Civil war on Arakko was instigated to keep Storm and the other Arakki mutants distracted while the Krakoa and the X-Men face annihilation on Earth. At the opening of X-Men Red #16, it seems this ploy was not only successful, but Genesis’ forces are on the verge of obliterating the rebels led by Ororo and her Brotherhood. Al Ewing, Yildiray Çinar, Federico Blee, VC’s Ariana Maher, and Jordan D. White make up the creative team guiding us through the main story, “The Fall of Prometheus.” Backing them up with a lighter story, “Scales and Shadows,” are Raphael Draccon, Carolina Munhóz, Marcelo Costa, Felipe Sobreiro, VC’s Ariana Maher, and Lauren Amaro.
The Genesis War had been a tense stalemate for the most part, until the previous issue ended with the arrival of Genesis’ children. Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence brought with them an overwhelming horde of Amenthi demons, putting Storm and her forces on a disastrous back foot. Port Prometheus, the seat of the Sol System’s intergalactic diplomacy as well as Arakko Prime’s largest urban center is ravaged by War’s flames and drowned by Famine’s floods. This is how X-Men Red #16 opens, and it serves as the backdrop for the ultimate test of Ororo Munroe’s mercy.
Of all of Storm’s abilities, her restraint is often the most overlooked. In her early days during the Claremont era, one of Ororo’s defining traits is her struggle to balance her own morals and power against an oath to herself to never take another life. This is the characterization Ewing is leaning on as she narrowly spares the lives of both War and Famine even as she professes that her mercy has reached its breaking point. It is in the midst of this turmoil when Syzya of the Smoke delivers the ultimate temptation to Storm: the Uranos Trigger.
The price of her mercy, the weight of her obligation to not fail Arakko as she did the Morlocks: everything around and within Ororo seemingly points to unleashing an hour of Uranos’ carnage on her enemies as the only option left. That is until she looks within and realizes that she has the power to do it all herself. Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel comes to mind, as the Storm to come is surely “dark, but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the earth!” All will love Ororo and despair.
Credit: Marvel Comics
The return of Apocalypse heralds the end of this story for now. “Scales and Shadows” follows with a lighter adventure from before the Fall of X. It’s a fun jaunt that brings together Sunspot and Shark-Girl, two of the X-Men’s most prominent Brazilian heroes for a story with great nods to Brazilian wildlife and food culture. Arakko as a society is very much coded as a blend of indigenous, African, and Middle Eastern peoples, so it works that X-Men Red would feature a backup story rooted in a down-to-earth romp with Black and Brown Brazilian heroes.
Çinar and Blee take the main story to the next level. Uranos is dark and terrifying, which sells the unease Ewing wants us to have about setting him free. War, Famine, and Nova are all brought to the brink of death in horrific displays. Famine is grimy and gross, and Death’s fatal stare is alluring and final. Costa and Sobreiro are no slouches either when delivering art for the backup. In particular, Iara Dos Santos’ reaction to a sudden snake bite has a perfect meme-like energy.
If I had to begrudge anything about this issue, its that we don’t get to see Storm’s face in that final moment of realization. Is she resolute and rage-filled, teary-eyed and broken-hearted, or does a slight grin reveal a small, dark satisfaction she may find in finally bearing down on Genesis with all of her power? For now, at least, it is up to the audience’s imagination.
X-Men Red #16 is the darkest hour of the Genesis War. In the midst of action and bombast, the drama remains intimately focused on Storm, and the choices she makes here will impact Arakko forevermore. The Fall of X has many battlefronts, but this may just be the most important one.
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