Stillanerd Reviews: Generations: The Phoenix (Jean Grey and Phoenix) #1 review
By Mike McNulty
The Jean Grey from the past travels back from the present to the past to meet herself as the Phoenix (confused yet?) in the second Marvel Generations issue.
Generations: The Phoenix #1
Writer: Cullen Bunn
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Penciler: R.B. Silva
Inkers: Adriano Di Benedetto, with R.B. Silva
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Covers: Stephanie Hans; Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson; Alex Ross; Stephanie Roux
When fans of the X-Men think of Jean Grey, they think of the Phoenix. After all, when Marvel Girl became a vessel for the omnipotent, cosmic embodiment of life itself, it became her character’s defining moment. Her rise, corruption, and death in Chris Claremont’s Dark Phoenix Saga is widely regarded as one of the greatest X-Men stories of all time. Little wonder then why Marvel Generations would wish to revisit this era. Not to mention there’s a Jean Grey solo series which needs promoting too.
The Jean of the Jean Grey comic, however, isn’t Jean back from the dead. This Jean is much younger. Along with teenage versions of Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, and Angel, she comes from the past — or rather an alternate Earth. As chronicled in Brian Michael Bendis’ All-New X-Men, these “original five X-Men” traveled to the present day Marvel Universe, unable to return to their own time. This “Teen Jean” also became aware of her “older self’s” future history, and in her solo series, is now having visions of the Phoenix Force coming for her.
Credit: R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Rain Beredo (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Phoenix (Jean Grey and Phoenix) #1
Reading those first fifteen pages [of Generations: The Phoenix #1], I definitely felt like there’s was fat that needed trimming.
Knowing this convoluted back story is vital for appreciating Generations: The Phoenix (Jean Grey and Phoenix) #1, as is knowing a little something about X-Men lore. Unlike Generations: Hulk which sent Amadeus Cho to an unknown, but default, period during The Incredible Hulk, Cullen Bunn’s story is more concrete. Here, the Vanishing Point sends Teen Jean to the events just before Classic X-Men #24, when the Phoenix-powered Jean was in Greece coping over what she believed was the loss of her teammates.
Naturally, Teen Jean tries asking her older, alternative self all about the Phoenix, who, in turn, becomes curious about her own future. This then serves as the backbone for Teen Jean’s dilemma. Her character arc since All-New X-Men has been about avoiding her own potential fate and possible demise. Now, she has an opportunity to change history, and maybe save her older self — and many more lives — from the Dark Phoenix.
Yes, this is one of those long, drawn-out stories that’s heavy on character analysis, but light on plot. It’s takes half the issue for both Jeans to fly off into space where they come face-to-face with Galactus and his herald, Terrax, on an alien planet. Prior to that, it’s sunbathing on a beach, eating at a café, dancing in a night club, and lots and lots and lots of Teen Jean’s tortured internal monologue. Reading those first fifteen pages, I definitely felt like there’s was fat that needed trimming.
Credit: R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Rain Beredo (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Phoenix (Jean Grey and Phoenix) #1
[Cullen Bunn] doesn’t opt for the simple route in stressing [the two Jean Grey’s] differences like other writers would have. Instead, he takes the common sense approach by stressing how much alike they are.
Nevertheless, Bunn does such an excellent job in portraying the two Jeans that you can forgive him for the superfluous padding. What’s interesting is he doesn’t opt for the simple route in stressing their differences like other writers would have. Instead, he takes the common sense approach by stressing how much alike they are. Because, of course, other than their age differences and applications of telekinesis, they are literally the same woman.
What we get then is the portrayal of a person, from two different points in their life, who are apprehensive about what they might become. It’s easy seeing why Teen Jean becomes frightened of seeing herself as the Phoenix, but it’s far more subtle with the older Jean. Here, Bunn gives us someone who relishes in having limitless power as a means for hiding their own pain and insecurities. The fiery, avian manifestation of the Phoenix Force is Jean literally radiating confidence, even though her younger self can see right through it.
At the same time, the older Jean can come across too much like a plot device. This is very much Teen Jean’s story, to the point where everything literally hinges on her actions. When it comes right down to it, the Phoenix behaves very much like Teen Jean’s personal tour guide all throughout the issue.
Likewise, Bunn’s style, especially during Teen Jean’s narration, can get heavy-handed. Even the opening phrases “Under my hand is stone” and “Beneath my feet, sand” almost pulled me out the comic entirely. Still, as the comic went on, I became accustomed to it. Considering the story takes place during the Chris Claremont era, it does make sense for Bunn to replicate a similar style while using modern comic’s first-person conventions.
Credit: R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Rain Beredo (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Phoenix (Jean Grey and Phoenix) #1
[Generations: The Phoenix #1] isn’t a necessary comic to read. It is, however, a decent, well-crafted read all the same.
This also has some of the best art I’ve seen from R.B. Silva, period. Granted, I still think he puts too heavy a dark outline around his figures, but there’s no denying he can create some captivating images.
Take, for instance, the two-page spread where Teen Jean encounters the Phoenix around her adult self. The way the Phoenix Force, in all it’s blazing glory, seems ready to envelop Teen Jean as the older Jean causally reads a book looks both awesome and frightening. Silva could’ve left it there, but he takes a further step. On the opposite page, he recaps Jean’s history with the Phoenix, arranging and curving the individual panels as though they’re part of a vast, swooping wing. It makes an already brilliant work of comic book interior art into a masterpiece.
Other scenes also come just as close to perfection. The battle with Galactus and Terrax is especially rich with detail and scope, with great use of body language. Special credit also goes to colorist Rain Beredo. He’s the primary reason Silva’s illustrations look as rich, lively and awe-inspiring as they do. From tropical beaches to fiery cosmic energy, he helps makes even the most tranquil scene come alive.
Generations: The Phoenix #1 can be more than a little intimidating, especially if one’s not caught up on their reading of classic Uncanny X-Men. It would be one thing if this had been a regular issue of Jean Grey. Given it builds off events from that series, it might as well be. For those reasons, this isn’t a necessary comic to read. It is, however, a decent, well-crafted read all the same.
Stillanerd’s Score: 3.5 out of 5
Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (possible spoilers)
Credit: R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Rain Beredo (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Phoenix (Jean Grey and Phoenix) #1
- Just to make it clear, Teen Jean’s beach attire is a psychic projection, meaning she’s still wearing her X-Men uniform. That would be full body spandex and a leather jacket … on a sunny day … at a Mediterranean beach.
- Looks as though this is another X-Men comic completely ignoring the fact Jean Grey technically wasn’t the Phoenix during the Dark Phoenix Saga. It was actually the Phoenix who took on Jean Grey’s form, while the real Jean Grey recuperated in suspended animation under the sea. The real Jean still died, though. But that would also mean getting into the weirdness that was Grant Morrison’s New X-Men. As if we needed more confusion.
- “… somewhere with a radioactive rock that makes it weak?” I always did find it weird how DC comic books like Superman exist within the Marvel Universe.
- Older Jean’s favorite night club is called “Flames”? Talk about on-the-nose.
- Am I alone in thinking how odd it is that a powerful psychic like Jean Grey, who was also the host for a cosmic-level entity, didn’t know the X-Men are still alive? Or that she couldn’t see through Mastermind’s illusions?
- Speaking of Mastermind, how is it that Teen Jean can tell it’s him, but her older self can’t?
- Um … no. As powerful as Galactus is, there’s no way he’s capable of siphoning the Phoenix’s powers. Especially as earlier comics show the Phoenix Force is capable of beating Galactus with little to no effort.
- I know Teen Jean can absorb and redirect telepathic energy like Goku’s spirit bomb, but her punching out Galactus? I’m calling a flag on the play for that one.
- Oh hi, Uatu the Watcher! Aren’t you supposed to be monitoring Earth?
- “By letting time play out without your interference …” Never mind that Teen Jean’s interfered with time just by being there. Unless her being there was always supposed to happen. Don’t you just love time travel and all its wonderful paradoxes?