The debut issue of Phoenix was arguably one of the best entries of the new X-Men era, and it had me thinking, “what’s next?” The answer: in-laws. Phoenix #2 has Jean Grey stumbling across Corsair, who most fans know as the leader of the Starjammers…and Cyclops’s dad. Corsair leads Jean into a trafficking ring run by the Black Order.
Before diving into this issue, I must address Alessandro Miracolo’s artwork. While I mentioned that I loved his work on Phoenix #1, others have pointed out that most of his work bore a suspiciously close resemblance to other artists. I bring this up because Miracolo has altered his art to stray away from those comparisons, yet it doesn’t change the impact. Jean’s Phoenix powers still take the form of living fire, the scale is still pretty big, and he still fills the page with some big moments including Jean fighting giant space serpents. David Curiel’s colors are still gorgeous to look at too; the reddish-orange of Jean’s Phoenix flames are the most prominent, followed by the inky black of space.
Credit: Marvel
Stephanie Phillips also continues to touch upon plenty of elements, both Marvel’s cosmic lore and X-Men history. When she comes across Corsair, her telepathic conversation with Cyclops is rife with worry since Corsair is a pirate and a thief. The Black Order remains a threat, even if they’re not serving Thanos; they can literally go toe to toe with Jean while she’s in Phoenix form. That’s not even getting into the end of the issue, which I was not expecting – but it’s a fun twist.
Phillips also returns to the storyline concerning Adani, the girl whose planet Jean rescued in the first issue, and Perrikus – the Dark God who was freed from a prison that Jean was intending to protect in that same issue. Adani comes face to face with Perrikus in this issue, and the pages are thick with tension. But things take a turn that spell trouble for Jean, while also drawing more parallels to Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (this, I can say is unintentional but I still love it.)
Phoenix #2 overcomes a few bumps in the road to deliver a stellar sophomore issue.
Phoenix #2 is available wherever comics are sold.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login