Storm's five essential arcs:“Life-Death”(Uncanny X-Men #186, 1984), undisputed summit; there period without powers (#185 to #201); there conquest of the Morlocks (#169-170, 1983); Mutant Massacre (1986); and the Wakandan wedding (2006). Four out of five are based on a loss, not a win.
A constant strike which runs through the bibliography of this character: his best stories are those where he is withdraw something. His powers, his community, his marriage, his status as a divinity.
This is not a writing accident. A character capable of controlling the weather has, by construction, almost no credible physical obstacles. So the authors looked elsewhere, and found it.
1. “Life-Death” (Uncanny X-Men #186, 1984)
Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith. The number to read if you only read one.
Storm has just lost her powers. The story neither seeks to return them to him, nor to transform this loss into a quest. He simply observes what happens to someone whose identity was based on a vanished ability.
Windsor-Smith's drawing does a considerable part of the work: very elaborate, very far from the usual style of the series, it immediately signals that we are elsewhere.
It's a number autonomous, readable without knowing anything about the series, and this is probably the best argument we can give to someone who finds superhero stories repetitive.
2. The Powerless Period (Uncanny X-Men #185-201, 1984-1986)
What most series would have covered in three issues, Claremont stretches out over nearly two years.
Duration is the issue here. A brief deprivation is an episode; a long deprivation becomes a condition, and forces the character to redefine himself rather than wait.
The sequence culminates at number 201, where Storm battles Cyclops for command of the team and wins: without any power. It is difficult to provide a clearer demonstration of what, in her case, did not depend on the weather.
3. Conquest of the Morlocks (Uncanny X-Men #169-170, 1983)
Storm challenges Callisto to single combat for leadership of an underground community, and wins by means that surprise the reader.
This arc is important for a structural reason: it is the only commandment she conquers. That of the X-Men had been entrusted to him. Here she takes it.
He also establishes a hardness which usefully contradicts his image of a serene figure, and without which the character would be significantly less interesting.
4. Mutant Massacre (1986)
The community conquered three years earlier was decimated. The event owes all its force to the previous arc: without the conquest of 1983, it would be just another massacre.
This is the best example, in this bibliography, of what the continuity really brings. Two arcs separated by three years of publication respond to each other, and the second would have no weight without the first.
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Start my trial →5. The Wakandan Wedding (Black Panther, 2006)
Storm marries the ruler of Wakanda and becomes queen. The arc moves her out of the mutant franchise and gives her a government role.
It should be noted that this union is defeat in 2012. This reversibility does not detract from the interest of the arc, but it illustrates a constraint of periodic publishing: the characters must remain available for all stories, which condemns lasting changes in status.
How to read these arcs
If you only read one thing: Uncanny X-Men #186. A single, stand-alone, remarkable issue.
If you want the character: #169-170, then #185-186, then #201. Five issues which contain the essentials of what fifty years of publication have produced on it.
If you want the full trajectory: add Mutant Massacre (1986) then the Wakandan period (2006). There is a coherent progression: divinity, member, ruler, sovereign.
Collection side
These arcs have a rare advantage: they are almost all located in the 1980s, a period when supply is abundant and prices remain reasonable except for high grades.
Just one caveat: Uncanny X-Men #201 is expensive for a reason unrelated to Storm: it contains another, much-requested first appearance. The collector who targets it for her therefore pays a premium that he does not control.
Conversely, Uncanny X-Men #186, the best issue of the lot, never reached the levels of its neighbors, failing to contain a first appearance. This is the clearest anomaly in the file, and the best opportunity.
As always, condition and gradation determine value; relying on real recent sales is strongly recommended.
For number-by-number selection, see our Storm key numbers, and for the overview our collection guide.
Track your complete arcs and spot missing numbers with our collection management application.
Frequently asked questions
"Life-Death" (Uncanny X-Men #186, 1984), by Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith. It is a standalone issue, readable without knowing anything about the series, which observes what Storm becomes after losing her powers.
Nearly two years, from Uncanny X-Men #185 to #201 (1984-1986). The sequence peaks in #201, where she fights Cyclops for command of the team and wins without any power.
In Uncanny X-Men #169-170 (1983), she challenges Callisto to single combat for the leadership of an underground community and wins. It is the only command she conquers, the X-Men's having been entrusted to her.
Because the event decimates the community conquered three years earlier, and it is that 1983 conquest that gives it all its force. It is the best example of what continuity truly brings in her bibliography.
No. The marriage (Black Panther, 2006) installs her as queen and moves her outside the mutant franchise, but the union is undone in 2012. This illustrates a constraint of periodical publishing: characters must remain available for all stories.