A Silent Psychic Adventure: ‘Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1’ Reviewed
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
Something is wrong with Storm. She fell out of the sky above Krakoa and there’s no evidence of any physical ailment. To this end, the X-Men call upon Jean Grey and Emma Frost to join forces and delve into the mind of Ororo Munroe. Once inside, the two psychics discover a serene realm, but they soon discover that Storm’s mind is more than capable of defending itself. Fortunately, Jean and Emma are two of the most powerful telepaths in the world and they will do whatever it takes to help Ororo.
Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1 find the two headlining heroes delving into the mind of one of their own. There is something wrong with Storm and Jean and Emma are the one’s most qualified to treat this particular malady.
With this duo, one might expect a bit more strife between them. They have vastly different personalities and, at different points, have both been in love with Scott Summers, aka Cyclops. However, this is Krakoa and mutant unity is top priority. Plus, writer Jonathan Hickman smartly decided to not make a book starring two women about a man–even if part of me did want to see some of those conflicts resolved.
The main quirk of the comic is the minimal dialogue. A grand total of five pages out of this comic have any dialogue or (non-Krakoan) text of any kind, leaving it to artist Russell Dauterman and color artist Matthew Wilson to be the sole arbiters of conveying the script. That’s a bold choice, even in this predominantly visual medium. Success can make for an especially moving and memorable issue; failure can leave a confusing mess with no coherent throughline. I’m glad to report that Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1 is a success. While the story isn’t on the level of something like Fantastic Four #588 (the Human Torch funeral issue), it is a damn good comic rendered impeccably by the talented Dauterman and Wilson. They craft a gorgeous mindscape for Ororo Munroe and the powers of Jean and Emma are rendered in an appealing and beautiful manner.
Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1 is a stunning visual journey into the mind of one of the X-Men’s greatest heroes guided by two of their most powerful telepaths. It daringly assuages dialogue and narration as a means of storytelling for most of the issue, allowing the characters, their movement, and their world to tell the story without text. It’s a damn good read easily earning a recommendation. Check it out.
Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1 comes to us from writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Russell Dauterman, color artist Matthew Wilson, letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles, cover artist Russell Dauterman with Matthew Wilson, and variant cover artists Gerald Parel; and Iban Coello with Rachelle Rosenberg.
Final Score: 8/10
