Jean Grey #8 Review

 Jean Grey #8
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Victor Ibanez
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Publisher: Marvel Comics

A Review by Greg Brothers

So just imagine you are a teenager, living in the 1960’s when suddenly you and your four friends were thrust way into the future. After you get there you find out that eventually an intergalactic being is going to come and possess you. Once possessed you will be responsible for the death of hundreds of people. So, what would you do?

Well if you were the young Jean Grey you would take the fight directly to the Phoenix Force by learning about the being from others that have been possessed by it. Up until now most of the people that Jean has meet up with have been willing to help and give advice. Now however she come to possess The White Queen, Emma Frost in her quest for more answers. Being a psychic herself, Emma has other plans as her mind tries to defend itself from the young Jean Grey.

Jean Grey #8 is the first book from the series that is part of the Legacy initiative. For someone that has been reading the series I enjoyed where this latest issue took us although I was a bit thrown off when it first started. Hopeless decided that the best way to tell the story was within the mind of Emma Frost. To stick with the Legacy theme the story takes place highlighting Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men. It is a nice throwback but like I said it throws you off a bit when characters you haven’t seen in a long time appear out of nowhere.

The art throughout Jean Grey #8 is beautiful. With bright colors, strong lines and designs bring all of the characters to life. Seeing Ibanez take on the Morrison era X-Men is a joy as they are familiar enough that you recognize who they are but with enough originality that they do not feel like they were just copy and pasted.

Verdict:
Check it out! If you have been wondering what the Jean Grey series is all about then I would recommend the series overall. Jean Grey #8 is probably the best single issue of the entire series so far. You can easily enjoy it on its own, especially if you were a fan of the Morrison era X-Men. That being said this issue is much more enjoyable if you have been exposed to everything that has happened so far.