Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/The Phoenix Appreciation

[SerCo]

You have a valid point there SerCo... However, the writer of that odious story arc just previously depicted Jean taking a trip into the sun with Wolverine; she's killed by Logan to spare her the pain of disintegration. Not only did the two of them survive the experience... Jean (reborn), during the voyage, on a molecular level, reconfigure a vehicle that should have been pico-cosmic debris long before it ever touched the outer corona of the Sun. Jean and Logan eventually returned back to Earth -- only for her to be killed by an measly EMP generated by a fraudulent, "Chinese" Magneto -- who subsequently gets his head cut off by Logan. End log!

I think Morrison applied (or at least, tried to) the same logic used during DPS when Jean survives the D'Bari star supernova and then kills herself with some dusty weapon that came out of nowhere. The latter happened because she obviously let her guard down. And remember that Xorneto gave her a "planetary-scale" stroke.... (whatever that means).

But yes, it was a lame death and it's shame that Marvel hasn't revert it.

[ariwl1]

That was my pet peeve with Morrison killing Jean. She just came back from the immense electromagnetic radiation of the sun so that shouldn't have killed her. However, it could be a case that Jean was obviously aware and protected herself in the sun, while she let her guard down to offer some compassion to Xorneto.!

Thing about that though is that Logan had asked Jean before they got near the sun if she could do something about it, and Jean said she couldn't. The Phoenix was asleep or just waiting. Logan stabbing her to death is what woke the Phoenix up. "I had to die in order to come back. I just don't know how long they'll let me stay."

Best reason I can give, the Phoenix was operating on a strict timeframe, so Jean was protected up until the moment she wasn't supposed to be. It's quite possible Jean was destined to die and go away. As Here Comes Tomorrow showed, the world goes to hell unless Scott got over her, and she reached back into time to help him do just that. But if she could that, why didn't she prevent her own death or stop Xorneto from thinking he'll kill her?

Only thing I can come up with is she wasn't supposed to; she was bonded with the Phoenix and needed to be somewhere else. Subsequent stories likely don't support that, but as a contained story in NXM it's the best I got.

[PwrdOn]

Whenever Jean does come back, we're still owed a cleverly plotted story to tie that loose end up neatly, possibly linking her WHR activities with Hope, AvX, the O5, and all the rest. The idea would be that Jean essentially ascended to godhood because she believed that the X-Men no longer needed her and were best left on their own, but then seeing how big a mess they made she kept trying to throw them little nuggets here and there to set things right but ultimately realized that her direct intervention was needed again.

[RandyMcDonald]

Thing about that though is that Logan had asked Jean before they got near the sun if she could do something about it, and Jean said she couldn't. The Phoenix was asleep or just waiting. Logan stabbing her to death is what woke the Phoenix up. "I had to die in order to come back. I just don't know how long they'll let me stay."

Best reason I can give, the Phoenix was operating on a strict timeframe, so Jean was protected up until the moment she wasn't supposed to be. It's quite possible Jean was destined to die and go away. As Here Comes Tomorrow showed, the world goes to hell unless Scott got over her, and she reached back into time to help him do just that. But if she could that, why didn't she prevent her own death or stop Xorneto from thinking he'll kill her?

Only thing I can come up with is she wasn't supposed to; she was bonded with the Phoenix and needed to be somewhere else. Subsequent stories likely don't support that, but as a contained story in NXM it's the best I got.

That's the assumption I've worked from. I'm not aware of any stories that would necessarily contradict that.

The precedent of Rachel Grey may be useful. How long was she an avatar for a limited amount of the Phoenix's power without going Dark Phoenix?

[jutcher]

Those who admire French art, maybe like this adaptation. by Gattling

The original > http://global-artgallery.com/Store/Details/7

[grinningdemon]

Xorneto killing Phoenix Jean just proves she is not as overpowered as many believe her to be. For all her vastly psionic strenght, she's still human. She's not invulnerable, if someone stabs her she will bleed. And if an enemy outsmarts her, she can lose a fight (like her fight against Magneto during Claremont's run). That's why I think Phoenix can work very well in a team, writers just need to adopt A LITTLE more creative approach.

That could work for a few stories but even the best writer wouldn't be able to maintain it longterm without either having her come off as weaker than she should be (as Rachel was often depicted when she had the Phoenix), making the rest of the X-Men look pathetic, or falling into a rut like Bendis did with Sentry...characters that are THAT powerful just can't be maintained on a team like that...there has NEVER been a successful, longterm example that I can think of.

[ariwl1]

Those who admire French art, maybe like this adaptation. by Gattling

The original > http://global-artgallery.com/Store/Details/7

It is interesting the creative things fan artists can come up with. Much better than the lopsided doodles I'd make when I wasn't paying attention in class.

[ZehnWaters]

100 points awarded to house ZehnWaters

Aw, shucks. I like this one too.

[SerCo]

That could work for a few stories but even the best writer wouldn't be able to maintain it longterm without either having her come off as weaker than she should be (as Rachel was often depicted when she had the Phoenix), making the rest of the X-Men look pathetic, or falling into a rut like Bendis did with Sentry...characters that are THAT powerful just can't be maintained on a team like that...there has NEVER been a successful, longterm example that I can think of.

I'm actually ok with that, it happens to most uber-powerfull characters. And a weaker phoenix should still be pretty tough.

[grinningdemon]

I'm actually ok with that, it happens to most uber-powerfull characters. And a weaker phoenix should still be pretty tough.

Which was part of my original point...if Jean is to come back to stay, her power levels would need to be brought down to reasonable levels...still impressive but not cosmic scale.

[a0040pc]

Todays post in my X-Men Read Through Blog





Issue Information
Title- X-Men (Volume 1) #134
Release Date- June 1980
Writer- Chris Claremont
Artist- John Byrne

Major Notes
First appearance of Dark Phoenix

Brief Summary
Too late, the Heroes!

Cyclops begins to recover after his defeat on the Astral Plain to Mastermind but he is severely weakened. The X-Men are still captives of the Hellfire Club and Mastermind now believes that Jean Grey is truly his in body and mind. Jean sees the X-Men as part of George Washington’s Revolutionary army and a slave thanks to Mastermind’s illusion. She also can’t see that Mastermind himself is not the man he claims to be.
But outside the weather is terrible and it is raining heavily. The rainwater is entering the sewers and the water level is rising and getting closer to the cable that Wolverine exposed before entering the Hellfire Club.

Inside Sebastian Shaw hears knocking on the door and he is annoyed since he told the staff not to disturb them. But suddenly Wolverine breaks through the doors looking for a fight. Shaw is also annoyed by Leland for not finishing off Wolverine. Mastermind sees this opportunity to undermine Shaw’s authority as he sends Jean to attack her teammate. She used her telekinesis to push Wolverine away but at the same time she also unlocks the helmet that is keeping

Cyclops’s powers at bay. Cyclops realises this and even hears Jean’s voice in his head.
Immediately Cyclops opens his eyes and blasts the helmet off and it strikes Donald Pierce in the back of the head. He then uses his optic beams to blast the restraints off the other X-Men before turning them on Leland which knocks him out of the room and down a single floor to where the guests are located. Wolverine seems happy that Jean is actually on their side and he goes to face Leland wanting revenge for what happened earlier in the night.
Sebastian Shaw takes off his top expecting another easy victory since any attack against his body will only make him stronger. Instead Cyclops blasts a hole in the floor causing him to fall.

Nearby Donald Pierce begins to recover from the attack but he is grabbed from behind by Colossus who is in his flesh form. But Pierce is not defenceless as he knocks Colossus back. He is not hurt and as he gets up he shifts into his metal form as Nightcrawler and Storm go down after Shaw. But Mastermind tries to slip away knowing that he made the mistake of underestimating the X-Men. He allowed his pride and hatred of Shaw to get in the way of his judgement but for the moment he is using his illusion abilities to blend into the wall so that he can’t be seen.

Meanwhile Wolverine lunges down from the top of the stairway down to where Leland has fallen. In an instinctive move Leland uses his mutant powers to make Wolverine heavier, but he doesn’t realise this is the last thing he was supposed to do as Wolverine comes crashing down on top of him.
In a tunnel below the club Shaw is trying to flee and he wonders just how the X-Men could have escaped. But he realises that it is most likely Jean and that Mastermind is going to be in trouble with her. But he doesn’t get too far until Nightcrawler teleports in front of him and begins to clobber him. Storm is not too far away and begins to use her powers to lower the temperature in an attempt to incapacitate Shaw.

Meanwhile at the Avengers Mansion former X-Man Beast is reading a book when the Avengers computer indicates a police report about the X-Men attacking the Hellfire Club. He was contemplating that he feels closer to the X-Men than he did with the Avengers. For this situation he is supposed to radio the other Avengers but he decides that it is best for him to go by himself since he can’t think of why the X-Men would attack the Hellfire Club.
At the Hellfire Club itself Donald Pierce is battling Colossus. The mighty mutant is able to rip off the arm of Pierce during their test of strength. The villain resorts to shoving his sparkling electronic cables into the eyes of Colossus. This blinds the mutant but when his eyesight returns he discovers that Pierce has fled. Colossus didn’t realise that he damaged him to that extent.

Underground Nightcrawler seems to have the upper hand on Sebastian Shaw but the villain is able to turn the tables and grabs the ankle of Nightcrawler. Storm responds by further lowering the temperature and Shaw begins to freeze. In response Shaw throws Nightcrawler into Storm before entering a secret tunnel. There he finds the injured Donald Pierce and he is surprised to see how calm Shaw is even though they have lost. But Shaw reminds him that the battle might be lost but not the war.

On the ground floor Cyclops is doing his best to keep the guests calm but thanks to Mastermind’s illusions they think that he is attacking them. But suddenly the water in the sewer reaches the exposed cable causing the lights to go out. There is complete darkness until Wolverine lights a match right next to Cyclops. He asks what happened to Leland but Wolverine responds by telling him not to ask. He then commands Wolverine to find Storm and Nightcrawler while he goes to Jean.

Upstairs Mastermind is still hiding and he is trying to use his powers on Jean again but their mental link has broken. Suddenly Jean appears and reveals that by killing Cyclops on the Astral Plain instead of severing her link with him it was like a slap in the face bringing her back to her senses. She then uses her Phoenix Force to pin the terrified Mastermind to the wall and she walks up to him. On his chest is a device created by Emma Frost that allowed him to directly access Jean’s thoughts with his illusions. Jean is not happy that she was manipulated and she crushed the device. She knows that he wants power so instead of killing him she uses her powers to expand his mind until he can feel everything in the universe. It is too much for him to comprehend and by the end of it he has revert to his original appearance and he is left as nothing more than vegetable.

As Jean walks away she is terrified by what is happening inside her and she knows that there is no one that can help her. But as she walks out of the room she runs into Cyclops who comes to comfort her. She feels weak but soon they meet up with the rest of the X-Men. They know that the police are here and if they are caught that the Hellfire Club will make sure that any criminal charges will stick. They don’t realise that they are being watched by Shaw at a nearby window. He is determined after tonight that he will use his wealth and influence to make them public enemy number one.

The team make their way to Central Park where they have hidden their jet in the reservoir. Cyclops is surprised that all his attempts to reach Jean through their link isn’t working. She is keeping him out and he doesn’t know why. The team quickly make their way into the jet and they fly away intending to go back the New Mexico where Professor Xavier and Angel are waiting for them. But as they fly away Jean knows that all is lost and much to the surprise of everyone she transforms. Her costume changes to that of her Phoenix costume but this time it is an orange and dark red colour. She states that she is no longer the woman that they knew and that she is now truly Phoenix as her power rips through the jet.

[a0040pc]

My Thoughts

Another cracking issue in this storyline and I can see why it is so popular. Under normal circumstances something like this would be considered to be the finale of an arc but not in the case of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Even after the X-Men have battled through the Hellfire Club and seemingly won now they face a threat that is truly awe inspiring and you truly think how are they going to get out of this one?

The writing and the art was its usual high standards as the X-Men turned the tide of the situation in their way and it just shows that even when they seem to be down they can rise up again and turn the tables on their opponents. None more so then when we thought that Jean was completely under the control of Mastermind. As we saw she was fine after what had happened in the Astral Plain. If it wasn’t for her the X-Men would have truly lost that battle and the Hellfire Club would be in control of her. But I wonder how long they would have been able to keep her under their control until the Dark Phoenix broke out of her. I think the situation would have been a lot more dire and maybe the X-Men would have been unable to help.

The issue also marks the first appearance of Dark Phoenix who is remembered mainly for her actions in the next few issues. They are things that still resonate even today when the Phoenix is referred to. Even the words that she speaks at the end of the issue are the exact same that she spoke at the beginning of X-Men #101 which seems like so long ago now. She is definitely an X-Men villain that has withstood the test of time and whenever you hear her name it will send a chill down your spine. I will talk a little more about her over the next few posts.

The little scene with Beast was somewhat touching as he considered himself to have a better connection with the X-Men rather than the Avengers. That just shows that he is still very loyal to the team and that he doesn’t truly feel that he fits in with the Avengers. I have no doubts that they treat him well but maybe Beast feels more at home with the X-Men not just because they are his original teammates but maybe because he is a mutant like them. Of course the Avengers are mainly empowered humans (Along with an Asgardian, mutant and android) but maybe he doesn’t see that it’s the same so doesn’t get the same kinship as he did with the X-Men.

Mastermind’s defeat was exactly what he deserved and I feel that this is the highest point that the character will ever get. Bearing in mind that before all this he was considered to be a minor threat and even a lackey. But Claremont and Byrne did an excellent job reinventing him into the villain that seems to have caused the destruction of the universe thanks to the fact that he has unwittingly released the Dark Phoenix. No longer will Mastermind just be considered Magneto’s lackey but a fully capable villain who now possesses a genuine threat to the X-Men.

Although Shaw states that he will make the X-Men public enemy number one I’m not entirely sure if that ever happened unless I’m forgetting something. Maybe it is something that got dropped by Claremont as he wrote all of the X-Men issues between now and 1992. It would have been fun to see the X-Men hunted down by the police and maybe even the Avengers (Much like the Ultimate War LS from the 2000s). I think there was something like that in the X-Men Forever series (Which I personally think is underrated) so we kind of had it there instead.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 9 out of 10. A great issue which leaves to think that the X-Men might very well be doomed.

Next Issue
X-Men (Volume 1) #135

[Narasinha]

Todays post in my X-Men Read Through Blog.

Thanks for all the hard work !

[a0040pc]

Thanks mate. I was hoping that people would enjoy it and to see the rest of the blog it can be seen in the X-Men section of this forum.

[ariwl1]

Always fun to see someone's take on classic issues.