The Uncanny X-Men #147
Published and © by Marvel, July 1981
Title: “Rogue Storm!”
Synopsis: The X-Men escape the clutches of Doctor Doom only to find themselves facing a crazed, out-of-control Storm.
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Dave Cockrum
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Review: Back in the days of spotty newsstand distribution, Little Me couldn’t find this issue for two months. It prompted a hunt of every mom-and-pop grocery in the region. Then, finally: The wonder of walking in and seeing that cover on a spinner rack! Landing less than a year after “The Dark Phoenix Saga” (see reviews), the “We Did It Before … Dare We Do It Again?” cover blurb was a source of great distress. Of course, the story was just the next example of Chris Claremont’s penchant for leveling up superheroines to explore themes of power, control and agency. Good stuff.
Grade: B+
Second opinion: “The conclusion to the Doctor Doom story is satisfying enough on its own.” – Jim Johnson, The Comics Buyer’s Guide to the X-Men (Comics Buyer’s Guide Presents), 2003 … “The Doctor Doom issues of The X-Men were uniformly awful.” – Matt Denn, Comics Coast to Coast #1, 1982
Cool factor: Character co-creator Dave Cockrum draws a fantastic Storm. That cover!
Not-so-cool factor: Storm and Doctor Doom’s flirtations score high on the creep-o-meter.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 20p British variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “Free!! Lords of Earth and air – I – am – FREE!” – Storm, raging
Editor’s note: This review was written Feb. 9, 2023.
