Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #3 – The Avatar of Death

Maggot is dead. Doctor Voodoo has been captured by Death. Storm has seen a mutant killed in her sanctuary. Everyone Ororo Monroe loves, she loses, and what does she have to show for it? As she has tried to save the world, death yet again calls near home. Who is the man in the spacesuit? What has become of her friend and mentor, Doctor Voodoo? A trip to the Elysian Fields begins to unwrap the truth of it all.

This review is brought to you by Megan and Shawn of the Nerd Initiative team!

Creative Team

Writer: Murewa Ayodele
Artist: Federica Mancin
Color Artist: Javier Tartaglia
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: R.B. Silva
Cover Colorist: David Curiel

Writing

Shawn: Whew! Time to stop and breathe. I got to the end of this issue and found myself glued to the screen. Murewa Ayodele had me hanging on every single word in this issue. This Storm series has not been for the faint of heart. Ayodele has crafted a beautiful and complex story that uses Ororo Monroe as a vehicle to examine love and loss. How is a narrative so deep yet kept me on the edge of my seat the whole issue?

This series has been more narratively heavy than Ayodele’s last Storm series, and I think it’s been better for it. The last Storm run 1-12 was amazing, but this feels incredibly deep and complex. It feels like Ayodele is asking us what it costs Ororo Monroe to be everything to everyone. I love that as we enter this War of the Realms, we are finally starting to pull on some threads laid out since that very first run. It seems likely that Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant will only be allowed to stay a limited series, but Murewa Ayodele deserves to be commended for the work and love he has put into Ororo Munroe. Ayodele is asking questions no one has thought to ask about the frustration, pain, and dedication it takes to be everything that Ororo is.

Megan: Something Murewa Ayodele does best is having so much story in one comic, and it still comes out perfectly balanced. Murewa continues the incredible story of Earth’s mightiest mutant, Storm, with the third issue, and this one is easily the heaviest of the Storm comics. Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #3 has a dark theme to the story, and the many stories within it, and that theme is death. Storm visits the after realms, and she sees Maggot, and she sees her parents. But that’s not where the theme of death ends. Storm also discovers the death of a young mutant at the Storm Sanctuary, a place that she provided as a safe place to stay for mutants and humans.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg of what you’ll read in Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #3. From there, things get even darker and even heavier to the point that Storm learns that her universe is dying and there’s nothing she can do about it. Murewa made this comic hit all the right notes and will keep you invested in the comic until the very end.

Art

Shawn: Federica Mancin, come on down. As best as can simply be put, Murewa Ayodele dropped Mancin in a playground, and Mancin ran with it. There is a significant amount of both beautiful and terrifying art in this image.

Several characters in this issue can be genuinely nightmare-inducing. The craziest part is that while some of them are obvious, some of the most terrifying characters Mancin crafts are not the ones you would expect.

Javier Tartaglia does a beautiful job with coloring. While Mancin’s art is amazing. it is Tartaglia’s colors that add the truly awe-inspiring or terrifying elements to this issue. I really love the decision to make Storm’s hair radiate throughout this series, and Tartaglia does a stellar job with that in this issue. Travis Lanham handles a narrative-heavy issue with ease, ensuring that Ayodele’s deep words and Mancin and Tartaglia’s beautiful art shine through.

Megan: While I always sing praises to the artwork of Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant, this issue was absolutely my favorite. Matching the darker tone of the story and the heightened emotions, Federica Mancin knocked this issue clean out of the park with their work. With Javier Tartaglia on the team handling the coloring, there’s just no way to lose here. Mancin and Tartaglia both combine their talents and bring an aesthetically pleasing comic that will make you not want to take your eyes off the pages.

Final Thoughts

Shawn: 9.5/10. Simply put: stellar. This entire series has been so good that I find myself frustrated that it’s a limited series. This series is crafting a story not only of Ororo Monroe, but one that, in a way, holds up a mirror to readers, asking them what sacrifices can truly mean. What does it cost the person always sacrificing for the benefit of others in the end? Beautiful writing, stellar art, and perfect lettering. Everything I would want in a comic, with enough twists to draw me back to the next issue.

Megan: 9.1/10. This was a beautiful comic up and down, and brings so much depth to Storm as a character. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s never too late! Make sure to have this on your pull lists!

Overall Grade – 9.3/10

Are you enjoying Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant? Let Megan and Shawn know in the comments below