Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
“Grand Opening.” “Death by Voodoo.” “Impending Doom.” No, they’re not the names of six-issue trade paperbacks — they’re single issues of Storm. Sure, a less-skilled creative team might stretch “Oblivion Waits… No Longer” into a decompressed slog, but we’ve got writer Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck leading the charge. The result? 26 pages overflowing with big swings that leave you wondering how long you have to wait until the next issue.
Tl;Dr No. 1: If you’re not reading Storm, read Storm.
Tl;Dr No. 2: I had to get Murewa back here to continue talking about one of my favorite “From the Ashes” era series. Let’s see what he has to say.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Murewa!
Murewa Ayodele: Hello. 👋🏾 It’s good to be back for another X-Men Monday.
AIPT: First, I want to touch on what Conductor of X Tom Brevoort has described as a “tough marketplace” for comics. It’s a landscape where too many readers are paying at least $4 for a single issue that 10 minutes later leaves them asking, “That’s it?” But one of the reasons I’m so excited to have you back is that Storm — in my opinion — bucks that trend every month. Each issue of Storm doesn’t just have a credits page, it has a movie poster-worthy title page. It has jaw-dropping art, heart, and action. Did I mention that sex scene that got everybody talking? And every issue ends with a cliffhanger that makes buying the next issue mandatory. You’ve managed to turn a solo spinoff into a must-read event series. So my question — how much of your approach to writing Storm is just your passion for comics coming through, and how much, do you personally feel, is necessary to succeed in the current comics market?
Murewa: Uhm… I think before I can comment on the “tough marketplace” and my approach to it in the Storm series, I must first state how incredibly lucky we’ve been with the series. Storm’s appearance in recent multimedia productions like the X-Men ’97 animated series, the Marvel Rivals video game, and the What If…? animated series might have helped rekindle the hype and love for Storm. Al Ewing’s portrayal of Storm in X-Men Red was also unmatched and monumental. Marvel’s marketing team, the Storm editorial team, series artist Lucas Werneck, color artist Alex Guimarães, cover artist Mateus Manhanini, and letterer Travis Lanham are all working at a gold standard that makes the book naturally stand out. To top it all off, Stormcasters (Storm fans) are supporting in every way possible to make sure this book is a success – from buying multiple copies of a single issue to helping publicize the material. I think all these help make the book feel like a must-read, too. Those are the real-world elements at play.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Now, my approach to the work. I’m glad editor Tom Brevoort gave me a kind heads-up that Storm series usually only have short runs. I think that made me very aware and deliberate about figuring out potential solutions to the problem. For about five months, I was having panic attacks and trouble sleeping because I was expecting that email creators get when their book is canceled. I asked Tom for some pointers on how to avoid this fate. I also reached out to editor Wil Moss, the editor in charge of the Ultimate Universe, for some advice. I studied my favorite ongoing series by creators like Donny Cates, Jonathan Hickman, and Brian K. Vaughan to try to figure out why I didn’t drop off series like Y: The Last Man and Saga like I would some other series. The final piece of the puzzle was found in anime shows like Kaiju No. 8, Naruto Shippuden, and Jujutsu Kaisen.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
This is my first ongoing series. I still don’t know if the lessons I learned are working or if it’s just luck. All I can say is that I don’t think it hurts if a series provokes big emotions, raises interesting questions while providing unexpected answers to them, triggers intellectual debates, crafts a well-paced, engaging, serialized story, provides some form of unique experience and flavor, and is drawn by Lucas Werneck and Luciano Vecchio. 🤣
AIPT: Well, it’s working for me! While we’re on the epic nature of Storm, X-Fan Antoine Dodson said with just five issues on sale, Storm has already been a whirlwind of a series (pun intended). Since you’ve set the bar so high already, do you ever find it difficult to top your previous storylines as you continue writing?
Murewa: I think I’ve seen quite a few people worry that now that we’ve made Storm incredibly powerful, we may struggle to craft new stories about her. I want to assure you that what we’ve seen so far is simply the first arc of a much grander story that has already been planned out to its epic conclusion. I know what the last issue of this series will be, and it’s sick.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
On an emotional level, no, I don’t find it difficult to top previous storylines. I already know how much bigger and crazier things get. If you love what we are cooking already, you have no idea how much better it gets. If you think this first story arc was a perfect 10, for example, get ready to create a whole new scale of measurement for the new arcs.
But on a physical level, yes. These future storylines take longer to script because of the amount of skill and research required to make them work. 😮💨
AIPT: When we last spoke before Storm #1 went on sale, you said Ororo’s “in charge of not only planet Earth but the fate of the entire universe. The weights are about to get way heavier.” You weren’t kidding! The cosmic elements of Storm have certainly been surprising — X-Fan Tevis Edmiston was wondering if reading the G.O.D.S. series influenced your use of cosmic beings in this series (which Tevis is loving, by the way).
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Murewa: Marvel once hired me to write a story with a similar premise to my work on I Am Iron Man. I took a cosmic approach to the premise with Oblivion as my big bad. It was supposed to come out alongside G.O.D.S. Unfortunately, the project was cut very early because of some unforeseen circumstances. Elements of that story would later become this Storm series. In other words, the cosmic elements of this story predate even the publication of G.O.D.S. because I’ve always been drawn to the omnipotent and stories about them.
AIPT: That’s really interesting to learn. OK, X-Fan Oscar Flores wanted to better understand how Storm’s powers have changed since becoming Eternity’s host. Also, what can you tease about Ororo and Eternity’s future?
Murewa: Storm is an omega-level mutant. According to Marvel Comics, an omega-level mutant is a mutant whose ability does not seem to have an upper limit. So, one may wonder, “Can Storm become any more powerful?” The answer is yes… because infinities are not the same size.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Mathematically, the set of all integers is infinite and the set of all real numbers is also infinite. But we understand that the set of all real numbers is far, far greater in size than the set of all integers. With that same logic, one can say Eternal Storm is far beyond omega – a Storm whose abilities are powered by an infinite, ever-expanding entity. This drastically increases her control over the elements while also enhancing her agility, speed, durability, etc., far past god level.
AIPT: Speaking of “god-level” — and you knew this one was coming — but X-Fans Pnkeez and Manoek wanted to know if we might see Storm and Phoenix together in the not-too-distant future.
Murewa: I plead the fifth. 😉
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Well, I tried. Next, X-Fan Zalex was wondering if there are any mythological stories — from any culture — you’re thinking about or inspired by when writing Storm.
Murewa: The most notable of the series’ mythological inspirations come from Yoruba mythology, Greek mythology, and Abrahamic mythology. However, the Storm series is inspired by a lot more mythologies from across the globe.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: X-Fan Kira is so enjoying the huge scale of the Storm series, but one thing that seems to be missing from this series that made Ororo such a compelling character is her deep inner monologue. Her deeply human, contemplative side was both a signature of Chris Claremont and the character herself. Will we get to hear more of her thoughts again in the future?
Murewa: No. 😑😑
It would have been very weird if I just ended my answer with a “No.” and moved on to the next question, but it would have also been extremely hilarious. 🤣😂
Anyhoo, allow me to paint you this scenario. When one is in the talking stage of a new, say, romantic relationship, it tends to be emotionally draining, yet the positive feelings are so unimaginably intense. When this other person doesn’t pick up your calls, you wonder what it means. Are they busy at work or are they bored of the relationship already? When they invite you on a special date, you wonder if this is the day they finally say they love you or if this is an elaborate breakup. All their actions have more weight. The little words they share have more meaning. Their gifts are put under the scrutiny of interpretation. Did they buy me a perfume because they think I would find an expensive French perfume charming or is this their way of telling me to lay off the garlic? You go back to your texts with them and read through the messages over and over again. Everything is more intense because you don’t know enough about them yet to “read their minds.”
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
For the story we are telling — and presenting — I want her words to be sparse so you can cherish them more. I want her reasonings to be somewhat mysterious to you so you can note her actions more intensely and intently. I want you to go back to previous issues in the dead of night to re-read pages and catch details you’ve possibly missed. I want you to do the contemplations rather than read about them.
This was the approach Len Wein took with Storm in Giant-Size X-Men #1.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Though we may often be accustomed to being told the goings-on in her mind, I believe this is the most potent approach to captivating readers — inviting them to dig deeper and uncover gems on their own.
AIPT: Let’s chat a bit about “X-Manhunt.” X-Fan Starborne said Storm and Charles Xavier had a pretty big blowup toward the end of the Krakoan era about Xavier’s callousness toward his students and Magneto, which seemed to permanently damage their relationship. Any details or hints as to how this might impact their relationship during the crossover and how she sees him after Krakoa has fallen?
Murewa: I think Storm is in a much different headspace right now. The Fall of X has taken place, she struggled with radiation sickness for a while there, and she died a horrific death. I think she’s more sentimental than her usual self. In the first issue of the series, she also publicly proclaimed that her Sanctuary would be a haven for those in need. I think Storm would at least hear Xavier out. What happens after that? You’ll have to read Storm #6 to find out.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: So, we’ve seen what you can do with Ororo and friends in just five issues of Storm. What can we expect from Murewa co-writing with Gail Simone with access to the full X-toybox for X-Manhunt: Omega #1?
Murewa: Fans should expect some cool, never-seen-before power moves. We have a giant kaiju that’ll make a big splash. There are a lot of spectacles that’ll surpass your expectations for this event. Yet, it’s a deeply emotional and philosophical issue that sets up how these characters that have been scattered to the winds will be interacting with each other from here on out.
AIPT: Finally, Marvel refers to Storm #7 as Storm’s “50th Anniversary Issue.” As a writer, how does it feel to be writing a significant pop-culture figure like Ororo during her 50th anniversary?
Murewa: I think going about five months without good sleep because I was having constant and severe anxiety about the series has tired me out in ways that I am no longer nervous. The only emotion I have left now is excitement. Storm #7 is such a badass comic that I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it. It’s phenomenal, masterful, and a game-changer.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
It’s one of the projects that I am most proud of. It’s a great year to be working on Storm, and it’s an equally great year to be reading the Storm series. It just keeps getting better and better. I think readers should stay excited about what’s coming next.
As a little sneak peek, here are the designs of the FBI agents that will be debuting in Storm #8. They were designed by series artist Lucas Werneck.
AIPT: Hey, that’s my line! But I guess it is your comic.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
But on that note — Murewa, thanks for taking the time to stop by X-Men Monday! Remember, X-Fans, Storm #6 is on sale this Wednesday and is part three of “X-Manhunt.” You can read the preview here.
“But what about Storm #7,” you ask? Well, here are two eXclusive preview pages from it, illustrated by Luciano Vecchio.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
And this week’s final X-Men Monday eXclusive from our friends at Marvel: Ejikure’s variant cover to Storm #7.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
In the next edition of X-Men Monday: Writer Benjamin Percy returns to discuss his ongoing Deadpool/Wolverine series.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Until next time, X-Fans, stay exceptional!
