“Yesterday’s” Comic> Storm #1 (2014)

“What’s Power Girl talking about? My shirt’s not on backwards?”

Storm #1

Marvel Comics (September, 2014)

WRITER: Greg Pak

ARTIST: Victor Ibañez

COLORIST: Ruth Redmond

LETTERER: Cory Petit

EDITOR: Daniel Ketchum

X-MEN GROUP EDITOR: Mike Marts

In Santa Marco Storm manages to block a tsunami threatening a shoreline village. The people are thrilled but the military, who couldn’t get there in time to save them (suspicious given what happens later) has a squad leader who is anti-mutant. Back at the School, a student named Marisol, who was going by Flourish and now goes by the mean nickname other students gave her–Creep, calls her a sell-out for buying into the Jean Grey school’s stated mission, and taking her away from her parents. Angered by these events, Storm returns to the village and helps clean up, but the same military wants to force them away on behalf of a hotel chain even though the villagers refused to sell. This allows Storm the opening to send them away, this time with the support of the local government and the press. She also takes the student home to her family.

What they got right: Most of the time the art is pretty good. A couple of random character designs don’t work for me but otherwise it’s not bad. The story is a fair introduction to Storm and hopefully the theme of the comic. The choice of plants in Marisol’s hair and general location reflect her attitude and it’s a nice use of her powers.

What they got wrong: Technically, nothing. I just didn’t see a lot of action in this until the fight with the paramilitary group and I’m not sure how Marisol’s story ties in to Santa Marco stuff. Maybe I’m missing something but even attempting to explain it thematically just doesn’t link up for me. Why did Marisol’s response send Storm back to help the villagers?

What I think overall: Frankly I’m not an X-Fan so most of these stories will lose my interest anyway. It’s not a bad introduction to Storm if you haven’t seen her before (or the other titles she’s been part of, including others with her name in the title because that’s Marvel in the 2020s). I’m just not into it.

That leaves one more comic in my ComiXology library for the Marvel comics that I haven’t reviewed. All my physical ones have already been reviewed. After next week I don’t know what I’ll be doing on Tuesdays.