Classic X-Men #8: Jean and Phoenix

Classic X-Men #8 presents Chris Claremont his first opportunity to say what really happened with the Jean Grey/Phoenix thing, in a backup story set during 100 and 101, comics he wrote eleven years ago, with no idea of what controversy might later erupt.

His version, as you might expect from what he's done to rehabilitate the Phoenix force by having it manifest in Rachel, emphasises the continuity between Jean and the Phoenix. His Phoenix is the real deal, but the old Jean is left as a kind of backup version. And his Jean consents to having her body and mind taken by the Phoenix, rather than having them ripped away, like the original version in Avengers/Fantastic Four implied.