With a few notable exceptions (like Logan and House/Powers of X), it’s been a rough decade or so for X-Men fans—especially on the TV and movie front (remember when they tried to make a Dark Phoenix movie? If your answer is “no,” I’m exceedingly jealous). But fear not, fellow mutant sympathizers, because X-Men: The Animated Series is picking up where it left off nearly 30 years ago with X-Men ‘97, a 10-episode series on Disney+ that has already been renewed for more seasons. X-Men ‘97 is a big deal for a couple major reasons: firstly, the original series left off on an extremely unsatisfying cliffhanger (it also didn’t help that by the end, the animation quality had declined significantly from the early seasons). Secondly, the new episodes thus far have been really, really good. Like its predecessor, X-Men ‘97 is continuing the tradition of mining decades and decades worth of comics in order to find exceptional storylines that highlight how great and complex the characters truly are. Of course, no adaptation is a perfect one-to-one translation of the source material, but the selections below represent X-Men moments that have shaped the original and new series in both subtle and overt ways. On top of that, they’re some of the best comics to come out of their 50+ year history and essential reading for both new fans and diehard X-Men nerds. If you’ve been swept up by the excitement over X-Men ‘97 and need more of your favorite mutants in your life, you’re in luck, because all you need is your library card.

For more great comics, make sure to check out the offerings of your local branch as well as the hoopla app.

Days Of Future Past

The Dark Phoenix Saga

Bishop’s Crossing

Weapon X

Inferno 

The Brood Saga

X-Tinction Agenda

Mutant Genesis

Phalanx Covenant

Age of Apocalypse