Jean Grey, X-men Hero as Phoenix

Uncanny X-men 101 - "Enter the Phoenix" 

#1 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

It all started with Uncanny X-men 101, with Phoenix bursting forth from Jamaica Bay, changing the history of Comics forever. Phoenix's first appearance is one of the top covers of all-time.

They are taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. orbital platform under the command of the anti-mutant activist Steven Lang, who is plotting to unleash Sentinels. The other X-Men rescue them. During the space station's destruction, the X-Men find that their shuttle has been damaged in the fight with the Sentinels. Someone must stay at the controls and pilot the ship, while everyone else remains in the shuttle's heavily-shielded life cell.

Knowing no one else could survive long enough to pilot the shuttle to safety, Jean uses her telepathy to learn how to pilot the shuttle and her telekinesis to block the radiation as she pilots the ship back to Earth. Her telekinetic shields give way under the onslaught of the intense radiation. The strain of holding the solar radiation at bay with her powers destroys the psychic shields Xavier placed in her mind as a child, and Jean assumes her ultimate potential as a psychic, becoming an entity of pure thought. The shuttle crashes into a bay, and Jean telekinetically reforms her body and emerges from the water of Jamaica Bay.

You simply must own this if you are a fan of the Phoenix.

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Uncanny X-men 137 - "Phoenix Must Die" 

#2 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

The second most important phoenix comic to own after Uncanny X-men 101 is Uncanny X-men 137 where we witness the death of Jean Grey / Phoenix. Maybe the best written comic of all time.

The X-Men find themselves amidst a Shi'ar tribunal, hovering around earth to judge and sentence the Phoenix. Charges are presented. There is legal wrangling. A duel for Phoenix is agreed upon, and the X-Men are given a day to rest. The duel is to be between the X-Men and the Imperial Guard, and they fight on the Dark Side of the Moon in a base of fabulous technology. They fight valiantly but are defeated one by one. Phoenix goes out of control and Professor X directs the X-Men to attack her. Scott talks Phoenix to her senses, and she sacrifices herself to save the universe.

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Uncanny X-men 135 - "Defeated by Dark Phoenix" 

#3 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

First appearance of Dark Phoenix and the X-men are never the same. This striking cover features Dark Phoenix crushing the title masthead

Dark Phoenix destroys the Blackbird, sending the X-Men plummeting to their deaths over Central Park. The X-Men make it safely to the ground, but Dark Phoenix pursues them and they battle. Back at the Hellfire Club, Shaw proposes re-starting the Sentinel program to Senator Robert Kelly. In Central Park, Phoenix takes off into space, leaving the X-Men to be found by Beast. Phoenix destroys the D'Bari star and then a Shi'ar battlecruiser. Lilandra resolves to deal with the Phoenix threat once and for all. The X-Men have meanwhile returned to the mansion to regroup when Cyclops senses Phoenix returning to earth... and she's hungry.

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Uncanny X-men 136 - "Child of Light and Darkness" 

#4 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

Even though this is the middle issue, it is my favorite. The emotional battle between X-men and Dark Phoenix is emotional gold. When Professor X finally puts the psychic dampers on Phoenix you breathe a sigh of relief, but then...

The Shi'ar are holding a council of war. Meanwhile, the X-Men hold a Danger Room session to blow off some steam while Hank McCoy cobbles together an inhibitor to make the fight with Phoenix winnable. Dark Phoenix returns to Earth, specifically Jean Grey's parent's home. She encounters her family, and things turn nasty, so Phoenix leaves. The X-Men ambush her, and Nightcrawler gets the inhibitor on her. They fight, Phoenix overloads the inhibitor, and then defeats the X-men. Scott confronts Dark Phoenix and gets through to her, but then Prof X takes the opportunity to mindblast Jean. Dark Phoenix turns hostile again and she and Professor X wage a mindwar which Professor X wins! Jean collapses, the X-Men think the fight is over, and then before the startled eyes of the Greys they all disappear.

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Bizarre Adventures 27 - "Secret Lives of the X-men" 

#5 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans "The Brides of Attuna"

Why is a non-X-men comic in the top 5 of issues to own if you are fan of Jean Grey/Phoenix? It is her origin issue, in a sense. This is where Jean has a flashback remembers when she first uses her power and entered the mind of her friend who is dying after being hit by a car. We also meet Jean's sister for the first time and see her fight Attuma, all underwater, to rescue her sister and save herself from becoming his brides. This can be tricky to find, but the incredible painted cover alone is enough to warrant owning this issue. The inside is black and white but the depth of the story and insight into Jean paint a picture not mere brushes could.

Short stories featuring Iceman and Nightcrawler also appear.

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Phoenix: The Untold Story 

#6 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

It's only one issue, and features the original story/ending of Uncanny X-Men #137. It's not in continuity, but it is interesting to see the way it originally would have played out.Phoenix was originally planned to live at the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga, but without her powers.

Jean would live with the X-Men and learn to live without her powers. But the plan was to have Magneto turn up in Uncanny X-Men #200 and offer to restore her powers. Jean would refuse and choose to live out the rest of her life as a mere human, than accept anything from a man like Magneto.

It also shows the unpublished, until now, splash page of the proposed issue #138.

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Fantastic Four 286: "Like A Phoenix" 

#7 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

"Jean Grey returns and it is revealed that the real Jean Grey was at the bottom of Jamaica Bay the whole time and the being that became Phoenix was actually a force as old as the universe.

This solution was proposed by Kurt Busiek and accepted so Jean could be part of the new X-Factor book. It also absolved her of responsibility for the destruction of a sun and the killing of billions, since the Phoenix Force did it and not Jean Grey. While I was happy they brought Jean back, it did cheapen the Dark Phoenix saga.

Be ready for a lot of reading, this issue has to do a lot of explaining by Mr. Fantastic. Superbly done by Mr. John Byrne.

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Uncanny X-men 1 

#8 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

Of course this issue is beyond the budget of most collectors but it has to be in the top 10 because it introduces Jean Grey as Marvel Girl for the first time ever. You can pick this issue up in various trade paperbacks.

At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester County, New York, Professor Charles Xavier summons his students telepathically. When the Beast, Angel, Iceman, and Cyclops[1] arrive, he puts them through a series of exercises to hone their mutant talents. Xavier then introduces them to a new student, Marvel Girl, to whom he explains the purpose of his school: his students do receive an education, but they are also the first line of defense against evil mutants.

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X-men Teen Titans Team-up 

#9 Comic to Own for Phoenix Fans

This issue focuses on Dark Phoenix and can almost be considered a fantasy or didn't-really-happen story, but it has one of my favorite artists, Walt Simonson, and was a stellar team-up between two of the hottest books, Uncanny X-men and the Teen Titans. A crossover between Marvel and DC is always newsworthy.

In this comic Darkseid revives the Dark Phoenix to help turn Earth into another Apokolips. Of course Dark Phoenix sees she is being used and turns on Darkseid and all is saved. Scott and Jean have a moment in this issue that tries to recapture the emotions they have between them, but it feels a little forced.

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X-men #30 - The Ties That Bind 

#10 Comic to Own for Jean Grey Fans

Well, it finally happens, the marriage of Scott and Jean (Cyclops and Phoenix) and what a long wait it was for their wedding. After this, they disappear for a few issues while they're on their honeymoon (which leads into the Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix miniseries).

Wolverine doesn't turn up to the wedding. However, he does show up lurking around the outskirts and keeping Sabretooth in line. Bizarrely, the X-Men seem to have decided that it would be a nice idea to ask Sabretooth to sit politely on a nearby hill until the wedding was finished. What's wrong with just locking him in his cell?

Ah well, this was long overdue and I for one was glad it happened. Too bad they had to ruin it at Marvel Comics by having Jean die (again) and bringing Emma into the mix. Oh wait, that never happened for me. See intro above.

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Phoenix Costume 

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Phoenix Artwork 

Bid on Phoenix artwork on eBay auctions.

Looking for original artwork with Phoenix, Jean Grey, Marvel Girl, Dark Phoenix and the Black Queen? Well, eBay is the best place to look and here are some auctions currently available. Happy Bidding!

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Phoenix Ebay Auctions 

Anything goes here: comics, artwork, busts, statues.

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Jean Grey / Phoenix Posters 

Hard to Find, Great to Own - Posters of Jean Grey & Phoenix

While Jean Grey might not be a real person...technically, we can all have multiple posters allowing Jean to watch over us at all times. There now, don't you feel better.

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X-men Movie Posters with Jean Grey 

Posters from the X-men Movies

Like the Jean Grey you saw on screen, then you might find a poster here to your liking.

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Phoenix Trade Paperback Ebay Auctions 

Find a good deal on an auctions for graphic novels and trade paperbacks featuring Phoenix

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X-men Movie Memorabilia with Jean Grey 

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