The Phoenix is coming
“It’s Coming.” As the graphic says, something major is coming back to the Marvel universe and if you look real close behind the words, I bet you can tell what it is. The Phoenix Force has long since been one of the major powers in the Marvel Universe ever since it’s introduction through Jean Grey? in X-Men ages ago. Yet with Jean’s death (and rebirth, and death, and rebirth, and finally death again) the Phoenix seemed to have gone away for the most part. But with this new teaser, it seems that it’s going to return.
The big question: does that mean Jean Grey will be returning or will the Phoenix be taking on another host? There have already been teasers that Hope, the so-called mutant messiah, has a piece of something in her that looks vaguely Phoenix-like — enough to scare the hell out of Emma Frost?! And she should be scared, because if it’s Jean come back… well, we know that Cyclops always preferred his foxy red-headed and Hope’s not Emma’s biggest fan.
Marvel didn’t add any insight to the teaser at the show, but it does look like Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Olivier Coipel, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Adam Kubert and John Romita Jr. are all involved.
While the publisher has yet to release the teaser image shown to fans at the convention, Marvel did send out the above “It’s coming…” postcard to comics stores and media outlets earlier this month. It’s unknown whether the Phoenix will once again take the form of X-Woman Jean Grey or another character, but the panel confirmed that the story will begin in Point One. A 64-page one-shot designed to set the stage for Marvel’s various 2012 events, Point One goes on sale November 11 and is written by Jeph Loeb, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, Fred Van Lente, Chris Yost and David Lapham, among others, and drawn by Ed McGuinness, Bryan Hitch, Terry Dodson, Salvador Larroca, Ryan Stegman, Javier Pulido, Roberto De La Torreand more.
Thanks to http://www.ology.com/shoshana-kessock
Marvel Girl #1
Jean Grey’s absence from the Marvel Universe is keenly felt by virtually all X-Men fans, so this one shot (out of continuity though it may be) offers some measure of respite for those of us who want to see more stories featuring the character, as she receives headline billing for the first time in years.
Set in the “First Class”-verse, the story chiefly deals with Jean’s attempt to properly come to terms with the death of her friend, the event that prematurely awakened her powers so many years before. It’s just a shame the issue itself doesn’t fully explain that aspect of the story, reducing the explanation to an early caption box where it should really have been made into a wider point during Xavier’s initial dressing down.
Still, if you can get past that, it’s an enjoyable little story, though with an oddly bleak tangent about the way Jean sees the people she left behind when she moved to Xavier’s. It’s particularly refreshing to see a Jean Grey story that doesn’t heavily involve her romantic relationships with Cyclops and/or Wolverine, and which isn’t explicitly about the Phoenix. Aside from the fact that the First Class universe shows Jean’s powers (and, for that matter, her personality) as far more developed than they were in the original X-Men run, there’s nothing here that couldn’t be considered canon if you want it to be. It’s recognizably the modern Jean Grey as she would have been as a teenager, rather than the teenage Jean Grey, if that distinction makes any sense.
While writer Joshua Hale Fialkov does a decent enough job with the writing (although the story does struggle to fit inside a single issue, resulting in some odd plot leaps on occasion) it’s Nuno Plati’s art that really sells it. Plati’s artwork is graceful and feminine without being overtly sexualised. The storytelling switches effortlessly from the dramatic to the subtle, every facial expression packed with emotion. Plati’s choice of palette, in particular, is fantastic: bright and airy, making fantastic use of computer effects. It has an almost animated look to it, which is certainly no bad thing.
Although this kind of story is never going to win an Eisner, it’s the sort of book that’ll scratch any itches you’ve got about seeing Jean Grey in action. It’s a competently executed and enjoyable read, and while it works as a stand-alone story, it also manages to inform the character in her other appearances. It’s likely that if you were ever interested in buying this, you already own it. If you’re still on the fence, give it a chance to entertain you.
source: http://www.comicbookresources.com
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Chris Claremont Speaks about Jean Grey's Return
I just returned from a comic book convention in Philadelphia (2008) and had the privlege to hear Chris Claremont speak in a few panels. He was very friendly and talked openly about many subjects, including his work on the X-men and more specifically about Jean Grey.
Chris was asked a question by the panel moderator, “How did you feel about bringing back Jean Grey?”
He paused for a moment, tilted his head back and sighed a little. I knew exactly how he felt. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to have Jean in the Marvel universe and apparently she is back again if you have been reading the Marvel crossover series, “Secret Invasion“. But her death was poetic justice. She killed billions of people and had to die. The X-men fought for he and lost; she paid the ultimate price but did so willingly. To bring her back was to make everything before a wasted sacrifice. But I digress…