I am not a comics aficionado, so take my review with whatever grains of salt you think necessary. I picked this book up through inter-library loan, primarily because of my love for the X-Men, developed through watching the 21st century films, not through reading their stories in print. So this was a bit of a curiosity, and a time travel experience for me.
The X-Men Omnibus, Volume 1 collects the first 31 original X-Men magazines, dating from the years 1962 to 1967. This falls in what has been dubbed the Silver Age of comics. In the first issues, we meet the X-Men team, consisting of Scott Summers (aka Cyclops), Bobby Drake (aka Iceman), Hank McCoy (aka Beast), Jean Grey (aka Marvel Girl), Warren Worthington III (aka Angel), and of course Charles Xavier (aka Professor X). The Professor has already assembled the group of mutant teenagers and is training them in the Danger Room as the first story begins. He sends them out to face criminals, supervillains, and eventually mutants as well.
There is a lot of history in these 31 tales. We have the first appearance of Magneto (issue #1), Quicksilver, Toad, and the Scarlet Witch, among others. We have the first hints of a love affair between Scott and Jean. Cerebro is introduced. In addition, there are episodes where Professor X is (temporarily) out of his wheelchair, and flashbacks wherein we learn of the origins of some of our heroes, including how Xavier lost his ability to walk in the first place.
Many of the stories are a bit cheesy, in part because the writers are still getting a feel for the characters and in part because of the era. On the latter score, there is plenty of rubber science, casual racism (e.g., the storyline with the Central American villain named Kukulcan), offhanded misogyny (uh, Marvel Girl?), and some American jingoism. It's enough to make the modern reader roll their eyes. And of course, the stories aren't as "adult" as comic books are now; they have less sex, less graphic violence, and less psychological trauma. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up for the reader to decide. For my part, I can do with or without some of the more graphic content, but I would like my characters to be a bit more well rounded and realistic; the hopes, fears, and desires of the X-Men here are fine, but seem a little thin. A 21st century reader will expect more complexity. The letters columns in these magazines are also eye-opening, giving a glimpse into the concerns of contemporary readers from the 60's.
Despite all of that, you can see Stan Lee and the other writers starting to push some interesting ideas. Clearly, the X-Men storyline was meant to connect with teenagers who felt disaffected or out-of-place, and the further the tales move along, the more we see that the X-Men are heroes for anyone who feels weird, uncool, queer, or otherwise out of place. With the introduction of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, we also are presented with choices. Lee and company set up a world in which those who feel different have a choice whether to use their powers for good or for evil.
For those curious about the history of one of the most famous superhero groups of all time, this book will give you a place to start. Again, I am not an expert, but my understanding is that this series was almost a first draft and that the X-Men really became popular in the 1970's, during a reboot phase. Maybe at some point I'll pick up that sequence to read as well.