Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey And Emma Frost
Jean Grey and Emma Frost team up to save Storm in Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey And Emma Frost #1, by writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Russel Dauterman, colorist Matthew Wilson, and letterer Clayton Cowles. This issue takes a page from an old issue of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, as it is just about entirely silent.
Two mutants find Storm, unconscious on Krakoa. Jean Grey and Emma Frost go into her mind, trying to find out what’s wrong with her. After fighting their way through Storm’s defenses, they find out something terrible.
Since this is a very visual heavy issue, let’s talk about Russel Dauterman’s art right away. The last time there was a silent issue of X-Men, it was drawn by Frank Quitely, who used impressionistic visuals to sell the whole thing. That issue was the inspiration for this one, down to panels mirroring each other, but Dauterman is a very different artist from Quitely. However, his visuals are no less stunning. Storm’s mind is full of African animals like lions and elephants guarding her psyche and Dauterman illustrates them beautifully. He gives the scenes of Jean and Emma fighting their way through her the right sense of otherworldliness. His linework is very clean and detailed and it makes things look amazing. He’s able to capture a lot of emotion as well, which helps a lot in an issue that depends on visuals as much as this one.
Adding to the feel of the whole thing is Matthew Wilson’s colors. He uses a lot of shades of purple and blue for the scenes inside of Storm’s mind, giving it all a very unreal feel. Jean and Emma stand out against all of this, Jean in yellow and blue and Emma in white. This use of color shows how they are intruders in Storm’s mind, a very nice juxtaposition. Dauterman’s artworks so well because of Wilson’s colors, giving the visual storytelling of this issue the boost it needs.
Hickman doing an all silent issue is a big surprise. Hickman has brought up stuff from Morrison’s run, but doing an all silent issue that goes so far in its homage to use the same exact kinds of panels and such is a whole other level. That’s not to say that it’s bad or that Hickman was wrong to do it. In fact, this story wouldn’t work nearly as well if it was done in a more by the book manner. Hickman would have had to put the focus on what was happening to Storm instead of it being a nice surprise at the end. It builds the suspense up perfectly.
Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey And Emma Frost #1 is a perfect homage to one of the most striking issues of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men. For so many years, using a lot of Morrison stuff from his time at Marvel was off-limits- writers could reference some of his plot points, but paying such a loving tribute to his work, like this issue, was a big no-no. It’s a new era now, and Hickman, Dauterman, and Wilson pull it off perfectly. The issue’s ending is a wonderful twist that opens things up in the main books as well. This issue is outstanding.
G rade: A+
