REVIEW: Storm #1

Storm #1 is the solo debut of one of the greatest X-Men of all time. Will the Windrider astonish in her series premiere? Find out, as your Major Spoilers review awaits.

STORM #1
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Victor Ibañez
Colorist: Ruth Redmond
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Artist: Victor Ibañez
Editor: Daniel Ketchum
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99

RIDE THE LIGHTNING

Surprisingly, this is Storm’s first solo series (unless I’m like, totally mistaken or something), which is especially doubly strange considering what an interesting character Ororo Munroe is. She joined the X-Men alongside such classic characters as Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, the loud guy, the angry guy who wasn’t Wolverine, and the dude who blew up surfing a jet fighter. And out of that stalwart bunch, Storm might be the best. She doesn’t have the insane over-exposure of Wolverine. She’s avoided death, unlike poor Nightcrawler and Colossus. She’s been a goddess, a queen, a leader of both the X-Men and the Morlocks, and she can pick a lock while rocking a mohawk. So y’know, it’s about time Storm got her due.

Storm #1 has a simple, self-contained plot, with Grek Pak constructing a story that’s more of a character study than anything else. The story starts and ends with Storm aiding a poor coastal town through a tsunami and its aftermath, while Beast chirps in her ear about the implications it will have for mutant/human geopolitics. She gets in a little bit of inspirational teaching at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, stands down a shady, corporate-backed anti-mutant militia, and generally takes care of business. The best parts of Storm #1 are Storm’s internal monologue, as she manages the joys of her power versus the scolding annoyances of the Beast. That said, the plot was a little too much on the forgettable side. While I enjoyed the time I spent with Storm, something stronger would’ve given this issue a bigger push.

I’M GLAD WE’RE STICKING WITH THE MOHAWK

Victor Ibañez is not an artist I’m familiar with, and I felt ambivalent about his work on Storm #1. I like the care Ibañez puts into his art. The backgrounds are fully populated, everything is detailed, no corners are cut. My main issue is with how the faces are drawn. The lines are so thickly drawn it seems to rob the characters of their grace. This is coupled with a coloring scheme that trended to the muddier side of things. The bright, uplifting scenes needed the colors punched up just a little more to reach their full effect. Ibañez draws Storm’s actions well, and with some color tweaks and maybe a lighter hand, I think his art will well serve this title.

BOTTOM LINE: LET’S SEE WHERE THIS GOES

Storm #1 did not blow me away. As a one-shot, it would be too slight to stand on its own. But as the first issue of a solo series, it did a solid job. Greg Pak established a clear character voice for Storm and grounded a good theme in the forefront. At the same time, I didn’t read anything that seemed like a basis for future plot. There was no hook set for later issues. The preview of the next issue promises some Callisto/Morlock action, so that’s a good sign for me. If you’re a Storm fan like me, Storm #1 issue will not disappoint, but I’d wait a few issues more if I was more of a casual-type.