Last week’s X-Men #1 delivered a strong start to the “From the Ashes” era, and now Phoenix #1 continues building the foundation of the new X-Men era – fittingly, with a character that’s more than familiar with death and rebirth in Jean Grey. After the end of Krakoa, Jean has re-embraced the Phoenix Force and is using it to save planets…but her latest rescue mission ends up freeing a malevolent force that could cause countless deaths.
The Phoenix Force is one of the concepts in the X-Men mythology that can either inspire cheers or groans, depending on how it’s used. I should know: while The Dark Phoenix Saga remains one of my favorite X-Men stories, I feel that most stories involving the Phoenix Force have tried to chase its glory. Bless Stephanie Phillips then, for showing a new side to the Phoenix, and to Jean: both have embraced each other, and their new place in the stars. The most interesting element of Phillips’ script is how she chooses to start the story; there’s narration that at first seems like it’s coming from Jean, but turns out to be another character entirely. As the story unfolds, we learn more about this narrator, even getting hints as to where the story is going next for her – and for Jean as well.
A book like Phoenix deserves an artist who can draw the kind of cosmic spectacle that Phillips is weaving, and Alessandro Miracolo is more than up to the task. Page after page features mind-blowing images such as a prison located in the swirling maelstrom of a black hole, spaceships falling to Earth and leaving stadium-sized craters in their wake, suns reigniting with a brilliant flare. But at the center of it all is Jean; in her Phoenix form, she looks like she’s made of fire, and there are plenty of glorious pages dedicated to her taking the full firebird form. Miracolo takes the “Fire and life incarnate” aspect of the Phoenix quite seriously, and the fact that he has David Curiel on colors doesn’t hurt. Curiel brings an ethereal, reddish-orange glow to Jean’s Phoenix form, resulting in an awe-inspiring effect.
What really excites me about Phoenix #1 is that it confirms the one element that the “From The Ashes” era is sharing with Krakoa: each book is exploring a different type of genre. While X-Men and Uncanny X-Men are more superheroic in nature, Phoenix leans deep into science fiction. It’s this element that makes the X-Men such an exciting ensemble, since you can tackle different types of stories with different types of characters. Phoenix #1 is a story that isn’t just fitting of Jean Grey – it’s also another great entry into the new era of X-Men stories.
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