This massive tome includes not just X-Men but people from the X-Men universe. Included are Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Colossus, Gambit, Sabretooth, Emma Frost, and Deadpool. Each story has its own unique way of telling how that person either became an X-Man or came into contact with the X-Men, with the exception of Deadpool.

Hank McCoy would purposely get questions wrong on tests in order to not get too high a grade and look too smart. Then he was asked to kick a football by the coach and he could really kick it so he became the star on the team taking the team to the nationals using the new mutant powers he was developing. Before he was born his dad worked at the nuclear plant and an accident occurred causing him to take ten times the normal dose of radiation. He worried about having an abnormal kid so Hank hid his smarts from everyone. Then when his mutant gene kicked in he hid that too. The Conquistador came knocking and demanded that Hank bow down to him and be his servant. He then demanded that he bring the schematics from the power plant for cold fusion and he goes along with it for a while but in the end, he cannot give it to him and fights the guy and defeats him, but his parents and others find out what he can do. That's when Professor X comes in and wipes some memories clean and gives him the opportunity to come to his school.

Emma Frost grew up with a demanding domineering father who believed that Frosts were special. When her powers come about and Professor X comes to visit and help her she kicks him out of their house and protects her father whom Professor X has offered to force him to choose her going to his school. Then she stumbled into the Hellfire Club with Sebastian Shaw after leaving home when she realizes she doesn't want to become her father. Then after time spent in debauchery with Shaw, she opens a school for him to train mutants and realizes that she has become her father after all as she trains them mercilessly.

These stories are really good and I thoroughly enjoyed them especially Gambit's, Deadpool's, and Nightcrawler's. Sabretooth was also interesting and involved Wolverine, of course. Honestly, there isn't a story in here that isn't excellent. These are some of your favorite characters with their origin stories and the artwork on some of these is just amazing like on Beast's and Deadpool's. Also included are some older X-Men comics bits that show some of them getting their powers, or in the case of Emma Frost her going up against the X-Men. This book is well worth the read and I give it five out of five stars. ( )