Jean Grey #9 Review + Spoilers

[Narasinha]

Then that makes you Phoenix fans NOT Jean fans

I don't think so. Don't forget that Phoenix was first created as an evolution of Jean's character. That was her new power, codename and costume. It was fully her own and nobody else. It's later that they started all that mess with the Phoenix Force. There isn't anything wrong to want Jean to be Phoenix again. Not the Phoenix Force, not a cosmic entity, not all the stuff that was done after Morrison but just Phoenix.

[Tycon]

Imho, Hopeless got Ghost Jean's voice right too. And his Season One Jean was allright too. He said that it's on purpose that she doesn't sound like adult Jean because she isn't that person yet. The problem is that he over did it, especialy compared to Bendis, Lemire and Bunn.

Well it's probably the circumstances. Her biggest fear was facing the life that Adult Jean succumbed to. Thats something she had the fortune of not handling in her previous team books. And now that she's been prepping for the Phoenix, it's easy to see how she might become more vulnerable.

[Thunder Wolf VX]

I must admit that, while I have become disillusioned with X-Men books this past year (I'm just really not a fan of where all of them are going, feels more like a retread to me), the cover art for issue's 10 and 11 featuring Hope Summers peaked my curiosity enough to check it out. I wasn't expecting to see her in this issue though, and it was refreshing to see Hopeless treat her like an experienced and well prepared fighter even if she sounded a bit like an intro to a fallout game...."War of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, War on Thursday", yeah Ron Perlman's real proud here (mind you, that's better then the valley girl impression she was going for in X-Force, yeesh, "Totally Crackerjack!" I'm not forgiving that one ever). still I don't think they'll ever give her much more then just a cameo at this point which I think is really disappointing and a massive missed opportunity.

I didn't much care for the rest of the issue though, maybe this is just my interpretation but it really looks a lot like the ending to the first volume of All-New Wolverine when X-23 finally beat out Kimura with the help of all her little friends, and they all stand triumphantly behind her and everyone had cake. I feel like we're going back to that tone here with Jean and the Phoenix and if that's the case it seems a little lazy to me. not bad per say, but I am getting a bit of deja vu here and that's why it kinda falls flat even with the interactions with Ghost Jean and Emma. tying up loose ends into a nice neat bow but a little too clean cut. I don't know for sure, but that's the impression I'm getting here so yeah its kinda loosing me a bit.

(also, first post here so hiya! came here from the Marvel Heroes forum after the game was shut down. still not happy about that, but whaddya going to do?)

[Wiccan]

Thor fans who want him to have his hammer are all just Mjolnir fans instead of Thor's.

[PhoenixStudies]

Then that makes you Phoenix fans NOT Jean fans

No, we are Jean as Phoenix fans and Jean Grey fans more broadly. I may prefer Jean to be Phoenix-y the way she was in the original Phoenix era, Revolution, or New X-Men, but I also love green mini dress Marvel Girl-Jean, X-Factor Jean, 90s Jean and Teen Jean. I'm sure I will love Red Jean too.

It is true that Jean is more than the Phoenix, but it is an important part of her history and iconic imagery. Several stories portray it as part of her destiny and potential. It can be a force of good/creation or a force of destruction, but it is always a heavy burden. Even X-Factor Jean and 90s Jean had the occasional Phoenix flash.

It is also a big part of her daughter, Rachel's story, and her clone, Madelyne's story, and a her granddaughter, Hope's story. So while she is more than the Phoenix and is still great without the power or imagery, she is very intimately connected to it.

I don't think so. Don't forget that Phoenix was first created as an evolution of Jean's character. That was her new power, codename and costume. It was fully her own and nobody else. It's later that they started all that mess with the Phoenix Force. There isn't anything wrong to want Jean to be Phoenix again. Not the Phoenix Force, not a cosmic entity, not all the stuff that was done after Morrison but just Phoenix.

This, exactly!

[Disciple of Redd]

I HATE Hopeless' voice for Teen Jean, but looking back on the context of Real Jean being involved in the story and the intended angle for the series being the difference in maturity between them, it makes sense to have Teen Jean come off as more childish.

[JasonEsta]

Only thing missing: Rachel Summers

[Conor]

Jean is perfectly fine and fully capable without the stupid cosmic chicken.

Agreed. I've said this on the Jean page before but I want to see Jean as a stand-alone-character without the convoluted nature & history of the Phoenix Force dragging her down. I want to see her fully blossom as an Omega-Level mutant without having to rely on the PF. It would be amazing to see Jean, as a telepath & telekinetic become as powerful as she was as Morrison-era Jean but this time without the PF. Plus the PF makes her nigh-omnipotent which is something I feel subtracts from her character because it leaves her without flaws & weaknesses which is something she needs.

[Conor]

I HATE Hopeless' voice for Teen Jean, but looking back on the context of Real Jean being involved in the story and the intended angle for the series being the difference in maturity between them, it makes sense to have Teen Jean come off as more childish.

Yeah, Jeen's dialogue comes off as pretty cringey at times, especially at the start of the series when she was saying "friggin' Namor" & stuff like that. Made me cringe hard-core.

[MarvelMaster616]

This might have been the best, most complete issue to date of Jean's solo series. Everything in this issue really converged. We find out just what Ghost Jean was trying to do. We also learn a bit more about Emma's take on everything. Much to the relief of Emma fans, I imagine, she came out of this looking much more balanced than she did during IvX. The way she and Ghost Jean interacted was just glorious. It reflected all the fun and witty banter we saw during the Morrison era. These two women are so different, but their stories are so deeply entwined that they can't really avoid each other. There's something inherently fitting about that.

The only thing that kept this issue from being flawless was Hope Summers showing up. The fact she still exists in the X-men comics is a real drag on Marvel. She's become so redundant and her presence really wasn't necessary in the end. She didn't derail the issue, but it could've done without her.

Still, this issue reflects the greatest strengths of the series overall. It also feels like a perfect prelude to Phoenix Resurrection. It really gives the sense that Jean's return is that much closer.

[lurkerforyears]

the issue about Jean and the Phoenix to me, is that she pretty much didnt have it from her X-Factor return till Morrison, with Rachel being the Phoenix most of that time.

And in those years it was a recurring plot line that Jean and Scott have the right genes for making extremely powerful babies like a healthy Cable, Stryfe, or X-Man, capable of beating Apocalypse.

-If Jean alone is so so strong, what was the point for Sinister in making her "breed" with Scott? Wouldnt Jean alone have been enough to beat Apocalypse? Jean wasnt that strong in the 90s (and less in the late 80s), as in, Exodus could handle her with no problems while fighting other people at the same time
-Both Rachel and X-Man had to be very nerfed to become usable
-When Jean became the Phoenix again, she got killed again

I think making Jean Phoenix permanently can make her very hard to use, and end up getting her killed again, or nerfed in some weird way. And that for the long term it's better to have her as an "alpha level" mutant as she was in the 90s, and not the super powerful phoenix of Claremont-Byrne and Morrison.

[nx01a]

I think making Jean Phoenix permanently can make her very hard to use, and end up getting her killed again, or nerfed in some weird way. And that for the long term it's better to have her as an "alpha level" mutant as she was in the 90s, and not the super powerful phoenix of Claremont-Byrne and Morrison.

Absolutely right. Just give her fire imagery or pyrokinesis to justify keeping the Phoenix name and I'm good to go.

[Wiccan]

I wouldn't mind if the Phoenix was nerfed. But that's not even all that needed. The original deciption of Jean as Phoenix by Claremont had her lose to Magneto once. On the latest one, she fucking died electrocuted. On AvX, the Avengers did pretty much fine against the Phoenix Five. The Phoenix is only deus ex-machina when the writers want it to be. And it's not as simple as just "give her fire". The idea that it's gonna get her killed again it's kinda like... Weird. She won't die unless editorial allows it. Period. And she has spent 14 years dead. She's not gonna go away any time soon regardless of her status quo.

I actually imagined a story where the Phoenix would kind of "die" and then Jean would absorb it and then the Phoenix as a firebird that can go around posessing people wouldn't exist anymore, it would just be a part of Jean.

[Disciple of Redd]

I wouldn't mind if the Phoenix was nerfed. But that's not even all that needed. The original deciption of Jean as Phoenix by Claremont had her lose to Magneto once. On the latest one, she fucking died electrocuted. On AvX, the Avengers did pretty much fine against the Phoenix Five. The Phoenix is only deus ex-machina when the writers want it to be. And it's not as simple as just "give her fire". The idea that it's gonna get her killed again it's kinda like... Weird. She won't die unless editorial allows it. Period. And she has spent 14 years dead. She's not gonna go away any time soon regardless of her status quo.

I actually imagined a story where the Phoenix would kind of "die" and then Jean would absorb it and then the Phoenix as a firebird that can go around posessing people wouldn't exist anymore, it would just be a part of Jean.

All of this, especially the bold.

[lurkerforyears]

I wouldn't mind if the Phoenix was nerfed. But that's not even all that needed. The original deciption of Jean as Phoenix by Claremont had her lose to Magneto once. On the latest one, she fucking died electrocuted. On AvX, the Avengers did pretty much fine against the Phoenix Five. The Phoenix is only deus ex-machina when the writers want it to be. And it's not as simple as just "give her fire". The idea that it's gonna get her killed again it's kinda like... Weird. She won't die unless editorial allows it. Period. And she has spent 14 years dead. She's not gonna go away any time soon regardless of her status quo.

I actually imagined a story where the Phoenix would kind of "die" and then Jean would absorb it and then the Phoenix as a firebird that can go around posessing people wouldn't exist anymore, it would just be a part of Jean.

She was also hynotized by Mesmero into working in a circus while being Phoenix host. But I remember Moira measuring and doing studies on Jean in the Proteus story and saying she had been unconsciously not using all of her power due to fear of losing control, or something like that. That is why Magneto could beat her.

iirc the Avengers had to use Wanda as a scarecrow as if Wanda were mutant kriptonite since House of M. Just having some of the Phoenix should make you a can fly in space cosmic hero imo.

Making her Phoenix requires a great talented writer who can continuously create Phoenix worthy threats like Cassandra Nova, Xorn or Sublime. It would need the creation of new villains.