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Storm (2023) #1-5
Storm: Blowback
Storm takes the solo spotlight in an all-new story set during her days as leader of the X-Men!
Storm takes the solo spotlight in an all-new story set during her days as leader of the X-Men — rocking her 1980s fan-favorite mohawk and leather look! When a daring new villain emerges who calls into question everything that Storm takes for granted, Ororo Munroe will have to confront some of her greatest fears if she hopes to survive the experience!
COLLECTING: Storm (2023) 1-5
Storm takes the solo spotlight in an all-new story set during her days as leader of the X-Men — rocking her 1980s fan-favorite mohawk and leather look! When a daring new villain emerges who calls into question everything that Storm takes for granted, Ororo Munroe will have to confront some of her greatest fears if she hopes to survive the experience!
COLLECTING: Storm (2023) 1-5
120 pages, Paperback
Published December 26, 2023
3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Ann Nocenti
736 books117 followersAnn Nocenti is most noted as an editor for Marvel Comics, for whom she edited New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men. She made her comics writing debut on a brief run of Spider-Woman (#47-50) and subsequently wrote a long run of Daredevil (1st series) #236-291 (minus #237) from 1986 to 1991, directly following on from Frank Miller's definitive Born Again storyline. She also wrote the 1986 Longshot limited series for Marvel, and in the same year produced the Someplace Strange graphic novel in collaboration with artist John Bolton. She wrote "the Inhumans Graphic Novel" in 1988. In 1993, she wrote the 16-issue run of Kid Eternity for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo.
In Incredible Hulk #291, published in September 1983 (cover date January 1984), Ann Nocenti made a cameo appearance, talking to Dr. Bruce Banner, in a history written by Bill Mantlo, drawn by Sal Buscema and inked by Carlos Garzón and Joe Sinnot. That time Ann Nocenti was Assistant Editor for Larry Hama on Incredible Hulk and X-Men.
She is noted for her left-wing political views which, particularly during her run on Daredevil, caused some controversy among some fans who didn't agree with her politics.
She created several popular characters, including Typhoid Mary, Blackheart, Longshot and Mojo, and wrote the 1998 X-Men novel Prisoner X.
Although Nocenti left comic books in the '90s after the industry sales collapsed, she later returned to the field, penning stories such as 2004's Batman & Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows.
In Ultimate X-Men, a reimagination of the X-Men comic, the character Longshot, who was invented by her, has the civil name Arthur Centino. His last name, Centino, is an anagram of Nocenti and a homage to Nocenti. The name Arthur is for the co-creator of Longshot Arthur Adams who was Ann Nocenti's artist on the Longshot Mini Series.
She edited High Times magazine for one year (2004) under the name Annie Nocenti and is the former editor of the screenwriting magazine Scenario.
In Incredible Hulk #291, published in September 1983 (cover date January 1984), Ann Nocenti made a cameo appearance, talking to Dr. Bruce Banner, in a history written by Bill Mantlo, drawn by Sal Buscema and inked by Carlos Garzón and Joe Sinnot. That time Ann Nocenti was Assistant Editor for Larry Hama on Incredible Hulk and X-Men.
She is noted for her left-wing political views which, particularly during her run on Daredevil, caused some controversy among some fans who didn't agree with her politics.
She created several popular characters, including Typhoid Mary, Blackheart, Longshot and Mojo, and wrote the 1998 X-Men novel Prisoner X.
Although Nocenti left comic books in the '90s after the industry sales collapsed, she later returned to the field, penning stories such as 2004's Batman & Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows.
In Ultimate X-Men, a reimagination of the X-Men comic, the character Longshot, who was invented by her, has the civil name Arthur Centino. His last name, Centino, is an anagram of Nocenti and a homage to Nocenti. The name Arthur is for the co-creator of Longshot Arthur Adams who was Ann Nocenti's artist on the Longshot Mini Series.
She edited High Times magazine for one year (2004) under the name Annie Nocenti and is the former editor of the screenwriting magazine Scenario.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 1, 2023
Kind of tired of reviewing these new stories set in old periods. Marvel is doing it far too much. But I’m worried things from these will appear in the Krakoan Age so here we are.
March 17, 2024
4.25
Impressive. Masterful character development. For multiple characters.
Impressive. Masterful character development. For multiple characters.
September 18, 2024
The writing for this time period of Xmen history felt off and phoney.
October 18, 2024
Well, I'm pleasantly surprised.
I picked this up from my local library, just to see what it would be like, and if, by chance, I will like a 'Storm' comic, or an 'X-Men' comic with Storm as the protagonist and leading, leader lady.
As it turns out, I do like it!
I'm so happy I like a comic about Storm, a cool, complex POC superheroine!
'Storm: Blowback' is about Storm/Ororo Munroe and her development - of her character, her growth, and her weather-based powers and how they work. It is about how she functions as the leader of the X-Men, and how the other members react to her and her choices, negatively or not.
Goddess, queen, leader, biker, and former thief and street rat, Storm truly is a powerhouse, not to be messed with. She's killing that mohawk, to boot.
Plus it's just nice to see her smile now and then, for a change! She's not always grumpy, cold and unreasonable (at least, that's the impression I got from most other 'X-Men' comics I've read, which admittedly is few). She's a grown, experienced woman who is introspective and thoughtful, not predominately bad tempered.
Apparently, 'Blowback', a modern, 2023 publication, is set during a classic age of 'X-Men' comics - in the eighties, and the events surrounding that era are referenced in it. That explains why Kitty Pryde is a young teenager, and why she is so immature.
However, as impulsive, angry, rude, and petty a "rebellious teen" stereotype my girl Kitty Pryde is in 'Blowback', she does reveal her smarts and cunning, in small but impactful ways, throughout the course of the story, after the first issue. She isn't useless.
The comic tricked me: the writer does understand Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, after all. (As a footnote, her pet dragon Lockheed is present.)
'Blowback' is big on female friendships, in spite of Ororo's romantic plot with some guy who of course turns out to be very important to the plot later on. She, Kitty, and Rogue are great gals, and even during spats and fallouts (over stupid things, yes), in the end they are best friends through and through, coming together, especially in saving the world. Rogue's aggressiveness, cheekiness, sass, and overly-affected Southern accent are endearing. She's also smart, self-aware, and knows right from wrong. Mystique is included as a villain, and Rogue's adoptive mother.
The guys fare well, too. Wolverine is Wolverine (and a hunk), Nightcrawler is a sexy demon (BTW, the comic has beach scenes and pool scenes, with the men in speedos), though he sadly disappears in the last two issues, and Professor X is actually decent here. He cares about people's privacy and boundaries when it comes to psychically invading their minds. He cares about ethics and consent! I'm not sure about Colossus and his relationship with Kitty, though. Isn't she still thirteen? How old is he?
Overall, the superhero comic is entertaining, action-packed, and funny. It definitely has its shining little moments and clever spots, such as the drama and revelation surrounding Kitty's impulse tattoos, and explaining how Storm keeps her mohawk up! It contains scientific and environmental anecdotes; mainly to do with analysing Storm's powers and their impact on the earth.
'Blowback' is also definitely flawed, I know. It is kind of jumpy, and rushed at the end. Then again, I've gotten used to that serialisation and editing flaw in most Marvel comics. The main villain's origins and motivations, sporadically revealed as the comic nears its closure, are confusing and make no sense. Mystique's role is a bit confusing as well, and closer to the climax, and in the final issue, she is bushed aside and forgotten about. Guess she and her genocidal, world domination plans don't matter that much here. There's the problem of even the possibility of Ororo considering giving up everything to be with a man she just met, no matter how well written and believable it might be from her perspective. And the petty squabbles between the X-Men team members can get a bit much, though this dies down the further the comic progresses. And progress it does, minus the rushed, slapdash climactic issue.
Through all that, I enjoyed 'Storm: Blowback'. Not since 'X-Men, Vol. 1: Primer' have I liked a female-led 'X-Men' comic. It shall join that, plus 'X-Men: Kitty Pryde & Wolverine', 'Astonishing X-Men: Kitty Pryde - Shadow & Flame', and 'X-Men: Days of Future Past', as part of my personal 'X-Men' comics collection (not the library copy, of course, but my own purchase). I like comic book Storm now. Rogue is really funny and complex, alongside her.
Don't forget Kitty Pryde!
A lightning flash! a wind-roaring hooray for strong, powerful, complicated superheroines saving a world that hates and fears them, and for diversity, and thoughtful creativity.
Final Score: 3.5/5
I picked this up from my local library, just to see what it would be like, and if, by chance, I will like a 'Storm' comic, or an 'X-Men' comic with Storm as the protagonist and leading, leader lady.
As it turns out, I do like it!
I'm so happy I like a comic about Storm, a cool, complex POC superheroine!
'Storm: Blowback' is about Storm/Ororo Munroe and her development - of her character, her growth, and her weather-based powers and how they work. It is about how she functions as the leader of the X-Men, and how the other members react to her and her choices, negatively or not.
Goddess, queen, leader, biker, and former thief and street rat, Storm truly is a powerhouse, not to be messed with. She's killing that mohawk, to boot.
Plus it's just nice to see her smile now and then, for a change! She's not always grumpy, cold and unreasonable (at least, that's the impression I got from most other 'X-Men' comics I've read, which admittedly is few). She's a grown, experienced woman who is introspective and thoughtful, not predominately bad tempered.
Apparently, 'Blowback', a modern, 2023 publication, is set during a classic age of 'X-Men' comics - in the eighties, and the events surrounding that era are referenced in it. That explains why Kitty Pryde is a young teenager, and why she is so immature.
However, as impulsive, angry, rude, and petty a "rebellious teen" stereotype my girl Kitty Pryde is in 'Blowback', she does reveal her smarts and cunning, in small but impactful ways, throughout the course of the story, after the first issue. She isn't useless.
The comic tricked me: the writer does understand Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, after all. (As a footnote, her pet dragon Lockheed is present.)
'Blowback' is big on female friendships, in spite of Ororo's romantic plot with some guy who of course turns out to be very important to the plot later on. She, Kitty, and Rogue are great gals, and even during spats and fallouts (over stupid things, yes), in the end they are best friends through and through, coming together, especially in saving the world. Rogue's aggressiveness, cheekiness, sass, and overly-affected Southern accent are endearing. She's also smart, self-aware, and knows right from wrong. Mystique is included as a villain, and Rogue's adoptive mother.
The guys fare well, too. Wolverine is Wolverine (and a hunk), Nightcrawler is a sexy demon (BTW, the comic has beach scenes and pool scenes, with the men in speedos), though he sadly disappears in the last two issues, and Professor X is actually decent here. He cares about people's privacy and boundaries when it comes to psychically invading their minds. He cares about ethics and consent! I'm not sure about Colossus and his relationship with Kitty, though. Isn't she still thirteen? How old is he?
Overall, the superhero comic is entertaining, action-packed, and funny. It definitely has its shining little moments and clever spots, such as the drama and revelation surrounding Kitty's impulse tattoos, and explaining how Storm keeps her mohawk up! It contains scientific and environmental anecdotes; mainly to do with analysing Storm's powers and their impact on the earth.
'Blowback' is also definitely flawed, I know. It is kind of jumpy, and rushed at the end. Then again, I've gotten used to that serialisation and editing flaw in most Marvel comics. The main villain's origins and motivations, sporadically revealed as the comic nears its closure, are confusing and make no sense. Mystique's role is a bit confusing as well, and closer to the climax, and in the final issue, she is bushed aside and forgotten about. Guess she and her genocidal, world domination plans don't matter that much here. There's the problem of even the possibility of Ororo considering giving up everything to be with a man she just met, no matter how well written and believable it might be from her perspective. And the petty squabbles between the X-Men team members can get a bit much, though this dies down the further the comic progresses. And progress it does, minus the rushed, slapdash climactic issue.
Through all that, I enjoyed 'Storm: Blowback'. Not since 'X-Men, Vol. 1: Primer' have I liked a female-led 'X-Men' comic. It shall join that, plus 'X-Men: Kitty Pryde & Wolverine', 'Astonishing X-Men: Kitty Pryde - Shadow & Flame', and 'X-Men: Days of Future Past', as part of my personal 'X-Men' comics collection (not the library copy, of course, but my own purchase). I like comic book Storm now. Rogue is really funny and complex, alongside her.
Don't forget Kitty Pryde!
A lightning flash! a wind-roaring hooray for strong, powerful, complicated superheroines saving a world that hates and fears them, and for diversity, and thoughtful creativity.
Final Score: 3.5/5
May 15, 2025
This was one of the Marvel Retro mini series that they have been putting out quite frequently lately.
This should have been a great one. Nocenti has a proven track record of psychological, socially impactful stories at Marvel, especially in the X-Men realm. And, this occurs in-continuity right after a major status quo shake-up regarding Storm in both appearance and attitude. I thought it would explore more of her development in this new characterization as well as the interactions with the characters around her.
Instead, Storm barely factors into this story at all, and certainly not impactfully. The villain has one of the most complicated and confusing backstories ever, especially for a one-off character that we will never see again. The rest of the X-Men seem little like themselves. A story like this should be a fun additive, a way to explore characters and motivations more while dancing between the raindrops.
The artwork is meh. At times it seems rather unfinished and lacking in details. It's also probably not a good sign that a 5 issue mini-series can't keep the same artist over the course of the mini. However, the villain's design is pretty cool and I wouldn't mind seeing him pop up again without all the weird, complicated back story.
All in all, you can skip this. Hopefully some of these other retro minis will be better?
This should have been a great one. Nocenti has a proven track record of psychological, socially impactful stories at Marvel, especially in the X-Men realm. And, this occurs in-continuity right after a major status quo shake-up regarding Storm in both appearance and attitude. I thought it would explore more of her development in this new characterization as well as the interactions with the characters around her.
Instead, Storm barely factors into this story at all, and certainly not impactfully. The villain has one of the most complicated and confusing backstories ever, especially for a one-off character that we will never see again. The rest of the X-Men seem little like themselves. A story like this should be a fun additive, a way to explore characters and motivations more while dancing between the raindrops.
The artwork is meh. At times it seems rather unfinished and lacking in details. It's also probably not a good sign that a 5 issue mini-series can't keep the same artist over the course of the mini. However, the villain's design is pretty cool and I wouldn't mind seeing him pop up again without all the weird, complicated back story.
All in all, you can skip this. Hopefully some of these other retro minis will be better?
May 2, 2024
I've loved Storm since I was a kid. She was one of the first comic book characters I felt a true kinship with, and seeing all her incarnations evolve over my lifetime has been a true pleasure. Now, with a character this popular, you would think that there would be an avalanche of comics, graphic novels, and tie-ins, but there are far fewer than you think, which is why I was so excited to discover Storm: Blowback.
Sadly, this volume fell short of my expectations. All the pieces seemed to be there for a complex story of leadership struggles and transformation, but the pieces never fully coalesced. Add to that page after page of uneven artwork and I had very little to anchor myself to this collection. If this was designed with younger audiences in mind, that might warrant an extra star, but I get the feeling that was not the case, so I'm left continuing my search for dedicated works that do Ororo Munroe more justice.
Suggestions welcomed!
Sadly, this volume fell short of my expectations. All the pieces seemed to be there for a complex story of leadership struggles and transformation, but the pieces never fully coalesced. Add to that page after page of uneven artwork and I had very little to anchor myself to this collection. If this was designed with younger audiences in mind, that might warrant an extra star, but I get the feeling that was not the case, so I'm left continuing my search for dedicated works that do Ororo Munroe more justice.
Suggestions welcomed!
July 12, 2024
Good lord, this was terrible. You'd think Nocenti had never read an Uncanny X-Men comic, let alone actually written some of them and was an editor at Marvel in the 80's. Everyone's written completely out of character. This takes place around Uncanny X-Men #176, shortly after Storm goes to her punk look. In the first issue, thirteen year old Kitty Pryde comes home covered in tattoos. WTF? Not to mention the fact that she is Jewish and the Torah explicitly prohibits tattoos. I don't even care that they later turned out to be fake. Kitty would just never do it. Then there's Storm's story which really makes no sense whatsoever.
For whatever reason they couldn't keep one artist on this 5 issue miniseries. Sid Kotian does the first 2 issues, leaving Geraldo Borges to pick up the slack. Neither artist is anything to write home about. Kotian's art is especially suspect. I think these retro series at Marvel have just about run their course.
For whatever reason they couldn't keep one artist on this 5 issue miniseries. Sid Kotian does the first 2 issues, leaving Geraldo Borges to pick up the slack. Neither artist is anything to write home about. Kotian's art is especially suspect. I think these retro series at Marvel have just about run their course.
February 1, 2024
A look into a Storm processing trauma and leadership.
February 12, 2024
I can hardly even think of what to say, because this was absolute garbage. What a poor story for a character who deserves better. I regret reading it.
October 17, 2024
Does a great job of making me think I'm reading a comic from the past.
I found the story surrounding the villain really confusing.
I found the story surrounding the villain really confusing.
Read
December 31, 2024forgot to log that i read this for the pod. jfc it's bad
October 13, 2025
Blowback as a story set in retro-continuity provides a Storm centered narrative that lacks the momentum of her best stories given both its past setting and odd-choices regarding a primary antagonist.
January 7, 2024
I have disliked few comics more than this...
The time period chosen is mediocre. The art is sketchy. The antagonist, cliche. The only thing worth keeping were the Alan Davis alt covers. The story is bland and derivative and does nothing that wasn't already done in the original X-Men issues.
Save your time and go read the issues that Storm fought Callisto for the leadership of the Morlocks. You'll enjoy it more.
The time period chosen is mediocre. The art is sketchy. The antagonist, cliche. The only thing worth keeping were the Alan Davis alt covers. The story is bland and derivative and does nothing that wasn't already done in the original X-Men issues.
Save your time and go read the issues that Storm fought Callisto for the leadership of the Morlocks. You'll enjoy it more.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews