Where to Start with Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont wrote the X-Men for sixteen consecutive years, from 1975 to 1991, and in doing so transformed a cancelled title into the bestselling comic book franchise in the world. His run introduced Wolverine’s berserker rage, the Sentinel-dominated future of Days of Future Past, the cosmic tragedy of the Dark Phoenix Saga, and dozens of characters who remain central to Marvel today, including Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke, and Mystique. Claremont’s X-Men was a soap opera in the best sense: character-driven, emotionally intense, and built on relationships that evolved over hundreds of issues. He proved that superhero comics could sustain long-form storytelling with real consequences, and every team-based comic since owes something to what he built.
Start here
X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga
Chris Claremont · 200 pages · 1980 · Moderate
Themes: power and corruption, sacrifice, team dynamics, cosmic stakes, Marvel Comics
Start here. The Dark Phoenix Saga is the crown jewel of Chris Claremont’s sixteen-year X-Men run and one of the most influential superhero stories ever published. Jean Grey’s cosmic powers spiral out of control, the Hellfire Club manipulates her transformation into the all-powerful Dark Phoenix, and the X-Men face the impossible choice between saving their friend and saving the universe.
Why Start Here
This is the story that made the X-Men the biggest franchise in comics. Claremont and artist John Byrne were at their creative peak, producing pages that balance espionage intrigue, cosmic spectacle, and genuine emotional devastation. The story introduces key characters like Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, and Emma Frost while delivering a conclusion that shocked readers in 1980 and still resonates today.
The nine issues collected here (Uncanny X-Men #129-137) form a self-contained arc that works without prior X-Men reading. You get a full team dynamic, a clear villain, escalating stakes, and a tragic resolution. Byrne’s art is dynamic and expressive, with action sequences that remain a benchmark for the genre.
What to Expect
A 200-page trade paperback that moves from street-level thriller to cosmic tragedy. The first half focuses on the Hellfire Club’s scheme to control Jean Grey. The second half goes cosmic as Jean’s powers overwhelm her, culminating in a trial that puts the fate of the entire universe in the balance. The art and coloring reflect the Bronze Age era, but the storytelling is timeless. If you want to continue after this, Claremont’s full run spans over 180 issues and rewards long-term reading.