Jean Grey / Phoenix Appreciation 2024

[Icefanatic]

What issue is this?

Thor (2020) #5, part of Thor's multi-issue battle with the Black Winter. It's part of Donny Cates's early run and connects with themes explored both by Cates and by Al Ewing in other books. Now that Ewing has taken over the writing of Thor those themes are being revisited there and in other books, as seen recently in Resurrection of Magneto, shown in part below.

Storm is confronted with images drawn from the Tarot, specifically the Rider–Waite Tarot version of the cards, mixed with images from Marvel's own unique Arcana. Note the ominous presence of the snake on the Wheel of Fortune...

***

A.E. Waite was a key figure in the development of the tarot in line with the Hermetic magical-religious system also being developed at the time by The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, more commonly called the Golden Dawn. Golden Dawn was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was covered more fully earlier in one of our Fun Facts annotations.



In the Rider–Waite Tarot deck, the Wheel of Fortune card depicts a giant wheel, with three figures on its outer edges. On the outer circle is a snake, the Egyptian god Typhon (the god of evil), descending on the left side. The snake also represents the life force plunging into the material world. On the right side rises Anubis, the Egyptian God of the dead who welcomes souls to the underworld. And on top of the wheel sits the Sphinx, representing knowledge and strength.

Four Hebrew letters – YHVH (Yod Heh Vau Heh), the unpronounceable name of God – are inscribed on the wheel’s face. They alternate with the letters ROTA (Latin for ‘wheel’). The middle wheel has the alchemical symbols for mercury, sulphur, water and salt – the building blocks of life and the four elements – and represents formative power.

In the corners of the Wheel of Fortune card are four winged creatures, each associated with the four fixed signs of the Zodiac: the angel is Aquarius, the eagle is Scorpio, the lion is Leo, and the bull is Taurus. The wings on the lion and bull bring them into balance with the winged angel and eagle above. Each holds the Torah, representing wisdom.

The Wheel of Fortune itself has been present since the tarot's inception in the 15th century, based on the medieval concept of Rota Fortunae, the wheel of the goddess Fortuna is a symbol of Fate or Destiny.

That the snake, the symbol for evil, is show both alone and thoroughly wound through the Wheel of Fortune suggests ominously that evil has in some way taken control of Fate or Destiny itself.

***

*** Excerpted from a recent update to The Dragon Mythos - Part One

The Black Winter repeatedly talks of Fate and Destiny being changed and of the current Universe as being 'Doomed' because of it, something touched on in other books such as Immortal Hulk.

Given the threat that Jean/Phoenix would pose, it's unlikely that Jean and those so connected to her would be free from the manipulations.

[Phoenixx9]

I just read Gail's FCBD Uncanny X-Men story. It was sublime. I also want to share some random thoughts:

First, Jean's positioning in the new era. Some people have speculated that she'll be out in the cosmos protecting Earth and all reality by fighting Dominions. I also think she might remove herself from the earthly equation due to (1) being too powerful and somewhat of a red flag to humans (i.e., she doesn't want to contribute to humans' fear of and hatred toward mutants) and/or (2) her Phoenix work bars her from interfering in mortal matters on Earth. That said, I do think she'll remain in contact with and continue to aid Scott and other mutants from afar.

Second, Gail's use of narrative boxes—Phillips is doing the same with Black Widow & Hawkeye—is so refreshing and might signal a return to old-school comic book storytelling. Narrative boxes and thought balloons are essential to optimally effective storytelling of this kind, IMO. They're a part of the essential lexicon of the medium, me thinks. What's unique and beautiful about comics is that they are a blend of art and literary devices that create a hybrid between books and film/animation. Comics are not meant to be scripts (i.e., just dialogue) with pictures. Ultimately, narrative boxes and thought bubbles are conducive to an immersive experience and to feeling an intimacy with the characters that the reader doesn't feel by simply reading dialogue.

All in all, I'm very excited about this era.

I am very excited too. What a Glorious time to be a Jean Grey Fan!

I also love the narrative boxes and thought balloons. They add so much (when done right)! With them, we get to really know the character, what is happening, what is being thought, felt, sensed...or that these things are missing. It helps define the vision of the writer and artist.

[Darth_Caedus]

That said, I do think she'll remain in contact with and continue to aid Scott.

I hope so, I really don't want another NXM situation

[Portsian]

FCBD. I can’t get a copy as no local,comic books and it doesn’t seem available for download!