Comic Couples We Love — Emma Frost & Scott Summers In ‘Dark X-Men: The Confession’
by Scott Redmond
High school (mutant boarding school) sweethearts turned spouses dealing with cosmic death and raising a child in an apocalyptic future. Sounds pretty charming and sweet right?
Wrong! Boring, snooze fest.
Scott Summers and Jean Grey are the couple goals for some, but as a die-hard lifelong Cyclops fan I have my eyes elsewhere. My boy has no shortage of romantic partners, because there is just something about a damaged boy scout type that gets hearts fluttering. There is only one relationship that stands the test and brought out the best in both involved.
Yes, clearly (as the title gave away) it’s time to talk about Scott and Emma Frost.
Enemies to reluctant allies to psychic cheaters to romantic partners to one of the truest loves. Quite a journey right there, I would say.
Much of the 2010s and the preceding late 2000s had the couple as a focal point of the X-Men. Through the highs of the team as heroes again of Astonishing X-Men through the Decimation that struck the mutants after House Of M. It would be easy to pick any issues from that time to really spotlight this couple.
There is no way that the choice could not be Dark X-Men: The Confession from Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Bing Cansino, Roland Paris, Edgar Delgado, Brian Reber, and Rob Steen.
This was a one shot-that led into the Utopia event and era of the X-Men. Where Cyclops and Emma had been keeping dark secrets to themselves about their affiliation with kills squads and Norman Osborn’s warped Illuminati Cabal.
Their “dirty laundry of secrets aired out in the middle of the night by an irate about to dip hard into war criminal territory Beast” is where the issue begins. Guilt and a life of being in the dark, cold as ice, makes being vulnerable hard for Emma. Yet, she does so because she loves this man and cannot go through with the dark deeds being asked of her.
What we get in this issue is a focus on the two characters and why their love is better than any other pairing they’ve been part of. Stripped of any fears, anxieties, or inhibitions, this duo bares their entire being to each other. Warts and all.
We get plenty of well plotted and paced flashbacks from Cansino, which really showcase their history and the moments of darkness they hold. With the color palette the overall imagery has a lot of sharp roughness and heavier qualities. Really playing into the darkness and the hard nature of what is being asked of these very insular characters.
An element of love revolves around honesty. Both with yourself and with your partner.
Through all the secret and history diving, there comes a greater understanding and depth. Never had either character been this open and free with another person. Their love pushed them to do what had to be done to ensure they were no longer drifting apart. Able to console each other and make the other see they are not broken. Picking up the pieces and putting them together once more, creating a flawed but whole human being.
Wrapped within these two covers is every bit of evidence ever needed to showcase that Emma Frost and Scott Summers are the end goals for one another. While the adaptations want to always focus on Scott/Jean, this is the real spot for our favorite visor wearing mutant boy scout.
Scott & Emma for life.
