Storm #2 Review

Written by: Ann Nocenti
Art by: Sid Kotian
Colors by: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by: VC’s Ariana Maher
Cover art by: Alan Davis, Alejandro Sánchez
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: June 28, 2023

Storm #2 finds Storm’s relationship with Trevor growing more intimate while Kitty’s mistrust of Storm’s new role leads to a discovery that could damage their relationship forever.

Is It Good?

In writing, there’s this concept called ‘suspension of disbelief’. Put simply, the writer has to get you to believe the fiction they’re writing could be true to make the story work, and you make that belief in the fiction possible by making everything around the lie feel as natural and organic as possible. Nothing about Storm #2 feels natural or organic, so every plot point and new development falls flat.

When last we left Storm, she wrestled with overwhelming feelings of imposter syndrome as the new leader of the X-Men and a creeping feeling that her powers were becoming uncontrollable. Now, Storm fights with a strange being who seems to know something about Storm’s doubts, gets closer to a man named Trevor who seemingly has all the answers that validate Storm’s doubts, and Kitty’s over-the-top angst over Storm’s promotion leads to an investigation that turns up a shocking discovery.

That’s the long and the short of it, but let’s dig a little deeper as to why nothing about this story feels natural.

First, Storm’s doubts about her powers in issue #1 came out of nowhere, and didn’t have much evidence to back them up. In issue #2, Storm’s powers go a little wonky but with plausible reasons to explain why, and yet, Storm accepts she’s out of control with the merest suggestion. Instead of asking for help or some kind of diagnostic testing from Professor X or Beast (two people she respects and admires), Storm simply accepts she’s broken, which doesn’t fit her personality.

Second, Storm draws closer, romantically speaking, to Trevor without learning his last name or finding out anything about him. When Trevor offers up an explanation to Storm about her “broken” powers, Storm simply accepts the theory without a second thought. Who is this person, and what has Marvel done with the real Storm?

Third, Kitty has gone off the deep end with multiple tattoos, weird hairstyles, and taking ethically bad actions – partly to hurt Storm, partly to prove she’s right. Toward the end, Kitty actually considers an alliance with Mystique to destroy Trevor’s life just because she can. Is this the strong-willed, spitfire Kitty we saw in God Loves, Man Kills?

If you hadn’t put the pieces together by now, Nocenti writes these characters, particularly Storm and Kitty, completely inconsistent with their established personalities. You don’t believe them, so you don’t believe their actions, and if you don’t believe their actions, none of this story works.

How’s the art? Okay, but not great. Sid Kotian’s style lacks line detail, anatomy proportions are inconsistent, especially with the shapes of faces and heads, and the overall quality lacks polish. Kotians’s work is serviceable but not nearly the best Marvel has to offer.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Bits and Pieces

Storm #2 is a tough read because characters are written with oddly miscast personalities to justify actions and attitudes that don’t make sense. If you can’t believe the characters, you can’t believe the characters’ actions, words, or motivations, and the whole issue falls apart.