Wood's run should be accompanied with a trigger warning.
The team drama may have been fake and uninspired, but boy did Storm show up and show out every time. His Storm did not disappoint me. I wonder how his Storm would've handled the cloud?
Wood's Storm was great in his first adjectiveless run.
He was just serving a pale copy of what he had already done with her in the all female team.
Let's not forget about that "mandate" nonsense LOL. Or the forced bickering with Rachel (Storm vs Colossus was much better).
The pages posted above are good though. Very in character.
Nothing about Wood's Storm was cowardly. He put meager obstacles in her way and she stepped up to the plate every time and threatened to steamroll her competition. She did it with Rachel. She did it with Maddie and Selene. And she did it with Arkea multiple times. Wood's Storm was the last time she was THAT bitch as team leader.
I think this is spot on. That's why I said the later team drama was uninspired. It didn't quite work, but it forced Storm to draw some boundaries and cross others. I loved that. I also think its hilarious that Rachel has the audacity to throw constant shade at 'Ro, using her as a scapegoat for all her mommy issues. Storm's gracious of enough to put up with it all (remember she placed hands and feet on Colussus when he got uppity). Rachel then has the nerve to ask if Storm if she's ok? No, wench! She's had enough of your crap and took it out on that poor fake forest.
Oh man I love those panels I need to go back re-read that run. That has to be the most electrically charged Storm has been in well...years. Can we bring THIS Storm at least she had presence and commanded attention.
And holy hell was that all female team STACKED in the hands of a better writer I would have liked a few more arcs with them.
The same way, because it was an editorially mandated storyline and Marvel was pushing the idea that a more radical leadership of the X-Men was the same as nazism.
Nobody could have worked any magic on Storm during that time, with Alonso and Paniccia/Harrington/Ketchum's grip tied around their necks.
If we're talking about a realm where those variables don't exist, I doubt that version of Storm would have existed under any writer worth their salt.