I've noticed a sad trend in the last several years. I think I first noticed it when Fox Kids was airing that sub-par X-Men cartoon from Saban. And then, when the better-than-I-ever-dreamed feature film came out, it happened again. There were the X-Men, a jumble of old and new. The stalwart Cyclops, the tempestuous Storm, the ubiquitous Wolverine. And Jean Grey.
Wait a second. Jean Grey? So, everybody from Night Crawler to Professor X has a cool, superhero handle and this chick's name is Jean Grey? Kinda sticks out, right? Well, there's a reason for that. She used to have a superhero name. It was Marvel Girl. Now, I don't know if somewhere along the way the folks at Marvel thought that the name was too goofy, or that it was too childlike for their ultimate taking-itself-too-seriously mutant soap opera, but simply calling her by her civilian name got MY attention.
Marvel Girl, you have a great superhero name in a fine tradition of silver age naming conventions. Be proud, be loud, OWN that name!! You go, Marvel Girl!
