I love the X-Men. Since I was a kid, I have been borderline-obsessed with this band of not-so-merry mutants. My older sister taught me to read with dog-eared copies of Uncanny X-Men. The only reason I would get out of bed in the morning was to get my fix of the X-Men animated cartoon on Fox. The only thing I wanted for my 13th birthday was mutant powers – sadly, this did not happen.

For those of you who grew up with the X-Men comic books or the animated series like I did, there is no better time to pick up an X-book than now. Marvel has dubbed 2011 as “The Year of the X-Men” – and I couldn’t be happier.

One of the best X-Men story arcs in a long time is unfolding in the pages of X-Men Legacy and New Mutants right now. In February, writer Mike Carey and artist Clay Mann launched “The Age of X,” a new alternate reality crossover that weaves characters old and new into a dystopian battleground.

One of the best X-Men story lines to come out of the ’90s was the “Age of Apocalypse” crossover. During this time, our favorite mutants were thrust into an alternate reality where Charles Xavier was dead, Magneto was leader of the X-Men and Apocalypse ruled North America. Sounds like a ball, right? Not quite.

After “The Age of Apocalypse,” the X-books suffered through a dark age until writer Grant Morrison revamped the series. The book was again overhauled with Matt Fraction on Uncanny X-Men and Carey on X-Men Legacy.

Similar to “Age of Apocalypse,” in “Age of X,” many of the most iconic figures in the Marvel universe have been re-imagined into warriors banding together to survive in a world when the X-Men were never formed and mutants are hunted mercilessly.

Cyclops, now called Basilisk, has some serious mental issues going on upstairs thanks to the government using his optic blast ability to obliterate other mutants.

Another character with an interesting twist is Rogue, now referred to as Legacy, or to her dismay “Reaper.” For those of you who adore the Southern mutant like I do, Carey is your man. Since his run on X-Men Legacy, Carey has given Rogue control of her powers, led her through a war with Bastion (the amalgamation of the Master Mold Sentinel and Nimrod for those of you who watched the cartoon) and pushed her up front and center of the X-Men team.

In “Age of X,” her absorption power is now used to put mutants out of their misery when they fall in battle – hence the nickname “Reaper.”

Magento is also front and center of this gang of renegade mutants. The character has received a lot of attention lately thanks to the upcoming film “X-Men: First Class,” directed by Matthew Vaughn. I could not be happier.

The best part of this new crossover is that it pays tribute to both “The Age of Apocalypse” and “The Days of Future Past,” one of creator Chris Claremont’s finest contributions to the franchise.

Overall, this is an amazing storyline and it is such a great way for X-Men fans who have gone on the back burner to come back to the franchise. Gambit has a shotgun, Cyclops is a maniac and Rogue is being hunted down by her fellow mutants – it doesn’t get better than this.

Shelley Holmgren can be reached at 581-2812 or denverge@gmail.com.