• Written by: Stephanie Phillips
• Art by: Alessandro Miracolo
• Colors by: David Curiel
• Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
• Cover art by: Yasmine Putri
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: July 17, 2024

Phoenix #1, by Marvel Comics on 7/17/24, begins Jean Grey’s long, personal journey of redemption as she wanders the cosmos to solve problems only someone with the power of the Phoenix can solve, but even good deeds have unhealthy consequences.

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Is Phoenix #1 Good?

When this title was announced as one of the leading books to be published under Tom Brevoort’s “From the Ashes” line, setting the collective X-Titles on a new path away from Krakoa, the general reaction was “Why?” Let’s be honest. Jean Grey has never been the strongest character to carry her own title for longer than the occasional mini-series, so expectations were not high.

Does Stephanie Phillips turn Jean Grey’s fortunes and prominence around in Phoenix #1? Eh, not really. It’s not a bad issue by any means, but the first and biggest expectation this issue needed to overcome was justifying its own existence. On that count, let’s just say there’s still work to do.

Phoenix #1 begins with narration by an alien girl named Adani. Her planet is about to be annihilated by the natural death of its sun, and anyone thinking of escaping is immediately captured by the zealous religious leaders of her people who view the destruction as part of the blessing of their one, true god.

Some readers may immediately be put off by the suggestion that writer Stephanie Phillips is using this comic as a mouthpiece to spew atheistic philosophy, painting people of faith as dangerous fanatics (Phillips has a reputation for such antics). To a degree, you’d be right, but once the speaker of the narration and the context of her thoughts become clear, the narration feels less like soapboxing and more in line with the character’s personal philosophy.

Suddenly, the sun is restored to health by the arrival of Phoenix. Jean Grey lands before Adani’s frightened people and explains she’s here to help.

Meanwhile, we catch up with the original Nova, Richard Ryder, as he attempts to save dangerous prisoners from dying in a space prison collapse. The prison floats near a black hole that’s become unstable, and Nova has his hands full getting the prisoners to safety without getting killed by the criminals he’s trying to save. Realizing the situation is more than he can handle, Nova calls for help.

When Jean’s efforts to stop Adani’s sun from dying are complete, she psychically calls Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, to check in. The two share words of support, kindness, and love. Jean doesn’t know how long her redemption journey will take, but she’s glad for Scott’s support and the gift of the modified spaceship she brings with her as a reminder of home.

Phillips uses the call scene to remind readers that Scott and Jean are still an item and to keep Jean grounded with her connections to Earth. She isn’t simply a force of nature, but a vessel of the Phoenix Force that still maintains human roots.

Their call is interrupted when Jean hears Nova’s call for help. Aboard the pace prison, Nova fights Morg, one of the uncooperative prisoners. Elsewhere in the prison, Perrikus escapes his cell and makes his way to an escape ship. Jean arrives to help Nova, but she agrees that there’s not enough time to save everyone, so she does the next best thing – stabilizing the black hole.

When you have the power of the universe at your disposal, it makes sense that any cosmic feet is possible. For any other character, saving a star and stabilizing a black hole would seem like overpowered nonsense, but it fits Jean’s character and gives her a set of challenges that puts the Phoenix Force to the test in a way that makes sense.

Jean has her hands full stabilizing the black hole, which prevents her from diverting her focus and energy toward stopping Perrikus’s escape. The issue ends with Perrikus crash landing on Adani’s planet to proclaim his arrival as a sign from their god and a final splash page that doesn’t make a lick of sense.

What’s great about Phoenix #1? In all, Phillips does a fine job of humanizing Jean within the context of the Phoenix by giving her a quest that makes sense for a human side and challenges that make sense for her Phoenix side. Plus, Phillips’s approach to tackling the Phoenix’s place in religion among primitive peoples could go to interesting places if handled right. We shall see.

What’s not so great about Phoenix #1? It’s too soon to tell if this title justifies its existence as a standalone series. The scenes in this issue could easily be worked into any of the current or future X-titles so the question of “Why?” isn’t fully answered.

Further, the last page, which is meant to be a splashy tease, will likely generate more confusion than anticipation.

How’s the art? Alessandro Miracolo’s art ranges from good to great with lots of big, cosmic wow moments to keep your eyes engaged with practically every panel. At the very least, Phoenix #1 brims with cosmic spectacle.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

Phoenix #1 follows Jean Grey as she wanders the galaxy, solving problems only the Phoenix Force can handle. Stephanie Phillips does a fine job striking a balance between Jean’s humanity and the Phoenix’s omnipotence, giving both sides challenges equal to their potential. Miracolo’s art is great, and the philosophical questions have potential. That said, it’s unclear if the rest of the series can pay off the potential, especially when the last page cliffhanger is a head-scratcher.

7.5/10

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