Why You Should Be Reading Jean Grey
Jean Grey has been one of the most cherished characters of the X-Men franchise ever since Chris Claremont brought her rebirth into the Phoenix to the world. She was one of the original X-Men but for many years felt more of second rate character then the heart of the team that she has become.
After her last death in Grant Morrison’s epic run (2001 New X-Men #114-154) we saw some little bits of her pop up in flash backs, some runs that dealt with the Phoenix force (Avengers vs X-Men, Phoenix: End Song/ War Song) but one of the most beloved X-Men looked like she was never to return. Then everything changed in 2012 during Brian Michael Bendis run of All-New X-Men. The original five X-Men had been brought from the past to the present.
Some fans were not a fan of this and hopped that the O5 would be sent back as soon as possible. But we learned that they were stuck in the present with no way home. Some of the members didn’t even want to go home anyways. The world would have to just get used to the O5 being in the present.
One would think having Jean back would have been great but we slowly learned that even though they are the same characters we have grown up with over the years they are not entirely the same. They were taken from their time right at the beginning of their lives as X-Men. So they don’t have the years of training under Charles Xavier to mold them into the characters we have grown to know.
Jean especially was affected by this and it divided fans, those that love young Jean and those that do not. She is an omega level telepath, but without Xaviers training she lacks a lot of the control her predecessor possesses. This young Jean is brash, and in Bendis’s run she was very opinionated and even at times bossy and a little bit of a brat. This Jean even managed to tap into new powers that her predecessor never had. We were now watching a whole new Jean grow and develop into an entirely different character.
Now for the first time ever Jean has her own solo series and when it was announced it got a lot of negative criticism. Since fans were still divided on her even being in the comics, to have her lead X-Men Blue the O5 team, and then get her own solo series caused quite a bit of controversy. The general theme of the solo series dealing with the Phoenix force was another point of discontent for the fans. Many wanted to see stories revolving around Jean that didn’t have to do with the Phoenix. It almost leant to her being a one trick pony.
Picking up her first issue any doubts were quickly put to bed. Dennis Hopeless has crafted such an amazing story that is so engaging, it just really pulls you in. That first issue we saw Jean fumble repeatedly, and have to work quickly on her feet to figure out how to stop her assailants. This Jean is untrained but determined to conquer her powers and future.
There is so much heart in this series and seeing the amount of growth this version of Jean is going through really makes her relatable. She has this innocent fun loving humor that we have never seen from the character before. This Jean is on a mission to not let her so called destiny dictate her future. She is the one in control, well sort of, it’s a work in progress.
With this series we follow Jean as she takes charge since she doesn’t have a mentor to fall back on, and seek out those that would have the knowledge she feels will help her to not only master her ever growing powers, but help forge a new destiny for her as well.
Some of the best moments in this series are those unexpected moments where Jean is in such a rush, as many of us are in this day in age, that she doesn’t realize she is the one holding herself back. Even the last issue not being the best in the series it still had some amazing moments as frantic cluttered Jean is trying to learn from a calm and serene Psylocke. Jean is sarcastic, energetic and yet so impatient.
Even if you are not a huge X-Men fan this series has something for everyone. It has many elements of a coming of age story which really speaks to the teenager of today. Combine that with the classic tone and style we have grown to love from our X-books, you have a well-crafted story that exudes heart. Dennis Hopeless has really touched on something that has been missing in comics for a long time.
The RessurXion lineup has overall been outstanding, with X-Men Blue, X-Men Gold being some of the best X-books we have had in many years but the real gem here is Jean Grey. With only five issues released this series is already a must read on most people’s pull lists. For those that don’t like collecting individual issues the first trade of the series collecting issues #1-6 will be released on October 18th. Go talk to your local comic book retailer and ask if they will be bringing in copies, or if they have the first five individual issues, trust me this is a series you will want to read.
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