Kamala Khan continues her adventures in the X-Men timeline while fighting Legion, who is trying to extinguish the future of mutantkind! Find out what happens in Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1 by Marvel Comics!
GIANT-SIZE DARK PHOENIX SAGA #1
Writer: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Artist: Rod Reis
Colorist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 11th, 2025
Previously in Giant-Size X-Men: Hivemind Legion has lost its empathetic host, David Haller, and is now trying to destroy the X-Men timeline. In his attempts, Kamala is thrown into the timestream to stop him. After defeating Legion in Krakoa, she is flung into Jean Grey’s darkest hour.
Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1 begins with Kamala joining the X-Men in their attempt to save Jean Grey from the Phoenix. However, Legion appears and offers himself as a new host for the Phoenix. Empowered by this union, he tries to convince the cosmic entity to take him to the White Hot Room to recover David Haller, but the Phoenix tells him he must kill Ms. Marvel to do so.
The X-Men join forces with Empress Lilandra and the Imperial Guard to battle Legion, but they begin to lose ground. Jean and Kamala retreat, but Legion catches up. In the heat of the moment, Kamala unlocks her mutant ability to create a hard-light wall without suffering any ill side effects. This gives Jean the opening she needs to reabsorb the Phoenix Force while Legion and Ms. Marvel are hurled into the future, the future of the Age of Apocalypse.
One reason I’ve been reading so many Ms. Marvel titles is to better understand what her powers actually are. In previous comics, she’s shown suffering serious side effects due to being both Inhuman and Mutant. In Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1, there was so much going on that the moment I was looking forward to, which was Kamala’s power reveal, felt like an afterthought.
But how else do you balance the emotional turmoil of the X-Men with the revelation that Legion is still searching for David? Even with a double-sized issue, there’s simply too much going on, and the writers had to prioritize certain moments. While the X-Men scenes were well-done, they felt like familiar territory. Kamala is the protagonist here, and her big moment needs more weight and space.
That said, the art was fantastic. Most of the pages instantly grabbed my attention, primarily due to the visual flair of the Phoenix’s powers. Rod Reis and the team delivered stellar work.
Despite my criticisms, Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1 was a solid read, and I’m curious to see how Kamala and Legion handle the Age of Apocalypse. With that in mind, this issue earns a strong 4 out of 5 stars.
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Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1
Giant-Size Dark Phoenix Saga #1 had a different focus than what I hoped for, but it’s a well-designed, well-written, and beautifully illustrated comic.
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com