I wouldn’t be a comic book fan if it weren’t for the X-Men. It was Xavier’s merry mutants who brought me to the dance. I loved them. I hated them. I abandoned them. I came back to them. And now, I love them again.

I was a huge fan of the 90’s X-Men animated series. The quality of the animation was just so different from all the other animated shows at the time. I bought bootleg X-Men trading cards every single day when I was in my late grade school years to expand my knowledge of the whole mutant universe. Then I saw Marvel comic books at the mall I used to frequent, and an addiction was born.

The very first comic I bought was Spectacular Spider-Man #199. I didn’t pick it up for Spidey. I grabbed it because Spidey’s guest stars were the original members of the X-Men. I was completely enamored with them, so I continued buying comics even if they cost a fortune at the time. Well, they still do now, but back then I was just a kid and I had to save up just so I can pick up a comic book every couple of months.

In high school, I started picking up the other X-Books. X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur, and pretty much everything else with an “X” on the cover. My love for the X-Universe peaked during the Age of Apocalypse storyline. Man, it was glorious. After that, though, my interest in the mutants started to wane. Maybe it was my shifting interests. The opposite sex started to become more interesting than a bunch of freaks in skintight costumes. I stuck with Jeph Loeb’s X-Force, though. Shut up. Adam Pollina’s art was the shiz!

I rarely picked up comics during my early college years. There even was a time when I’d only pick up Wizard so I can stay up to date with what’s going on in comics. The Internet wasn’t as big back then as it is now, so no comic blogs and Newsarama for me. The mutants caught my attention again when Grant Morrison started work on New X-Men. I have the whole run. But that wasn’t enough to bring me back into the world of yellow spandex and Adamantium claws.

When I got out of college and I started to earn my own money, I decided to give comics another shot. I picked up a couple of X-Men-related stuff, but it was DC’s Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and 52 that brought me back to the game.

The arrival of Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men and Peter David’s unique spin on X-Factor sort of made me interested in the mutants again, but it wasn’t enough. I was enjoying my exploration of other characters especially when Marvel’s Civil War and DC’s Infinite Crisis kicked into high gear. My indifference with the X-Men became apparent when I started to prefer Justice Society of America and Avengers stories more than mutant-related snorefests. And then came Messiah Complex.

I don’t know if it’s just nostalgia, but Messiah Complex made me fall in love with the mutants again. The X-Men are at their best when they’re backed into a corner, and facing extinction while fending off Sinister’s Marauders and Predator X is a totally wicked corner.

Messiah Complex may not be palatable for some people, especially non-X-Men fans, but for me, it’s Age of Apocalypse all over again. I love it when the X-Men are down on their luck. I love it when they’re being hunted down by giant robots, murderous evil mutants, and homo sapien fanatics. I love it when they’re the underdogs.

I’d definitely check out the new X-Force book. I’d give Young X-Men a shot. I’d stick with Uncanny X-Men, although I’m not entirely sure if I’m going to pick up X-Men: Legacy. Heck, I might even try the new Cable monthly and Mark Millar’s upcoming run on Wolverine. My love for the X-Men has been rekindled, and I feel like a teenage geek again. And that’s what comics should be all about, right?

• X-Men: Divided We Stand
• Pull List
• Ways to Make the Wolverine Movie More Epic Than the Bible
• Wonder Woman: The Circle
• Astonishing Moments #1: Professor Xavier Is a Jerk!
• First Face-Rocking Post
• Hot Kryptonian Girl Arrives at Smallville
• Comics News Roundup 08.31.07
• Colleen Coover Cuteness
• Giant-Size Rockery