X-Men Red #17: Hair Trigger

X-Men Red #17 starkly contrasts the disappointment of the previous installment. Apocalypse, Storm, Shiro, and Vulcan have central billing, and it was wonderful (and deeply refreshing) to see the latter being pushed, firmly, into the role of ‘magical ingredient’ when he so desperately longs for a, shall we say, more prominent role.

It was terrific to see Sunfire’s Marvel Unlimited story come to such a satisfactory conclusion in the pages of this book. The fact that he’s experienced such a fundamental shift in character (playing the role of Earth rather than Fire in a spell, for example) would be jarring if it hadn’t been so thoroughly earned.

Of course, there was only ever one answer to the question of whether or not a goddess who is consecrated to Life (who is, herself, a force of Life) would accept the help of someone enthroned in destruction, so all of the havering surrounding that little plot point could have been better spent digging down into other, richer narrative soil — especially since the solution that Apocalypse offered her was so elegant, so perfect for who she is and what she has survived.

One must say that the exploration of magic is one yet to be explored as Mutant technology. Storm has always had a mystical element to her character (she crosses more thresholds than Mercury), and it’s both fitting and fun to see this aspect of her character being thrust to the fore.

The artwork in this book is fantastic and was the standout element of this storytelling. Cinar’s line work is nothing short of astonishing, just on a panel-by-panel basis, and there’s one spread in particular (a collage of Storm’s tremendous history) that will hit you like a lightning strike that lands just a little too close to your feet.