Could use another renaissance for the X-Men like this right about now

My first X-men was 229.  What a time to jump into the superhero comics.  It was after the Fall of the Mutants, and the team was more or less starting over, in Australia.  Being dead to the public after "The Fall",  they worked in secret, and Gateway was introduced in this issue, as a way to travel around and save people in trouble be a secret team of heroes.  Good stuff.

You did a wonderful job covering that classic "unified team" era of the Claremont run.

The second part of his run, which was characterized by a lot more solo adventures (like "Lifedeath") and spin-off miniseries, is generally less universally beloved. But I think it's this second part that really establishes what the X-men comics would be like for the following 30+ years. You'd have several arcs across several titles running in parallel, with the focus of each arc being on a few members of the team at a time.

Ironically, the first issue of Uncanny X-men that I ever bought was the last one in Claremont's original run (the one where Xavier is chased by a mind-controlled Colossus.) From there, I would buy the occasional back issue from the late 80s, but it wasn't until Marvel started publishing the "Essential" volumes that I read the stories from the 70s and early 80s.

I liked how Claremont and his collaborators initially built the universe for their X-men, finding ways to put new spins on the most memorable elements of the 1960s (Magneto, the Brotherhood, Juggernaut, etc.) as they added their own new characters and concepts. As you mentioned in the video, the X-men mostly fought in battles "hidden" from society: finding themselves drawn into conflicts between factions in deep space, or else fighting for their own survival or to protect their closest friends and family. Stories where they fought a classic "menace to mankind" like Moses Magnum or Proteus were typically in the minority. What has made the X-men consistently interesting and unique is that their conflicts are directly personal.

What also really defined Claremont's run from the very beginning was a lack of stability. You alluded to that year-long arc from UXM 111-121 where the X-men were travelling home after being kidnapped by Magneto, and there was barely any time for the team (or the reader) to catch their breath.

I grew up reading C.C.'s X Men and it resonates with me still.
I really understood the "it's 1984, DO you know WHAT you're children are?" title.
And NO. They didn't get us at all.

Man, the old comics were so good…

Excelente video dude!

@24:46 there's nothing quite like stumbling upon a random Garth Marenghi quote

Great deep-dive, appreciate the guest VO's as well

ooh awesome

thanks for this....my first Xmen was #125-319 or so__ thanks for this 📚📖

I'm a lifelong Marvel Comics fan... especially of the X Men..& I remember growing up in the 70s reading both the classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era thru the Len Wein/ Dave Cockrum Giant Size X Men era.,all the way up to today's POST Krakoa era
IMO by FAR the BEST X Men era was the late 70s thru mid 80s Chris Claremont/John Byrne era.. despite all of the ANTI John Byrne BS of recent years..
Hopefully the modern day Marvel Comics writers will give us yet ANOTHER X Men Renaissance Age in the near future..

My first X men was no 111

You mentioning how so many of the X-Men's adventures are far away from the public eye might explain why the public doesn't love them like the Avengers who regularly thwart villains in downtown Manhattan.  Maybe if the merry mutants operated around normal people they'd be more popular.  Wouldn't that be a big trip?  The reason why people fear and distrust mutants is due to poor location?

How do you completely leave out the Marc Silvestri era?! I cry foul!

Chris Claremont is a unique fella. John Byrne is a purist, one of many. I like Claremont.

Emma Frost definitely introduced Sean Cassidy to her plastic surgeon I mean look at his nasty leprechaun mug in those early issues & then his handsome Irish cop face in Gen X lol.

Kitty Pryde kept xmen afloat in a not so great 80s decade of xmen. Bring her back!

The book was NOT offensive.

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

Beware of the Mutant