"I don't read solo series. I'm an X-Men guy."

That's been one of my go-to lines for as long as I can remember. That strict sentiment has faded away over the years, and I've fallen in love with a number of solo series over the course of the last decade. But in the years before Joe Kelly's late '90s run on "Deadpool," a.k.a. the very first solo series I ever loved, I firmly believed that team books were the only way to live. I still value a great team book; do I need to sing the praises of "Superior Foes of Spider-Man" again? Because I can. I don't need to? You're all catching up with that series? Good.

Even as an adult that appreciates a great solo series almost as much as he does a great team book (the Parker/Walker/Shalvey "Thunderbolts" run, you guys!), I mostly get my solo hero fix outside of the X-Verse. "Daredevil," "Hawkeye" and "Captain Marvel" are three books I look forward to every month, and none of them are X-Men books. For a long time, I went to the mutant books for team action only. Suddenly, though, that's changed. That's changed big time.

The X-Men have a spotty record when it comes to solo ongoings, with Wolverine the only character that's been able to consistently hold one down. The rest of the major players have all had limited series, but only a handful of others have had ongoings. Gambit's had the most success after Wolverine, and his most recent series (volume 5) stretched out to 17 issues before getting axed. That hasn't stopped Marvel from giving the mutants a big solo push this year, and they've launched four new ongoing titles: "Magneto," "Nightcrawler," "Cyclops" and "Storm." Much to my surprise, and in defiance of my own expectations, I love all of them.

My hopes were initially low for the quality of these ongoings because I'd already lived through another one of Marvel's attempts to turn the X-Men into solo stars. Almost ten years ago, Marvel launched "Rogue," "Jubilee" and the previous volumes of "Gambit" and "Nightcrawler." I tried all of them, but only "Nightcrawler" and "Jubilee" held my attention -- and not for very long. "Jubilee" -- written by then up-and-coming writer Robert Kirkman -- retroactively became a limited series and ended after six issues.

I don't remember much else about these four series, aside from the fact that most of them seemed to focus heavily on each character's background. Gambit went to New Orleans again, Rogue discovered shocking truths about her birth parents, Nightcrawler was reeeeeal Catholic -- I don't remember being surprised by any of them, really. I'm also not here to call any of them failures, though; the three series that didn't get turned into limited series all lasted 12 issues. Back in 2004, that was considered disappointing, but getting 12 issues in 2014 would be considered a success. It would also take about five months to release all 12 of those issues, but that's a whole other thing. I don't yet know if this current quartet of solo books will outlast the four that preceded them a decade ago. I do think they're all succeeding in a different way, though, and they're creating what could be the blueprint for future X-Men solo spinoffs.

All four of these books -- "Magneto" by Cullen Bunn and Gabriel Hernandez Walta, "Nightcrawler" by Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck, "Cyclops" by Greg Rucka and Russell Dauterman, and "Storm" by Greg Pak and Victor Ibanez -- are taking their leading team players and putting them into new situations. These ongoings are not content on letting the star be the sole hook of the series. They've matched characters with interesting concepts, and the stories that have resulted so far feel fresher than any solo offerings I've read from any mutants in a while.

I wrote a whole piece about "Storm" already, but the second issue has come out since then. Of the four, this ongoing's had the least amount of issues, but despite that, "Storm" still has a hook for me -- one that goes beyond, "Um, I dunno, what if we take Storm back to Africa or, um, reveal a mystery about her parents?" She's not content to just wait around in a mansion for the world to need her, and she doesn't just happen upon injustice by chance like a lot of other solo heroes. In this series, Storm has become a proactive force for good -- she goes looking for trouble and then figures out how to stop it. "Storm" is also rooted firmly in the present. Previous X-ongoings have felt the need to gloss over their lead's current context and give them a soft reboot. "Storm" is set in the modern day Jean Grey School. She has her mohawk, she's dating Wolverine, she's the Storm we see in the other comics. This series, like the rest of the new ongoings, allows her current status quo to give the series texture.

"Cyclops" was easily the most head-scratching idea for an ongoing of the initial four. They were going to give the teenage Cyke his own book? When I heard the real hook of the series, though, I was on board. If this series had just been the day-to-day struggles of teen Cyclops as he tried to balance school with superheroing, it would have been unremarkable. Instead, the series put Cyclops in a fascinating predicament -- road trip with your not-dead space-pirate dad?! -- and let Rucka and Dauterman cut loose with some of the most dynamic and emotionally resonant storytelling I've seen this year. Unlike the other ongoings, though, "Cyclops'" future is a bit up in the air right now. It's not canceled, but it will have a totally new creative team (John Layman and Javier Garron) starting with issue six. The tone could change dramatically under the new team, but it looks like the hook of the series will remain intact.

Being an X-Men fan kinda goes hand in hand with being a Claremont fan -- at least a classic Claremont fan. The writer's work has been pretty hit or miss with me over the past fifteen years. His first return to the X-Men left me cold, but his second return a few years later was pretty fun. That inconsistency left me wondering which Claremont we'd get with this new series. I'm pleased to report that we're getting good Claremont with "Nightcrawler." The book's a bit strange because it feels like lost issues of late '80s "Excalibur" that also makes use of the X-Men's modern set up. It's a series that exists within two eras simultaneously, and I don't think either era is getting short-changed. Todd Nauck's art has been perfect for this series, as it feels both classic and youthful, and every bit as dashing as the series' leading man. Unlike previous Claremont ongoings that gave him a corner of the Marvel Universe to do whatever he wanted with, the writer has to play within the world that writers like Jason Aaron and Brian Michael Bendis have built in his absence. Because of that, Claremont's POV as a returning writer feels a lot like the resurrected swashbuckler's, as they're both assessing what's become of their friends' lives in the time they've been away. This isn't a series defined by Nightcrawler's past at all; it's defined by his present -- and the present is a very uncertain and surprising place for a character that's been dead for years.

The veteran series of this new batch, "Magneto" has established itself as the best solo series at Marvel that you're probably not reading. Fix that. Fix that now. I'll admit that I've never been a big fan of Magneto. I really always took him for granted and instead gave under appreciated X-Villains like Mr. Sinister and the Mutant Liberation Front all my devotion. Yes, I understand that that last declaration made more than a few heads rage-explode. "Magneto" has changed my mind about Magnus/Erik/Max. Cullen Bunn has returned the Master of Magnetism to his fearsome and stoically charismatic former self after years spent as just another one of the good guys. This doesn't feel like a retcon or a reversion to his previous villainy. It feels like a natural progression for his character, as he's watched as both himself and his people have been beaten down time and time again. Now Magneto is hunting down all those that have done -- or will do -- mutants harm, and he's showing no mercy. Seriously, you've never seen Magneto use his powers like this, and I don't think that scenes this grisly have ever been depicted in a non Marvel MAX series before. Artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta and colorist Jordie Bellaire bring Bunn's stories to life and create one of the best looking books on the stands right now. Every issue feels brutally realistic and tensely dramatic. I actually think Bellaire's title on this book should be cinematographer because she makes every issue she works on look like a feature film. To me, "Magneto" is the dark side of the Coen Brothers let loose in the Marvel Universe.

For the first time ever, I actually feel like some of the best work coming out of the X-Office is happening in solo books. By not focusing on familiar territory or dwelling on the lead characters' past, these four series have proven that exciting stories can be told with these characters outside of a team setting. Now I actually welcome the idea of more solo X-Books. Give me another Jubilee ongoing, or an "Iceman" series to read, please! And if anyone at Marvel wants to read my pitches for "Rogue" or "The Adventures of Boom Boom," holler at me.

Brett White is a comedian living in New York City. He co-hosts Matt & Brett Love Comics, writes for the sketch comedy podcast Left Handed Radio, and makes videos for the Upright Citizens Brigade as a member of UCB1. His opinions can be consumed in bite-sized morsels on Twitter (@brettwhite).