When Storm is wrongfully detained by the
FBI following an attack on an airplane, she must escape and prove her innocence
by finding the true culprit. Then, she faces the harrowing task of protecting
those she loves most after a disgruntled student from her past returns to enact
his revenge on her.
Storm
Volume 2: Bring the Thunder collects Storm
#6-11, written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Victor Ibañez and Al Barrionuevo.
Taken as a whole, Greg Pak’s Storm tells a full story with a complete
and compelling character arc. The series finds Storm at a crossroads in her
life, growing bored with the mundane activities that are required of her status
as headmistress of the Jean Grey School and feeling uncertain in her role as
the leader of the X-Men. What follows is an intimate study of her character and
a narrative that sees her finally having some fun after being portrayed in a
rather buttoned-up manner. I really enjoy Pak’s writing of Storm as she’s
friendlier, more accessible, and more humorous than how most other writers tend
to portray her. He also stays true to her mythos and continues to cleverly work
in characters and plots that are relevant to her character. For instance, a
particularly memorable adventure in this collection sees Storm and Gambit
teaming up to steal an artifact from the Temple of Hermes before Gambit’s rival
within the Thieves Guild can. It’s a story that acknowledges Storm’s
oft-forgotten skills as a thief and makes use of her incredible chemistry with
Gambit.
Like the preceding volume, Bring the Thunder is episodic in its
structure. Each story is told roughly in three, two, and one issues (respectively), which can feel
like filler when not executed correctly. Pak smartly links everything together
not only through a consistent main cast, but also through an overall sense of connectedness
with the narrative direction. Beyond that, I appreciate that this volume pulls
in themes that are relevant to the current societal climate, with a
particularly prescient scene occurring on an airplay where Storm is confronted
with direct mutantphobia. It’s a jarring reminder of what happens in reality
and it’s a sad reminder of how far we have yet to come as a society.
Storm
Volume 2: Bring the Thunder is a bittersweet ending to Greg Pak’s Storm run. His take on the character is
arguably the strongest since the Christopher Yost-penned X-Men: Worlds Apart mini-series. I like the direction he’s taken
with her and appreciate his willingness to emphasize the fact that she’s more
than just a superhero. While the issues not illustrated by Ibañez aren’t as
consistent, the art is striking regardless. I wish that this title had sold
better than it did and that this creative team could have continued onwards
with more stories. However, the work they put out stands well on its own and is
worth a read.
RATING:
B+
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