I don’t think anyone could have predicted the impact that Giant Size X-Men #1 would have when it hit newsstands 50 years ago. Not only did Len Wein and Dave Cockrum provide a foundation for the X-Men that other creators – most notably Chris Claremont – would build upon, but they also bolstered the mutant superteam’s roster with a dizzying array of dynamic, diverse characters. Chief among them was Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, who takes center stage in Storm: Lifedream #1.
Storm has been at the forefront of multiple Marvel books lately. Not only is she headlining her own solo series – which in and of itself is a phenomenal read – but she’s also joined the Avengers and is currently on the path to truly becoming the goddess she was once worshipped as. This groundwork sets the stage for Lifedream, as a duo of interdimensional archivists start to chronicle Storm’s history. But when things go wrong, Storm finds herself careening through said history on a quest to stop her body from being taken over.
The title Lifedream has significance: both as a callback to “Lifedeath”, the iconic story by Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith which put the spotlight on Storm, and the story it encompasses. Most of this comic takes place within Ororo’s dreams, but it’s also a celebration of her life – all the ups, from when she joined the X-Men and wielded godlike powers, to the lows – including the loss of her powers. But it comes to a singular truth: Ororo has managed to survive and thrive due to keeping in touch with her emotions. They serve as both a tether to her humanity and the conduit for her control over the weather and despite evidence to the contrary, they are not her undoing.
Credit: Marvel
Lifedream is also a first for the Marvel’s Voices anthology series, as it’s the first time one of these one-shots has focused on a singular character. That doesn’t mean the creative teams are any less impressive, as Lifedream is split into five chapters. John Jennings and Edwin Galmon illustrate the prologue, which covers Ororo’s history; Chapter 1 and the epilogue are tackled by Angelique Roche and Alitha E. Martinez; Britney Morris and Charles Stewart III handle Chapter 2, with Curtis Baxter and Karen S. Darboe providing work for Chapter 3.
All of these creators work together to bring Lifedream to life, and the results are extraordinary. Martinez, Stewart, and Darboe each bring their own artistic flair to the moments in Ororo’s life, keeping her in the center with her current costume.
The color work also never fails to highlight Storm’s dark skin or the crackling of thunder when she brings the elements to bear. As for the writers, they all bring something to the table: Roche was responsible for kickstarting Marvel’s Voices, while Jennings’ knack for comics history made him the perfect person to write the framing device.
Bookending the comic is a conversation between the creators about what draws them to Storm and an interview Roche conducts with Allison Sealy-Smith, who voices the Goddess of Thunder in X-Men ’97. It’s the perfect cap to the issue, making Storm: Lifedream #1 truly special. This is a comic crafted by people who love Storm, who know her history and, in their way, have just contributed to the grand tapestry of that history.
Storm: Lifedream #1 is available wherever comics are sold.
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