Rating: 
Summary: Important Claremont/Byrne Story!
Review: One of the finest stories from Claremont and Byrne before they broke up. A tense drama which introduces many concepts and plot threads which affect the book to this day. Rachel Summers is introduced here as well as Mystique, Destiny, and the witch hunting of the mutants. A clever story taking place in two time eras, one a frightening, yet familiar view of New York City twenty years into the future. This story and the Dark Phoenix saga should be required reading for all X-Men fans to get a better understanding of the comic and its popularity.
Rating:
Summary: It remains unmatched as the best X-Men story ever
Review: That's the story the defined and climaxed the very existence of the X-Men - unfortunately, things went terribly downhill from here, with dozens of meaningless spin-offs and boringly implausible never-ending sagas... But we'll always have the Dark Phoenix - or "When John Byrne's artwork 'almost' matched Neal Adams' - with a big help from Terry Austin, of course". Needless to say, a couple years after this Byrne completely lost it.
Rating: 
Summary: synopsis
Review: The aftermath of Jean bonding with the Phoenix entity to help save the galaxy. Scott and Jean's relationship is falling to pieces as the Phoenix experiences emotions. The ultimate fate of Jean will be decided as she's found guilty for killing billions of lives. Friendship and love between the Xmen and Jean are put to test as never before.
Rating:
Summary: The ULTIMATE X-Men Saga
Review: The blaze that set the X-Men's universe on fire. Friend, ally, and first X-Man Jean Grey has had a mysterious boost of power. But things come to a head when her powers start turning aggressive...and deadly!Now, it's up to the X-Men to help their friend stop this destructive force within her before she causes anymore damage. The artistry and storyline is classic X-Men. If you're a regular reader of this ongoing series, then this is a blast from the past that you won't want to miss. This is Chris Claremont at his best!
Rating:
Summary: Still the best ever
Review: The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont and John Byrne was simply the best comic book story I have ever read. While this trade paperback contains most of it, the story really ran for about 25 issues *before* the issues in the TPB. It started as a subplot when the mutant X-Man, Jean Grey, was possessed by the Phoenix entity, a being of great power that slowly transformed her into one of the most powerful superbeings in the universe. The story contained in this book is the climactic end to the story. As Phoenix, Grey becomes more and more powerful to the point where she can no longer fully control the urges that her godlike abilities give her. A shadowy organization called the Hellfire Club seeks to control her and manipulate her power to their ends. Meanwhile, her fellow X-Men, including her love Scott Summers (a.k.a., Cyclops), seek to infiltrate the Hellfire Club. Ultimately they end up defending Phoenix after she has unleashed her powers in ways they never dreamed imaginable. The Dark Phoenix Saga is a story of power, love, subterfuge and tragedy. Each of the X-Men has their moment to shine in this story. Of particular note is the sequence wherein Wolverine singlehandedly rescues the entire team, one of the best single-issue stories ever, in my opinion. Claremont and Byrne were at the peak of their abilities in this story. Neither has shone as brightly before or since. While stories like The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen are often said to be the best comic story ever created, my vote goes to the Dark Phoenix Saga.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most important comic stories of all time
Review: The Dark Phoenix saga has too much backstory to really mention in a review. Both the history of the character of Jean Grey and the writer/artists conflicts with the then editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics isn't found anywhere in this book (and believe me, it adds a lot to the tale) but the co-plotters Chris Claremont and John Byrne (assisted by Terry Austin on inks and a huge acknowledgement to the overlooked Tom Orzechowski and his lettering) have written such an engaging tale that you can jump in anywhere and enjoy the story. The best thing is that they were not consciously setting out to write a "saga" and therefore, they weren't pressured to create something that would sell in the trade paperbacks twenty years on. It's just far and away a story with a punch: a gut wrenching finale and some of the most beautiful artwork of the era. This latest edition of the trade spruces up the artwork (no more dot matrix colors) and includes (for the first time) the much needed cover gallery, which was absent from previous printings. The art and story have hold up so well that almost a quarter of a century later it still stands as one of the best comic stories of all time.
Rating:
Summary: It's well worth it.
Review: The Dark Phoenix storyline that ran in the X-Men comic books is collected in a single volume. I really like this book. Chris Claremont really takes his time telling the story without dragging the reader in an effort just to tell a long story. A lot of people have a lot of good things to say about this book, I don't know what else I can add. It's that good.
Rating:
Summary: The best ever. Game over. Give up. Go home.
Review: The epic scale and grand drama of this story arc was like nothing ever seen before when it hit the stands a quarter century ago. It has been emulated since but never surpassed.
"The Watchmen," "Dark Knight Returns," and "Kingdom Come" might be mentioned in the same breath because of their innovation, daring, or nostalgic grandeur. But the depth and breadth of "Dark Phoenix" has no peer.
Never before had a character as virginal, compassionate, and heroic as Jean Grey become so ravenous, genocidal, and colossally evil. The astronomical immensity and irresistible seduction of the Phoenix are clearly crafted by Claremont and Byrne. The darkness and scale are so palpable the reader can almost feel like he or she is on the event horizon of a massive black hole and could be sucked in just like Jean at any moment.
Are there flaws? The remnants of 1970s kiddie superhero dialogue, costuming, and "hipness" (i.e., Dazzler) are evident early on but they are vestiges of a framework that was being dismantled by this team as this story unfolded and are a distant memory by its end. Switching from a crass, cheesy disco to the elitist, conspiratorial (and overtly sexual) Hellfire Club is just one of the indicators of this pardigm shift.
This volume includes only the final chapters of the total Phoenix arc (Jean died and was revived from the sea by its power in preceding years. She went to the dark side in these stories.) But it's still incredibly strong on its own.
"Dark Phoenix" is alluded to in the second X-Men movie (with Jean's leap in abilities and a faint phoenix visible in the water before the end credits) but it will be rough going not making a hash of this tale in the third film.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Story: You MUST read this to be considered a fan.
Review: The quintessential X-men story. Written almost twenty years ago, the storyline shows the reason why the X-men are so popular: despite having all their powers, they are subject to the same temptations and succumb to the same sins as us mere mortals. Amidst all the action you have to have in a comic book, there is the evolving love affair between Scott and Jean, and Wolverine's side role in it. There's the addition of Kitty Pryde, and her journey as she discovers and develops her talents. There's the first appearance of Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, and all the other characters who evolve into important places of the X-men mythology. Of course, there's the fate of Jean Grey, and the final admonition that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" (which has, by the way, since been used ad infinitum by any other comic book writer who wanted to sound cool). A very well-told, well-illustrated, and rich comic book. A good introduction to the X-men, if you've never met them before. If you have, and are more familiar with their current incarnations, this book gives you somewhat of an idea where they came from.
Rating:
Summary: The golden standard of X-Men stories
Review: There really isn't much to say about the Dark Phoenix Saga that hasn't already been said. It's a classic X-Men story that became the gold standard of X-Men stories, brought to you by the legendary duo of writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-plotter John Byrne; both of whom seemed to strike gold with just about anything they thought of. Picking up after battling Proteus, the X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine) find themselves under fire from the Hellfire Club, whom has seemingly gained control over Jean. Eventually, the power of the Phoenix becomes more powerful than ever imagined, and there are consequences aplenty. Collecting issues 129-137 (this collection also introduces the White Queen, Dazzler, and fan favorite Kitty "Shadowcat" Pryde), this storyarc proved pivotal to the X-Men mythos, and remains one of the most well regarded and loved comic stories of all time. If you've never read the Dark Phoenix Saga, well then, that's almost as sad as the end of this comic.
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