Storm to lead Marvel's X-Men

Comics News
Storm to lead Marvel's X-Men
By J. Skyler
January 18, 2013 - 11:49

Monday, Marvel Comics announced that writer Brian Wood and artist Olivier Coipel will be relaunching X-Men with an all-female team in April, 2013. The cast including prominent X veterans including Storm, Psylocke, Rogue, Kitty Pride and Jubilee. Solicitations for Marvel's April publications were released today and as predicted, the "Weather Witch" Storm will lead the X-Men in this all new saga. However, Jubilee will have an equally prominent role in this series, as she has taken charge of caring for an infant who may hold the key to earth's salvation or destruction.

Both Storm and Jubilee have gone through a number of changes in recent years. Storm had married Black Panther in 2006, becoming the Queen consort of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Although the marriage was met with some disapproval over what appeared to be a rushed courtship, Black Panther and Storm became the Marvel Universe's only black power couple. The annulment of their marriage in the limited series Avengers vs. X-Men last year was as equally jarring to say the least, giving rise to yet another example of criticisms of the depictions of black relationships in mainstream media. Although now single, Storm's reclaiming her leadership role of the X-Men is a testament to her character's enduring popularity and welcome opportunity for black female empowerment.

Jubilee's character also seems to have gone through Hell and back, starting with losing her mutant abilities in the 2005 limited series Decimation, a follow-up to the House of M crossover. Although she joined the cast of New Warriors as the technologically empowered Wondra, she subsequently leaves the team, only to be turned into a vampire in the most bizarre turn of events in her entire publication history. It's worth noting the variant cover to X-Men #1 features Jubilee using her signature "fireworks" mutant ability. Perhaps her inclusion in the X-Men relaunch will give her character a much needed return to the status quo.