Phoenix #15: A Sister’s Love Knows No Bounds…

We finally reach the end of this volume of Phoenix, and it’s been one hell of an ride! We see the primordial forces in the universe has come to draw judgment on Jean Grey, and her actions as the Phoenix who used her power to recreate her sister, Sara, at the end of the first storyline against the Dark Gods. But Jean brought backup! With all of the former hosts of the Phoenix force! Will Jean and the Phoenix Phorce Phive beat the embodiments of everything? Or is this the end of the Phoenix?

Stephanie Phillips has taken us on a trip around the cosmos and back, elevating Jean’s status on the cosmic stage, and has had a profound impact on who she is at this point of her life. Whether it’s fighting Perrikus, or Gorr the God Butcher, or using her power to recreate her long dead sister, whose existence is putting all of existence in peril, and it’s made for a very interesting read. Phillips and Miracolo really stretched their creative muscles for the first arc, and made it an incredibly provocative read for this long time fan who has a very special love for the X-Women, and Jean being one of the first I latched onto when the original five were the founding members of X-Factor (thank you, Louise and Walt Simonson). Phillips hit so many of Jean’s character traits, like her compassion for others, and her undying devotion to her family, and other loved ones. It’s everything I could ask for from a series focused on Jean.

Most stories that we X-Men fans have become accustomed to seeing in the stories focused on the Phoenix is always about her controlling this primordial force, it’s all about posing an existential threat to earth, or is being sought after by galactic empires, but the first arc did none of that. It placed Jean in a unique position for her character, and it was a breath of fresh air. It also brought back the Dark Gods, who were originally introduced in Dan Jurgens’ and John Romita Jr’s first arc on Thor, dating all the way back to 1998 (ugh. I’m getting old). Phillips coming in, dusting them off 27 years later was masterfully done. It pit Jean as the Phoenix up against Perrikus, and the rest of the Dark Pantheon, who proved to be a powerful force to be reckoned with. We also got to see other characters we don’t normally associate Jean with, like Nova, Gorr the God Butcher, and it was fun! Jean was giving us something that’s not a doting mother, or existential goddess bent on destruction.

And then came Sara. Quick editors note: all of Jean’s family, minus Rachel and Cable, shortly after Jean died at the end of the Grant Morrison run. Except for Sara. Sara died years ago, and the only confirmation we received was during the summertime X-Men crossover, “The Phalanx Covenant,” back in 1994. So imagine the shock of fans who were shocked at seeing her alive at the end of the Phillips first arc. She’s not only alive, but she’s also in some kind of galactic palace who knows where, and it was a great lead into this current storyline. Unfortunately not everything is as it seems.

Stephanie Phillips is joined by Roi Mercado for this next chapter in Jean’s cosmic adventures, and it’s off to a decent start. It’s a touching reunion between sisters, and it’s an interesting exploration into who Jean’s blood relatives are, from those who are not. Sure, over the years we’ve seen Jean interact with Rachel and Cable, but that’s because they’ve become integral parts of the X-mythos, but Jean’s parents or sister? No. Maybe a handful of times over the last sixty-two years, but nothing like what we’ve seen in regards to Scott’s dad, which is a shame. Giving us that outsider’s view of who the X-Men are, and how complex their world is could have been a welcome perspective to fans. Bringing back Sara could be that step in the right direction.

Unfortunately it would prove to be too good to be true. Sara would turn out to be a portion of the Phoenix, based off of Jean’s memories of her long dead sister, which would draw the attention of cosmic heavyweights like Eternity, Oblivion, Infinity, etc., who would join forces to put an end to Sara, before her continued existence would prove to become a threat to all of existence. So we’re back to that storyline that we’ve become accustomed to with regards to the Phoenix. Jean fights for Sara’s right to live, by putting everything she has on the line, and even brings in those who have also been touched by the Phoenix force, like Rachel, Quintin, Rook’Shir, Hope, and even Fongji Wu, where they combine forces to utilize the White Hot Room in an attempt to save Sara. Things don’t go so smoothly.

As the avatars of existence throw their combined forces against the Phoenix forces’ hosts, it’s evident that Jean and her cabal will not survive, much less win, but it’s Sara who comes forward to do what is right. As Sara offers herself to Eternity, they are swayed by the love between these two sisters, and allow Sara to survive. Even giving her a new role as their conscience, which is a unique role to end up as.

Unfortunately this ending, while appreciated, ran rather off to me. I’ve been reading comics for decades, and have seen stories come and go, so seeing this story play out like it did, left a rather bland taste in my mouth. The lead up to this confrontation boded that we’d get a show that would shake the cosmos, but it was barely a summer’s breeze. I’m not sure if it’s because the team ran out of time before the upcoming Age of Revelation event, and had to end things so anticlimactically, but it soured the storyline. Unfortunately Phillips won’t be back to give us more of Jean’s adventures in space, since this will be her last issue, but I’m hoping after this event is over, Marvel will build off of the foundation they’ve already built here.