Greg Pak is able to give us a one issue story where Storm is firmly presented for people who might be new to her. While we veterans already know everything there is to love about Storm there are always people around who don’t really know about her (or might have forgotten given the sub-standard version we’ve suffered through recent years, commonly referred to as a Stormbot). The story touches many aspects of Storm and in just one issue! Whoever said you needed 6 issues to introduce a character or a story was lying to you. The story is deeply connected to Mutant History as it takes place in two (three) settings, the island-nation of Santo Marco which can be tracked down all the way to the original X-Men (as it was forcibly occupied by Magneto’s brotherhood until the X-Men kicked them out), and the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. We meet a potential recurring villain in the first, and a potential recurring sidekick in the next. People upset about the lack of latino characters will be slightly less upset after meeting Creep. But I shan’t divulge more about her in the Non-Spoilery version of the review.

The pacing of the story is appropriate, giving us enough time to understand what is happening and to know more about the characters involved. In essence it’s a story about character, about Storm’s conflict with who she is supposed to be versus who the circumstances led her to be. This is clearly reminiscent of what some may call Storm’s greatest storyline which led her to adopt the Mohawk in the first place. I believe establishing that Storm is constantly trying to be the best she can be is a very powerful message, especially for the start of her solo adventures. It shows us that she’s not a conformist like some other mutants who are happy doing what they’re told but she’s always striving to help others, regardless of other people’s opinions. She is untamable, like her namesake, and this is clearly shown in this issue.

Pak has a clear kn more