One word comes to mind while reading this comic. Beautiful. The cover alone is enough to earn it this title. Greg Land (penciler) and Matt Ryan (inker) have created what is quite possibly the sexiest Jean Grey ever. The comic is filled with impressive scenery and detail. (Check out Jean’s hair!) Not to mention the impressive shading and the consistency of the characters in every cell. But even the fantastic art of Land and Ryan would not be nearly as impressive without colorist Justin Ponsor. Anyone who looks at his work cannot deny that Ponsor knows what he is doing. The light and dark contrast is incredible; the Phoenix fire is gorgeous; and Beast looks cooler than ever. Trust me, Phoenix Endsong is worth owning just to look at, but there’s more to it than looks.

Greg Park’s (writer) story is simple and subtle, and yet in just a few musings by the spirit of the Phoenix, Park fills in the reader on the past of the Phoenix and the characters involved. It takes a talented writer to fill in such a long past in a single issue and still include the story he is trying to present, but Park does this flawlessly. And so even readers new to the X-Men can pick up this wonderful issue without worry.

Phoenix Endsong #1 begins when a strange crew on a spaceship who somehow awaken the Phoenix before its appointed time. The captain then orders that the Phoenix be destroyed by an unknown means. Yet whatever they use, it fails. The Phoenix then seeks out its former host, Jean Grey. Now, it is apparent that something is very wrong with this cosmic balancer of life; it cannot remember who its host was. After a visit to Scott Summers (Cyclops), the Phoenix regains enough of itself to remember Jean and finds her where it left her, in her grave. The following scenes are simply amazing, both art-wise and story-wise. Especially the simply worded yet gut-wrenchingly emotional confrontation between Wolverine and Jean.

I would recommend this comic to any comic fan. This is a must have for X-Men collectors, and is a fantastic comic for anyone new to X-Men. In fact, go now to your comic shop, and if it closed, wait for it to open. Get it now, or you will besmirch your own name and be forced to forever cover your face with sackcloth and ashes to hide your shame. Or at least be prepared to levy a hefty sum when you buy it as a back issue and watch your bills fall into the sweaty palms of “I told you so!”

-Fumanchu