpless when Hydra take over SHIELD's headquarters.

X-Men #34-37, 38[1/2]-39[1/2] (1967)
First appearance of Changeling, Mekano (Tom Regal) and the Mutant Master; the X-Men get caught up in the war between Tyrannus and the Mole Man; Factor Three trick Spider-Man into fighting the X-Men; the X-Men battle the tech-based villain Mekano; Banshee rebels against Factor Three who employ Blob, Mastermind, Unus the Untouchable and the Vanisher instead; Factor Three's leader, the Mutant Master, is revealed to be an alien intent on ruling Earth, but is killed in the final battle; Changeling betrays Factor Three to help the X-Men gain their victory; the X-Men earn new costumes.

Avengers Forever #12 (1999)
Beast is plucked from time to fight in the Destiny War.

X-Men #40[1/2]-42[1/2] (1968)
First appearance of Grotesk and the Gortokians; the X-Men fight a robotic version of Frankenstein's Monster; the X-Men oppose the vengeful Subterranean Grotesk, but their final showdown costs Professor X his life when he dies to save his students.

X-Men #43[1/2]-45[1/2](pp.1-15) (1968)
Domination Factor: Avengers #2.4(pp.8-9) (1999)
X-Men #45[1/2](p.15) (1968)
Avengers #53(pp.1-17) (1968)
Domination Factor: Avengers #2.4(p.16-17) (1999)
Avengers #53(pp.17-20) (1968)
Following the death of Professor X, the X-Men clash with the Avengers due to a misunderstanding when Magneto brings Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch back to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and tries to enslave humanity; the future Scarlet Witch's consciousness inhabits her body behind the scenes during WHEN MUTANTS CLASH / DOMINATION FACTOR.

X-Men #46[1/2]-48[1/2] (1968)
After another clash with the Juggernaut, Agent Fred Duncan informs the X-Men that the US Government has ordered them to disband; going their own way, Iceman and the Beast uncover the Maha Yogi's plan to turn the audience at his stage performance into unwilling slaves; Cyclops and Marvel Girl stop the computerised Quasimodo's attempt to build a robot army.

Ka-Zar#2[2/3]-3[3/3] (1970-1971)
Marvel Tales #30[3/3] (1971)
First appearance of the Dazzler (Burtram Worthington); Angel learns his uncle is the mutant criminal Dazzler; Angel stops him from obtaining the world's largest diamond, but Dazzler dies in the final battle during WINGED WRATH.

X-Men #49[1/2]-52[1/2] (1968-1969)
First appearance of Lorna Dane, Mesmero and Erik the Red (Cyclops in disguise); Angel summons the disbanded X-Men when Cerebro detects a large number of mutants; they discover Mesmero and his Demi-Men are behind it and rescue the mutant Lorna Dane from his clutches; Magneto returns (though is later revealed to be a robot) and Cyclops disguises himself as an evil mutant called Erik the Red to infiltrate his army; Iceman immediately falls for Lorna Dane who believes she's Magneto's daughter until Iceman proves it's not true; an explosion kills 'Magneto' in the final battle.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #6(pp.1-14) (2005)
Avengers #60(pp.1-8) (1969)
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #6(pp.15-20) (2005)
Avengers #60(pp.9-20) (1969)
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #6(pp.21-22) (2005)
The X-Men attend the Wasp and Yellowjacket's wedding, only for it to come under attack from the Circus of Crime.

X-Men #53[1/2] (1969)
Blastaar's attempt to escape the Negative Zone lands him in the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters until Marvel Girl accidentally kills him.

Sub-Mariner #14 (1969)
X-Men cameo; the X-Men consider whether or not to save Earth from the threat of the Egghead during LIKE A DEATH RAY FROM THE SKY.

X-Men #54-66(pp.1-17) (1969-1970)
First appearance of Havok (Alex Summers), Living Pharaoh/Living Monolith (Ahmet Abdol), Larry Trask, Sauron (Dr Karl Lykos), Tanya Anderssen, Sunfire, the Savage Land Mutates (Amphibius, Barbarus, Brainchild, Equilibrius, Gaza, Lupo and Piper) and the Z'Nox; Cyclops is reunited with his long-lost brother, Alex Summers, when he becomes a victim of the mutant Living Pharaoh; Alex helps defeat the transformed Living Monolith and meets Lorna Dane; Larry Trask sends a new version of the Sentinels to kill the X-Men; Alex Summers becomes Havok and helps the X-Men defeat the Sentinels; Sauron tries to absorb Havok's powers, but is defeated by the X-Men; the X-Men travel to the Savage Land where they're reunited with Ka-Zar and battle the Creator's Savage Land Mutantes; the Creator is revealed to be Magneto who appears to die once again; the X-Men meet the mutant Sunfire in Japan; Professor X's death is revealed to have been a ruse (with Changeling dying in his place) to cover his investigation into the Z'Nox invasion; Havok and Lorna Dane join the X-Men.

X-Men: The Hidden Years #1(pp.1-4) (1999)
X-Men #66(pp.18-19) (1970)
X-Men: The Hidden Years #2(pp.5) (1999)
X-Men #66(p.20) (1970)
The X-Men battle the Hulk in Las Vegas to uncover a device that can cure Professor X and save his life.

[X-MEN READING ORDER: The Lost Years (1971-1974)]

Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men vol.1-6
X-Men Omnibus vol.1-2
Collect Avengers #53, Ka-Zar #2-3, Marvel Tales #30 and X-Men #1-66.

X-Men: Children of the Atom Box Set Slipcase
Includes Avengers #53, Fantastic Four #28, Fantastic Four Annual #3, Ka-Zar #2-3, Marvel Tales #30, Strange Tales #120, Tales of Suspense #49 and X-Men #1-66.

X-Men Epic Collection vol.1: Children of the Atom
Collects X-Men #1-23.

X-Men Epic Collection vol.2: Lonely Are The Hunted
Collects Avengers #53 and X-Men #24-45.

X-Men Epic Collection vol.3: The Sentinels Live
Collects Ka-Zar #2-3, Marvel Tales #30 and X-Men #1-66.

X-Men by Roy Thomas & Neal Adams Gallery Edition
X-Men Visionaries: The Neal Adams Collection
Collect X-Men #56-65.

Invincible Iron Man Omnibus vol.1
Iron Man Epic Collection vol.1: The Golden Avenger
Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man vol.1
Include Tales of Suspense #49.

Human Torch and the Thing: Strange Tales - The Complete Collection
Marvel Masterworks: Human Torch vol.2
Include Strange Tales #120.

Fantastic Four Epic Collection vol.2: The Master Plan of Doctor Doom
Fantastic Four Omnibus vol.1
Marvel Masterworks; Fantastic Four vol.3
X-Men: The Lost Years
X-Men vs Avengers/Fantastic Four
Include Fantastic Four #28.

Marvels
Marvels 10th Anniversary Edition
Marvels 25th Anniversary
Marvels Annotated
Marvels Monster-Sized
Marvels: The Platinum Edition
Marvels: The Remastered Edition
Include Marvels #2.

Untold Tales of Spider-Man Omnibus
Includes Untold Tales of Spider-Man #21 and Untold Tales of Spider-Man '97 Annual.

Marvel Monsters
Includes Monsters on the Prowl #1.

Avengers Epic Collection vol.3: Masters of Evil
Avengers Omnibus vol.2
Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers vol.6
Include Avengers #53 and X-Men #45.