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

Get the book from Marvel.

The romance between Jean Grey and Wolverine has been by far the most mishandled, misconstrued, and at times destructive pairing in the history of X-men. I know that’s saying a lot, but given how long this plot has been used I think we can objectively say it ranks right up there. I’ve never come across a comic book couple that has such ardent detractors and die-hard supporters. As a fan in general, I think it’s one of those “good on paper” type ideas that just was so poorly fleshed out that it’s become an open scab throughout the story of the X-men. Part of the problem was how it started. Chris Claremont originally had Logan attracted to Jean Grey because he just soured on Cyclops and Jean Grey. He has gone on record as saying he completely despised the Scott/Jean romance after what happened with Madelyn Pryor and had he stayed on board, he would have broken them up and put Jean with Logan. He’s already shown this in his X-men Forever series. It was one of the many reasons he split with the editors at the time. I think this sort of sets the tone because it wasn’t so much done because these characters complimented each other. It was done more so as a foil to the Scott/Jean romance. That just really doesn’t work. That would be akin to being a soccer fan just because you hate American football.

As a result, Logan and Jean’s attraction was made to be really spotty. There were moments like Xtinction Agenda and Inferno where they kissed, but Jean pushed away. Then there were later moments like in Morrison where the kissing was mutual, but coupled with Jean lamenting over her love for Scott. The movies played this up even more by not just having Logan be the anti-Scott, but by having the part of Jean that was attracted to him be the darker part that became Phoenix. That really doesn’t fall in line with her character and it speaks poorly of Logan’s influence not just on her, but on everybody he’s close to. In both cases it’s always the same. There’s an unrequited love between them. Logan loves Jean, but Jean doesn’t love him in the same way and the man she does love is a man Logan can’t stand. This sort of angle is good for a few plots, but it has been dragged out for so long over the years that it’s not just old. It’s destructive to their characters.

I look at X-men Forever as the best example. In this Chris Claremont clearly wanted them together now that no editors were in his way. But he couldn’t undo the depth and complexity of the relationship Jean had with Scott, much of which he himself built up. The only way to make it happen was to force it and that just destroyed the elements of each character. It made Jean come off as a cheating skank and Logan come off as some overly emotional pretty boy when he’s supposed to be the ultimate loner. This highlights the main stumbling block to their affairs. Logan and Jean aren’t really made to compliment each other in the proper context. X-men Forever just thrust them together through sheer editorial force. Other mediums like the movies, Ultimate X-men, and the Earth X series put them together without any real depth. It was all just attraction that was pulled out of the air and used as a plot device. At no point was any effort made to really let it happen naturally as has been done with other successful pairings. The only instance I can cite that really made a serious effort to show their chemistry was Age of Apocalypse. That’s where their romance was built around their respective characters and plot. It felt natural as it emerged and it was a good dramatic element to the underlying story. That’s been the lone exception and I can’t contemplate too many other areas where it has been done quite as well.

Now I know there are some who are completely disgusted by Jean and Logan as a pairing. That’s perfectly fair. People can have their own tastes. Some hate it just because they love Scott and Jean so much better or they prefer Logan with someone else. My position is that any pairing can be made to work if it’s done properly. And Jean/Logan has almost never been done properly. It’s almost always been detrimental to each character. It either makes Jean out to be a skank or it takes away some of the defining characteristics that make Logan who he is. That’s why I’ve often dreaded seeing references to it in most comics. That is also why I’m often against Jean hooking up with Logan when she comes back in 616 because given how it’s been handled, it has little chance of ending well. I can understand in some ways how these two would be drawn together. They do have serious chemistry. That attraction is not just physical. There is some emotional depth to it and they do have potential. It’s just the kind of potential that’s not easily realized.

I’ve tried to keep this in mind as I’ve written my X-men Supreme series. At the moment, I have Jean and Logan dating. There’s no unrequited love or unspoken passion. They actually are boyfriend and girlfriend and they actually are dating as a real couple. It’s an angle to the characters I haven’t seen explored too often even in fanfiction. I wanted to set my series apart in that respect so I’ve made a concerted effort to flesh out the Jean/Logan romance while avoiding some of the mistakes I feel have been made in other mediums. I’m sure some of the Jean fans here will disapprove. I respect that. But this is something I feel should be addressed because it’s been so mangled in so many other ways.

Now I don’t know how many here on this board have been following my series. Right now I’m just 9 issues in and Jean and Logan have been together since issue 5. But since you guys are the hardcore Jean fans I want to know what you think about the Jean/Logan pairing. Can it be done well? Has it been done well? Have I done an okay job with it on my end? Am I completely wrong on my assessment? If so, please tell me. I want to know what you think. Jean and Logan are both some of my all time favorite comic characters. I’ve often had a conflicted view of the romance plots they’ve endured and I think it’s something that deserves to be discussed.

by MarvelMaster616 – Check out his site at www.xmen-supreme.com

It’s the fight you have all been waiting to see and thanks to CBR, I’ve found a battle between the two telepathic goddesses. In an X-men 2 film special edition of the magazine called Wizard, Grant Morrison (New X-men writer at the time) shared his thoughts on who would win in a fight between the Phoenix and the White Queen.

The fight sees Emma Frost using her telepathic powers and newly discovered diamond form to defeat Wolverine and Cyclops. Jean Grey stumbles across the battle and is surprised when she sees the White Queen towering over her husband and her long time friend. Jean refuses to use a mental probe, instead she is eager to challenge Emma Frost to a long awaited confrontation. Emma does a quick mental probe of the situation and try’s to persuade Jean into not battling her. Jean ignores her and gives her a taste of her awesome mental powers in the form of a devastating mind blast! Emma Frost is injured by the might of the mind blast and staggers backwards. The fight progresses and each woman receives the upper hand at various stages of the battle. Jean suddenly receives a boost of power with a little help from the Phoenix Force and mind blasts Emma into oblivion. Emma cannot go on any longer and falls to the ground before the might of the Phoenix. The winner of the battle is Jean Grey!

How was that fellow Jean Grey fans? Did it quench your thirst for a Jean/Emma fight or do you still want more? I’ll inform you of other Jean/Emma fights I find but until then, we’ll be hoping for another confrontation between these two mental maidens in the near future!

Click the image below to enlarge.

For some laughs you can see what it would like if Phoenix and the White Queen went after each other WWF style! Here’s a hint, Phoenix wins.

The Uncanny X-Men – “The Dark Phoenix Saga” (1979-80)

Collects The Uncanny X-Men issues 129-137. Writers: Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Penciller: John Byrne, Inker: Terry Austin, Colourists: Bob Sharen and Glynis Wein, Letterist: Tom Orzechowski. Published by Marvel Comics in 1979-80.

In a perfect world, I’d be able to make this review more timely by telling people that if they were intrigued by how the Dark Phoenix story played out in X-Men: The Last Stand, then they should consider checking out the original story as written over 25 years ago in the comics. Unfortunately, that movie had nothing to do with The Dark Phoenix Saga as it was originally presented. In fact, it had little to do with Dark Phoenix at all (other than resurrecting Jean Grey, having her block Cyclops’ blasts in a scene, do battle with the X-Men in her old house, and her ultimate fate), and instead gave us a “Super Jean Grey” sub-plot, and called her Phoenix. Which leaves the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the best interpretation of this story to appear outside the comics.

Instead, I guess you could check this out to see why so many fans were so bothered by the movie and what they keep going on about with this Dark Phoenix stuff. Or, you could just check out because it is the greatest X-Men story of all-time. The Dark Phoenix Saga isn’t just AN X-Men story, it is THE X-Men story, and if the producers of the movie couldn’t do it justice, then they should have just left it alone. I know some defenders will say that comic book fans are too hard to please, that elements of this story would be too hard to portray in a movie. I agree that the space elements of the story would need to be left out; I’d even allow for the movie to replace the Hellfire Club with Magneto’s Brotherhood for expediency’s sake (although a Jason Wyngarde/Mastermind-type character is a necessary edition to the story). Many changes were made to God Loves, Man Kills to adapt it for X2, but they worked. Because the makers of that film respected the story. Every comic book movie that’s not named Sin City has made significant changes from the books, and comic book fans have accepted many of them because they got the feel of the characters and story right.

The feel of The Dark Phoenix Saga is epic, a tale about the danger of power and its seductive nature, a story of love and loss, with drama and adventure of Shakespearean proportions. It continues to resonate with fans to this day, decades after its printing, even after most of the events of the story have since been undone by later events. It is widely regarded by fans as one of the best stories in the history of comics, but unlike other stories that rank highly (Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, Maus), it didn’t have to reinvent comics to do it. This is superhero comics at their best, proving that you can still have all the fun battles and bright costumes without looking down on them as funny books.

For modern readers, it might be surprising to learn that when these issues were written, they weren’t written as a huge event. Chris Claremont and John Byrne created the greatest tale in the history of the book one issue at a time, without trying to create a company wide event crossover, without promoting big changes to the book, without bringing in an outside creator to generate buzz. The issues weren’t even titled or advertised as The Dark Phoenix Saga, which was a distinction given to these nine issues after the fact, when Marvel wisely chose to collect them in trade paperback form in 1984 (since reprinted in several different editions). Claremont and Byrne were merely interested in telling the best, most interesting, most entertaining stories they could for monthly readers of the book, something we don’t generally see anymore in today’s comic book climate.

The story features what I believe to be the greatest X-Men roster of all-time (Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, with Professor X supporting them, and Banshee recently departed and featured in a sub-plot), along with guest appearances by original X-Men Beast and Angel. The series features the first appearances of Kitty Pride, Dazzler, and the Hellfire Club (including Emma Frost). It follows the team from England to Westchester, to New York, Chicago, Denver, and back, from the far side of the universe to the dark side of the moon.

Primarily, it is a showcase for the character of Jean Grey, as her telepathic powers reach god-like levels (following the events of issues 101-108), and her grip over them grows more and more tenuous under the manipulations of the mysterious Jason Wyngarde (which had been teased for months). The pure sister-figure that was Marvel Girl is slowly chipped away, replaced with the malevolent force of nature known as Dark Phoenix, a being of seemingly unlimited power, who threatens all life in the universe in an attempt to quench her insatiable thirst for power. It is a classic example of the old adage “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, and the X-Men’s finest hour. The level of adventure is huge, as the team is forced to do battle with a being they have no hope to stop, and a dear friend and lover they all hold close to their hearts. It’s a formula many comics have since borrowed, with a former teammate and friend becoming the enemy, but never with the same effect and pathos as Claremont and Byrne captured here, or with as huge and shocking results.

Besides Phoenix’s plight, the book showcases each of its characters in their classic characterisations. Cyclops, the often stoic leader, is forced to battle with the love of his life, forcing him to choose between doing what he wants and what is right. Storm plays both den mother to Kitty Pride and sister to Phoenix, reaching out to Jean, unable to see her as the evil Dark Phoenix. Colossus is the torn artist, the youngest X-Man having to deal with the fallout of the previous story involving Proteus (not featured in this collection), and how a similar situation with Phoenix is forcing him into the same terrible choice. Nightcrawler provides comic relief, Kitty Pride is a breath of fresh air, and Professor Xavier is kind of a jerk (but ultimately proves that he’ll do anything for his students). Finally, Wolverine, the most popular X-Man of all-time, gets to shine in one of the best single issue stories in his history (#130), forced to take on the Hellfire Club on his own, at a time before he was featured in 20 comics every month.

If you’ve ever wanted to check out X-Men comics, but are too intimidated by their incredibly convoluted and seemingly limitless continuity, then this is the series to pick up. Presented by the greatest writer/artist duo in series history (Claremont-Byrne), featuring the team’s greatest line-up, in the most epic tale in the 43 years of X-Men history, the book features everything that makes the X-Men great. I not only consider it to be the best story in the history of the X-Men, but also the greatest story in the history of Marvel Comics, and the greatest superhero team story in the history of the medium.

5/5

Reprinted from http://andytehsaint.wordpress.com

photo credit: popculturegeek.com

Can there be a more perfect family? Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Wolverine (the black sheep obviously) phoenix and dark phoenix.

You have to love the commitment from a family willing to go all out like this.

P7250490 – The family that cosplays together…

Originally uploaded by danregal

Marvel Girl leads a little Phoenix and miniature Wolverine. Ah, if only my family had been so devoted to the X-men lifestyle. Of course my crush on Jean Grey would be even creepier if Mom or my sister was involved.

When I think of Scott and Jean I think of soul mates. Of course we must disregard the farce of the storyline being fed to us know with Scott and Emma (see my thought on Scott and Emma). When I think of Jean and Logan I think of an illicit and sordid affair. So obviously my loyalties lie with Scott, despite his uncharacteristic coupling with Emma.

But Jean has also been paired with Wolverine on more than a few occasions as writers try to force a square peg in a round hole, in my humble opinion. But I realize there are many fans of Logan that may disagree with me. So let me hear you – both sides.

What do other Jean Grey fans think? Who would you rather see Jean with ultimately?

Please leave your responses in the comments.