A Little Background
So…you’ve probably got questions about this insane project of mine. (Or maybe you don’t. I’m going to answer them anyway!) So let me start from the beginning.
I’ve been an X-man fan since I discovered the 90’s cartoon when I was younger. (Seriously, that intro alone made it my favorite!) From there, I started collecting the X-men Trading Cards. In fact, for awhile there, I had the entire 1994 Fleer Ultra set! I was obsessed! What I wasn’t, however, was a comic reader. I don’t think I even realized there were X-men comics at that age. Fast forward 10ish years:
I started dating my now husband, C. C is a HUGE comic nerd. Always has been. In the beginning of our relationship, C and his friends would get together almost every Wednesday to read their new comics and discuss what was going on in them. So, every Wednesday, I was totally left out. I decided that just wasn’t going to fly, and started reading my way through C’s back-issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, and a few Vertigo books (mainly Fables) I’d found my new love: Comics!
As an avid, some-what snobby reader, and an English major who spends most of her time reading English lit, I was surprised to find myself falling in love with Marvel comics. I was also shocked at how these comics, and X-Men in particular, seemed to really be tackling real-world issues and problems. I was hooked. I was reading more and more, and spending more and more time at our AMAZING local comic shop, Carol & John’s Comics, discussing continuity with everyone there. I’d found my tribe. But I’d also found a goal. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the X-Men. Naturally, to this reader, that meant I needed to read everything! And thus, my project was born!
I took me almost 2 years to compile my reading list. There was TON of research involved. My goal wasn’t just to read every issue of Uncanny and X-Men, but every comic related to the X-Men and the 616’s main mutants. This meant finding out which issues of Avengers featured a mutant on the team, reading all of Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) comics since she plays such a large roll in Rogue’s life, and is also a guest of Xavier’s for while, reading all of Namor’s solo books, and also the nearly impossible task of finding all of Wolverine & Deadpool’s 1000’s of solo adventures! It’s been really hard work. I’m still not convinced I found everything! But, I’ve come up with a fairly comprehensive list of every issue, in chronological order by publication month. So, now I’m ready to read!
When I first started the list, I figured I’d start with Giant Size #1. The new Uncanny team. I started my list there, and it grew quickly. Then, just as I was deciding to start this blog, C convinced me that I really should start with X-Men #1 from 1963. How, he pointed out, can I say I’ve read everything and know everything when this is all over if I didn’t even start with the team’s origins. He was right. So, I’m starting from the absolute beginning.
I’ve made a separate page to host my reading list for anyone that’s interested in it. It’s my baby. And it could have never happened without a few amazing sources:
And for all you fellow X-Men geeks out there, if you notice I’m missing something, please let me know! Like I said, I’m sure I’ve missed some issues. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Original Tumblr post: here
Searching For Genosha 