The original 1960s issues, read mostly as an archaeology exercise.
They are stiffer and more repetitive than anything that came later, and the thing they get credit for is already present in the first few: a team of outcasts hated by the public they protect, which is a sturdier engine than most superhero premises.
Useful mainly as a baseline for how far the Claremont material moved it. Read immediately before the Dark Phoenix collection, which makes the gap obvious.
Read October 2026.