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X-Men Reading Order: The Modern Era (2001-2005) – From Grant Morrison to House of M (Part. 3)

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Welcome to Part. 3 of our Comprehensive X-Men Reading Order Guide using the collected editions. The X-Men enter the Modern Era with the help of Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan, Chris Claremont, Joe Casey, and more! After the chaotic ’90s, the mutants needed a fresh start, or a real revolution. The one that just happened with Chris Claremont’s return on the franchise didn’t pay off and was poorly received by X-Men fans.

After having revamped the JLA at DC Comics (while also creating the creator-owned series The Invisibles), Grant Morrison moved to Marvel Comics at the start of the 2000s, where the Scottish writer soon tackled another major superhero team: The X-Men. New Concepts, new villains, new disasters. Simply put: New X-Men. Morrison made so many drastic changes to the franchise that this period became known as the Morrison era. This is one of the most celebrated and divisive runs on the X-Men, redefining and influencing the mutant world for years to come.

During that time, Chris Claremont was in charge of the new X-Treme X-Men while Chuck Austen wrote Uncanny X-Men, one of the most panned mutant runs. The X-Men franchise was also less stretched than usual, with no official major crossovers and only a few limited spin-offs. However, the world of X-Men will be poorer if there weren’t some short-lived solo series and other fondly remembered team books.

There is no doubt that the early 2000s were a creative time for the X-Men, cut short after Morrison left the franchise. His departure prompted Marvel Comics to relaunch the X-Men once again under the ReLoad banner, marking a return to a more traditional approach–including the costumes. Following the cancellation of X-Treme, Claremont moved on to Uncanny X-Men, while Austen took on the adjectiveless X-Men. But today, Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s run on Astonishing X-Men, a continuation of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, is the most celebrated run of this era, filled with several short-lived spin-offs and miniseries. This is during that time that X-23 was introduced in the comic pages and Cable and Deadpool teamed up, before the House of M event shook the X-Men world once more.

X-Men Enters the Modern Era: The Menu

The X-Men made their debut in 1963, and you can explore the rich and complex past of the team with the previous part of our guide: 

You are here! The Morrison era is the modern starting point to the X-Men Saga, perfect for newcomers and everyone else! Dive into the part 3 of our Complete X-Men Reading order now: 

X-Men Reading Order

Searching for an X-Men Omnibus? There are more than 50 omnibuses dedicated to the X-Men. You’ll find all the volumes, including those covering the Modern era, in our X-Omnibus Guide:

See Our Complete Guide to the X-Men Omnibus Collection.

X-Men Reading Order

The X-Men Modern Era in Epic Collection

With the success of the Epic Collection line, Marvel Comics has, in recent years, launched the Modern Era Epic Collection to cover more recent comic runs. Several volumes have focused on the X-Men, with the collection still ongoing. It’s worth noting that not all recent volumes fall under the Modern Era banner, as the distinction between the classic and modern eras is not clearly defined.

Astonishing X-Men, Cable & Deadpool, and New X-Men were previously collected in the Ultimate Collection line. Since the launch of the Modern Era Epic Collection in 2023, these runs have started to be reissued under this new line. For this reason, we won’t list the Ultimate Collection below for those titles. 

X-Men Reading Order

X-Men Enters the Modern Era Reading Order

As of June 2025, our following list has been completely revised to limit, if possible, the need to jump between different series, as we believe this offers a better reading experience, while still respecting the overall chronology. At least, we prefer it that way, and we hope you like it!

X-Men Modern Era Part 1: The Grant Morrison Era (2001-2004)

Recently appointed editor-in-chief Joe Quesada recruited Grant Morrison to help the X-Men regain some of their “former glory” with the New X-Men. Chris Claremont, who had returned to the franchise during the Revolution Era, chose to lead his own independent team in X-Treme X-Men. The third main title, Uncanny X-Men, was initially written by Joe Casey before he left and was replaced by Chuck Austen, whose run is widely regarded by fans as one of the worst in X-Men history. While the three titles ran mostly simultaneously, they didn’t always interact or reference each other, and there were no official X-Men crossovers during those years.

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

X-Corps collects the entirety of Joe Casey’s run, which contains some references to events from previous issues of X-Treme X-Men and New X-Men listed above. 

  • X-Men: X-Corps
    Collects Uncanny X-Men #394–409, Uncanny X-Men Annual 2001. UXM #394–399 are also collected in Poptopia.

It’s a good place to read the comic series published with the Marvel Icons branding. Under this name was published miniseries featuring characters generally part of a team book. Not to be confused with Icon Comics. It was also a good way to give some opportunity to new names or talents at the time. 

  • X-Men Icons: Cyclops
    Collects Cyclops (X-Men: Icons) #1–4. Set in the early part of New X-Men.
  • X-Men: Icons: Chamber
    Collects Chamber (X-Men: Icons) #1–4. Set after the events of X-Corps.
  • X-Men: Icons: Nightcrawler
    Collects Nightcrawler (X-Men: Icons) #1–4. Explore Kurt’s priesthood period (around X-Corps).
  • X-Men: Icons: Iceman
    Collects Iceman (X-Men: Icons) #1–4. Set around UXM #399.
  • X-Men: Icons: Rogue
    Collects Rogue (X-Men: Icons) #1–4. You can read it or skip it. It is considered outside the main continuity due to some creative choices.

X-Statix! Grant Morrison wasn’t the only one taking the X-Men in a new and bold direction during this period. Peter Milligan and Mike Allred deconstructed them in X-Force, then X-Statix. Far away as possible from your heroic X-Men team, this one explores the pitfall of acceptance, fame, and celebrity with a massive body count! This satirical X-Men comic has few connections with the rest, and can be read in one sitting with the Omnibus! Marvel has also started to reprint this run in The Complete Collection (two volumes available), but has not finished it, so we are not highlighting it!

Follow-up for X-Statix fans! You can check out X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl (also reprinted in the Omnibus), set not long after the conclusion of the series. Since then, Milligan and Allred returned with Giant-Size X-Statix (2019) and a 2022 follow-up, The X-Cellent, revisiting the team’s themes. Also, Dead Girl works at Strange Academy!

Exiles! Inspired by the TV shows Quantum Leap and Sliders, Exiles follows a group of X-characters pulled from alternate timelines and universes, tasked with jumping across parallel realities to fix problems–set after the events of Age of Apocalypse. Created by Judd Winick and Mike McKone, Exiles remains a well-regarded series that ran for 100 issues. It has since become something of a cult favorite among Marvel fans, and we can hope that the entire run will be reprinted in the near future. In the meantime, the whole series has also been collected in the Ultimate Collection line, across six volumes.

Deadpool Reading Order Icon

Launch and Relaunch! To make it easier to associate the titles with the X-Men franchise, Marvel Comics rebranded Deadpool as Agent X (also in Deadpool Classic Omnibus, Vol. 1)  and Cable as Soldier X. Also launched during that time was Weapon X, written by Frank Tieri, who had previously written Wolverine and introduced this version of the team in that series.

Weapon X notes. Part of the series has not been collected in trade paperback and is only available in the Weapon X: The Return Omnibus, which makes it the edition we recommend! 

Wolverine Logo

Wolverine notes. The last part of Wolverine Volume 2 hasn’t been cohesively collected until recently with Wolverine Epic Collection Vol. 15: Law of the Jungle. That’s the best way to collect those issues previously reprinted in: 

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

Chuck Austen’s run starts here. This run has been recollected by Marvel between 2018 and 2020 in three trades: Unstoppable, Trial of the Juggernaut, and Reload (which cover his New X-Men issues). While the run is massively criticized, it’s also here you’ll find new development for Juggernaut!

Wolverine Logo

Wolverine break! Logan is the most active X-Man out there. During those years, he headlined a series of miniseries that was published in parallel to his main title (and his activities in other X-Men teams!). We invite you to check out our Wolverine Guide if Shorty is one of your favorites!

After X-Treme X-Men #23, Sage and Bishop are called in to investigate a murder at the mansion, in New X-Men (2001) #140-141.

More X-Series! As Morrison’s modern classic run is coming to an end, we make a little detour before the last hurrah (and twists) to highlight other X-Series released in those years.

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

Grant Morrison’s run on the X-Men concludes here!
The whole run is available in Omnibus format.

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

Chris Claremont’s X-Treme X-Men (except for the 2022 series) is available in two omnibuses.

X-Men Reading Order

X-Men Modern Era Part 2: ReLoad

Following Grant Morrison’s departure from the X-Men, Marvel Comics revamped the franchise, going back to a more traditional approach. Chris Claremont took over the Uncanny X-Men title once more, while Chuck Austen moved on New X-Men, which was retitled X-Men. Also, new titles were added to the line to take the place of cancelled ones: New X-Men: Academy X (a follow-up to New Mutants), Astonishing X-Men, Cable and Deadpool, and more solo series. 

Wolverine Claws Logo - Reading Order

Let’s start this new era with a Wolverine/Punisher comic before concluding the Weapon X story launched in the previous years. Although the title didn’t come to a natural conclusion following Marvel’s cancellation, pressure and letters from angry fans pushed Marvel to order a 5-part series, offering Frank Tieri the opportunity to give a conclusion to the series.

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

New X-Men: Academy X! While New X-Men listed the ‘New’ to be called once again simply ‘X-Men‘, the ‘New X-Men‘ title was reused for a new series during the Reload era. Mostly a follow-up to New Mutants, New X-Men: Academy X focused on the lives of young students residing at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning as they learn to control their powers. The whole run from writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir has also been reprinted in New X-Men: Academy X – Complete Collection.

X-23

Laura Kinney, alias X-23, made her first appearance in NYX #3. While this series was published around this time, it’s worth noting that the events depicted are set after the X-23 series, which tells the origins of the character and was published later. From a chronological standpoint, you can choose to read X-23 here, follow up with NYX, and continue with the character joining the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #450. X-23 is also listed in our X-Men Part 4 Reading Guide, if you choose to take a more publication order approach. 

It was an ‘All-New, All-Different’ Alpha Flight (not related to the 2015–2019 branding) with Sasquatch recruiting a new team, although some original members were back for the second part of this short series written by Scott Lobdell. 

 

Optional. The Modern era of the Avengers started a few years after X-Men, with Brian Michael Bendis’ arrival on the title. His first story arc, Dissassembled, can also serve as a prelude to the House of M event that will shake the X-Men world. 

The new Astonishing X-Men series starts here! The third ongoing main series in the Reload era, and also the supposedly flagship, Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men is a continuation of Morrison’s run, with a similar line-up of characters and the introduction of new characters. It’s also worth noting that this is a self-contained run which had a few delays during its publication, and don’t take too much into account the events happening in other comics. Even though House of M was published in the middle of it, it does not really impact the series. So, you can read the whole run from start to finish if you want, collected in one omnibus. In all cases, you can read the first part of the run here: 

Exiles Logo

Let’s reconnect with Exiles! The team continues to jump across parallel realities without any important connection to the events set in Earth-616 until the House of M event. You can read it whenever you want, with one important detail: as Marvel celebrates the 10th anniversary of the fan favorite event Age of Apocalypse, with a miniseries, the team returns home to this famous period during two issues set during this comic. 

Wolverine Logo

The world’s deadliest living weapon just fell into the wrong hands. It’s Wolverine vs. the Marvel Universe in a blockbuster storyline that will have Logan shredding his way through the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and S.H.I.E.L.D.! How does Wolverine end up fighting to destroy everything he holds dear? This is Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s Enemy of the State, a one-year Wolverine storyline, best read in one sitting! The storyline is also available in Wolverine by Mark Millar Omnibus.

Deadpool Reading Order Icon

Cable and Deadpool. The X-Men version of The Odd Couple. After the cancellation of Cable and Deadpool’s previous ongoing solo series, the two characters are teaming up in one book. Well, from Cable’s point of view, you could say that they are unfortunately stuck with each other–under Fabian Nicieza’s supervision! All those issues are also collected in Deadpool & Cable Omnibus.

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

Peter Milligan’s run on the X-Men starts here. The British writer took over from Chuck Austen and didn’t really make a splash. At All. Besides the trades listed below, those issues have also been reprinted in X-men By Peter Milligan Vol. 1: Dangerous Liaisons.

More than an X-Man! Wolverine joins the New Avengers around this time, and you can find more about that series in our Avengers by Bendis Reading Order.

X-Men Reading Order - X-Logo

A new volume of X-Men Unlimited was launched as part of X-Men: ReLoad. This anthology title features stories relating to peripheral events, jumping around in continuity. For this reason, we recommend reading the volume at this point, although stories are all over the place in the timeline. 

  • Astonishing X-Men Companion
    Collects X-Men Unlimited vol.2 #2-14, Giant-Size X-Men (2005) #3-4, Mythos: X-Men (2006) #1; material from Free Comic Book Day 2006 (X-Men/Runaways). This is a hard book to place, sorry for the confusion during the reading.

The unstable Scarlet Witch has rewritten reality into a world where Magneto is king! In this “House of M,” mutants are Earth’s dominant species, living glamorous lives and reigning over the oppressed Sapien class. But Wolverine, now a member of Magnus’ peacekeeping force, S.H.I.E.L.D., remembers how the world used to be. And his quest to find and awaken his former allies in the Avengers and X-Men sparks a revolution that aims to tear down Wanda’s strange new world! And when it is over, the world of the X-Men will be changed forever! You can go read the essentials with the House of M Omnibus (and everything else with the House of M Companion omnibus), or check out our complete House of M Reading Guide, with an issue-by-issue order!

The following are the trades related to the event and the X-Men: 

X-Men Reading Order

The X-Men Saga continues! 

X-Men Reading Order

X-Men Comics Guide

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