First let me start off by saying I love me some Patti Patti!!! I for one am EXTREMELY happy Storm is not Christian especially seeing the roots of Christianity not only in Africa. Moat Christians in africa are as such due to influences from their European conquers; those who are Muslim due to influences of the Arab world. Africans who worship indigenous deities are those that have been untainted by outside influences. Seeing that Storm ancestry can be traced to the beginning of time I would expect her to worship a goddess that is not of Abrahamic origins or of any origin not indigenous to africa/Kenya/Egypt.
I agree with Omegastorm's response to your initial post. However, I also agree with you that it would be great to see Ororo's role in the MU increase, but I don't think the way to do it is through a long strand of guest-star superheroes. I think the way to accomplish this would be to pit Storm against uber-powerful villains outside of the X-verse. Pit her against people like Dr. Doom, Manderin, The Presence, Maelstrom, The Great Beasts, and other villains of this calibur as well as powerful X-villains like Shadow King, Selene and Candra.
In a nutshell, what this title needs to improve on most is telling bigger stories with more exciting threats that pose a credible threat to Storm's powers, battle acumen and strategic thinking. The stories Pak is giving us (while I enjoyed issues 1 and 2 very much, but found 3 lacking) are more like "fill-in" tales. Let me explain. Say the title opened up with a 2-3 issue story arc pitting Storm against a powerful and exciting foe like Malestrom. Well, after a big story like that with her fighting such a powerful foe, it would be appropriate for her to "take a break" and maybe have a story or two like issues 1 and 2 as a breather in-between the big "Malestrom-type" arcs. I think it would have been wonderful to pit Storm against a huge threat by an exciting villain we have not seen her face before. Either create such a villain for her who can serve as her arch-nemesis, or borrow one from other titles (which is why I chose to use Maelstrom as my example). Even in the filler stories (again, issues like we've gotten so far would fit the filler story role very well), you could still have another big threat brewing in the shadows to keep the readership interested in continually buying the next issue. Just give 3-4 pages of the filler story issues to introduce the next major, exciting threat.
While I think Pak is a gifted writer who truly loves Storm, as of right now, he's been giving us "filler stories" only. You can't sustain a title over the long haul like this no matter how well those stories may be told. There needs to be more meat on the bone. He could have given us much more these past 3 issues as an opening salvo to the title than he did. The Maelstrom example I used is just an example of what could have been done. I mean, in interviews leading up to the debut of the title, he went on and on about how "Storm is the most powerful female character in Marvel" and how he is going to really showcase those powers. Its time of him to flaunt this stuff!
Last edited by rutog98; 09-24-2014 at 07:58 PM.
Be that as it may, has Storm really prayed to Ma'at? The only time I've seen Storm even mention Oshtur by name was in that recent Amazing X-Men annual. I have never seen her follow the Kemetic path. Pagan is a broad term that includes Kemetic belief anyways, I don't see why you reject it.
Edit. Actually, she has never called Oshtur by name. She called Gaia in the Amazing X-Men Annual, which is a Greek name, which makes even less sense, but there you have it.
Last edited by yogaflame; 09-24-2014 at 07:59 PM.
Let the flames destroy all but that which is pure and true!
Hey Patti all the way LOL! But I agree with you. I do like the fact that she isn't your typical run of the mill religion and that its very personal and special to her and those of her line. I love that actually. I just didnt like it for the era of 1975 when people were...well thats a discussion for another time lol. But no I agree with you all that her religion is exactly what it should be for her character.
Storm admits that she's crazy. FINALLY. Admitting you have a problem is the first step.
for posterity.
I feel this title relies too much on nostalgia, it's starting to feel like fan-service. That's great if you're a longtime X-Men/Storm fan, but it's completely lost on unfamiliar readers. It all just seems irrelevant and too isolated from the MU. $4 a month on this book is just not worth it at the moment, especially when you can get her in like 3 other books.
That's true and I am going to count that as No Prize, an author's lack of knowing about Storm's actual goddess. Storm's spirituality is broad in application, broad in what it awakens in the individual but I like to be specific when it comes to the gods (even fictional one's in comics.) Her goddess is Kemetic as such it should be referred to as Kemetic aka Oshtur. If I were talking about non-specific spiritual traditional not involving Abrahamic religions I would call it pagan but as we know the tradition and the region, I think it's only fair to label it correctly.
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Last edited by Omegastorm; 09-24-2014 at 09:23 PM.
Oshtur is not a Kemetic name. I don't think it makes sense to label Ororo's very non-specific spirituality with a specific lineage she has NEVER on-panel sited. To each their own, we are splitting hairs. We must unite against the true threat, the blasphemer Pak!
Let the flames destroy all but that which is pure and true!
Several things about this issue felt very off to me.
>I'm not sure how to reconcile this new information re: the villagers' beliefs or lack thereof with what we've seen before.
>Shouldn't Storm have tried to fix whatever caused the nearby town to shut off the water supply?
>Forge is really creepy, and Storm's whole 'stay here a year and atone' stance is beyond ridiculous.
>Some depictions of Noah just felt uncomfortably wrong. If no one else sees it, I'll just leave it alone.
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I wasn't very impressed with this issue. The book needs definitive direction instead of just hitting on all the major elements from Storm's past. I would have liked a continuation of Storm's activism from the first issue mixed with more of that plant growth/decay girl as a Jubilee-esque hipster sidekick and that corporation Storm defied sending in super-powered operatives to stop her. Social activism, snark, and some action. Perfect. I'm giving the book until the end of the Yukio arc to really impress me like the first issue did.
Originally Posted by The General, JLA #38
I think Pak made a mistake with what he did in this issue. I'm calling it WIS. Storm having been worshipped as a goddess is a deeply defining part of her character, and has been touched on extensively over her near 40 years in comics. So much so that we this touched in other media (X-Men Evolution and Wolverine & the X-Men for example). I mean just a few months ago in Amazing X-Men annual those villagers were going to sacrifice animals to her so she'd being rain (different village but the point still stands). This random villager claiming they all knew she was just a crazy girl is a reach and not supported by any other canon, and I think it was unnecessary (though I see what Pak's intent may have been...I'll probably ask in his next X-Position ).
Yeah I think this approach on issues 2 and 3 both give this feel to the book. I enjoyed the story but was hoping for more. I'll stick with and support it no matter what, but after issue #1 doing so well I would have liked that intensity and big action to have remained. I get that these stories are following Pak's premise of Storm dealing with issues that other heroes don't see and being a hero to the underdogs, and at the same time touch on the relevant parts of her history, but the stories in the last 2 issues have been too "par for the course". At least for this early stage in the book. I still got love for Pak so I'm all in, and I am very excited for next issue, but I was hoping for something more in this issue.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.