Jean Grey #1: You Don’t Own Me. I’m Not One of Your Many Toys…

Legendary comics writer Louise “Weezie” Simonson returns to a group of characters she’s very familiar with: the original five X-Men, Jean, Cyclops, Angel, Iceman and the Beast, also known affectionately as the O5.  Along with artist Bernard Chang, Jean lays dying after Orchis’s attack on the Hellfire Gala. As the issue plays out, we see a previously untold tale where the O5, after returning to their own time, deciding not to erase their memories of the future to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes as before, only to find out that you’ll have to read the issue for yourself to see that tale. I’m just here to review it. 

The timeline of this story is rather confusing. I’m not exactly sure if it’s really a memory or a fever dream that Jean is having, because the story is so erratic that it makes one question when and how the mutants got to this point, and how, if the events actually happened, how they would negatively impact the stories that would come after it. That it leads me to believe that this is not in fact a memory but a fever dream that’s caused by the Phoenix, who is currently on its way to resurrect Jean after she fell victim to Moira’s attack that left her as nothing more than a pile of bones. I’m hoping that we see what that role will be in the upcoming new era that the mutants are just beginning. 

When it comes to Jean, Weezie’s a writer that should be synonymous with the character, and the rest of the original X-Men. She was the steward that helped shepherd the X-line into becoming the franchise juggernaut that would dominate the comics world for the latter part of the ‘80s, and all through the ‘90s. Simonson got her start as an editor on Uncanny X-Men, helping Chris Claremont shepherd the Merry Mutants, as well as help with the creation of the New Mutants. From there she’d become a freelance writer, creating the Power Pack, a group of child superheroes who were patterned after her children, and helped launch Spider-Man’s third solo ongoing; and all of this wouldn’t compare to the heights she’d reach when she would be tapped to take over X-Factor, Marvel’s third mutant related ensemble cast ongoing series. Point blank – she’s X-royalty.

Weezie’s story aside, Bernard Chang’s art here is quite lovely. Chang’s no stranger to ensemble casts, or even the mutant world, and while this book is called Jean Grey, it most definitely stars an ensemble cast. His line work is pleasant to sit with, and he plays to his strengths here, and the action just springs from the pages, and it’s these moments in the issue that drew me to them the most. Whether it’s the X-Men in the middle of a Danger Room sesh, or facing a group of Sentinels atop the Worthington Manhattan lofts, the art just popped. All of this culminated to the part where the Phoenix force finally arrived, and it was a joy to behold. It’s filled me with such joy to see the Phoenix back with the X-Men, and Jean, specifically. Especially after seeing the concept abused over in other properties, I’m ready to see what’s to come next.