The Seduction of Grey

Jean Grey, Phoenix of the X-Men

Next to Spider-Man's Mary Jane, Jean is the quintessential comic book hot redhead, at least in my opinion. She's gone through a few looks over the years as part of X-Men, and for a time, X-Factor. However, I think her costume as Phoenix stands out because of its connection to her Dark Phoenix persona.

I mean, if your teammates look at you and their first concern is whether or not you're wearing green or red, it definitely says a lot! :D

She's not currently in the active cast of X-Men, unfortunately. Part and parcel of being a literal Phoenix seems to entail spending some time being dead, it seems. I'm just hoping (no pun intended) that Hope is not being set up as a reincarnation of Jean. Since Hope is pretty much Omega Level, I can probably accept her being chosen by the Phoenix Force, but she has to be her own character!

Jean's conflict regarding the influence of the Phoenix was one of the more interesting aspects of her character, I believe. Jean was almost always like the good girl-next-door, and the Phoenix allowed her to show off a more unrestrained side to her personality. This is where this pic gets its inspiration.

Pencils, Inks, and Markers on A4 Vellum Board, colors and embellishments by Photoshop CS3 with a Genius G-Pen 450.

X-Men and all related characters by Marvel
Original Art by Jon Mallari

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