Storm 1 review

Although the X-Men generally work best in teams, they have a number of characters interesting enough to have a solo title. Wolverine currently has two, although I assume that will change very soon. Teenaged Cyclops now has one. Nightcrawler’s new solo title is written by Chris Claremont himself. Magneto’s current solo title is particularly brutal. But the most interesting X-men character who hasn’t had a chance to have an ongoing solo title (at least in a while) is Storm. That changes today.

Storm 1, written by Greg Pek, is a solid read. It wastes little time to showcase Ororo Munroe’s ability to control the weather. She stops a tsunami from hitting a fishing village in Santo Marco (a South American country in the Marvel Universe). What follows is a brief confrontation with militants claiming to be coming to the village’s aid. The problem is that the country doesn’t want Mutants, no matter how well-intentioned they are.

The comic soon introduces a new student at the Jean Grey School, Creep. She’s a young mutant whose powers seem to spawn plant life wherever she walks. It’s a visually interesting power, and one that would be neat to explore further. She’s down about the school, having trouble adjusting and is worried that the staff is specifically trying to turn her into a superhero, following Xavier’s ways. She brings up an interesting point, and is again one that would be worth exploring further. I hope she becomes a reoccurring character.

This comic does a great job at exploring Storm’s personality. Her soft side shows when she interacts with both the villagers and the students at the Jean Grey School, yet her wrathful side surfaces more than once. When she again confronts the militants, she doesn’t hold back. This is where the comic’s only potential problem lies. Whether the militants are friends with the government or not, she’s openly using her mutant powers to fight them in a country that doesn’t want mutants. This could potentially start an international incident, yet no consequences are explored or even referenced. Then again, this is only a first issue and this might come up again.

The art by Victor Ibanez is very good. It’s mostly a simpler design, but there’s a lot of detail. The opening pages with the tsunami are particularly brilliant, with a little bit of everything. The backgrounds in the village are complete with hills, trees, buildings and clouds. People are running from the waves, complete with different outfits, hairstyles and body shapes. Creep’s powers are also visually interesting, filling a classroom with flowers, mushrooms and moss. If not for the furniture that’s in good condition, one would think the room is in ruins.

While the lack of consequences for Storm fighting the militants is a flaw, this is otherwise a brilliant start to Storm’s solo series. It’s already established the title character as a capable lead and it set up several plot threads that are worth following, yet Storm 1 told a mostly complete story. Anyone who likes Storm as a character should enjoy this.