The Dark Phoenix Saga

The Dark Phoenix saga has too much backstory to really mention in a review. Both the history of the character of Jean Grey and the writer/artists conflicts with the then editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics isn't found anywhere in this book (and believe me, it adds a lot to the tale) but the co-plotters Chris Claremont and John Byrne (assisted by Terry Austin on inks and a huge acknowledgement to the overlooked Tom Orzechowski and his lettering) have written such an engaging tale that you can jump in anywhere and enjoy the story. The best thing is that they were not consciously setting out to write a "saga" and therefore, they weren't pressured to create something that would sell in the trade paperbacks twenty years on. It's just far and away a story with a punch: a gut wrenching finale and some of the most beautiful artwork of the era.This latest edition of the trade spruces up the artwork (no more dot matrix colors) and includes (for the first time) the much needed cover gallery, which was absent from previous printings. The art and story have hold up so well that almost a quarter of a century later it still stands as one of the best comic stories of all time.

This graphic novel reprints one of the classic X-Men stories of old -- the Dark Phoenix saga. For those who might not be up on their comic history, the Dark Phoenix Saga told the story of how Jean Grey -- one of the original X-Men -- found herself cruelly manipulated by the evil mutant Mastermind until she finally lost control of her own powers and became a threat to the very future of the universe. In the end, it falls to the X-Men (led by Jean's lover, Cyclops) to either bring her back to sanity or destroy her. This was perhaps the pinnacle of the Chris Claremont/John Byrne creative team and certainly very few subsequent X-Men stories have come close to touching the quality of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Chris Claremont's secret as a comic book writer was that he never wrote down to his audience. While some others might have simply said, "Hey, it's only a comic book," and cashed in their paycheck, Chris Claremont approached his X-Men stories with a sincerity and integrity that elavated the best of his work out of the super hero genre. As always the characterization of the individual X-Men is strong with Wolverine truly coming into his own. Even the usually somewhat dull Cyclops is given one of his few chances to shine in this story and Claremont manages to present a multifaceted view of this sometimes overly upright figure. The dialogue, especially Cyclops' final monolouge on the moon, is also far more powerful (and at times genuinely witty) than what is generally expected from a "comic book." Over the course of this story, Claremont and Byrne introduced several characters that would later become key ingrediants to the X-Men's success -- the Hellfire Club, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde, and all of them show their future promise from their very first appearances.I was a kid when these issues first came out and I can remember what an impact they had on me at the time. Not to be overdramatic but back in 1980, the fate of Jean Grey affected me much the same way the fate of Jay Gatsby affects me now. Now, some might scoff at that or say that its easier to please children but that's not true. Even more so than adults, children and young teens can spot when someone's just going through the motions. Every year, hundreds of new comic books are released. Most cease publication after less than six issues. X-Men survived. It takes a lot to make an impact on you when you're young and that was what made Claremont and Byrne's X-Men so popular. Unlike future writers and artists, they never took their audience for granted. With the Dark Phoenix Sage, they crafted one of the great legends of my youth. When I recently reread it, I do so for the sake of nostalgia but I was overjoyed to discover that even though I'd gotten older and subsequent events in the X-Men had cheapened a lot of what those earlier issues were about, the story hadn't suffered. As both a piece of childhood nostalgia and as a story held up on its own considerable terms, the Dark Phoenix S

This book reprints Uncanny X-Men 174-179, as well as a short, cheesy "Classic X-Men" story about Storm meeting Jean Grey. It's a direct continuation of Target:Angel, which you should read to understand all the subplots. The book is small and black-and-white, but it has some great stories for X-Men fans. These include the marriage of Cyclops and Madylene, Mystique trying to get Rogue away from the X-Men, a battle against the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants where Colossus gets deep-frozen, and the return of the Morlocks. A good extension of the Essential X-Men series.

The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont and John Byrne was simply the best comic book story I have ever read. While this trade paperback contains most of it, the story really ran for about 25 issues *before* the issues in the TPB. It started as a subplot when the mutant X-Man, Jean Grey, was possessed by the Phoenix entity, a being of great power that slowly transformed her into one of the most powerful superbeings in the universe. The story contained in this book is the climactic end to the story. As Phoenix, Grey becomes more and more powerful to the point where she can no longer fully control the urges that her godlike abilities give her. A shadowy organization called the Hellfire Club seeks to control her and manipulate her power to their ends. Meanwhile, her fellow X-Men, including her love Scott Summers (a.k.a., Cyclops), seek to infiltrate the Hellfire Club. Ultimately they end up defending Phoenix after she has unleashed her powers in ways they never dreamed imaginable.The Dark Phoenix Saga is a story of power, love, subterfuge and tragedy. Each of the X-Men has their moment to shine in this story. Of particular note is the sequence wherein Wolverine singlehandedly rescues the entire team, one of the best single-issue stories ever, in my opinion. Claremont and Byrne were at the peak of their abilities in this story. Neither has shone as brightly before or since. While stories like The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen are often said to be the best comic story ever created, my vote goes to the Dark Phoenix Saga.

In Enter The Phoenix we witness the first (?) time (chronologicaly at least) Jean Grey merging with the Phoenix, a cosmic force so great that few but the creator can match it. My copy of the story is one of the "Marvel Masterworks" books (Uncanny X-men 101 - 110) and starts with the X-Men crashing a Space Shuttle into Jamaica Bay. During the flight in space the shuttle has passed through a solar storm with very high radiation. With a scientist and the rest of the X-men sheltered in a radiation chamber, Jean Grey, then Marvel Girl, pilots the shuttle through. Though it should have meant certain death, Jean merges with the phoenix force and survives. (Actually her nearly dead body is placed in a healing cocoon at the botom at the bay and it is the phoenix "borrowing" Jean's form that emerges from the waters in front of her astonished team- mates. See "Dark Phoenix Saga" and "Inferno" for further details.) Jean is placed in a hospital for recovery and the X-Men is sent on a vacation to Cassidy Keep (Sean Cassidy aka Banshee's ancestral home in Ireland). I wont spoil the fun by telling you everything that happens though, so I think I'll stop here. The plot, written by Claremont,is very good but not the best he has done. Dave Cockrum's art (at the end John Byrne takes over) is also very good and not like todays misproportioned characters. What I like most with the story is Claremonts ability to mix fast paced action with deeply emotional pasages like when Scott in the hospital finds out that Jean's going to survive. His sense of epic melodrama is no doubt one of the major reasons X-Men was/is so popular (altough he sometimes overdo it.) In this book Jean Grey/Phoenix almost Single-handedly saves the universe (though the raw power of the phoenix is not enough, she needs the aid of her fellow X-Men's spirits, their determination, so it's a significant 'almost'.) and displays the Phoenix as a force of goodness and harmony. The Fire is closely ascosiated with the Phoenix and here it is the fire the warms/heals. But there is two sides to most things. If you read this you must also read the "Dark Phoenix Saga" were the fire burns insted of warms...