We’ve had very few perfect or close to perfect #1s this year and I feel this easily fits among their ranks. The entire introduction flows nicely from where we last left Jean in X-Men #35 telling Charles she’s not a priest and she can’t offer him absolution from his krakoan sins. The never ending path of redemption seems to be the theme here for our characters and it’s further supported by Jean’s first act in space being the reignition of a dying sun she would’ve consumed for sustenance before as Dark Phoenix. Miracolo’s art is kinetic and the book does heavily focus on action but the little emotional breaks all feel very real and fit nicely within the story whether it’s Jean confiding in Scott about her status or Nova refusing to abandon the prisoners to a death sentence. The issue checks all the boxes it has to for me. We know Jean is Phoenix, she’s thrust into the marvel cosmic context and her connection to the universe is showcased beautifully and so are her ongoing struggles with being out there in space but doing something all too familiar to her: protecting a world that hates and fears her (on a more gargantuan scale than ever before) I wanted to make this as spoiler free as possible but it’s hard to ignore the new character Adani who seems to represent the reader and the universe’s widespread fear of the Phoenix while also giving returning/new readers insight on where Jean/Phoenix are currently sitting. You close this book knowing that whatever Jean does or fails to do will have an everlasting impact on the universe down to its most infinitesimal parts. The scales will never be balanced. Each choice she makes brings salvation to one and death to another.