American Update: Mighty Marvel Firsts! The Phoenix Takes Flight in X-Men #101, and the first Jean Grey as Black Queen in #134
*Marvel: The Claremont & Cockrum New X-Men was already a critical hit when #101 turned up, and in a dramatic turn of events, Jean Grey, former weak sister of the team, was escalated into a powerhouse when a cosmic ray storm transformed her into the entity known as Phoenix – and a major, ultimately tragic, story arc for the X-Men began. Claremont and his new collaborator, John Byrne, developed the theme further when, thanks to Mastermind’s machinations, Jean became corrupted into the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, beginning a downward spiral that would culminate in her final form of the Dark Phoenix. These remain key and highly sought after issues, whose appeal has been enhanced by the recent release of the X-Men: Dark Phoenix movie. Issue #101 is VF+ p £240; #134 VF/NM cents £90.