There’s a lot to love about Marvel's X-Men, but a big complaint when it comes to reading the comics is that it’s hard to decide where to start. We want to help you out, so here’s a list of all the X-Men comics currently being put out by Marvel Comics. We’ll give you a quick synopsis of what it’s about and tell you who is on the team -- then it’s up to you to start reading whichever you like!

The Basics

There was a big event called Avengers vs. X-Men where the all-powerful Phoenix returned to Earth. At the end, a Dark Phoenix possessed Cyclops killed Professor X.

The Phoenix was dispersed, and its energy made new mutants start popping up all over the world.

Currently, there are two factions of X-Men. Wolverine runs a school for mutants called the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Cyclops, after breaking out of prison, has started his own secret school teaching the new mutants created by the Phoenix.

Wolverine and Cyclops pretty much hate each other.

All-New X-Men

Uncanny X-Men

X-Force

Wolverine and the X-Men

Please note that we are listing just the team X-Men books. There are solo books for Cyclops, Magneto, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and (releasing soon) Storm. If you’re interested in those specific characters, then just pick up their title and enjoy.One more thing before we start: pretty much all comics these days are made so you don’t need to know anything in advance. They tell you everything you need to know. That said, in the interest of this being a guide into Marvel’s X-Men comics, here are the basics of what you need to know to hop into any of these X-Men comics right now.That's all you need to know. Now on to the comics!With the X-Men being more divided than ever, a dying Beast hatches a desperate plan. He goes back in time and returns with the five original X-Men -- Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Angel, and Jean Grey -- with the hope that they will remind the present day X-Men of why they became superheroes in the first place.Of course, nothing goes according to plan. Wolverine and Cyclops fight over the Past X-Men, a team of X-Men from the future show up to try and make matters right, and then Jean gets kidnapped by aliens and is put on trial for what her future self did as the Dark Phoenix. Pretty much all of the worst scenarios imaginable, but that’s what makes it so much fun. Kitty Pryde steps up to teach them, making her the team’s de facto Professor X.The true highlight of the series is that writer Brian Michael Bendis has brought Jean Grey back into the X-Men franchise in the least offensive manner possible. Instead of resurrecting her -- again -- he brought back the classic Jean Grey unburdened by years of drama and, you know, dying, and we get to watch as she forges a different path and discovers new powers. All-New X-Men , Vol. 1: Yesterday's X-Men by writer Brian Michael Bendis & artist Stuart ImmonenAlso written by Bendis, Uncanny X-Men is the companion book to All-New X-Men. That comic follows the Original X-Men and Wolverine’s Jean Grey School, while this one is all about Cyclops and his team of X-Men going around the world recruiting new mutants, although there is some crossover between the two factions.His team consists of Emma Frost, Magik, and Magneto, as well as a group of new faces with decidedly unique power sets. Our favorite is Fabio Medina aka Goldballs, who fires gold balls from his body. Not the most powerful, but always a blast to see in action.The story focuses on Cyclops trying to start his own mutant school while dealing with his inner demons, namely his murder of Professor X. This book blurs the line between good and evil, making the reader decide who the heroes and villains are.Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1: Revolution by writer Brian Michael Bendis & artist Chris BachaloCable views mutantkind as a nation, and what nations need -- as far as he’s concerned -- is a means to defend themselves. His mission for his newly created X-Force team is to amass weapons and technology in order to give mutants a fighting chance in the world.He leads a small team including Marrow, Psylocke, and Fantomex. Being former lovers, Psylocke absolutely hates Fantomex, while Fantomex keeps trying to use his French charm to woo her back. Meanwhile, Marrow is all kinds of crazy. The title is never boring, is what we’re saying.This is the X-Men black ops title -- full of secret missions, dirty secrets, and lots of violence. Cable is a man on a mission, and he’s prepared to use his team of especially deadly X-Men to make sure mutants have a stake in the world.X-Force Volume 1: Dirty/Tricks by writer Simon Spurrier & artist Rock-He KimWolverine started his own school for mutants named the Jean Grey School for higher learning. Senior X-Men members like Kitty Pryde, Beast, and Rachel Summers do their best to teach the next generation of mutants, with varying degrees of success. It has a great blend of familiar faces and new characters, like Broo the nerdy alien Brood creature who, contrary to his race's murderous nature, doesn’t have a bad bone in his body.This comic is known for its quick pace, lively characters, and snappy humor. Between the random Danger Room tests in the bathroom, Doop as a receptionist, and a new, younger version of the evil Hellfire Club, there’s never a dull moment.Notable storylines include a Magic School Bus-inspired journey into Kitty Pryde’s infected bloodstream, a field trip to the prehistoric Savage Land, and the epic Hellfire Saga. If you want to see mutants using their powers in excess to defend the school while Headmaster Wolverine tries to make a good impression on the next generation of mutants, this is the book for you.It's also worth noting that this comic starts before Avengers vs. X-Men, but then quickly catches up.Wolverine and the X-Men, Vol 1 by writer Jason Aaron & artist Chris Bachalo & Nick Bradshaw