SINCE "X-MEN: The Last Stand" went through the roof at the box office this past weekend, there must be plenty of people looking to read more about Marvel’s favorite mutants. Well, there are plenty of new, high-quality X-adventures to be found at your local comic shop and Marvel has attracted enough talent that every X-book currently being published is a good read and some are truly outstanding. All are $2.99 each.

The best, without question, is Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s "Astonishing X-Men," generally felt to be the best X-Men run in at least two decades. It has the perfect mix of crisp action, characterization and sharp dialogue.

Whedon seems to take particular pleasure in writing the character of Emma Frost, a longtime villain of the team, now running it with Cyclops, with whom she is romantically involved. The latest issue, No. 14, focuses on Frost messing with her lover’s head by, among other things, transforming herself into the spitting image of his dead wife, Jean Grey.

It was recently revealed that Frost has secretly been working with the villainous Hellfire Club and it’s no longer a matter of if she will ultimately betray the team, but when. The issue - as is common with the series - ends with a cliffhanger that will have fans salivating during the two months between issues. Issue No. 15 is on sale June 21.

If you want the X-Men team that most resembles that from the movie, then "Ultimate X-Men" is for you. Writer Robert Kirkman has the team currently in a quest to learn if Jean Grey is, in fact, the Phoenix (Note: The Ultimate Universe is separate from the rest of the Marvel Universe books, where Jean Grey is still quite dead). The journey began with last month’s No. 69 and concludes next month in No. 71.

In "Uncanny X-Men," the book that started it all, big things are happening.

Legendary X-scribe Chris Claremont’s current run ends with next month’s issue No. 474, and he seems determined to go out with a bang. Jean Grey’s daughter Rachel saw her entire family - all her living relatives - slaughtered by the Shi’Ar, an alien race that wanted to end the threat of the Phoenix forever by eliminating the Grey genome. But Rachel survived, which is not good news for them. Additionally, the secret of Psylocke’s resurrection was revealed and Claremont’s swan song has her and her brother fighting for the fate of the universe. Issue No. 475 will start the run of Ed Brubaker, who recently finished the still available "X-Men: Deadly Genesis" miniseries, which revealed that Cyclops had a brother he never knew existed and that Professor X was witholding a secret from the team for years - and was no longer a mutant.

Other books to look for include "X-Men," which deals with the aftermath of a battle with Apocalypse; "Wolverine," which has the title character hunting down the villain responsible for killing hundreds of children and launching Marvel’s "Civil War" event - and remembering and dealing with every bit of his mysterious past; "Wolverine: Origins," which recalls untold tales from that past; "Excalibur," which is currently dealing with the mystery of the character Dazzler’s resurrection; "Storm," which recalls the character’s youth and relationship with the Black Panther; "Cable/Deadpool," which features two popular characters in more traditional, fun tales; "Exiles," which features dimension hopping and offbeat tales; and "X-Factor," a book with a noir feel and C-list characters that writer Peter David consistently makes compelling.