I really dont like how PR#5 and JG ended. As suspected its going to be very jarring seeing Jean jump right into action with X-men Red with no sort of epilogue to her return story. I wanted to see her reunite with everyone. I wanted to see her react to what the new landscape is in the world. I wanted to see her have that conversation with Teen Jean. As it stands, all of this happened off panel and I hate Marvel for cheating us of these moments after making us wait 14 long years
On a side note, why the hell hasnt Teen Jean told ANYONE that Wolverine is alive?
I think this is fair. Marvel doesn't seem to want to focus on Jean reconnecting with her friends and family, possibly because the writers and editors are intimidated by the task of sorting through her baggage in an accessible way. "Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey" is very literal title. The entire mini was about the mechanics of bringing Jean back, but not about the aftermath or consequences. Following PR is a project for another book, but it doesn't exist. I suspect Marvel is taking Jean's reconnection slow, keeping her off to the side of Gold and Blue with her own team until the next shakeup/event happens.
I think cancelling Jean Grey at 11 is a missed opportunity. It should have transitioned into a solo for adult Jean, focusing on reconnecting her with the X-men. It could have kept the guest star of the week format, with a new character for Jean to interact with each issue. Storm one week, Cable another, Emma after that, Iceman, etc. Wrap the arc up with Jean and her guest stars teaming together to take down a non-phoenix legacy threat like Sinister, the Shi'ar, or Cassandra Nova.
Personally, I think Phoenix Resurrection #5 is an incredible issue that stood true to the Phoenix throughout the years. The popular "hook" for the Dark Phoenix Saga was that Jean "could have lived as a god but chose to die as a human." PR returns to that dynamic, but with better results for Jean. I knew as soon as I read it that severing the connection between Jean and the Phoenix would be controversial. I admit that it is a shame to lose that imagery and the hopefulness of rebirth.
A lot of people had an idea in their head about how Jean would come back and how she would be written. Now that she isn't an ideal and is a human character, I feel like some fans are going to be disillusioned. She's no longer the larger than life idealistic godly hero from beyond the grave that she was for the last ten years, but I'm happier now that she's alive and human (which is something that didn't seem likely with the Phoenix around).
Fans usually point to Morrison's Jean as one of the best versions of the character (myself and the Phoenix force included lol). Morrison wrote a great version of the Jean that had the phoenix, who was confident and never went "dark." I think fans wanted that character back, but Morrison was the one who killed her off in the first place, with the canonical reason being that it was part of the Phoenix's plan. If Morrison' proved anything, it's that Jean with the Phoenix will always be tenuous, unpredictable, and barely tethered to earth/life (but also amazing).
I had my own ideas for how I wanted Jean to come back in the past, usually in a huge event like Messiah Complex or Avengers vs X-men. I'm glad that didn't happen, because I doubt those writers would have room to explore Jean/Phoenix in a meaningful way. Compare the Phoenix in PR to the Phoenix with Hope in AvX. The conversation Rosenberg wrote in #5 carried the whole series. I actually felt really bad for the Phoenix force because it just has no idea how to be human. It clearly cares about Jean and has the best intentions for her; it doesn't really understand that most humans don't want to die, deal with the WHR, see their loved ones resurrected in illusions, and be manipulated. Losing the Jean/Phoenix potential does kind of suck, but it's that loss that made the book special. I'm sure it sucks for Jean too in some ways.
I'm really excited for Red. I know it's not a traditional team-Jean-squad but i think it's a small miracle that we get to see Jean without Logan around. I love Cyclops and Jean, but it's definitely better for Jean to be away from that shadow. I always wanted Jean to inherit the school, but even in Morrison's run she was away half the time running X-Corps, who were also a bunch of random mutants (just like her team during the Revolution era actually). Red is just the beginning too! Anything can happen in the future (like Uncanny?).
