Review: Uncanny X-Men: Fénix Oscuro

Uncanny X-Men: Fénix Oscuro by Chris Claremont
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't know what to think of this. Legendary? Yes, without doubt. The highest stakes for the X-Men up to that time, and that was a lot to say. If the FF had Galactus, the X-Men got the Phoenix Force as their greatest challenge. But somehow the argument was derived form the FF: a mysterious force from space that changed Jean Grey, but for bad. Then enter the Hellfire club; like the Illuminati but with an inner circle of mutants. Not very different from the Secret Empire, but with an odd fixation for 17th century wardrobes. Then a master of illusion that was helped by evil Emma Frost and they easily overcame one of the most powerful telephats without effort, and in so doing they unleashed a power no one could manage. That was the best part: seeing a real competitor for DC's Dr. Manhattan. And suddenly, the Shi'ar entered, beat to pulp (again) the X-men and... Jean chose her fate.

It was a roller coaster: some great ideas mixed with old tired tropes. It was nice to see them defeated genuinely, but the road to that was very bumpy. In the end, yes, it is a classic. For its time it was revolutionary for sure. But I think it has not aged well.

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