What do you think?
Rate this book
Illustrated throughout, The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection presents specially curated cartoon anthologies of the world's greatest superheroes
The seeds of a pop-cultural phenomenon were sown with the launch of the first X-Men comic in 1963, at the height of the 'Marvel Revolution', under the creative team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This title is bookended by the first issue, which established a creative formula that continues to inspire contemporary creators, to the later editions still acclaimed for the ground-breaking artwork of Neal Adams.
A foreword by Rainbow Rowell and a comprehensive introduction and notes by Ben Saunders offer further insight into the enduring significance of the X-Men and classic Marvel comics. This Penguin Classics black spine paperback features full-colour art.
The seeds of a pop-cultural phenomenon were sown with the launch of the first X-Men comic in 1963, at the height of the 'Marvel Revolution', under the creative team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This title is bookended by the first issue, which established a creative formula that continues to inspire contemporary creators, to the later editions still acclaimed for the ground-breaking artwork of Neal Adams.
A foreword by Rainbow Rowell and a comprehensive introduction and notes by Ben Saunders offer further insight into the enduring significance of the X-Men and classic Marvel comics. This Penguin Classics black spine paperback features full-colour art.
432 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2023
27 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,567 books2,332 followersStan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 25, 2025
Laziness spurs creativity
The X-Men were born when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Marvel's premiere creators of new superhero comics, noted that superhero teams such as the Fantastic Four were box-office, so why not start another one? Lee wrote
In Lee and Kirby's hands the idea turned out to have legs. They did two things that gave the X-Men and their stories unexpected emotional depth. First, they gave some of the X-Men gifts that were hard to bear. For instance Rogue (who would not appear until 1981) cannot touch another person without hurting them.
Second, and this was the Big One, Lee and Kirby anticipated that Mutants would be met with the resentment of bigots. In this they were surely right. In fact, this resentment is not unfounded. The main villains of the X-Men are other Mutants who think themselves entitled to rule over inferior Homo sapiens. Eventually the X-Men franchise came to be seen as a model of prejudice and social injustice. In his Introduction, editor Ben Saunders casts doubt on this interpretation, but it strikes me that, even if Lee and Kirby had no such idea at first, the franchise gradually grew into it. If oppressed readers and movie viewers see themselves in the X-Men, who has the right to tell them they are wrong?
Eventually (1968) Lee and Kirby stepped away from the X-Men, handing it off to new writers and artists. As usual (I am learning as I work my way through the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection), this hand-off to younger artists was accompanied by a burst of creativity -- the last comics in the book are the best. In 1970 Marvel canceled the X-Men, and that is where this collection ends.
The X-Men would return to the comics in 1975 and in the 1980s became Marvel's best-selling titles. And of course in 2000 the first X-Men movie appeared -- the franchise now totals fourteen movies (including the recently released Deadpool and Wolverine).
X-Men is a fairly good entry in the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection -- second only to The Amazing Spider-Man among the four I have so far read.
Blog review.
The X-Men were born when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Marvel's premiere creators of new superhero comics, noted that superhero teams such as the Fantastic Four were box-office, so why not start another one? Lee wrote
Then once I figured out what powers they'd have ... how did they get their powers? And they were all separate people that weren't connected to each other, so I knew that would be a helluva job. And I took the cowardly way out, and I figured, hey, the easiest thing in the world: they were born that way. They were mutants.In a world in which nuclear weapons tests had in the recent past released lots of radioactivity in to the atmosphere, this appeared to make a lot of sense.
In Lee and Kirby's hands the idea turned out to have legs. They did two things that gave the X-Men and their stories unexpected emotional depth. First, they gave some of the X-Men gifts that were hard to bear. For instance Rogue (who would not appear until 1981) cannot touch another person without hurting them.
Second, and this was the Big One, Lee and Kirby anticipated that Mutants would be met with the resentment of bigots. In this they were surely right. In fact, this resentment is not unfounded. The main villains of the X-Men are other Mutants who think themselves entitled to rule over inferior Homo sapiens. Eventually the X-Men franchise came to be seen as a model of prejudice and social injustice. In his Introduction, editor Ben Saunders casts doubt on this interpretation, but it strikes me that, even if Lee and Kirby had no such idea at first, the franchise gradually grew into it. If oppressed readers and movie viewers see themselves in the X-Men, who has the right to tell them they are wrong?
Eventually (1968) Lee and Kirby stepped away from the X-Men, handing it off to new writers and artists. As usual (I am learning as I work my way through the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection), this hand-off to younger artists was accompanied by a burst of creativity -- the last comics in the book are the best. In 1970 Marvel canceled the X-Men, and that is where this collection ends.
The X-Men would return to the comics in 1975 and in the 1980s became Marvel's best-selling titles. And of course in 2000 the first X-Men movie appeared -- the franchise now totals fourteen movies (including the recently released Deadpool and Wolverine).
X-Men is a fairly good entry in the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection -- second only to The Amazing Spider-Man among the four I have so far read.
Blog review.
January 21, 2024
I enjoyed about two thirds of this book. I just felt that the latter stories had less substance. Although, the artwork was amazing throughout! I haven’t read a comic since I was 7 or 8 🤣 but I did enjoy this.
Read
September 28, 2023This is the first of the Penguin Classics Marvel collections I’ve read, and also my first time through a lot of the pre-Claremont X-Men comics, and I’m glad i read them this way. The context throughout makes some of the more dated stuff read a lot better, and there’s a lot of fun (even whimsy! I love whimsy) to these stories. Given the extent to which the X-Men became a metaphor for a lot of different things over time, it’s fascinating to see what was there at the start, what wasn’t, and how it started rolling in pretty early—much earlier than I’d thought it did, even. A neat little historical artifact, lovingly packaged.
October 24, 2024
Loved this collection of classic 'X-Men' comics, it is actually my favourite of the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection so far. The characters are so fun and dynamic, which makes watching them work as a team so exciting. I loved the way they would combine their powers and come up with plans to be really exciting. Each comic felt different from the last because there were so many different characters.
There were a few comics that they skipped over but discussed in the written sections that I really wish they had included. The most prominent being the first crossover between the X-Men and the Avengers. Not sure why they wouldn't have included that one as it sounds really fun, and is a big moment for both teams. They obviously can't include everything but that is one omission that I thought was a bad choice.
I really enjoyed the introduction as always, they are always interesting and well written. It is clear that their focus with this book was to show fans of the films as many first appearances of classic characters as they could, which suited me perfectly. Characters like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are current fan favourites so it was excellent seeing their origins. It also fascinated me to see which characters were hugely important in this classic run but were then relegated to background roles in the films. This was a fantastic book and a must-read for any Marvel fan.
There were a few comics that they skipped over but discussed in the written sections that I really wish they had included. The most prominent being the first crossover between the X-Men and the Avengers. Not sure why they wouldn't have included that one as it sounds really fun, and is a big moment for both teams. They obviously can't include everything but that is one omission that I thought was a bad choice.
I really enjoyed the introduction as always, they are always interesting and well written. It is clear that their focus with this book was to show fans of the films as many first appearances of classic characters as they could, which suited me perfectly. Characters like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are current fan favourites so it was excellent seeing their origins. It also fascinated me to see which characters were hugely important in this classic run but were then relegated to background roles in the films. This was a fantastic book and a must-read for any Marvel fan.
February 27, 2024
Another excellent collection by Penguin. I want to mark it down for not including the first Juggernaut story but there is just so much in here that I like that I just can't. Great production values and insights as with the other volumes.
May 27, 2024
I kinda stopped writing reviews for the longest time idk why, I think because I was just trying to read as much as possible and therefore "didn't have time" to write them. But I miss going through and reading my thoughts of books at the time of reading so I'm gonna try doing them again.
I'm in a bit of a Marvel hyperfocus era rn so I went to Kings Comics randomly and found these Marvel collections from Penguin. I made the financially wise decision to purchase all 6 and so I'm starting with the X-Men one first because X-Men superiority.
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVED the like critical analysis that comes before the comics and throughout the book. It's so interesting to read about the team and learn not just about their stories, but like the historical and cultural context behind and ahead of them. Learning about comics or anything really from a scholarly perspective is just so cool idk
As for the actual collected comics themselves, they were good. I'm still tryna find a way to absolutely love comics because so far I haven't really super connected to any I've read so far (I feel like that's kinda the point though? I feel like, not all comics, but superhero comics are meant to be kinda superficial and more focused on the action and plot then like deep emotional ties to the characters), but I still think these were good. The art was nice and a lot of the dialogue is actually pretty funny, and it's just super cool to see the early adventures of characters I've grown up with.
Anyways that's my thoughts for now byeeee
I'm in a bit of a Marvel hyperfocus era rn so I went to Kings Comics randomly and found these Marvel collections from Penguin. I made the financially wise decision to purchase all 6 and so I'm starting with the X-Men one first because X-Men superiority.
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVED the like critical analysis that comes before the comics and throughout the book. It's so interesting to read about the team and learn not just about their stories, but like the historical and cultural context behind and ahead of them. Learning about comics or anything really from a scholarly perspective is just so cool idk
As for the actual collected comics themselves, they were good. I'm still tryna find a way to absolutely love comics because so far I haven't really super connected to any I've read so far (I feel like that's kinda the point though? I feel like, not all comics, but superhero comics are meant to be kinda superficial and more focused on the action and plot then like deep emotional ties to the characters), but I still think these were good. The art was nice and a lot of the dialogue is actually pretty funny, and it's just super cool to see the early adventures of characters I've grown up with.
Anyways that's my thoughts for now byeeee
August 30, 2024
To be honest, I didn’t actually finish this, I got about 5 issues in, then said to myself “you know what, that’s enough for me, I get the picture.”
This is not Lee or Kirby’s best work unfortunately, and I’m glad it got remade to be better than ever, because if this was all the X-Men we ever had, I would not be a fan of the franchise. The biggest draw back for me, is the dialogue, it’s so fucking bad. Too wordy, with every line being basically skipable; all they talk about is what they’re currently doing, which is redundant when we can fucking see what they’re doing in the mediocre illustrations. Also the dialogue that actually progresses the story or develops the characters is still not good, I’m not expecting Shakespeare, and I know these are kids comics from the 60s, but come on, it’s so unnatural and awkward, everyone speaks the same way, and acts the same way, and has equally terrible lines. The team dynamic isn’t interesting because the characters aren’t interesting, and don’t you dare tell me that it’s because I didn’t read enough, because it should be good from the moment they tell us all the cliche character traits in issue 1. The stories are dull shlock, and the idea of mutant race who are hated like many minorities were during this era, is good, but they don’t do anything with it, it just comes up every now and then, then has no impact on anything.
I will return to X-Men, just not this book, I’ll read some Clermont, Morrison, or Whedon, that should be better.
This is not Lee or Kirby’s best work unfortunately, and I’m glad it got remade to be better than ever, because if this was all the X-Men we ever had, I would not be a fan of the franchise. The biggest draw back for me, is the dialogue, it’s so fucking bad. Too wordy, with every line being basically skipable; all they talk about is what they’re currently doing, which is redundant when we can fucking see what they’re doing in the mediocre illustrations. Also the dialogue that actually progresses the story or develops the characters is still not good, I’m not expecting Shakespeare, and I know these are kids comics from the 60s, but come on, it’s so unnatural and awkward, everyone speaks the same way, and acts the same way, and has equally terrible lines. The team dynamic isn’t interesting because the characters aren’t interesting, and don’t you dare tell me that it’s because I didn’t read enough, because it should be good from the moment they tell us all the cliche character traits in issue 1. The stories are dull shlock, and the idea of mutant race who are hated like many minorities were during this era, is good, but they don’t do anything with it, it just comes up every now and then, then has no impact on anything.
I will return to X-Men, just not this book, I’ll read some Clermont, Morrison, or Whedon, that should be better.
May 10, 2024
The X-Men have evolved since their beginnings. I love going back to the early days. It's dated, sure, but I kinda like that time. You get over-the-top narration, pie-eyed idealism, and the fun of watching characters grow and develop. Though it's at times cringy, it's a fun read. One of my favorite characters is Iceman. It was good to see how he changed from more snowman than iceman and be explained by him gaining greater control over his powers. And I miss seeing him having a major role in story-arcs. Also. I always loved the ice slides.
The intro, by Rainbow Rowell no less, appreciated the prejudice humans have with mutants and it's' ability to draw attention to it's real world analog. But at the same time she pointed out the one glaring problem with it: everyone's white. It took years to rectify that but the X-Men and Marvel at large has done a good job at diversity. More uncomfortable, to me, was everyone being in love with Jean, mostly Scott and Warren but Professor X to was briefly toyed with. Oof.
But I don't want to end on a down note. These early days were the first peak of comics. The creativity and plotting, while at times laughable, were when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were at the height of their powers. Don't expect modern day ideas and plots but take if for what it is: a product of the radically changing America in the 60s.
The intro, by Rainbow Rowell no less, appreciated the prejudice humans have with mutants and it's' ability to draw attention to it's real world analog. But at the same time she pointed out the one glaring problem with it: everyone's white. It took years to rectify that but the X-Men and Marvel at large has done a good job at diversity. More uncomfortable, to me, was everyone being in love with Jean, mostly Scott and Warren but Professor X to was briefly toyed with. Oof.
But I don't want to end on a down note. These early days were the first peak of comics. The creativity and plotting, while at times laughable, were when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were at the height of their powers. Don't expect modern day ideas and plots but take if for what it is: a product of the radically changing America in the 60s.
March 7, 2024
Really interesting. From the first issue to a discussion of the last of the original X-Men comics. And not just the stories but selected letter pages, academic essays and discussion on the development of the comics, the characters and Marvel itself. Much more interesting than the pages of pencil drawings and character sketches that often pad out collections like this.
The stories were often very naff (along the lines of one character doing something inexplicably stupid, not explaining why and the rest of the X-Men fighting against them only for the reason to be revealed right at the end) but, in general, they were fun. What I found especially interesting was the development of the artwork and the refining of the characters. The pairing of Roy Thomas and Neal Adams towards the end of this original run was particularly impressive and it is a great pity that falling sales led to cancellation. It was the tail end of the sixties but Adams’ layouts and artwork would not look out of place in modern comics.
The stories were often very naff (along the lines of one character doing something inexplicably stupid, not explaining why and the rest of the X-Men fighting against them only for the reason to be revealed right at the end) but, in general, they were fun. What I found especially interesting was the development of the artwork and the refining of the characters. The pairing of Roy Thomas and Neal Adams towards the end of this original run was particularly impressive and it is a great pity that falling sales led to cancellation. It was the tail end of the sixties but Adams’ layouts and artwork would not look out of place in modern comics.
October 13, 2024
On a whim, I picked up the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection X-Men volume. I was a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the mid 2010s, like nearly everyone else, and I picked up a couple of the New Avengers comics in that heyday, but I never really did venture into the comics. But Penguin Classics has published these curated collections of foundational comics and they present them with historical context and literary analysis.
I really appreciated those editorial elements because these foundational comics created in the 1960s were very much a product of their time. They don’t necessarily hold up well against the social justice allegory that I and I think a lot of others associate with X-Men nowadays, but as the introduction by Ben Saunders points out, they do express more anxiety about the atomic age and the effects of radioactivity. So I enjoyed this a lot more, I reckon than I would have a pure, Omnibus edition of the early comics. So kudos to Ben Saunders, the series editor, for his curation and academic analysis.
I really appreciated those editorial elements because these foundational comics created in the 1960s were very much a product of their time. They don’t necessarily hold up well against the social justice allegory that I and I think a lot of others associate with X-Men nowadays, but as the introduction by Ben Saunders points out, they do express more anxiety about the atomic age and the effects of radioactivity. So I enjoyed this a lot more, I reckon than I would have a pure, Omnibus edition of the early comics. So kudos to Ben Saunders, the series editor, for his curation and academic analysis.
September 5, 2025
A solid collection of some of the first ever X-Men comics. Things were different back then. People were more optimistic and more polite. The Danger Room was basically a fancy gym. The original roster of the X-Men consisted of only Professor Charles Xavier (founder), Cyclops (Scott Summers), Iceman (Bobby Drake), Angel (Warren Worthington III), Beast (Hank McCoy, not yet a PhD in biochemistry), and Marvel Girl (Jean Grey). Other iconic members of the team, like Wolverine (James Logan Howlet), Storm (Ororo Munroe), Rogue (Anne-Marie), or Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) would not be introduced until later. Nevertheless, you can see the fruitful seeds of ideas being sowed on the pages by Stan Lee and his colleagues at Marvel. The inclusion of the last story---"The Man in the Sky"--- was a nice touch. First published in 1962, it actually predates all the X-Men stories. Yet, in just a small number of pages, it carries the conceptual seeds for which the entire franchise would be built on, though it is now almost forgotten.
I would advise Penguin Classics to replace or remove the politically biased and obnoxious commentaries by Ben Saunders.
I would advise Penguin Classics to replace or remove the politically biased and obnoxious commentaries by Ben Saunders.
November 8, 2025
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this volume after receiving it as a gift, but it was a really good x-men primer.
I’ve read the majority of the x-men comics from Claremont onwards and hadn’t really wanted to go back and complete the silver age but this included a few key issues as well as accompanying information about what was happening at Marvel at the time.
For those that haven’t read the original run before, it gives more insight into the relationships between the original 5 (which has a further impact on the later x-factor run) and while some of the first issues are now very dated I really enjoyed the Thomas and Adam’s issues with the return of the sentinels, a key story that they will return to again and again.
I’ve read the majority of the x-men comics from Claremont onwards and hadn’t really wanted to go back and complete the silver age but this included a few key issues as well as accompanying information about what was happening at Marvel at the time.
For those that haven’t read the original run before, it gives more insight into the relationships between the original 5 (which has a further impact on the later x-factor run) and while some of the first issues are now very dated I really enjoyed the Thomas and Adam’s issues with the return of the sentinels, a key story that they will return to again and again.
October 1, 2023
I really love these collections mostly for the history of the respective comic, so I really enjoyed learning more about the creation and behind the scenes of my favorite super-team. Of course the original comics are products of their age, but they are still immensely fun. I can see though how when people talk about the best X-Men runs, normally the original run isn't mentioned. True credit though, I even liked Cyclops in this. Now I'm super excited to read my Chris Claremont omnibuses, as that's typically regarded as peak X-Men.
January 9, 2025
The foreword and the introduction are fantastic. I love the contextual detail added throughout and the way it explains what happened in skipped issues. It even includes some of the letter columns for extra historical context. Highly educational. I take one star off for the content of the comics themselves. Boy is it not hard to see why this got cancelled back in the '60s. But very cool to see what aspects of these characters and stories persevered and what's been left behind. Bring on Second Genesis.
January 21, 2025
I feel for anyone who got excited at seeing this, expecting Wolverine, Colossus and Storm, only to be disappointed. These original X-Men do seem to be a trifle less exotic, but they are a valuable part of that creative explosion from Lee and Kirby in 1963. Slightly strange selection, but so good to see the later Neal Adams pencilled stories. The accompanying essays give full attention to the early development of the human v mutant storyline which has such a prominent place in the canon.
January 16, 2025
fantastic to read the highlights of the original run of the x-men, especially in such a well put-together and educational collection. my favourite part (other than the comics themselves) was undoubtedly the letters sent in by fans. I loved seeing that fandom, particularly the marvel fandom, never quite changes. ‘til next ish… ‘nuff said!
June 4, 2025
This was a pretty fun read, I love going back to the past and exploring old art and stories; but the jumping around near the end made me lose interest a bit. Also these X-men stories just didn’t catch my attention like other marvel stories had.
January 26, 2024
Enjoyable re-reading of the stories that meant so much to me as a little chap...especially seeing the amazing artwork by Neal Adams.
February 23, 2024
A really cool book to own covering most of the first 60 comics of the X-Men taking out various ones to have a three page talk about instead.
June 26, 2024
I appreciate this as the seeds of what was to come, but on their own I don’t think most of these stories hold up.
August 31, 2024
Great collection of the first comics that really show off the story and the art - some of the panels and covers look like paintings.
September 25, 2024
The original X-men comics featuring a not yet blue Beast.
February 16, 2025
I’m not sure what I expected.
July 7, 2025
Loved being able to see the original stories of the X-Men characters. I've only really seen these characters in the FOX movies of them so this really opened my eyes to how the team was first thought of and I loved getting to see the real banter between the team!
April 19, 2025
This is a really cool publication that effectively contextualized the whole first run of this series. As somebody who knows almost nothing about Western comics and has hardly read anything except the 3 or 4 graphic novels to see mainstream popularity in the last 20 years, I learned a lot about the creative process, influential artists, and business of this form.
That being said, most of the stories in here are lame. Basically all the Thomas and Roth issues represented here are bad, and even the Lee-Kirby years are pretty disappointing considering what I expected from those legendary names. The two arcs featuring the sentinels, however, are both really good.
I definitely want to check out the other collections in the series, especially since, as I gather from context, the Fantastic Four, The Amazing Spiderman, and others were much more successful and innovative during this period than the X-Men were. It sounds like the X-Men started to hit their stride in the 70s, which falls after the scope of this issue. Fortunately, this volume has plenty of notes for further reading that i intend to take advantage of.
That being said, most of the stories in here are lame. Basically all the Thomas and Roth issues represented here are bad, and even the Lee-Kirby years are pretty disappointing considering what I expected from those legendary names. The two arcs featuring the sentinels, however, are both really good.
I definitely want to check out the other collections in the series, especially since, as I gather from context, the Fantastic Four, The Amazing Spiderman, and others were much more successful and innovative during this period than the X-Men were. It sounds like the X-Men started to hit their stride in the 70s, which falls after the scope of this issue. Fortunately, this volume has plenty of notes for further reading that i intend to take advantage of.
May 3, 2025
2.7/5
Didn’t love this stuff til the end! I was expecting the classic X-Men not the original group. Not nearly as fun, but the comics at the end of the book were much more entertaining! I realize I’m probably giving unpopular opinions but…it was better than Avengers!
Didn’t love this stuff til the end! I was expecting the classic X-Men not the original group. Not nearly as fun, but the comics at the end of the book were much more entertaining! I realize I’m probably giving unpopular opinions but…it was better than Avengers!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews