Preceding the current Epic line of full-colour, large collection reprint volumes, Marvel Comics’ Essential [Whatever] phonebook trades were their best-value output, in my opinion. Black and white, so you lose the colourist’s work—I can’t speak for how much of an artistic shame this reliably is, but it does get a little confusing telling one from t’other when everybody’s hair is just black lines and blank beige space—but crisply printed at the same dimension as originally intended. For under a twenty (unless you’re Canadian, but almost) you could get twenty issues (that’s between one year’s worth and two, depending on a couple of factors) of historical continuity, as it happened, at the time of first print. Cheap paper, yeah, but so what? No shine, lightweight, flexible, non-precious, and cost-saving on your end. You can shelve or box them the same as any comic and just as easily as your average hardback novel, and they are the easiest thing to read.
If you’re standing on the sidelines of, say, X-Men continuity, thinking where the blue blazes do I start here—sit down, sweet child, and fill’er up. Essential Classic X-Men, volume one: you’re there at the beginning, September 1963. Scott, Jean, Bobby, Hank, and Warren fall under the “protection” of young Professor Charles Xavier—the first pupils at his newly minted “School for Gifted Youngsters.” “Just what kind of a school IS this?” cries teenaged, telekinetic ingenue, Jean Grey. “I have a right to know!”
Yes, she does, and so do you, and with these books you can. From the first team’s early adventures against Magneto, the Blob, Unus the (heehee) Untouchable, the Vanisher, and the Locust (oh boy, don’t miss it!), through Essential X-Men’s volume 1‘s Second Genesis (that’s where Wolveine joins up, Bub, and Colossus and Storm and Sunfire too*), through Kitty Pryde’s love-her-or-loathe-her thirteen and a half year old world-saving antics, see the Phoenix Saga (and the Dark Phoenix Saga) and Wolverine in Japan… and Muir Island and the Siege Perilous and the X-Men in the Outback. Hook up with Jubilee and wash straight on into the Jim Lee years. Just let it all unfold in front of you.
If canon intimidates you, and bunkie** I see why it might, let Essential X-Men wash away your fears. Reading these is as pain-free as catching up on a character through Wikipedia or dipping into the Official Encyclopaedia of the Marvel U—only you’re actually reading what actually happened. Almost as if you were there. Essential volumes barely take any time to get through, because the X-Men are action comics; action comics don’t reward sloth. It took so long to get from that first destruction of Master Mold in ’64 to whatever’s happening with Nimrod or Sentinal Prime (or … ???) right now because Marvel set itself a monthly or bi-monthly schedule on this stuff. Because creators can only work so fast. A reader? A reader is much faster than a writer. And light years hastier than production of linework. You can probably read the entirety of Essential X-Men‘s cosmic, melodramatic, and storied history in a month, depending on how fast you read and how much cash is on hand for every next “Next!” Suggest your library stocks these, and you need never worry about “not knowing” ever again. True Scotsfan authenticity at your fingertips.
Marvel may not be doing enough to combat the gatekeeping nerdery of its most obvious herd of fans. But with these, at least, its canon is honestly accessible. Want to see how terrible of a romantic partner Scott Summers is? Babe, pick up volumes four through seven and meet my girl Maddy Pryor. Volume Seven also featuring, for example: a Storm/Logan kiss, the early days of the Rogue versus Dazzler rivalry, an introduction to Longshot (who is far more charming and enjoyable than I expected), some prime original-body Betsy Braddock, a four-issue crossover with the Fantastic Four, Mystique calling Destiny “Dear Heart” (lovers) and … the DEATH of the X-MEN!!! (Spoiler: I see their parachutes!)
Some highlights, true believers: Rogue joins up in Volume Four. Peter breaks Kitty’s heart (the first time) in Volume Five. In V2, Warren Worthington can be seen wearing a sweatband and short-shorts à la Magnum, PI, and Spider-Man crashes Colleen Wing’s date with Cyclops to chat about Misty and D Rand’s passion continuum. Lorna Dane—Polaris—escapes Malice’s influence, finds her sister, and gets buff (and un-buff and buff again) in Volume Eight.
Basically, in my living room (contained on one shelf! Not even the WHOLE shelf) I have thirty years worth of X-Men canon in a three-foot stack, and if any jackass gives me lip or a buddy needs info for a fic—if an acquaintance could use an overview of a character for a spec screenplay, or if I just want to make some shitty nerdass joke and fear the reaper—I am the gal who can get the facts ASAP. It’s not a bad position to be in. I am currently using two of our collection under my desktop to keep the screen at a comfortable height. The benefits don’t end!
And you know what? While a fair swathe of it is painfully ridiculous, there is some absolute solid gold in the X-Men’s case files, not to mention generally, subliminally good visual storytelling. They are a treat. No matter the absurdly high number of vaulted mystical appearing palaces the X-Men must psychologically and physically battle through, no matter how many times the narrative voice gets undeniably prog (and sue me, I revel in that). You cannot help but love these goons. The X-Men have something. What can I call it?
Riddle me this. What name did Scott, Bobby, Hank, Warren, and the pod-resurrected Jean perform under during their 1986+ tenure as Fake Mutant Hunters?
X-Factor. Ha ha.
Which is also available in Essentials.
There’s only one bad thing about Marvel Essentials, actually: they don’t print’em any more. And so prices … are what I’d call unreliable. Damn shame.