2015 was a weird time for Marvel Comics. Having watched their films dominate the box office and subdue their competitors, one would assume that they’d be in a fairly good place in terms of their comic books. Alas, DC’s New 52 was a reboot that was doing quite well, and so Marvel decided they needed their own. That led to a lot of confusion in continuity, especially when their X-men were now younger versions of themselves. Including Jean Grey.
‘Final Fight’ sees young Jean trying to figure out why the original Jean Grey is haunting her as a ghost. Young Jean attempts to get help from the Scarlet Witch, who teaches her to enjoy her powers. But when ghost Jean gets impatient and visits Emma Frost, a small spark of the Pheonix flame sees the powerful and malicious cosmic entity, Pheonix, return. Everyone assumes that it’s here to possess Jean once again, but not everything is as it seems, and once the titular heroine bests the beast, she returns to a world where nothing will ever be the same again.
This novel gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, I did really enjoy watching young Jean Grey grow as a character and her interactions with other cosmic characters is awesome. Saying that I found the story weirdly confusing, and I’m sure that most readers would also struggle to keep up.
The artwork was good, and in some of the issues really good. The covers, on the other hand, were a tad disappointing. Overall, this novel is pretty average, the pros and cons cancel each other out. I’m not sure if it’s the last in the series, but it would take a miracle to save this series.
Favourite Panel:
I did like that young Jean is just unabashedly herself.
Favourite Character:
Young Jean, especially because ghost Jean is such a prat!
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★½
Character Development: ★★★
Artwork: ★★½
Enjoyability: ★★½
Re-readability: ★★
Level: Advanced