Reading Order

• 1). The Essential X-Men line is the cheapest and most direct way to get into the X-Men. The X-Men have been around since the 1960s, but the Essential volumes start with the "All-New, All-Different" international team of characters (including the famous Wolverine) which made the series famous. These stories by writer Chris Claremont established the complex characters, involved storylines, and moral ambiguity that made the franchise famous. Each Essential X-Men volume is a black-and-white collection with over five hundred pages for $19.99 each. The comics are from the 1970s and '80s, and have some dated elements, but are more engaging and dramatic than most modern superhero stories.
  
  
• 2). For X-Men comics from the modern era, the New X-Men Ultimate Collections are the easiest and arguably best. These stories were written by Grant Morrison as a modernization of the line, having the characters go from being secretive outlaws to a public civil rights movement. The stories depict unique takes on the concept of mutants as minority metaphor, such as having human antagonists who wish to become mutant via stolen organ transplants, or the teenaged students at the X-Men's school inciting a riot after recent anti-mutant hate crimes. The collections are $34.99 for around 250 pages each, but are in full color and have inspired all subsequent X-Men comics.
  
  
• 3). Directly following the New X-Men are the Astonishing X-Men comics, written by TV and film director Joss Whedon (known for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firefly," "Dollhouse," and other science fiction classics). His stories move the X-Men back into the superhero mold, having them return to colorful costumes after years of wearing the leather of the movie characters. But the stories maintain their distinctly modern edge, giving a universe-spanning psychodrama that examines the X-Men's motivations in brutal detail.
  
  
• 4). The largest amount of comics available in one place is on Marvel's website. Their Digital Comics program includes thousands of comics, far beyond just the X-Men. Unfortunately the chronological order of the comics available is inconsistent and unclear, but at $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, the value is difficult to contest.