Storm is finally taking center-stage in the X-Men relaunch, starring in her own Giant-Size X-Men one-shot. Created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum back in 1975, Storm has long been considered one of the most important X-Men. She's recently been confirmed as an Omega mutant, whose abilities have no real practical limit, and as such is considered a precious resource on the mutant nation of Krakoa.
In spite of that, Storm hasn't yet seen much character development in the current X-Men relaunch. That's rather odd, given she's both a member of Krakoa's Quiet Council and a member of Kate Pryde's Marauders team; but the Council hasn't really been the focus, while Kate herself has played a starring role in Marauders. Many readers have felt as though something feels a little off about Storm, as though she's morphed into the High Priestess of some sort of new mutant religion. As a result, there's been intense demand for the X-Men books to really explore her current status quo.
Speaking to AiPT, X-Men writer Jonathan Hickman has confirmed Marvel is about to do just that. Hickman himself will be writing the issue, with art by one of Marvel's top talents, Russell Dauterman. Although it will feature more characters than just Ororo Munroe, Hickman promised: "it really sets up what we’re going to be doing with [Storm] for the next couple of years." He also gave AiPT an exclusive reveal of Dauterman's stunning cover.
Hickman's quote is particularly exciting, simply because this is the first real sign of an actual character arc or thought-through plan for Storm. The potential is certainly there; she's been shown embracing Krakoa's near-mutant supremacism to an unprecedented degree, which is quite remarkable for a woman who's in love with a human, Black Panther, King of Wakanda. Making matters even more interesting, relations between the X-Men and Wakanda are increasingly frayed; Wakanda has refused to trade with Krakoa, with the Wakandans insisting they don't need mutant drugs. In response, the X-Men are believed to be quietly working to institute a policy of regime change. And, in the latest twist, Beast has begun to innovate new spy technology to allow the X-Men to secretly spy on Black Panther at Avengers Mountain. All this suggests the romance between Storm and Black Panther is about to be disrupted significantly.
Hickman suggests the Giant-Size X-Men one-shots all go together, comprising a single narrative that will be important to the future of the X-Men range. It's an interesting approach and suggests a reimagining of the "Giant-Size" brand, which has been one of the most fondly remembered since it was used to introduce the Second Genesis team in 1975. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out.
Source: AiPT