“Storm and The Brotherhood of Mutants” Issue 2 Review: The Old Weather Witch Delivers!

Whether or not you’re a fan of the current fast-paced ‘Sins of Sinister’ event, Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants issue 2 from writer Al Ewing was definitely a great chapter for Storm enthusiasts! I can’t wait for these panels to show up in fandom discussions!

One of the complaints about Ewing’s work on the X-Men Red series was that he hasn’t really allowed Storm to let loose. Yes, she has managed to defeat a number of powerful opponents, but during her major battles, there’s always the power of friendship and teamwork involved. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that teamwork isn’t necessary. It’s just that, as a Storm fan, it has become annoying to see online discourse that tries to undermine Ororo being an Omega-Level Mutant Goddess by stating she would be incapable of accomplishing certain tasks without someone’s help.

Also, the fact that some comic book fans still don’t consider Ororo an Omega-level mutant is very suspicious to me. Take note; as of writing this, Storm is the only WoC on the list of Omega mutants. So, why are non-PoC characters welcome on the list, but it’s suddenly an issue when Ororo (who has demonstrated Omega-level and beyond Omega-level feats throughout her decades-long comic book history) is involved? Hmmm.

With how Ewing decided to write a very old Storm in the current chapter, I have my fingers crossed that the online discourse finally comes to an end. Storm and The Brotherhood of Mutants issue 2 clearly showed what Storm fans had known for years, that Ororo Munroe is a being that surpasses being an Omega-level mutant due to her magical heritage and Godhead.

The current chapter, basically set 100 years into the ‘Sins of Sinister’ timeline, had Destiny deciding to finally pay The Old Witch a visit. Due to losing Mystique against Sinister’s forces, Destiny was ready to kill the Moira clones and reset the timeline.

I really enjoyed the interaction between Destiny and Storm. Ororo dragged Destiny, and I lived! More of that, please!

In the end, Storm sided with Destiny, and I have to say I was a bit worried about how Ewing would handle writing Ororo when tasked with resetting the timeline and extinguishing countless lives. That’s not Storm. And I’m glad to say that Ewing continued to demonstrate his grasp on Ororo as a character (when it comes to certain facets of her).

Regardless of all the hardships being faced in the current timeline, it still held life, and that’s why it still had hope. Ororo could never sacrifice everyone, even if it meant doing so for the greater good. What she could do, however, was sacrifice herself to ensure The Brotherhood of Mutants and others continued to survive to fight another day. And yeah, at this point, someone else can reset the timeline if they wanted to (which we know will happen soon enough).

I didn’t want to see an elderly Storm die, but I have to hand it to Ewing for how he handled the moment. Ewing allowed Ororo to tap into her mutation, sorcery/Godhead as she created a very precise wormhole to leave Orbis Stellaris with no more options. The Moira clones. The Progenitors. All of the research. Gone!

I have been waiting years for a writer to give me something like this, and Ewing more than delivered. It felt like an organic continuation of Coates’ work on his Black Panther series. I really liked how Ororo called upon her ancestors and more as she chanted her spell. She knew the cost of such an incantation, but she did what needed to be done.

Also, for those of you who might think otherwise, in my opinion, Ororo’s on-panel incantation made it clear that she used Khora’s flame as an offering/ingredient in the spell instead of having Khora boost Ororo’s mutant powers.

The second issue ended on a somber note. The Brotherhood of Mutants had accomplished its mission, but the group had lost its capable leader. And with yet another time skip occurring in the third and final issue, I’m looking forward to seeing how The Brotherhood fared during those decades and what led to Ororo’s return.

I think I’m not the only one who feels a bit annoyed by a time skip occurring after every issue. I do feel there’s a lot that can be explored during the gap periods. But oh well, maybe some writer will dive into all of that down the line. Let’s see.

As for Destiny’s fate, Ororo’s strategy to take her out was well-written. In a way, Destiny’s prophecy did come true. The universe sure ended… for her. Destiny might have a contingency plan for such an event. But for now, she has been taken off the board.

Seeing Khora amplify Destiny’s powers to see the future and coupling that up with Nathan’s strategic sense and Xilo’s processing power made for a fun battle sequence as our heroes fought enemy forces to ensure Ororo’s plan came to fruition.

With the third and final issue releasing next month, I’m looking forward to learning more about Ironfire and why he’s so devoted to Storm. Mother Righteous showing up to have a conversation with Ironfire during the spaceship battle was interesting. Apparently, he made a mistake and killed someone he still regrets murdering during the Genesis War. Again, I hope Ewing or some other writer decides to flesh out certain storylines once the ‘Sins of Sinister’ event ends.

As for the art by Andrea Di Vito with colors by Jim Charalampidis & Rachelle Rosenberg, I liked it. Even though Storm, and a bunch of other characters, had grown old, they still had a powerful presence in the panels they were featured in. Also, the scene where Ororo summoned a wormhole to engulf an entire solar system was beautifully visualized. Ororo also looked peaceful in her death. She ended her life on her own terms.

All in all, Storm and The Brotherhood of Mutants Issue 2 was an awesome issue for Storm fans while also delivering a well-written heist in the overall ‘Sins of Sinister’ narrative. This is the type of issue that will continue to be remembered in the Storm fandom forever!

As for my thoughts on Ewing and the X-Men Red series coming back after the current event, while I appreciate Ewing allowing Storm to showcase such a feat, I’m still waiting for him to write such a version of Ororo in the current timeline. Let’s see if he delivers once everything resets. 

What did you think of Storm and The Brotherhood of Mutants Issue 2? Are you enjoying the ‘Sins of Sinister’ event?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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