Phoenix Rising, 6 of 6. Mourning, Choice of Rebirth, and Ascent
“My heart knows me better than I know myself, so I’m gonna let it do all the talkin’. “
- by KT Tunstall from Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, from her amazing album “Eye to the Telescope.” Listening to that album inspired this post series.
Artwork by John Byrne and Terry Austin:
© All rights reserved for all the images in this post series by Marvel.
(Click on the images if you wish to view them individually.)
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Phoenix Rising
(Post 6 of the Phoenix 6-post series.)
The Phoenix myth means an infinite number of things to me. But here are 2 things it means to me:
1) It is a human and humane cognitive choice to be reborn out of the injuries you have suffered, injuries that will never heal.
2) I used to think the Phoenix myth was primarily my conception of great people that used to be in my life. While it is and will always be that, the Phoenix myth also represents the continual, repeated rebirth of the chemistry that was created in our fights, our outreach, and our common goals.
So much of Phoenix Rising is her spirit being reborn in me. It is she in me. My limited experience suggests that for me – Phoenix rising is inherently creative, and it creates good because it does not come from only one person, it doesn’t come from one person transforming in a vacuum, absent external influences. Rather, Phoenix rising only comes from the chemistry of diverse and often competing people and interests.
There was no reason why Jean Grey, an all powerful Dark Phoenix, needed to yield or restrain her powers . . . except one: love for the people she knew best. The only superpower here on Earth is love. Claremont, Shooter, and Byrne’s decision to have her self-destruct was wrong in my opinion. But the great thing about Phoenix is that often she can be reborn – that is her nature. That is what she discovers and shares with others.
The Phoenix Rising arc is not only about mythological “gods.” It is about ordinary humans transforming into entities more powerful than the some of their parts. It is about the human pursuit of seeking what is good for everyone, bringing fire down from the mountain – that is what makes us translucent, energetic, powerful, and toward eternal. The Phoenix is not a her, a him, a god, or a spirit. Phoenix Rises out of human efforts in pursuit of the best interests of us. All of us, in the broadest sense of the term us.
Artwork by Marc Silvestri:
Artwork by John Byrne and Terry Austin:
Artwork by Frank Miller:
Artwork by Aaron Lopresti:
Artwork by Randy Green:
It’s great to see Phoenix Rising again. Love always.
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The Phoenix 6-Part Series: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Most Recent Artworks All the Artists’ Artworks Index my43things
When did Marc Silvestri returned to the X-Men comic book?
He returned for a short 4 issue arc a few years ago. It was only brief. That image is an image of Phoenix after rebirth. I don’t remember this particular Phoenix re-incarnation storyline, but the artwork was amazing. This ink drawing in particular I prefer in the black and white form over the hyper-colored version as it appeared in the issue.
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I think this is reflected in the fact that the Phoenix is mesmerized by human experience and emotion. So much so that it becomes unrelentingly attached to Jean Grey, unwilling to give up this new world that they inhabit. Jean is overwhelmed by the power of the Phoenix and the Phoenix is overwhelmed in turn by the passion of being human.