Jean Grey / Phoenix Appreciation 2021

[PyroFN]

Thank you for these! Per usual, you always come through. Months ago, I couldn't find any references to her being an Omega Level telekinetic when I needed them most. These will certainly come in handy in debates about her telekinesis. By the way, do you have any older references in which she is referred to as an Omega Level telekinetic?

Afraid not. Omega Level was not really made such a big deal until the latter half of the 2000’s era. What little I can find about her telekinesis is something stated about Betsy as well,





Jean’s potential though has been in reference to her powers in their entirety from what I understand. Hickman is the first to segregate certain powers to being omega level. (Not counting Fraction coining the term Omega Class Telepaths)

[PyroFN]

The one I mentioned is yet another instance. It's from the issue where she's bugging Namor.

Honestly, though, you guys get so excited about some of the stuff she's doing nowadays. She did some pretty badass dual-feats in the 90s too but that was before the internet was so accessible and fans so invested into proving their character is the "bestest" there is.

They mean this,

[Mercury]

Check X-Men (vol. 2, blue team) #70. The whole issue is a dual psy-feat by Jean, while super stressed because she's keeping Scott alive.

I remember that.

EDIT: bonus points for the pink Phoenix-shaped tk energy, for you guys who think Bendis came up with that. :P

Jean first created a pink "Phoenix of [her] own" in Marvel Comics Presents #15 back in 1989.

I'm old and cranky. I don't have your patience. :P

Well, I would say patience is more than just a virtue for a comic book fan; it's a requirement, lol.

[Grinning Soul]

I remember that.

She was telekinetically holding millions of "nanotechs", while keeping Scott sedated using her tp.

Jean first created a pink "Phoenix of [her] own" in Marvel Comics Presents #15 back in 1989.

Yeah. It was nothing new. It's just that before the internet those things didn't get obsessively scrutinized. Even before that, there's also an issue in X-Factor in which Scott thinks he sees the raptor in her power. Granted, his mental health isn't that great at that point, so his perception isn't reliable. Take that as you will. :)

Well, I would say patience is more than just a virtue for a comic book fan; it's a requirement, lol.

I don't disagree. I just don't have it either. :P

[Mercury]

She was telekinetically holding millions of "nanotechs", while keeping Scott sedated using her tp.

Too bad the art doesn't make it impressive. It is, though.

Yeah. It was nothing new. It's just that before the internet those things didn't get obsessively scrutinized. Even before that, there's also an issue in X-Factor in which Scott thinks he sees the raptor in her power. Granted, his mental health isn't that great at that point, so his perception isn't reliable. Take that as you will.

I recently read that issue!

I don't disagree. I just don't have it either. :P

I understand. Thankfully, I have worked on having patience. In my teens and early twenties, I was too rash and impulsive, and extremely impatient. It's never done me any good.

[Grinning Soul]

Too bad the art doesn't make it impressive. It is, though.

The art doesn't make it look great, but it's also the writing: the writers didn't have the need to really highlight the feat. It was understood that she was very powerful and that was enough. Different times and all that.

I recently read that issue!

It's in issue #6, from 1986. So possibly the first mention of a sans-Phoenix raptor display, since her return. Again: not exactly canon because our PoV is through Scott's perceptions and those are *very* unreliable at that point.

I understand. Thankfully, I have worked on having patience. In my teens and early twenties, I was too rash and impulsive, and extremely impatient. It's never done me any good.

It's different, I think. When you get older, it's not a matter of being impulsive. It's a matter of learning to value your time better. I need those silly headcanons so I don't completely drop the books. If it gets to a point where I can't make them up and it bothers me too much, I just drop them. I have better stuff to do with my time, you know?

[Mercury]

It's different, I think. When you get older, it's not a matter of being impulsive. It's a matter of learning to value your time better. I need those silly headcanons so I don't completely drop the books. If it gets to a point where I can't make them up and it bothers me too much, I just drop them. I have better stuff to do with my time, you know?

I completely understand. As I have admitted before, I only recently got back into comic books after a long break, which I took in part because I lost the patience required to keep up with so many books. Also, I thought I had outgrown comic books and could do better things with my time. However, the following combination of things brought me back into the fold: Russell Dauterman's variant cover depicting Jean in all of her costumes; reading House of X/Powers of X, and finding out Jean would be featured as a co-leader in an X-Men reboot. And, as Omega_DCD pointed out to me, to have a "pressure release valve." I have gone through a hell of a lot of eustress this year, which is great, but I needed a release. Even still, I would not say that I am the fan I used to be nor do I want to be.

Really, I am only sticking around for Jean. If they were to kill her again or stop featuring her in books, I would not think twice about moving on from comic books once more or perhaps just reverting to a very casual fan and reader. But, for now, I am only on board to see what they do with her. With Hickman's run ending and Wanda's recent death and pending return, though, it has certainly been an interesting time to be a comic book fan again.

We'll see how it all goes.

[Grinning Soul]

I completely understand. As I have admitted before, I only recently got back into comic books after a long break, which I took in part because I lost the patience required to keep up with so many books. Also, I thought I had outgrown comic books and could do better things with my time. However, the following combination of things brought me back into the fold: Russell Dauterman's variant cover depicting Jean in all of her costumes; reading House of X/Powers of X, and finding out Jean would be featured as a co-leader in an X-Men reboot. And, as Omega_DCD pointed out to me, to have a "pressure release valve." I have gone through a hell of a lot of eustress this year, which is great, but I needed a release. Even still, I would not say that I am the fan I used to be nor do I want to be.

Really, I am only sticking around for Jean. If they were to kill her again or stop featuring her in books, I would not think twice about moving on from comic books once more or perhaps just reverting to a very casual fan and reader. But, for now, I am only on board to see what they do with her. With Hickman's run ending and Wanda's recent death and pending return, though, it has certainly been an interesting time to be a comic book fan again.

We'll see how it all goes.

Sure thing. :)

No person is exactly like another, so how we deal with stress, frustration and time management is drastically different. In the end, it’s all a matter of cost/benefit, but that is also subjective and personal.

What makes life tricky - but oh, so interesting - is that even what we learn might turn out not to be applicable some time later. We’re (or should be) constantly evolving, after all.

So I say do what feels right to you at the moment, learn from the outcome but be ready to throw that lesson away in the future. :D

I offered my headcanon as something that works for me, in case it might work for other posters who feel annoyed about her powers. I believe that life can be easier when we share our experiences. But if they have their own headcanons, or they prefer to feel that annoyance or they’d rather be patient... Well, it's all fine by me. :)

[Grinning Soul]

They mean this,

That was the page indeed, Pyro. Thanks for sharing. :)

[Omega_DCD]

I too, in the wake of Hickman's reclassification, went hunting for any and all direct references of Jean being specifically an Omega Level Telekinetic, and could only find the ones mentioned in the Jean Grey solo series. Even bedore HOX/POX, in X-Men Red, I found it curious that the title page in each issue would describe Jean as "just" an Omega level telepath. At first I was annoyed, but by now after all Jean has done, in practice it's just a distinction without a difference. Jean's TK has proven to be as strong if not stronger than it's even been

Anywho, speaking of feats that are more impressive than the artwork shows...here's Jean during Legion Quest. After withstanding Storm's Hurricane force winds for a time, anchoring herself in place against Legion's temporal vortex, punching through the coronal distortion to fire off a telepathic S.O.S. to Xavier and seemingly having exhausted her TK...the next issue shows Jean was not only still able to protect herself against the desert storm with a telekinetic cocoon/shell, that shell still maintained itself even when Jean was unconscious. Both Xavier and Cyclops mention this but the art doesn't even show a hint of a shell. Boooo...

[Grinning Soul]

I too, in the wake of Hickman's reclassification, went hunting for any and all direct references of Jean being specifically an Omega Level Telekinetic, and could only find the ones mentioned in the Jean Grey solo series. Even bedore HOX/POX, in X-Men Red, I found it curious that the title page in each issue would describe Jean as "just" an Omega level telepath. At first I was annoyed, but by now after all Jean has done, in practice it's just a distinction without a difference. Jean's TK has proven to be as strong if not stronger than it's even been

Anywho, speaking of feats that are more impressive than the artwork shows...here's Jean during Legion Quest. After withstanding Storm's Hurricane force winds for a time, anchoring herself in place against Legion's temporal vortex, punching through the coronal distortion to fire off a telepathic S.O.S. to Xavier and seemingly having exhausted her TK...the next issue shows Jean was not only still able to protect herself against the desert storm with a telekinetic cocoon/shell, that shell still maintained itself even when Jean was unconscious. Both Xavier and Cyclops mention this but the art doesn't even show a hint of a shell. Boooo...

That cartoon - as much as I love it - did a disservice to Jean. In the comics, she was awesome in the 90s as well. It's just that people weren't obsessed about "omega" classifications and feats and, therefore, writers didn't feel the need to highlighting them either. I supposed it allowed them more energy to focus on characterization and personal interactions? I don't know. Like I said: times were different.

Thanks for sharing, Omega.

[Mercury]

...Jean was not only still able to protect herself against the desert storm with a telekinetic cocoon/shell, that shell still maintained itself even when Jean was unconscious...

This reminded me of this telekinetic feat from X-Factor Annual #4 I recently stumbled upon, during which she was unconscious, too.

[Mercury]

Mark Brooks is a Jean fan! ��

He responded to me asking him about the Inferno cover.

https://mobile.twitter.com/MarkBrook...07168421711873

Thanks so much! To be fair, I have little knowledge of the actual story. I only know that I trust Hickman to do the characters justice. I’m a Jean fan too.

This is what he said about the cover:

This cover is symbolic, a metaphor. Some things represent reality and others are a symbol of events. It’s a tease just like all good media advertisements are. You’ll have to read the book to find out.

[Mercury]

He just added this:

The X-men was my first comic book. I love them all but obviously the original 5 hold a special place for me. Jean has such a riveting story through the decades, how could anyone not like her?

https://mobile.twitter.com/MarkBrook...12171400003585

[Mercury]

This story from X-Men Unlimited #31 really moved and disturbed me, but I'm just going to post the two pages that describe Jean's feats. You can find the full story here: https://twitter.com/Jean_RED_Grey/st...09684207017985.

In the first, Jean shares with Rogue that she has to “maintain a telepathic cocoon” to shield herself from “the chaos of the millions of minds around [her]," and to protect those minds from "the psychokinetic devastation that power could unleash." She later telepathically mindwipes hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people. (You really need to read the story to understand why Rogue has a breakdown in the middle of New York City in broad daylight.)



Mindwiping: