Try to convince me that this week’s Storm #2 isn’t a Lucas Werneck art book. Go on, try. What’s that? You can’t? SHOCK! The visuals in this issue are absolutely STUNNING. Werneck is drawing the HELL out of Storm (& everything else) so far. Her outfits? Her hair? Her accessories? Pure haute. Everything about Storm screams regal goddess. The scene of her in the shower catching clumps of her hair falling out was so sad yet beautiful. Every wisp and flow seemed to tell its own story, revealing her deepest emotions. And even as amazing as all of the designs are, they wouldn’t be the same without the excellent colors of Alex Guimarães. He used the color white in unique ways, particularly with Storm’s hair and the spiritual whale.

I also can’t get enough of the direction Murewa Ayodele is taking this story. He’s blending so much of Storm’s past into a tale that is completely new. He isn’t bringing the character back to any former status quo. Instead, he’s using all of her past guide her to a new future — if she can survive long enough! Much like Peach Momoko infusing Japanese culture into Ultimate X-Men, I really appreciate the how Ayodele is weaving in aspects of his own Yoruba tribe’s history. I’d highly recommend reading his backup notes for a deeper understanding of all the real-world richness he’s adding to the story. He’s also perfectly capture what makes Storm such a compelling character. She’s an utterly selfless individual with an enormous heart for all living things.

The Night & Daye hospital was great reminder that Krakoa failed to reach the perfect utopia it hoped to be, even at its height. There are still mutants out there who feel shunned by the X-Men, which is a sociological analogy that would be too long to dive into for this one post. Yet Storm’s calm & poised reaction was just one example of how much Adoyele gets the character. And while the reveal of Doctor Voodoo was spoiled by solicitations, I thought Murewa did a great job introducing him at the end. He seems like a no-brainer character for this story.

I absolutely love everything about this series and can’t wait to see where things go next!

Rating: 10/10