Like mutantkind in the age of Krakoa, X-Twitter has never flourished more than in the era of comics from HOXPOX onward. From hot takes and #xspoilers, to thoughtful dialogues and good natured roasts, X-Fans have been able to come together to celebrate the incredible characters and stories that have inspired them for decades.
Artists on X-Twitter have found great community and inspiration in the Krakoa era, and fan art has never been so diverse, exciting, and celebrated. We wanted to honor the fan artists of the X-Community who come together to give us full-length comics, character redesigns, fan-fiction moments, and so much more.
Since her Giant-Size debut in 1975, Storm has been more than just one of the X-Men’s fiercest leaders, one of the most popular characters in comics, and one of the most powerful mutants in the world – she’s always been a fashion icon.
The Mistress of the Elements has been turning looks since her first costume, designed by her co-creator Dave Cockrum, and that legacy has continued with her punk reinvention in the 80’s, her stint as an Asgardian goddess, her blue-and-yellow training uniform, and even her 90’s shoulder pads. Few can pull off a stunt like her and her personality shining through even the most overstated looks throughout the years has led to this icon remaining an X-Men mainstay and fan favorite.
Coming off Storm’s role as a sword-bearer in X of Swords, and looking to her promised big role in the Reign of X, we asked 8 artists for their interpretations of a new costume for the weather goddess, taking inspiration from her long comic history, and looking to her new role in the Krakoan era and beyond!
We asked each artist to give a little insight into the creative thinking, inspirations and influences behind their redesign.
Karen Charm
X-Twitter darling and Xavier Files’ own Karen, X-Men Fan, writes, “I like the idea of X-Men characters that age up and out like Degrassi, so I wanted to do Storm as an elder. From there I looked at different Nairobi-centric fashion looks as well as choice Mary J Blige outfits and incorporated elements into a look that wouldn’t get too busy but still look cool.”
Kenneth Laster
Another member of the XavierFiles team, Ken wrote about their design, “My goal with this redesign was to blend a number of elements of Storm’s character into one design. The headdress and flowing arms for the “Goddess.” The cape and piping for the “superhero.” And the hood, in addition to protecting Ororo’s hair from her downpours, echoes the less frequent “Weather-Witch” nickname”
Josh Cornillon
Josh Cornillon writes about his design, “This is really a love letter to all the things Ororo brings to X-Men stories – a dramatic and impactful presence – and I wanted her to look like a capital-S Superhero. I know the thunderbolt icon was never a huge part of her history, and now features more prominently on Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel look, but I always found it so campy and fun.”
Calvin Lin
Calvin has been a presence in online fanart communities for years now, and works fast – he gave us more than one rendition of his look! This is the one he ultimately settled on, saying, “For this one I wanted to combine Storm’s 90s shoulderpad look with something more modern and battle ready! Plus who doesn’t love a collared cloak?”
Erik Ojo
Erik Ojo is a beloved X-Twitter artist and Cherik’s (Magneto/Professor X) #1 Shipper. He writes about his look, “Instead of fashion over function, an approach I often go for with my redesigns, I decided to explore fashion *with* function. This Storm is giving haute couture weather-reporter-shouting-in-the-middle-of-a-hurricane realness.”
Bradley Clayton
While workshopping the look with some of the other artists involved, their reaction helped Bradley’s inspiration crystallize into what would become the final design. From that, he writes, “I wanted something regal, modern and versatile. The jacket says ‘I own 51% of this company’ and then the bodysuit says ‘I have a knife and I know how to use it’”
Héctor Barros
Héctor is a pro, and his portfolio of character redesigns and Storm art made him a perfect fit for this project. About this look he wrote, “When working on a redesign, I try to find keywords to keep me focused. For Storm my words were leader, goddess, diplomat, fighter, royalty.”
Rosi Guillen
We’re thankful Rosi took time out of tweeting ‘Magneto is so hot’ to join us on this project, because it led to this redesign! She writes about it, “I wanted a design that would match Storm’s free-flowing spirit with a subtle nod at her divinity. My greatest inspiration was the Spring 2020 Heavenly Gaia collection with the addition of asymmetrical colors and thunderstorm motifs. The end result is a mix I would call High Fashion Magical Girl.”
Rosi also graced us with ‘baby variants’ of some of the designs! I want a spinoff of just these baby ‘Ro’s!
