Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: chris claremont, dark phoenix saga, marvel, variants, x-men

Marvel to Celebrate 40 Years of Rehashing Dark Phoenix Saga by Rehashing It with Variants

Published Wed, 16 Oct 2019 16:27:26 -0500

Last updated Wed, 16 Oct 2019 16:29:33 -0500

Forty years ago, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Terry Austin, Glynis Wein, and Tom Orzechowski brought us the Dark Phoenix Saga in the pages of Uncanny X-Men. It was a storyline that so revolutionized comics that it is still rehashed over and over again to this day. In addition to being rehashed within the pages of X-Men comics themselves, the storyline has also been rehashed in two feature films, various X-Men animated series, toys, statues, lunchboxes, and everywhere else Marvel could possibly make a buck from it. And now, Marvel will rehash the Dark Phoenix one more time with a series of variant covers, as revealed in a press release on Marvel.com:

Forty years ago, the legendary creative team of Chris Claremont and John Byrne set a new standard for comic book stories with the Dark Phoenix Saga. Both heartbreaking and thrilling, the story found Jean Grey corrupted by the limitless power she yields as Phoenix. Beginning in UNCANNY X-MEN #128 and escalating until its dramatic conclusion in UNCANNY X-MEN #137, readers at the time were awestruck as Jean Grey went from the heart of the X-Men to their most formidable villain. The saga was an instant classic and cemented the X-Men as one of Marvel Comics' most successful franchises.

Since then, the Dark Phoenix Saga has been revisited in various stories, adapted to both television and film, and is considered a masterpiece of the comic book medium. Now, as DAWN OF X launches and the X-Men venture into an exciting new era, the franchise will be honoring the past with Dark Phoenix 40th Anniversary variant covers! From Jean Grey's psychic battle with Emma Frost to the X-Men's fateful clash with the Shi'ar Imperial Guard on the moon, each cover will see a pivotal moment in the event brought to new life by today's top artists.

X-MEN #5 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT by KRIS ANKA

EXCALIBUR #5 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT by PHILIP TAN

NEW MUTANTS #5 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT by JUAN JOSÉ RYP

X-FORCE #5 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

FALLEN ANGELS #5 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40th ANNIVERSARY VARIANT by SCOTT WILLIAMS

These additional Dark Phoenix rehash variants will be revealed at a later date:

MARAUDERS #5 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
X-MEN #6 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
EXCALIBUR #6 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
MARAUDERS #6 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
FALLEN ANGELS #6 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
NEW MUTANTS #6 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
X-FORCE #6 DARK PHOENIX SAGA 40TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT

In addition to the Dark Phoenix 40th-anniversary rehash celebration, Marvel is also celebrating "Chris Claremont's 50th year of iconic Marvel storytelling," but rather than rehashing it by actually having him write comics, they pay him to stay on the sidelines for some reason.

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