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X-Men Reading Order Guide – Era #3: The New Mutants

A reading order for stories starting from Uncanny X-Men #143 in March 1981 and ending with Uncanny X-Men #200 in December 1985. A part of Crushing Krisis’s Collecting X-Men: A Definitive Guide. Last updated October 2018.

Era #2: Second Genesis  X-Men Reading Order Guide  Era #4: X-Factor

What does Era #3: The New Mutants include?

This era of the X-Men Reading Order is focused on the widening of the X-Men’s world beyond the Second Genesis characters from Giant Size X-Men.

It includes Kitty Pryde and Rogue as active team members, X-Men beginning to make wider guest appearances, the spawning of a second ongoing title with New Mutants, the first spin-off books in the form of New Mutants and limited series like Wolverine and Magik. It ends with the X-Men’s popularity exploding and on the verge of Jean Grey’s return and the launch of a third ongoing title, X-Factor.Rogue joins the team in Uncanny X-Men (1963) #171

I’ve always had a hard time deciding where this era ends. While the poetic Uncanny X-Men #198 feels like a natural stopping point prior to Magneto’s trial, the bigger break comes with issue #200.

In that blockbuster issue Cyclops and Maddie are about to have a baby, Magneto is on trial, and a near-death Professor Xavier is whisked into space by Corsair and Lilandra. That sets up the epic fight over the team’s leadership in issue #201 to kick off the next era, “X-Factor.”

Flagship X-Series in this era:

Ongoing X-titles released in this era:

  • Alpha Flight (1983) #1-28 – see Alpha Flight
  • Dazzler (1981) #1-40 – see Dazzler
  • Defenders (1972) #103-124 – see Defenders
  • New Defenders (1983) #125-150 – see Defenders
  • New Mutants (1983) #1-35, Annual 1, & Special Edition – see New & Young X-Men
  • Captain Britain in: (see Captain Britain & Excalibur)
    • Hulk Comic (1979) #1 & 3-46 and Incredible Hulk Weekly (1980) #47-55 & #57-63
    • Marvel Super-Heroes (1979) #377-388
    • Daredevils [Marvel UK] (1981) #1-11
    • Mighty World Of Marvel, Vol. 2 (1983) #7-16
    • Captain Britain, Vol. 2 [Marvel UK] (1985) #1-14

Limited Series released in this era:

Later X-titles set in this era:

  • New Mutants: Truth Or Death (1997) #1-3 – see New & Young X-Men
  • Weapon X: First Class (2009) #1-3 – see Wolverine
  • Wolverine: First Class (2008) #1-21 – see Wolverine
  • X-Men & Alpha Flight (1998) #1-2 – see Alpha Flight
  • X-Men Gold (2014) One-Shot
  • X-Men Unlimited (1993) #39 & X-Men Unlimited, Vol. 2 (2004) #11 – see X-Men Ongoing Series

Notes:

  • There is very little guidance on where to place Alpha Flight, Captain Britain, and Dazzler amidst the stories of this era. I did a lot of reading, research, and going with my gut to fit them into a reading order.

[Read more…] about X-Men Reading Order Guide – Era #3: The New Mutants

X-Men Reading Order Guide – Era #0: Before The X-Men

A reading order for stories occurring prior to or parallel to X-Men #1 in September 1963. A part of Crushing Comics’ Guide to Marvel Comics. Last updated September 2018.

What does Era #0: Before The X-Men include?

This era of the X-Men Reading Order is focused on X-Men pre-history – stories retroactively inserted into the period prior to X-Men #1 in 1963. That mostly consists of Wolverine stories, since he has the most (and most interesting) history to dig through.

You could optionally read Namor’s Golden Age, Invaders, and Atlas Era stories in this period as well, if you choose to include him in your X-Men read.

[Read more…] about X-Men Reading Order Guide – Era #0: Before The X-Men

Iron Man, Tony Stark – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

Updated Apr 10, 2025! The definitive, chronological, and up-to-date guide on collecting Iron Man comic books via omnibuses, hardcovers, and trade paperback graphic novels. A part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated April 2025 with titles scheduled for release through December 2025.

Collecting Iron Man: Tony Stark

Tony Stark wasn’t Marvel’s first super-scientist super-hero, but over the course of more than 55 years of publishing he has become their most famous.

That’s in no small part thanks to Iron Man leading the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008, but even before he made it to the big screen Tony Stark was one of Marvel’s most-memorable flawed heroes.Iron Man: Director of SHIELD (2008) #31 textless version

Tony Stark was born to riches and gifted with a superior intellect. That lead him into the family business, which turned into making weapons of mass destruction before he became one himself – both to escape his captors and to keep shrapnel from digging more deeply into his heart.

Only a few months into his heroic career, Stark become a founding member of The Avengers alongside Thor and, shortly after, the legendary Captain America. His initial run with the team wouldn’t last long – he took his leave in issue #16 and wouldn’t be back for the better part of a decade.

Tony Stark’s most significant early character development would be his “Demon in a Bottle” story in 1979. In the midst of an armor malfunction and an accusation of murder, Stark turns to a bottle for comfort.

After spending years portrayed as a carefree playboy with endless resources, adding Tony Stark’s struggle with alcoholism to his physical wounds made him seem more human than ever.

Stark went on to rejoin the Avengers and become an anchoring member of the West Coast Avengers before branching out to a new franchise with Force Works in the mid-90s before he was swept out of continuity into the Heroes Reborn universe along with all of the rest of the core Avengers in the wake of Onslaught.

Tony Stark took on a new higher profile in the wake of Avengers Disassembled as the troubled soul of the Marvel Universe. First, Warren Ellis reinvented his armor in the classic “Extremis” arc. Then, Tony found himself opposed to his longtime brother Steve Rogers in Civil War, where he took the side of Supehero Registration (much to the consternation of many fans).

In the wake of Civil War, Stark founded the Mighty Avengers and became the face of “The Initiative,” a plan to put an Avengers team in every state. However, he lost the public’s trust in the wake of Secret Invasion, with Norman Osborn usurping his role. This lead to Tony Stark’s most-acclaimed run to date landing at the height of his new-found film fame – the Eisner-winning Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca. This period saw Tony losing Stark Industries, but reconciling with a revived Captain America, with the two of them returning to lead the Avengers.

Marvel Now and All-New, All-Different Marvel would bring more turbulence to Tony Stark’s life – reforming the Illuminati to destroy worlds in Hickman’s Avengers, learning he was adopted in Gillen’s Iron Man, becoming all the evil he had once sworn off in Taylor’s Superior Iron Man, and then being lead to his seeming death in Bendis’s Invincible Iron Man and Civil War II.

In 2018, Fresh Start finds Tony Stark reset back to status quo – anchoring the Avengers and heading up Stark Unlimited.

There are hundreds of different collections of Iron Man, especially his original run from 1963 to 1996. However, 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. [Read more…] about Iron Man, Tony Stark – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

Definitive Guide to Collecting X-Men as graphic novels

Are you an X-Men fan who doesn’t have time to hunt down single comics from a story spanning sixty years and thousands of issues?

Me too!

Many of those single issues are collected into omnibuses, hardcovers, and trade paperback (“TPB”) graphic novels. Figuring out which books to buy and in what order turns out to be a very complex task – half research project, half detective novel.

I’ve taken the work out of it for you. This Guide to Collecting X-Men can help you figure out the right collection to buy no matter what run of X-Men comics books you’re looking for. It contains titles, issue ranges, ISBNs, and links to every modern X-Men collection. I also break down the major characters and creators for each group of issues.

If you want to read the current X-Men comics from 2019 to present, visit the Guide to X-Men – Age of Krakoa.

If you’re looking for the core or most-important books from the past, you probably want to skip right to start of Uncanny X-Men, which is the flagship X-title launched in 1963 and the heart of most X-Men stories.

Collecting X-Men Team Titles

Astonishing & Amazing X-Men – Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 3 picked up from Grant Morrison’s New X-Men with an award-winning run from Whedon/Cassaday. Amazing X-Men debuted at the end of 2012. Astonishing X-Men was revived for a brief run in 2018.

Excalibur – The Britain-based adventures of all teams named “Excalibur,” which usually are one of the following: based in Britain, lead by a Braddock, or focused on magic and Otherworld.

New Mutants, Generation X, Academy X, All-New X-Men, & other young X-Men – The younger, more scholastic side of X-Men launched in the 80s and has a through-line to the present day.

Uncanny Avengers & A+X – An X-Men/Avengers hybrid titles launched in the wake of Avengers vs. X-Men. 

Uncanny X-Men – The flagship title of the X-Universe, most major developments of the X-Men happened here from 1963 to 2019.

Guide to Silver Age X-Men, issues #1-93 (1963-1974)

Guide to Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont, issues #94 – 280 (1975-1991)

Guide to Uncanny X-Men – The Crossover Era, issues #281 – 393 (1991-2001)

Guide to Uncanny X-Men – The Trade Era, issues #394 – 544 (2001-2011)

Guide to X-Men flagship titles (2011 – 2019), Uncanny X-Men (2011), Uncanny X-Men (2013), Uncanny X-Men (2016), and many others!

Weapon X – A team of characters experimented on by the many generations of the Weapon program, often anchored by Wolverine or Sabretooth.

X-Factor – Includes multiple eras of the team, including the original X-Men reunited in the 1986 series, Peter David’s 1991 and 2004 iterations, and a 2020 team of Krakoan investigators.

X-Force & Uncanny X-Force – Originally a more proactive New Mutants, eventually X-Force descended into tongue-in-cheek farce with X-Statix before the more militant X-Force returned as a major core title.

X-Men – Marvel’s adjectiveless X-flagship was launched by Claremont/Lee in 1991. It was rebooted by Grant Morrison in 2001 as New X-Men, and transformed to X-Men Legacy in 2008 with issue #208.

Guide to X-Men, Vol. 2, issues #1-113

Guide to X-Men, Vol 2. & New X-Men, issues #114-207

Guide to X-Men flagship titles (2011 – 2019), X-Men (2010), X-Men (2013), X-Men Gold (2017), X-Men Red (2018), and many others.

X-Men Legacy – X-Men Legacy focuses on a smaller cast of characters with a single-character focus – first Xavier, then Rogue, and later Xavier’s son Legion.

X-Statix & X-Cellent – The incredibly strange team of non-heroes from Peter Milligan and Mike & Laura Allred

X-Treme X-Men – The 2001 Claremont/Larroca title featured a Storm-lead, globe-trotting team. The 2012 Grek Pak version featured Exiles-style alternate-reality tales starring Dazzler.

Collecting X-Men Solo Titles

In addition to maintaining a core of guides collecting X-Men major characters with a long history of solo series, I also launch special complete reading order guides for other solo X-Men exclusively to Patrons of Crushing Krisis.

Marvel Comics Guide to Cable Marvel Comics Guide to Deadpool   Guide to Magik Marvel Comics Guide to Magneto Marvel Comics Guide to Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan Marvel Comics Guide to Namor, The Sub-Mariner Marvel Comics Guide to Scarlet Witch Marvel Comics Guide to Wolverine, Logan Marvel Comics Guide to Wolverine, X-23 Marvel Wolverine - Old Man Logan Guide Marvel Comics Guide to X-Man, Nate Grey Summers

Other X-Men Titles & Appearances

If the X-Men title you’re looking for is not on that list, try one of the following pages:

Other X-Men Regular Series – If it’s an X-Men ongoing series not included above, it’s on this page! Learn how you can collect titles including Alpha Flight, Bishop, Daken, Dazzler, Gambit, Mystique, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and X-23.

X-Men Mini-Series & One-Shots – The only place on the internet that catalogs the constant stream of X-Men limited series, from the

Marvel Universe Events – Marvel has executed regular line-wide crossovers ever since Secret Wars, and they frequently center on our favorite merry band of mutants. Find out how the X-Men were involved in each event, and make sense of the main story without buying every comic involved. 1980s to present.

Plus, see the following X-associated team pages:

  • Alpha Flight – This team launched out of Chris Claremont’s run on Uncanny X-Men and includes Northstar and Aurora
  • Defenders – Beast and Iceman anchored this team for a period in the early 80s.
  • Exiles – The cross-dimensional adventures of this alternate-reality team mostly-mutant team don’t typically have a bearing on the main X-continuity.

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Crushing On: Cheap Graphic Novels

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Reading comics via graphic novels can be an expensive habit to maintain. They’re are rarely any cheaper than a $15 cover price, and sometimes run more like $20 or $40 – and hardcovers can be as much as $100! When you’re trying to gather a run of dozens or hundreds of individual issues, that adds up really fast.

When I first started buying, I thought I simply had to pay cover price at book stores or comic shops. That was really expensive, but it was immediately gratifying and I could make sure the quality of a book was high – both in its contents and its physical condition.

50% off of new graphic novel releases every week? Yes, please!

Then, I realized I could order them on Amazon for at least 25% off, and as much as 33% off. That was a lot less expensive, and fast with Amazon Prime – but, the physical condition of a book after it had been packed and shipped could vary widely. At one point I was sending back a fifth of everything I received!

Then, I discovered Cheap Graphic Novels dot com (CGN). They have (or, can get) every graphic novel in print, and if it’s from Marvel or DC it’s 45% off. And, if you order it the week of release, it’s an even 50% off! Not only that, but they are comic book lovers who are friendly to chat with and take a good look at books before they pack them in indestructible double-boxes with paper on all sides.

This totally exploded my comic book buying – I was getting double the books for the money I’d spend in a bookstore, and always in perfect quality compared to Amazon. I have spent an obscene amount of money with CGN in the past two years, and they have never made a mistake, and the worst quality issue I’ve encountered is a tiny bend on the cover of a single book.

I see you doing the project management math. Low cost. High quality. Surely there’s a downside? Well, there is, but it’s a minor one: CGN ships via Media Mail from California, which means I might not see the books for two weeks. And, they require signature on delivery, which means if you aren’t home to receive your order you’ll be headed to the post office.

You know what? That’s okay. When it comes to my comic habit, I’d rather spend a little extra time and keep my money and high quality bookshelf intact. If you agree, you should make your next order from CGN. There are a handful of other sites with similar discounts, but none that I’ve found so reliable and friendly.

Note: I haven’t been compensated for this in any way, although I’d love for CGN to start a referral program so I could add them to my Definitive X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four guides. If you order from them, tell them Krisis sent you!