REVIEW: ‘Storm’ Issue 6

Storm Issue 6 is published by Marvel Comics. Written by Murewa Ayodele, art by Luciano Vecchio, colors by Alex Guimaraes and letters by Travis Lanham.

This is Part Three of the Manhunt crossover across the X-books, following NYX Issue 9. Charles Xavier turns to Storm for help. But this puts her in conflict with the X-Men, who are determined to put Xavier back into prison.

The latest chapter sees Charles Xavier causing chaos everywhere he goes. He’s on Storm’s floating base, which is supposed to be a safe haven for nature, humans, and mutants. But it’s no longer a safe place for the X-Men. Xavier is once again interfering and leading to troubles and problems within mutant-kind, pitting friends and family against each other. His devotion towards reaching Xandra, his daughter who sent him a distress signal from space, is trampling over the lives his former students have built.

The pace is slow and civilized because that’s how Ororo is. She is calm, gentle, and generous, even if she knows Xavier is a bad influence. But then the X-Men arrive, and the tension starts to reach a boiling point. The fight that erupts is visceral and startling. Storm, Xavier, and Maggott are outnumbered, but boy, they fight hard. And that is when Storm Issue 6 taps into what Ayodele has been exploring within the run, elevating the story to a celestial level.

This is not a clash of old between mutants — cosmic forces are involved. And when they do, the battle gets distressing and scary, with shocking injuries that could be devastating in their consequences. Suddenly the fight gets sickening and the gloves are taken off. It’s the most alarming ending to a chapter of the crossover by far.

None of the characters know just how much Ororo Munroe has changed since they last saw her. She has gone from being just a teammate who can control the weather to being an avatar for Eternity. She’s much more powerful, and someone else is in her body. The differences between those personalities are made clear. Storm is stern but fair with both sets of mutants that trespass on her home. She’s gentle with Charles but doesn’t trust him, much like the other high-status former X-Men. But she will protect him if needs be. The conversation between Cyclops and Storm is staggering, showing how severed all of the relationships are now.

The closeness and trust scatter across the winds. The pain that some of the other members exude as they try to stop the inevitable conflict is agonizing. But then Eternity steps through, and things rapidly get out of hand. Civility evaporates, and the restraint turns into fear and a fight for survival. Even Xavier shows reluctance and regret for what he helped unleash. With each action, he is becoming more untrustworthy and frightening. The warnings that Cyclops has been uttering for many issues are showing signs of fruition.

The art is stunning. We see so many sides of Storm and the other X-Men within this single issue. Both the gentle maternal figure and the battle-hardened superhero are revealed early on. The details on her casual clothing and the armor she steps into are exceptional. Xavier also shows a costume change that demonstrates how most X-Men have personas and gear for when they need to fight. There is anguish and arrogance on the faces of the X-Men before they launch into battle.

The hairs stand up on the back of the neck when Cyclops and Storm face off against each other. The first phase of the fight is extraordinarily choreographed, showing the sprawling chaos and the immense power of both sides. The energy and ferocity radiate from the page. But then Storm takes it up a notch. The change in the extremity is haunting and deafening. Fully realized, The Eternal Storm is stunning, but her powers are terrifying when unleashed on someone. The injuries sustained are jarring and sudden, with excruciating, eye-watering detail.

The colors are fantastic. They help show the majesty of the characters, fully realized in their powers and status. The brightness and intensity are phenomenal. The shades also suggest who is winning. Cyclops’ red optic blasts and Storm’s blue lightning bolts are iconic tones, and how they travel across the page depicts who struggles to take control. And when Eternity takes over, the blue turns white, reaching a cosmic power level. The lettering is also sensational. It’s so energetic in the latter stages of Storm Issue 6. Instead of being onomatopoeic, the SFX says what happens. With bold lettering, it adds grit, teeth, and noise to an already cacophonous comic.

Storm Issue 6 is about escalation and elevation. Xavier’s travels across the books cause horrible decisions to be made by those who once loved him. The trials, tribulations, and plans they have made in his absence are being interfered with, and he’s wreaking havoc on their lives. The ferocity that the comic rises to is all a consequence of Xavier’s actions, with his history affecting the present day. This chapter is only part three and has reached a terrifying level of anger and hostility. It’s a spectacle that lets loose, only tapping into a fraction of Storm’s new power to settle a score, and it leaves a whole team and the readers stunned.

Storm Issue 6 is available where comics are sold.