Fanboys Anonymous

Storm #4 Cover by Stephanie Hans

Storm has always had a fragile emotional balance in check. There was always so much at stake if she didn't. Her mutant abilities are so astronomically strong that if she lost control of her emotional state, it could spell disaster for anyone around her.

Considering this, what fate awaits Storm once she learns that her lover, Wolverine, is now dead? Grek Pak examines just these considerations in Storm #4, a Death of Wolverine aftermath tie-in issue.

A standout feature of Storm #4 is the cover by Stephanie Hans. The imagery is a moving testament to the lasting impact Wolverine's death will have on Storm. We witness an emotional figure in the pouring rain, oblivious to all except the drenched mask of her former lover. On closer inspection, we see tears in Storm's eyes and the beauty of her state of being in such a heavy moment. Hans' art sets up the heavy impact of the death of Wolverine.

As we move past the cover into the issue we are immediately carried on an emotional ride, as Storm is taken by Beast to great heights, flying high above the earth, before she can erupt with pent-up power. She cannot contain her anguish, but letting her feelings out would wreak havoc on the earth's weather systems.

Gotta get clear before its to late!

Clearly Pak is tapping into that primitive sense of loss any person would feel in such a situation and then aptly applying a mutant factor to it. As the story continues we find Storm conducting a solo mission after she discovers that Wolverine had unfinished business with a mutual ally, Yukio. As the pair travel under Las Vegas, she realizes that there was a side to Wolverine she hadn't suspected.

We begin to see a clan struggle breakout as Storm unwittingly contravenes a tenuous balance among the clans that Wolverine had helped to oversee. With Storm's interference and Wolverine's absence, this struggle will play out until a sense of order can be restored, which will carry us into the next issue.

Pak moves us smoothly through the plot, with a lingering link to Wolverine though the course of the narrative. It is important to recognize this story as one that could be told with or without such a connection to Storm's former lover. We are being set up in this issue, and it will be interesting to see the follow through next time. It was also a nice touch from Pak to see a connection  with the previous issues of Storm, as we see panels in the early art of characters, like Forge, witnessing Storm's grief-induced aurora display.


The interior art returns to the very capable hands of Victor Ibanez and Ruth Redmond. Ibanez does very well with the emotional display of Storm's characterization during this issue. The first 3 pages are a grief-filled show that is beautiful to see and heartfelt. The way he draws faces endears Ibanez to a character like Storm and compliments the stories Pak is telling.

Storm is a very engaging look at what it means to be a mutant through a solo series. It has an emotional weight and maturity that is not possible to fully transcend toward in contemporary team books with the X-Men.

How are you enjoying Storm so far? What did you think of this issue and how does it compare with other current X-Men solo series? Make sure you leave you thoughts and comments below.