Bid A Fond Farewell To Storm In Marauders #20

On the eve of the Hellfire Gala, the Marauders reminisce about a goddess. Gerry Duggan, Stefano Caselli, Edgar Delgado, Chris Sotomayor and Cory Petit deliver Marauders #20.

Ian Gregory: Marauders is back with an issue I’m not really sure how to categorize. With our main cast celebrating Storm’s departure from the team, it feels like this is the cap on the first 20 issues of this series. But it’s also setting up from the impending Hellfire Gala, which now more than ever feels like it’s just right around the corner.

Christina Eddleman: It most certainly is coming up quickly! (Marvel, I’m still waiting for my invitation, too.) If this issue gives the feeling of a season finale, perhaps the Gala is it’s follow up feature film. It’s high time everyone settled in and had a nice meal on the high seas! Bon Appetit!

Farewell Dinner

IG: Every one of our main cast has gathered together for this dinner (including Shinobi and Christian Frost, who mostly just sit there quietly like they’ve been invited to a party where they don’t know anyone) to celebrate Storm’s leaving of the Marauders, which I believe was first announced five or so issues ago. There’s some actual sailing in this issue, too, as they head towards Mykines for the Hellfire Gala.

CE: As Emma’s all too keen to point out, the Mercury is a spaceship, and while it can sail, it could also just fly. Yet the crew sails amidst stormy seas. What awaits Storm after the Marauders has been shrouded in mystery, but it is heavily hinted that it will be revealed at the Gala. It’s important enough that Storm plans to act like she knows none of the crew, but I can’t imagine it means leaving her knives behind.

IG: Storm’s leaving the team leaves a major gap in the cast – not necessarily in terms of power level (as Bobby is kind to remind us, he is an Omega-level mutant) but in terms of moral center. Storm carries a built-in moral authority, one that commands respect and legitimizes the mission of the Marauders. Her departure from this book suggests that the mission of the group will change, or at least the mood of the team.

CE: If the Marauders #21 Design Variant is any indicator, Storm’s left a hole only Banshee can fill? The combination of Emma and Sean is giving me some big Generation X nostalgia. While the mystery of where Storm is going and who the Marauders will be without her is intriguing, it’s nice that this cast has an opportunity to wrap things up before moving on to the next chapter. The meal is fun and lighthearted, and everyone but Emma seems to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

IG: Maybe the mini-Gen X reunion will lead the pivot. Emma is fond of saying “for the children,” (which she does in this issue) but we’ve actually seen very little of the Marauders helping out mutant children. I wouldn’t mind a shift in focus from the nation-building they’ve done in Madripoor to actually helping out individual mutants.

Fond Memories

CE: Speaking of helping individual mutants, we see a little of that in the series of flashback stories told by the crew in honor of Storm. We meet Sunita, also called Lash, in an Indian ship breaking yard. The origin of an Indian woman being liberated by the X-Men isn’t a new one. As Vishal pointed out to me in conversation, this origin has similarities to that of Trinary, just a different power-set. While the Marauders have rescued mutants from all over the world, this origin is at best repetitive and at worst bordering on a racist trope. Storm at least is present in this flashback, unlike Bishop’s fond story of Storm helping him out.

IG: Marauders is falling into a common problem of stories about modern slavery or human trafficking. There’s an over-focusing on stories of trafficking in “third-world” countries, usually in the global south. It’s also very easy to reproduce narratives being advanced by far-right anti-trafficking groups, most of which fabricate stories of child liberation and daring raids taking place in these countries. When a story wants to take on trafficking, there’s a very high risk that they’re going to end up drawing inspiration from dangerous sources, and not actually communicate the narratives of actual trafficking victims. You’re right about Trinary having a very similar origin story, and what that tells us is that in the X-Men universe, India exists only to trap young women into slavery. I think that criticism underlines what bothered me about this succession of Storm stories: the ways he’s depicted as a perfect savior, descending upon the unfortunate to aid them. There’s no complexity to Storm in these pages.

CE: Storm rescues a trafficked child from slavery, beats up a klansman (Hatemonger), and is a goddess, badass, and best friend. She’s always been the one who could do it all, do no wrong, and make everyone better in the process. It’s not a deep look into her character, it’s a highlight reel. While the issue doesn’t seem to indicate it attempted to be more than that, it seems to have unintentionally highlighted yet another problematic trope. As Jude pointed out in our CXF slack, Storm is portrayed as the “Magical Negro“, a Black supporting stock character there to aid the white protagonist(s) reach a goal or become a better person. They are selfless, having no agenda of their own. Storm, while consistently capable, powerful, and badass, has been a supporting character without her own purpose or goals for the majority of Marauders, though this is hardly the first time she’s been written this way. What is supposed to be a celebratory retrospective really underscores the importance of Ororo having a chance to be the protagonist of her own story.

IG: Storm can be a really compelling character, but I tend to roll my eyes when writers lean really hard into the “goddess” persona of Storm. It feels like a way to write a strong black woman without actually treating her like a person. I think “highlight reel” is a great way to describe this issue. We just get to see Storm kicking ass and taking names, but she has no internality. Cool, she beat up the Hate-Monger (what a name! Totally forgot about that guy), but all that tells us is that Storm is good at hand-to-hand combat, which we’ve known for over 30 years now. The implication of that scene is that Storm beat the bigotry out of him, too, which feels like such a lazy approach to telling that story.

CE: Given that the Marauders had ALREADY BEATEN HIM UP ONCE, a one-on-one beating hardly seemed like a life changing event for him. At its surface, this issue is charming and full of fun banter. Hopefully the door it’s closing leads to better things in store for Storm.

The Gala Awaits

Approaching the Hellfire Gala by sea. Marauders #20

IG: This issue ends with the Hellfire Gala literally on the horizon. We get an interesting moment on deck between Shaw and Emma – about Lourdes Chantel, whose imminent appearance has already been spoiled by upcoming solicits. Lourdes appeared in Classic X-Men #7, a 1987 Chris Claremont/John Bolton joint. She’s also a teleporter, a power which has taken on new prominence in the era of SWORD. And, as it seems, her revival in Marauders seems imminent. How do you feel about the return of this fairly obscure mutant?

CE: I like her outfit, beyond that, I have very little working knowledge of Lourdes. The buzz surrounding her return is contagious, however, so I’m very excited. Shaw’s former lover being resurrected seems as though it’s going to bring a heaping helping of drama, which is exactly what I want from my comic book soap operas.

IG: We’ve gotten a lot of information about what the Gala will look like, but very little about what’s going to actually happen (except that it will be “big,” or perhaps “Planet-Sized”). As this issue demonstrated, I think Marauders needs a fresh direction, and I’m hoping that the Gala provides that for this book as well as for Storm as a character.

CE: Our final data page seems to give a nice recap of the Marauders’ exploits also teases something that I hope will be explored more, The Children of the Marauders. I hope this isn’t a throw-away line and something that will be explored more in the future. In Emma’s words, “One more time, for the children.”

IG: Overall, I was fairly disappointed in this issue. I understand the difficulties of a pacing issue like this one – it’s hard to write an issue that develops the characters and stories while waiting on a big event to come and shake things up. That said, I don’t think the developments of this story actually help build out our characters or the world of the X-Men. Hopefully the Hellfire Gala will fill this book with some new energy, and I definitely think that the focus on children would be a good place to take this story.

CE: Since the Hellfire Gala was announced, Marauders has embodied the phrase “let’s hurry up and wait.” While perhaps we could’ve seen them on one last adventure, instead we wound up with rose colored recollections of an incredible X-Men who needs to move on. Cheers to the next chapter for Storm and the Marauders!

X-Traneous Thoughts

Storm displays some of her knives. Marauders #20

Kate’s necklace is never absent in this issue!
X (Ten) Swords!
Lockheed at the helm of a spaceship on the ocean is so cool.
How many knives?? I need to know.
Seriously, the CXF staff are wonderful and help me gain a more nuanced grasp of everything
Ending Krakoan: Hellfire Gala