Storm has been an interesting character when it comes to the X-Men. She’s held the spotlight a few times and been a key member for quite some time, but it also feels like she’s either a major player or relegated to the background. Storm #1 kicks off a new miniseries taking place during the early period of her “Punk rock leadership” of the team.

Written by Ann Nocenti, the comic takes us through the major change that Storm has recently gone through as she leads the X-Men against Mystique and her Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. While Storm absolutely deserves a series like this, the execution in storytelling and art is rough delivering a reading experience that’ll leave fans wanting. She’s a great character and this period was an interesting one but overall she deserves far better than this.

Opening with the typical battle against Mystique and her crew, we get the talk of tactics and eventually Mystique and her team are… let go? Yes, defeated, they’re released to terrorize another day. But, you need to do that as Storm immediately begins to critique her teammates and their performance in battle. They don’t head back to the mansion, they do it right there among the rubble and destruction they caused. And after that? A beach day, enjoying the water that’s right there… and everyone has swimsuits handy to use. It all makes little sense and the rather odd, choppy, and at times nonsensical storytelling the comic delivers throughout.

The art by Sid Kotian doesn’t help. It delivers a style that at times warps familiar faces delivering an almost comical art style. It just looks… bad. The comic attempts to go with a retro look in some ways but delivers visuals that range from great to horrible. It’s an inconsistent look that adds to the overall frustration of the comic.

There’s a lot underneath the surface of this comic that could make for a very interesting read. The friction between Storm and Kitty over Storm’s recent changes. The recent introduction of Rogue to the team. Storm having to figure out her role and self while having so much thrown at her. It all has so much potential. Instead, we get a comic that squanders its most interesting aspects for a debut for a character that deserves far better.

Story: Ann Nocenti Art: Sid Kotian
Color: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 6.25 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.15 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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