Five down, four to go.
Marvel on Wednesday announced Phoenix, a new series starring Jean Grey as fire and life incarnate once more, written by Stephanie Phillips (Rogue & Gambit) and drawn by Alessandro Miracolo (White Widow).
According to Marvel, the series will see Jean Grey, as the Phoenix, return to space to answer a distress call from Nova (Wait, didn’t he die during the Genesis War in X-Men Red?).
Since the Hellfire Gala, Jean has been relinked to the Phoenix Force, first in a Fall of X solo series that relitigated her history, then in the White Hot Room where the Phoenix Force goes to lick its wounds and where a number of mutants were spirited away after the gala. What happens between now and Jean waking up and returning to power is of course a story still to be told.
Fun fact: The series’ logo takes its cue from The Phoenix Resurrection, a Malibu Comics series from the mid-1990s period when Marvel properties were being booted to the Ultraverse to boost its books’ sales. It didn’t take.
Phoenix is the fifth of nine series teased or announced so far for the X-Men’s coming “From the Ashes” era. They include, so far, Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone and David Marquez, X-Men by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, Exceptional X-Men by Eve Ewing and Carmen Carnero, and X-Force by Geoffrey Thorne and Marcus To. Details for book six, NYX, are expected to be announced Thursday. Still to come are announcements for Wolverine, X-Factor and Storm.
Phoenix #1 is expected to drop July 17. Check out the cover by Yasmine Putri, and keep scrolling for Marvel’s release.
As one of the most powerful heroes on Earth, Jean Grey’s infinite potential sets her apart from even her fellow Omega-Level mutants. This July, the From the Ashes era begins, but as the X-Men regroup across the globe, Xavier’s first student will ascend to the cosmos to fulfill her divine destiny! Behold the adventures of the universe’s newest savior in PHOENIX, a new ongoing Jean Grey solo series from hotshot Marvel writer Stephanie Phillips (Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider, Black Widow & Hawkeye) and dynamic rising star artist Alessandro Miracolo (White Widow).
During the final moments of Krakoa, currently being told in Rise of the Powers of X and X-Men Forever, Jean Grey finds herself at the epicenter of creation and rebirth known as the White Hot Room. What shocking metamorphosis occurs that leads to her adopting a new costume and taking to the stars as the PHOENIX? And with her deadly reputation preceding her, will the galaxy kneel or cower before her greatness?
She is Jean Grey. She is Phoenix. She saves the world. She brings death. One woman, alone in space, who not only must do what no one else can: she yearns to. A desperate S.O.S. from Nova brings the Phoenix to the edge of a black hole, where hundreds of lives hang in the balance…and whatever Jean does – or fails to do – will bring darkness to the universe and haunt her in ways she can scarcely imagine…
“Jean is one of the most powerful characters I’ve ever written,” Phillips explained. “The beauty and challenge to Jean is that she is imbued with a cosmic force alongside the morals, shortcomings, and empathy of a human being. The dichotomy between those two is something incredibly special about Jean, and means that she is constantly doing a dance between humanity and absolute power. So, that dance is what we hope to have on full display in this story… a cosmic ballet that shows how beautiful the Phoenix Force can be when working in tandem with Jean Grey. And let me assure you, Alessandro Miracolo has made that cosmic dance look absolutely gorgeous.”
“This is fantastic! Being an X-Men fan since I was a kid, I’m so happy to work on such an important character like Phoenix, and Stephanie’s writing has been incredible!” Miracolo shared. “Depicting Phoenix out in the cosmos and unleashing her energy has been thrilling and simply epic, and there’s also really emotional moments that I hope to make the most of. I wish I could say more but I hope everyone is excited because this will be fun!”
Last month, fans got their first look at what awaits Marvel’s line of X-Men titles following the bold Krakoan Age with the reveal of three flagship series: Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-MEN, Gail Simone and David Marquez’s UNCANNY X-MEN, and Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN. The expansive mythos of the X-Men has always made space for additional series that test the limits and explore the far-reaching scope of the mutant metaphor. Fresh spins on classic X-Men titles and startling directions for your favorite mutants are just ahead, starting in July with X-FORCE, PHOENIX, and NYX.
LIFE! FIRE! POWER! POSSIBILITY! PHOENIX! Feel the flames on Yasmine Putri’s PHOENIX #1 cover and stay tuned tomorrow for another X-Men: From the Ashes series announcement! For more information, visit Marvel.com.
Dan Grote is the editor-in-chief of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts WMQ&A: The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Winston Wisdom.
