Stephanie Phillips’ run on Phoenix has offered an examination of the bond between Jean Grey and the cosmic force to which she’s bonded, which not only places Jean deeper within Marvel’s cosmic pantheon but also finally provides a Phoenix story that doesn’t see her going mad with power or dying. It’s also explored the love she has for others, including her husband, Cyclops, and her newly resurrected sister, Sara. Phoenix #15 finally brings this saga to a close, as Jean combats the cosmic forces of existence to protect Sara from death.
She isn’t alone, as the previous Phoenix hosts within the White Hot Room join her. Once again, Phillips highlights the bonds between Jean and others, whether it’s her daughter, Rachel, or her predecessor, Fongji Wu. They’re willing to help her without question, whether it’s fighting existence itself or helping hold it together as it starts to splinter. This emphasis on unity has been a large part of Phillips’ run, and I’m glad it’s continuing through to the end. She is one of the few writers who understands that Jean’s strength doesn’t come from a cosmic firebird, but from her desire to protect the ones she loves.
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Roi Mercado draws the majority of Phoenix #15 inside the White Hot Room, resulting in a unique set of visuals. The Phoenix hosts are instantly identified by elements like the gold Phoenix emblem, or just the mix of gold and green, or even using some form of fire. In contrast, Eternity, Oblivion, and the rest of existence’s avatars vary in shape and size. Some of them resemble humans, while others are a collection of shapes and sizes that defy comprehension. Mercado definitely deserves credit for trying to bring as much scale as he can to the page, especially since this is a battle between godlike beings.
He’s helped by Java Tartaglia, who establishes some constants through the story. While the White Hot Room lives up to its name by providing a nearly blinding white background for everyone to do battle in, readers will immediately be able to pick out which character is which. The different cosmic entities even have their own sets of colors. Whenever Eternity and Oblivion use their powers, or simply take the time to talk to each other, a cool blue settles everywhere. Jean, and her respective Phoenix hosts, wield golden orange fire that spreads across all of creation; that same golden hue covers Cory Petit’s narration, which underlines the burden that Jean is taking on herself.
Phoenix #15 ends not with a bang, but a statement on who Jean Grey is and why she fights, writ large across the cosmos. While the next time we’ll see Jean is during the Binary miniseries set in the upcoming Age of Revelation storyline, overall I love what Stephanie Phillips has done with this comic. She took a character who’s long been defined by her relationship to a cosmic force and made her an actual character again, neither demonizing the Phoenix nor letting it consume who Jean was. In her own way, Phillips gave Jean her most important rebirth since the original Phoenix Saga and it’s something I hope future writers keep in mind.
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