With the X-Men headed to the big screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, interest in the legendary band of mutants is at an all-time high. And while there are thousands of incredible issues in the long (and let’s face it, often incredibly complicated) history of the iconic superhero team, we’re looking purely at the best X-Men covers of all time. In other words, we chose these issues because of their incredible cover art and not necessarily because they feature a key moment in X-history. To keep things simple, we’ve zeroed in only on X-Men titles (leaving out related books like X-Factor, X-Force, New Mutants, Excalibur and countless other X-titles). We’ve also listed each comic in order of publication date, along with current prices and our reasons for why we chose the issue.
So without further ado, let’s fire up Cerebero, refuel the Blackbird and jump into the Danger Room as we look at… the 20 best X-men covers ever made.
1. Giant-Size X-Men #1
- Published: May 1975
- Estimated Price: $9,000 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First appearance of the new X-Men team (Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Thunderbird and Magik). First use of the word “SNIKT” in association with Wolverine’s claws.
- Why We Picked It: While there are plenty of classic X-Men covers from the 1960s, this incredible cover by the great Dave Cockrum is what truly launched the modern X-Men team and set the bar when it comes to iconic issues.
2. Uncanny X-Men #100
- Published: August 1976
- Estimated Price: $650 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Classic battle of the original X-Men vs the new X-Men. First use of the phrase “Fastball Special” when Colossus launches Wolverine at an enemy.
- Why We Picked It: Another absolutely stunning cover by the great Dave Cockrum, this single image captures both the original 60s vibe of Jack Kirby, while offering unique modern style and character designs that would last for decades.
3. Uncanny X-Men #120
- Published: April 1979
- Estimated Price: $40 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First cameo team appearance of Alpha Flight (Sasquatch, Aurora, Northstar, Shaman, Snowbird)
- Why We Picked It: While this issue marks an important milestone in Marvel history with the introduction of Canadian superhero team, Alpha Flight, we added it to this list because of the absolutely stunning cover John Byrne, whose work on the X-Men remains some of the very best of all time.
4. Uncanny X-Men #135
- Published: July 1980
- Estimated Price: $170 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Second appearance of Jean Grey as The Dark Phoenix. First appearance of Senator Robert Kelly.
- Why We Picked It: While the Dark Phoenix saga remains one of the most recognized story arcs in Marvel comics history, we chose this particular issue because of this stunning art by John Byrne, which is perhaps one of the most instantly recognizable X-Men covers of all time.
5. Uncanny X-Men #136
- Published: August 1980
- Estimated Price: $45 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Jean Grey reclaims control after suppressing the Dark Phoenix with the help of Professor X.
- Why We Picked It: Another iconic John Byrne cover, this single image has inspired a dozen homages, including mostly famously Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. The end result is a comic book classic that stands the test of time.
6. Uncanny X-Men #137
- Published: September 1980
- Estimated Price: $50 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Death of Jean Grey.
- Why We Picked It: While this book remains an important milestone in mutant history following the controversial death of Jean Grey, we added it to this list purely because of the stunning John Byrne cover art, which is yet another example of a master Marvel artist at the top of his game.
7. Uncanny X-Men #138
- Published: October 1980
- Estimated Price: $40 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Cyclops leaves the X-Men.
- Why We Picked It: While there are countless iconic X-Men covers to choose from, it’s hard to top this epic work from John Byrne that remains highly sought after by fans and collectors, and still holds up over 40 years later. Nuff’ said.
8. Uncanny X-Men #141
- Published: January 1981
- Estimated Price: $125 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First team appearance of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Mystique, Destiny, Pyro, Avalanche and Blob). First appearance of Rachel Summers (daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey).
- Why We Picked It: To be honest this list could feature nothing but John Byrne covers, but we had to draw the line somewhere. That being said, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include this iconic issue from the legendary Days of Future Past storyline.
9. Uncanny X-Men #164
- Published: December 1982
- Estimated Price: $45 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of Carol Danvers as Binary.
- Why We Picked It: There are a ton of epic covers featuring Carol Danvers (aka Miss Marvel/Binary) but for our money it’s hard to top this cover by legendary X-Men artist Dave Cockrum.
10. Classic X-Men #1
- Published: September 1986
- Estimated Price: $5 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Reprint of Giant Size X-Men #1
- Why We Picked It: While issues of Classic X-Men are often lumped together as simple reprints of old school issues, they also happen to have some incredible covers. Case in point: this stunning work by the great Arthur Adams.
11. Uncanny X-Men #210
- Published: October 1986
- Estimated Price: $15 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First cameo team appearance of The Marauders (Arclight, Harpoon, Riptide, Vertigo, Scalphunter and Scrambler)
- Why We Picked It: Legendary Marvel artist John Romita Jr. has produced a ton of epic covers of the years, but when it comes to his work on the X-Men this issue is hard to top and remains a classic book that we absolutely had to include on this list.
12. Uncanny X-Men #248
- Published: September 1989
- Estimated Price: $10 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First published art by Jim Lee on X-Men title.
- Why We Picked It: Comic book legend Jim Lee has brought his unique style to countless superheroes over the years, but perhaps his greatest contribution is to the X-Men. This particular issue not only marks Lee’s first work when it comes to Marvel’s merry mutants, but also stands the test of time as an absolutely gorgeous cover.
13. Uncanny X-Men #251
- Published: November 1989
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: Featuring iconic art work by comic book master Marc Silvestri, this single issue remains a fan favorite X-Men cover that’s grown in popularity over the years. It also stands out as one of the single greatest Wolverine covers of all time.
14. X-Men Annual #14
- Published: May 1990
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First cameo appearance of Gambit.
- Why We Picked It: While this book is an important X-Men key because of it’s cameo of the popular mutant Gambit (although there’s some debate among collectors as to whether or not it should actually be his first appearance), we added it to this list because of this incredible Arthur Adams cover.
15. Uncanny X-Men #275
- Published: April 1991
- Estimated Price: $5 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Wrap around cover.
- Why We Picked It: When it comes to classic 90s X-Men, Jim Lee is the absolute king. And while there are dozens of incredible covers from his epic run on the book, this wrap-around cover remains an under-appreciated masterpiece, featuring a legend doing what he does best.
16. X-Men #1
- Published: October 1991
- Estimated Price: $10 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Special gatefold cover collector’s edition edition with no advertisements
- Why We Picked It: One of the best selling comics of all time, X-Men #1 not only reinvigorated the franchise, but helped cement Jim Lee as one of the greatest comic book artists of all time. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his popular wraparound cover, which has recently spiked in popularity again among nostalgia hungry collectors.
17. X-Men #11
- Published: August 1992
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover
- Why We Picked It: Yet another iconic Jim Lee X-Men cover, this issue remains a true mutant masterpiece and a classic book in one of the team’s greatest comic book runs. As a result, it’s since gone from dollar bin fodder to hot key.
18. All New X-Men #1
- Published: January 2013
- Estimated Price: $5 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: Brian Michael Bendis’ All-New X-Men series brought a fresh take to the legendary superhero team. We added the book to this list, however, because of this gorgeous Stuart Immonen cover, which combines old school X-Men with modern style.
19. Uncanny X-Men #1
- Published: April 2013
- Estimated Price: $10 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Debut of Magneto’s white costume.
- Why We Picked It: Artist Chris Bachalo brought a incredible new look to the X-Men, revamping the iconic character’s costumes. Nowhere is his unique style more apparent than in this epic cover featuring the all-new team.
20. X-Men #2
- Published: August 2021
- Estimated Price: $5 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Last Annihilation tie-in
- Why We Picked It: With over 60 years of comic book history, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of incredible X-Men covers to choose from. Including them all is next to impossible, but rounding out our list is this amazing cover by Pepe Larraz which is fitting homage to the classic X-Men of old and the future of Marvel’s greatest mutant superheroes.
So there you have it, true believers! Our picks for the 20 best X-Men covers of all time. Are there any books you think we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
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