X-Factor

The 1960s era X-Men never really grew past two-dimensional characters and the All-New, All-Different contrivance that brought the O5 from the past to the future was a victim of Bendis-speak and ultimately unsatisfying beyond the initial gimmick. But the 1986 X-Factor series that brought the O5 back together for a series that ran adjacent to the Uncanny X-Men was a fantastic team comic. Not only were the original X-Men fully together again but this was an era when the characters grew in their personalities and interacted in bold new ways.

Furthermore, the X-Factor run had the melodrama for which Claremont-era comics were known, but 80s comics had not yet devolved into the modern comic trend of extreme decompression, in which nothing happens over the course of an issue. Instead, it featured exciting action-packed villains and storylines such as the Marauders, Four Horsemen, and others, as well as engaging character dynamics such as the Jean-Cyclops-Madelyn Pryor love triangle.

Publisher: Marvel Comics
First Appearance: X-Factor #1