Since 1963, there has been some incarnation of the Uncanny X-Men fighting for peace between humans and mutants. The living embodiment of Charles Xavier’s dream, the X-Men risked their lives to ensure coexistence was a possibility. With Jonathan Hickman set to take over the reins of Marvel’s mutants, a lot of fans have probably looked back at their collection of comics to see which issues of Uncanny X-Men were worth the 12 to 25 cents they originally cost.
With 56 years of stories, here are ten of them fans couldn’t get enough of, and since the demand became so high, so did the price (All prices are according to the most recent edition of the Overstreet Price Guide).
10 Uncanny X-Men #8 ($1200)
After a run in with the local townspeople, Beast has a crisis of conscience and decides to leave the X-Men. If humanity isn’t going to appreciate their help, then he felt they shouldn’t receive it. After becoming a big-time professional wrestler (after only a week, the most far-fetched thing in this issue), he meets Unus the Untouchable. Unus is a mutant with the ability to repel any object which tries to touch him like two magnets trying to touch each other. Both the X-Men and the Brotherhood try to recruit this new mutant, but it seems Unus only cares about himself.
9 Uncanny X-Men #94 ($1400)
While this isn’t their first appearance (the distinction goes to Giant Size X-Men #1), this issue signifies the first regular series debut of the “New” X-Men. Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Thunderbird, Banshee, and Nightcrawler joined Cyclops as the new generation of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (and one old Canadian). Taking on the threat of Count Nefaria, this new team shows how inexperienced it is, taking some time to work together. Unfortunately, the team in this form only lasts two issues, as Thunderbird dies the following issue (and just like Uncle Ben, has stayed dead).
8 Uncanny X-Men #7 ($1450)
It’s graduation day at Xavier’s. The X-Men have passed all of their exams, and are now full-fledged superheroes (not sure what their story was the previous six issues, but oh well). This issue featured the return of one of their first enemies, the Blob. Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants attempt to recruit the Blob into their ranks, but the X-Men have other ideas. The conflict over the Blob would be one of many wars between the X-Men and the Brotherhood in regards to recruitment. One team provides room and board in a mansion. The other has a man in a red jumpsuit yelling 24/7 about conquering the world. On paper, the choice should be natural.
7 Uncanny X-Men #6 ($1600)
Here is another of those recruitment battles we mentioned earlier. This time everyone decides it’s time to approach the world’s first mutant, Namor the Sub-Mariner. Here’s the thing. Namor is just as much, if not more, a sociopath as Magneto is. There was no way anyone reading this comic thought it was going to end any different than it did. Sometimes, hubris outweighs common sense, as is the case here with Magneto.
6 Uncanny X-Men #12 ($1650)
Cain Marko is the step-brother of Charles Xavier. To say they didn’t have the best relationship would be an understatement. Resenting his step-sibling his entire life, Marko wanted nothing more than to end Charles’ life.
Upon finding the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, Marko became the Unstoppable Juggernaut, gaining immense strength and the ability to block Charles’ psychic attacks. The Juggernaut’s first appearance came in the last panel of this issue, after spending the rest of the story teasing his massive presence.
5 Uncanny X-Men #5 ($2000)
For years, Magneto has tried to create a world where the mutants are in control, rather than feared and hated. There were a few times when he decided to give Charles’ ideas a try, but for the most part, it was Mutants first, everyone else second. He never saw himself as a villain, which is odd considering his home base, Asteroid M, SCREAMED “super-villain lair.” Even Dr. Evil would look at it and say, “Whoa. Too much.” While making its first appearance here, Asteroid M would be the site of many battles over mutant kind for years to come.
4 Uncanny X-Men #3 ($2900)
We mentioned the Blob’s second appearance earlier, but now it’s time to talk about his debut. Confronting the Blob was the first time the X-Men tried to recruit new members outside of the original five. The Blob was a circus performer who cared about making money and becoming famous. Since his goals and those of the X-Men didn’t exactly match up, of course, a fight ensued. Issue #3 was also one of the first times Charles Xavier used his mental abilities to erase memories from a person’s mind. His actions here are vital to the X-Men’s story, as the moral implications of occurrences like this would be an ongoing story point in the coming years.
3 Uncanny X-Men #2 ($4700)
Deadpool 2 had one of the coolest cameos in any superhero movie. It may have been for two seconds (literally), but Brad Pitt as X-Force member Vanisher almost stole the show.
Issue #2 of Uncanny X-Men saw the debut of the character and one of the only times during their first year they didn’t have an adventure involving Magneto.
2 Uncanny X-Men #4 ($6000)
Charles Xavier had his X-Men. Magneto needed a team of his own if his plan for mutant control of the world was to take hold. Enter the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Featuring Mastermind, Toad, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch, this group sought to destroy the X-Men and help fulfill Magneto’s dream. What made the Brotherhood special was the fact they were as impressive as the X-Men. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were always questioning Magneto’s motives, eventually leaving the team to become Avengers of all things. Also, if Magneto doesn’t see himself the villain, calling his team “evil” certainly puts a dent in his argument.
1 Uncanny X-Men #1 ($50,000)
Without this comic book, the world of Marvel would look vastly different. There would be no mutants. Saturday mornings in the 90s would have one less iconic theme. Hugh Jackman would have to find another way to break into musical theater. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby started something, well, uncanny with these five young teenagers. Born with special abilities, Beast, Cyclops, Angel, Marvel Girl, and Iceman were taught by Professor Charles Xavier to be superheroes, showing mutants and humans can live together peacefully. Fighting their greatest foe, Magneto, in their first adventure, the X-Men proved they had the capability to stand among the Avengers and the Fantastic Four as a premier team in the Marvel Universe.