March
16 Storm #1

Creators: Eric Jerome Dickey, writer; David Yardin, artist
Marvel, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Novelists seem to be the next big thing to hit comics, and judging by this first effort from Dickey (author of “Sister, Sister,” “Friends and Lovers” and “Milk in My Coffee”) that’s going to make for some fascinating reading. This story goes back to the childhood days of the X-Men’s weather-wielding leader, Ororo Munroe, and succeeds in giving the sketchy details of her past convincing reality. Storm always had an origin seemingly borrowed from Modesty Blaise, with her parents killed in an accident of war and her growing up an orphan and pickpocket on the streets of Cairo before she developed her powers and went to Kenya, where she was worshipped as a goddess before Professor X found her in Giant-Size X-Men #1. This book makes modern Africa and its problems a bigger part of the story, and Storm’s mixed heritage (her father is American; her mother African) and unusual features come into play. Nicely drawn by Yardin, this turns out to be the most enjoyable Storm story in a long time. With future issues promising to reveal the details of Storm’s meetings with the Black Panther and setting up their reunion and upcoming wedding, this will be a top-tier X-book for the duration of its six-issue run. Grade: B+