Monday, June 16, 2008

All-New, All-Different, X-Men X-tra: Storm


Storm (Ororo Munroe) was created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, and she first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). Storm became the first African super-heroine and one of the most popular Marvel Comics characters in the world.

Storm was actually an amalgamation of several characters whom Cockrum had originally intended to use for the DC Comics title, Legion of Super-Heroes. In a 1999 interview, Cockrum stated that a proposed black female member of the Legion would have been called The Black Cat. According to him, she had Storm's costume but without the cape, and a cat-like haircut with tufts for ears. However, other feline cat characters like Tigra had already appeared at Marvel, so Cockrum redesigned his new character, giving her white hair and the cape, and translated powers intended for another new Legion supporting character to her, thus creating Storm. When colleagues remarked that Storm’s white hair made her look like a grandmother, and potentially unpopular, Cockrum just said: “Trust me.”

As a major part of the “Second Genesis” team who were recruited to battle against the living island Krakoa and to replace the first-generation X-Men of the 1960s, Storm has been a mainstay of the X-Men and risen to the trusted role of team leader occasionally. Her mutant powers include weather manipulation, flight, energy perception, ecological empathy, resistance to the effects of weather; such as extreme heat and cold, and she may have certain latent natural magic abilities.

Currently, Storm is the reigning queen of Wakanda by marriage to the Black Panther. Why Storm hasn't received her own ongoing self-titled series is anyone’s guess, but she is long overdue for one.

I personally believe that Storm would have made a better choice for the New Avengers line-up than Wolverine. But who listens to me?

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