Preoccupied with… Phoenix #1

I find myself struggling to understand why I like this book but don’t feel any particularly strong emotions about its first issue. Is it the concept? Jean Grey as THE Phoenix, cosmic superhero on a path of redemption. Stephanie Phillips? Excellent writer who gives off the energy of someone who really understands Jean Grey. The art? I’m not blown away but there are little details I love throughout the book. All these things should blow me away and enrapture me, but I’m left feeling like the book is competent but not much else. The book shows love of the character, makes a clear statement about its goals, and does this with great technical skill; However, I am still left feeling distant from our protagonist and her goals. I am left wondering what the emotional core of this book will be and how I will connect to the main character, especially if I am a new reader or someone with little knowledge of Jean’s history. With little to go off of beyond mentions of “redemption", I am adrift waiting to hear more about Jean’s journey. With all of the good things going for it, I hope this book is able to capture me in the coming issues, because it could be something truly incredible. Phoenix didn’t grab me, but I will be following this book with high hopes and open arms.

My favorite parts of this book are those where The Phoenix gets to be a truly cosmic-level superhero. This creative team delivers this with strength and really creates the feeling that Jean is on an odyssey through the cosmos. Other than that, I found myself enjoying the moments where Jean is able to speak about her situation and her feelings. This first issue could’ve gone for another page or two establishing the stakes or emotional attachment Jean has to this journey, because I am currently still searching for a strong emotional core for this series. I don’t doubt that it exists, I just don’t know if the first issue effectively communicates it enough for me. To this end, I want to compare this issue to the first issue of the Jean Grey solo series from last Fall’s Fall of X era. By the end of the first page of that book, I understand who Jean is, as well as her emotional investment in the time-hopping task before her. It partially achieves this by having Jean Grey’s internal monologue function as the narrator, while this book opts to have a narrator in the form of another character that Jean’s path will eventually impact. This is used to great effect in plenty of stories, but the use here feels reminiscent of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is itself adapting True Grit and its narrative format. I hope the book continues to use this choice to explore Jean as an individual, because after this issue I still feel there is something missing in my understanding of, and connection to, Jean Grey as The Phoenix. 

After reading Phoenix I finished reading the Dracula: Blood Hunt tie-in mini-series. The issue has narration and monologue from multiple sources and uses them to great effect in establishing the characters, stakes, and emotions of the story. Dracula: Blood Hunt #3 (besides continuing to support my theory that every marvel event has a superior tie-in book) depicts narration from both Dracula and Bloodline throughout the issue. The voice of each character is clear, transition between each character is fluid, and their narration allows for readers to quickly make connections with Dracula and Bloodline based on how they speak, the jargon they use, and what they choose to say or not say in a given situation. I kept thinking that Phoenix #1 would benefit from a look into Jean’s mind as she travels the cosmos. I buy that she is a larger than life force capable of traversing and maintaining the cosmos, but I feel like Jean Grey is lost amongst this in a way that leaves me feeling emotionally directionless when reading this issue. I still enjoyed myself heavily, especially during the revealing and endearing  conversation with Scott, but I think that a slightly more emotional connection to Jean may be required to keep my interest past a few issues of “Jean does cool Phoenix stuff in space.”

The artists on this book are Alessandro Miracolo (Art), David Curiel (Colors), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer), and Yasmine Putri (Cover). I want to address the conversation surrounding the accusations against Miracolo before discussing my thoughts on the art in this book. I am not in a position to make any claims of plagiarism or artist integrity, because I do not know the parties involved; However, I recommend each of you look into the tracing accusations and come to your own conclusions upon reviewing the evidence. If any plagiarism has taken place, I stand firmly against it and believe a new artist should be given the opportunity to work on this book. Beyond that, I think the art in this book is generally alright with a few moments that stick out in my memory. One great strength of the art in this book is its ability to sell the way normal people may view The Phoenix in action. Jean floats above collapsing empires as a looming god, referred to in the same terms used to discuss Galactus and other truly cosmic threats of the Marvel universe. Tom Brevoort discussed his interest in establishing the X-men as the faces of comic books once again, and through its art this book succeeds in constructing Jean Grey as an unbelievably powerful superheroic entity – The Phoenix. I particularly like the page shown below, the sequence of Jean dancing through the cosmos, and the way Jean’s pink telepathy signature is drawn throughout the issue. 

One thing the book does well for new and returning readers is clearly establishing that Jean Grey is, and HAS ALWAYS BEEN, The Phoenix. The two are inseparable on a cosmic level and should be treated as such. If you’re here to see Jean do some cool stuff in space while finally taking the stage as a cosmic A-lister, then I doubt you’re going to be disappointed. For me, it was not a knock-out first issue for me, but is definitely a book to watch. I just hope it stretches its wings, takes some bigger swings, and lets me into Jean’s head a little bit more as the story progresses.

Diana Preoccupied

Phoenix #1 (2024) and all characters within are not my property. This comic book’s creative time is:

Writer - Stephanie Phillips

Artist - Alessandro Miracolo

Colorist - David Curiel

Letterer - VC’s Cory Petit