Griffin Reads – Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1

Title: Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1

Author: Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Len Wein

Genre: Superhero Comics, Classic Marvel

Summary:

This volume collects the landmark issues that redefined Marvel’s mutants for a new generation. After years of low sales and reprints, the X-Men were reborn with a bold new international team as Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine joined forces with Cyclops, Banshee, and others under Professor X’s leadership.

The stories span the team’s earliest missions together: rescuing the original X-Men from the living island Krakoa, clashing with Count Nefaria and his Ani-Men, facing the unstoppable Juggernaut, and even taking their first steps toward cosmic adventure with the Shi’ar and Phoenix. Along the way, Claremont and Cockrum lay the foundations for one of comics’ greatest sagas, blending soap opera drama, superpowered action, and a sense of family forged under pressure.

Content Guide:

• Comic book violence and peril (battles, injuries, explosions)
• Mild language (typical of 1970s Marvel)
• Mature themes: prejudice, isolation, identity, sacrifice
• Some dated gender portrayals and stereotypes (common in the era)
• No graphic content; PG-level overall

My Thoughts:

This is where the modern X-Men truly began. While Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the concept in the 1960s, it was Claremont, Cockrum, and Wein who gave the X-Men their heart and staying power. Reading these issues now, you can feel the creative energy crackling off the page. There’s a sense that Marvel had stumbled onto something bigger than they could have imagined.

When I think of the X-men, this is the lineup I think of. Storm and Nightcrawler are standouts from the beginning, their personalities vivid and distinct even in the earliest stories, while Wolverine is a fascinating proto-version of what would one day be one of Marvel’s best recognized properties. But for me, the most exciting addition to the team is Colossus. He’s always been my favorite X-man, and it hurts my heart to see him relegated to little more than jobbing punchline across all media for the last few decades. Today, it’s a cliche when somebody jumps out of a plan without a parachute, but when Colossus did it, he made a crater not just in the surface of the living island Krokoa but in my fanboy heart.

The plots can feel a little “of their time”—villains declaring their schemes in bold speeches, pacing that races from fight to fight dictated by the length of the issue—but beneath that, you can already see the emotional depth that would define Claremont’s run. This is the seed of the sprawling, character-driven epic that would dominate superhero comics for decades.

If you want to understand why the X-Men became Marvel’s crown jewel in the ’80s and ’90s, you have to start here. Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 is both a time capsule of 1970s comics and the launching pad for one of the greatest sagas in superhero storytelling.