Jean Grey #1 (2023) Reviews and Spoilers

[Mercury]

The issue opens with Jean in a daze, back in her official uniform, and in an undisclosed location, presumably after Orchis’ attack at the Hellfire Gala. She reminds herself that she is dying. “There’s nothing new in dying,” she muses. “At least not for me. Been there…so many times before.” She also reminds herself that “there are others” dead or dying, too, and that “time is running out.” She thinks, “This is my fault. It has to be. Why else would I be here? … If I can understand, maybe I can fix…everything.” Suddenly, she is making her way through glowing shards of memory—gleaming fragments of her life—while noting, “My mind feels…broken…memories scattered, like puzzle pieces waiting to be assembled.” She wonders, “But into what?”

She briefly recounts pivotal moments during her prepubescence and adolescence. She remembers the death of her best friend, Annie Richardson, and how her reflexive choice to be with her in both mind and body not only led to the activation of her nascent telepathic power but also nearly killed her. She decides, “despite the danger,” she made the right choice. She then recalls meeting Professor Xavier, who offered to suppress her “out-of-control telepathy”—“just one of my emerging psi powers”— which she accepted. “Block them,” she had said to him, and he did. She decides she made the right choice then, too.

Subsequently, she ponders whether accepting Xavier’s later offer of a scholarship to his School for Gifted Youngsters may have been the pivotal mistake she now seeks to rectify. “No,” she assures herself, reminiscing, “That was…the best!” But her thoughts are soon snagged on a memory: An older Hank, having “arrived from a terrible future,” asking her and the remaining founding X-Men “to travel through time to save the world.” She recalls their temporal sojourn and how their “presence made things worse.” And she remembers, years after their time displacement, a young Cable from a more distant future urging them to go back to their own time and convincing her to forget their years in the future, "to excise a chunk of [their] own lives.” She hones in on and digs deeper into the memory. “Is this where I went wrong?” she ponders.

Suddenly, she is transported to the moment in which a young Jean, Scott, Hank, Bobby, and Warren return from the future to their proper time and place as young students at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. We catch teenage Jean in mid-sentence: “…but what if we don’t forget what happened to us? What if we need that knowledge?” Everyone’s curiosity is peaked, and Jean continues: “We have control of our powers now. And we’ve seen the future—a batch of futures—so we know what to avoid.” Warren asks, “Like the Phoenix?” Jean responds, “Yeah, Warren. Like that.” And just as the others continue to ponder the possibilities, Xavier summons them to the Danger Room for training. Warren notes, “Professor X will read our minds,” to which Jean responds, “I’ve blocked him…for now.” Bobby opines, “This won’t work.” And Jean retorts with a certain obstinate finality, “Yes, it will, Bobby. I’ll make it work. Come on.”

Later the team is in the midst of a training session when Jean suddenly reveals to them, "Magneto’s attacking. In Manhattan.” Xavier emerges from behind her and asks, “So, you already know that?” Without skipping a beat, she admits, “The block you put on my telepathy is gone, Professor Xavier. I can control the power now, which is good since I want what you want…” Xavier peers at her, “And what is that?” “To save mutantkind. To safeguard the future,” Jean assures him confidently. Xavier attempts a retort—“You don’t know—”—but Jean interrupts him. “I know more than you can imagine.” Xavier tries to reason with her, admitting, “You’re very powerful, Jean, and you mean well, but—” Jean interrupts, “But with me at full strength, we’re better positioned to stand against evil. It will work. You’ll see.”

What ensues is a rapid succession of happenstances and reckless, ill-fated decisions.

Above what seems like the George Washington Bridge, Magneto and the X-Men face off. He tries convincing them that established mutants need to band together and “prepare a safe haven” for themselves and for newly emerging mutants. “Your war is against the humans,” Jean notes, “but you’re fine with killing us?” Magneto confirms, “If that’s what it takes—AAK!” But before he can finish, Jean removes his helmet and levels with him. “So, that’s how we play this,” she says. “You think I’m weak, Magneto! A child to be threatened. But I am so much more.” She calls him “a fanatic” and “a terrorist,” and, in turn, he categorizes her as one of “Charles’ stooges.” She snaps. “Not…exactly. Xavier wouldn’t do this,” she says as she wipes his mind completely clean. He drops to the ground.

The others scramble to reinforce the destabilized bridge as Scott tends to Magneto and admonishes Jean for what she’s done to him. “[He’s] Nothing. Gone. A blank. You can’t do that!” Jean tries reasoning with him and reminding him that they already know what Magneto’s actions will lead to. “And the witnesses?” Scott asks. “I could change their perceptions. Xavier does it.” Warren yells, “Don’t!” And Jean acquiesces. “Okay," she says. "For now, we can control the spin…”

We learn that Xavier and his students parted ways soon after the latter’s showdown with Magneto. However, Warren’s inheritance afforded the team their independence from their former leader and a new base of operations in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Jean continues exhibiting a simmering, although nonetheless reckless, abandon, noting that “one tiny mind tweak” could turn Juggernaut into an “instant good guy.” Scott warns her that she “can’t keep doing that,” as Hank emerges with his newly improved portable Cerebro machine. Suddenly, Trask is on television, addressing the nation—“…but more mutants appear weekly, and some powers are dangerous…”—and the team zones in on his words. They agree to use Cerebro to locate emerging mutants. Jean tries out the new portable headset and approves. “We have a hit.”

Sometime later, Jean locates a young, panicking kid with “a strong psi power of some kind.” But before they can reach him, his abilities cause an explosion in the penthouse in which he resides. The team pushes through fire, smoke, and debris to get to him. Jean notes, “People above and below. Injured, but alive.” Hank, Bobby, and Warren rush to save the others, and Jean and Scott remain behind with the young boy. Jean observes that he’s severely injured. “It’s okay. I’m with you. I won’t leave…” She psi-links with the boy. “Scott, he’s…” Her voice trails off, and she collapses just as the young boy dies. Scott screams for her. Jean whispers: “It’s…okay. I’m strong now. Strong enough…” Scott finishes her sentence. “To get pulled toward death, again and again?” She groans, “Stayed with him. Eased his pain. All…I could do.” Scott insists, “This won’t be the last time. There has to be a better way.”

Soon after, we learn that Jean made the bystanders and emergency responders believe that the explosion was caused by a gas leak, not the young boy’s emergent powers. The team interrogates, warns, and admonishes her over her actions. Bobby notes, “I won’t volunteer information, but if they ask me directly, I won’t lie.” Jean, with a steely determination, responds, “I can make you think it isn’t a lie.” The team balks.

Continued...

[Mercury]

Some days or weeks later, Trask reveals on national television that the explosion was not caused by a gas leak, noting that it was “a deliberate cover-up of a mutant attack.” He also reveals that he has “created a task force, Operation Sentinel, to bring mutants under government control. The so-called X-Men will be the first.” Subsequently, four Sentinels descend upon the X-Men’s Manhattan high-rise headquarters, and just as the team covertly exits the building to avert mass casualties, the robots destroy the building. In an alley not far from their now-former-headquarters, Jean suggests focusing on saving the mutants they learned about in the future before their powers emerge. First on the list are Kitty Pryde, Danielle Moonstar, and Sam Guthrie.

The team locate and abscond with the aforementioned young mutants, and Jean erases any memory of their existence from the minds of their family, friends, acquaintances, and all witnesses. The team, particularly Bobby, grows increasingly alarmed by and impatient with Jean’s rash actions. She ignores them and suggests they take the newly acquired children to Xavier. At their former school, the team finds Xavier and Erik playing chess. “You brought him back,” Jean notes. “Some of the way," Xavier responds. "You did quite a number on him.” Jean asks, “But…how? Why--?” Xavier quickly answers, “How? I have a good bit more experience than you. Why? I believe in free will. And I trust that, in time, he will become a force for good. I’m surprised this development displeases you. These days, his and your philosophies seem to align.” Jean asserts herself. “Mutants are under attack. I’m doing the best I can.” Erik chimes in, insisting, “I could have shown you a better way.” Jean and Erik begin to argue, but Xavier interrupts, after which Jean notifies him of the children and asks him to “keep them safe.” Xavier asks if the rest of the team is with Jean. Bobby and Warren decide to drop out and stay with him. “The way you’re doing things, Jean,” Bobby notes, “it isn’t right.” Jean, Scott, and Hank exit.

Some time later, Hank pulls Trish Tilby up to the roof of a building and demands, “Consider your sources before you script fear-mongering articles! Those ‘stolen’ children you wrote about are mutants.” He tries defending the team’s decision to shelter them, but Trish will hear none of it. In the middle of their argument, Trish grows still and wide-eyed before collapsing. Jean emerges from the background. “I told you she was dangerous.” Hank snaps. “Bobby’s right. You’ve become a monster!” Before he can say another word, Jean loses control. “I AM NOT A MONSTER!” She screams, letting out a psychic blast that incapacitates Hank, wiping his mind clean. Scott stumbles upon them both and admonishes Jean while cradling Hank. “You don’t have to stay,” she assures him, coldly. “And if I walk away, you’ll fry my brain, too?" Scott retorts. "We disagree, and I’m a vegetable? That’s your answer to every problem. Do what you need to do. I’m not on board with this. Not anymore.”

Left alone in a dark alley, Jean repeats to herself, “I’m not a monster.” She reasons with herself, “I tried so hard…I listened…I did what I could…but I had it wrong.” Her eyes glow like with light and fire. “I felt it from the beginning,” present-day Jean notes, “but I ignored it like so many things. It was calm, waiting, wings furied…” From the dark alley, Jean emerges as Phoenix. “If I’m to save them, save them all, I need to become a bigger monster. I need power. I need—” Present day Jean notes, “But when I called…it answered.” Jean, aflame, declares, “We are ONE!”

Afterward, Jean went on a rampage, killing all anti-mutant leaders and influential people. The X-Men tried to stop her but to no avail. Eventually, in a bout of fury, Jean screamed, “GO AWAY!” And everyone and everything did go away. She was left dumbfounded. “This isn’t what I wanted. It isn’t what I mean at all. Me alone. Nothing, no one else…but the Phoenix! Horrible. Wrong. My idea. My willfulness. My pride. My fault. Gone! I’ve learned! That option no longer exists! We were right to let the skein of time unwind without entanglement until…I see it now. The next possibility. The next choice. I know exactly where it all went wrong,” current-day Jean declares as she faces a burning space shuttle, her words still encased in gold and outlined in blood red, like the Phoenix that never came to be.

Discussion Questions ��:

1. To what “here” is Jean referring in the prologue when she says and asks, “This is my fault. It has to be. Why else would I be here?”

2. If the space shuttle incident never occurred, how and when did Jean first encounter, or recognize within herself, Phoenix?

3. Is there any significance to current-day Jean’s word bubble on the last page being rendered in the same style and color as Phoenix’s word bubbles throughout the issue?

[MarvelMaster616]

Thanks for getting this thread started, Mercury! This was a comic a lot of Jean fans have been waiting for since the day it was announced. You certainly covered all the major points.

But I also made it a point to wake up extra early this morning to create a YouTube video review of this comic for my YouTube channel, Jack's World. If anyone is interested in my take, please check it out. But also note there are heavy spoilers here.

[Kingdom X]

I knew Mercury would be on top of it!

I thought this was a fun character study and I really enjoyed the art. I’ll probably wait for reviews of future issues before purchasing, just because there are so many FoX books!

[Mercury]

Thanks for getting this thread started, Mercury! This was a comic a lot of Jean fans have been waiting for since the day it was announced. You certainly covered all the major points.

But I also made it a point to wake up extra early this morning to create a YouTube video review of this comic for my YouTube channel, Jack's World. If anyone is interested in my take, please check it out. But also note there are heavy spoilers here.

I can't wait to check out your video. I'll offer my feedback once I do. Give me a few hours.

I knew Mercury would be on top of it!

Ha! You really did know, didn't you? :teary eyes with a smile:

[Rift]

Waiting for Jean to revisit the moment Hellion unhooked her bra. Will we finally see Julian's detention on-page?

[Mercury]

Phew. This issue stunned me. After my first read, I had to sit still for a moment and then busy myself with house chores to properly metabolize what I had just read. This is my initial Twitter mini-review, slightly edited:

https://twitter.com/Jean_RED_Grey/st...98092109312394

#XSpoilers Jean Grey #1 (2023) is a moving and fascinating tribute and character study that sees Jean reflecting on her fears, flaws, strengths, and overall resilience by way of a missed opportunity-turned-averted outcome. With nuance, @LouiseSimonson2 perfectly captures and makes distinct Jean as a seasoned adult transcending death and a reckless time-displaced teenager hell-bent on correcting the future, distinguishing both iterations of the titular character from her previous work with her as a young woman grappling with rebirth and betrayal in the 1980s. To paraphrase Whitman, Simonson's Jean contains multitudes. 🤌🏻

I can totally see Gillen et al. using this miniseries as a jumping-off point for Jean to more fully understand and have an impactful exchange with Moira. Also, aside from acting as a *Variations on Jean Grey’s Greatest Hits* arc and potentially revealing how she will return in Immortal X-Men, along with revealing what needs to be “fixed” to rectify the Fall of X, with just the first issue, this arc already promises to inform modern-day Jean and her perspective on her past in profound ways.

[SugarMan]

Great issue. It felt much like Phoenix Ressurection. Phoenix taking Jean on a tour of her greatest hits. I wonder what revelation Jean comes to. Could it be Phoenix has just been her all the time? Dunno.

[Exodus]

It sounds like a fun issue. In particular for Jean Grey fans. But I cannot help but wonder: Hasn't Jean learned all these lessons already multiple times?! Jean abusing her mental powers and not being the empathetic person she is today, isn't really giving us anything new at all?!

So, every issue is basically a "What if..." storyline where Jean tries to figure out what she could have changed in her past to influence the present. Wouldn't it have been more interesting and important to include the new history of Krakoa and how Xavier, Magneto, and Moira manipulated anybody to achieve the present new mutant state/utopia?! Jean was close to them her entire life but she is not wondering what she could have changed if she was in on their greater plans?! Why is Jean only focused on her own limited actions in the past?

I wished it would have been more exciting than jumping from one "What if..."-scene to the next.

[PhoenixStudies]

This first issue was more Phoenix heavy than I expected. I knew it would build up to it, but didn't expect so much in the first issue.

Loved how the intro page, which typically lists the characters in the book, identifies Jean, Phoenix/Dark Phoenix, and Teen Jean as Jean. Of course we know Jean Grey is Jean Grey is Jean Grey, but some fans still try to deny that Phoenix or even Teen Jean were our Jean.

Loved how Jean described herself as being born in death as a mutant referring to her telepathy activating when she felt Annie's death.

Its really interesting how they have explored Jean having too much power too quickly can lead her to becoming a radical. We saw that with Xorn Jean and we see it here. She means well and wants to protect mutants, but she goes too far.

It also shows what can go wrong if Jean simply changes peoples minds all the time. As Phoenix and as time displaced Teen Jean, she would sometimes change people's minds so this has long been a real temptation for her. She should have a better understanding of the ethical problems with that and what could happen if she continually changed people's minds or simply lobotomized people she disagrees with.

Loved how it showed that Jean could have become Phoenix even before the shuttle incident by simply being aware of it. She didn't need anything to fly into her from space. She has an innate connection to the Phoenix. She felt it from the beginning (of her powers? of her death? of this memory?) and as soon as she calls, it answered. She simply comes out with the power (as we saw her do in Morrison's New X-Men and other occasions).

Of course thanks to Classic X-Men, X-Men The Hidden Years, X-Men First Class, and Teen Jean--- Jean has had dealings with the Phoenix and used the power before becoming Phoenix on the shuttle.

Loved seeing Jean being a mutant leader even if straying from Xavier's vision for a while. She learned some valuable lessons.

Jean declaring "we are one" when she asserted her Phoenix power is a line she used in Inferno after absorbing Phoenix and Maddie.

Next issue deals with Jean making a different decision during the shuttle incident and the 3rd issue is about her making a different decision while fighting with Maddie (which ended in her absorbing Phoenix and Maddie). The final issue solicitation mentions the flames getting brighter and the cover has her reaching out for the Phoenix. So this definitely seems to be a Phoenix story for her whether she embraces the power at the end or not. And seems like it will deal with other aspects of her character such as her leadership role in mutantdom and her powers.

Interestingly enough, Jean was given the opportunity to go back to the shuttle incident and make a different choice in the 2001 X-Men Forever mini and at that time she decided to choose the Phoenix as she had done initially.

Also, I have always loved X-Factor Jean. Even with the annoying Phoenix denials (which mostly just came across as simply denial), Jean was great during this era. She was strong willed and powerful. She could be fiery, but also empathetic and vulnerable. Her identity issues made her very introspective. I know some fans were worried because Louise wrote post-retcon Jean, but she also wrote some great hints during that time. She had Jean doing mysterious phoenix effects (like in x-factor 6). She had Apocalypse tell Jean that she had a spark in her that could grow to consume all. She had Destiny refer to Jean as a nexus of probabilities. She had Jean use the Phoenix to help save a planet from a Celestial in the Judgment War storyline. She has a great understanding of the character.

[davetvs]

I loved that this issue highlighted how bratty and annoying Teen Jean was. The fact that they didn't sugarcoat the logical endpoint considering the ways she used her TP in the present means I don't have to worry that there's not a firm enough grasp on the nuances of Jean's history and the various aspects of her personality, good and bad.

[Phoenixx9]

Yay, Mercury! You never let us Jean Grey fans down! Thanks for starting this thread, all of the great scenes and with all of that great detail. Very exciting indeed!

Here are a few of my ideas to your questions posed:

1) Here as in just where Jean is at the moment: precipice of death/WHR?

2) Jean first recognized Phoenix as a young child, either with little Annie Richardson, or soon after when her mind touched Scott's mind (but Xavier failed to sense Scott); AND/OR later in Jean's early X-Men career when she and the X-men and FF went into space....

3) Quite possibly! I do not think it is coincidence. Like the Progenitor Celestial stated, "Jean Grey now and forever, you are a Phoenix!"

[loke13]

I'm definitely going with the theory that Jean is experiencing all of this in the White Hot Room and since this seems like it's going to be a Phoenix mini has me even more excited to read the issue.

It definitely seems like she's going through a series of denial and wrong choices that somehow highlight her as the Phoenix.

[JB]

Witnessing Jean on a rampage like a wrecking ball was a wild and fun ride. The art was beautiful and Louise delivered with the characterizations. As another reader mentioned elsewhere, "Jean being messy is so fun".

When I put it down I did walk away thinking "will any of what I just read matter with what's going on in the present?" But that's a question to be answered as we go and I'm looking forward to the next issue.

[Tank]

I liked that it was more than just a what if because it’s set up that Jean is not only viewing these alternate (timelines?), but that she believes she can alter them. And we see some of that with her wiping away that at the end of this issue and moving to the next.

But I’m hoping we get more current stuff and and revelations that matter in the now instead of it all being alternate timelines.

I agree with whoever said they enjoyed teenage Jean Grey’s characterization and fits with her brash, hot headed characteristics.