stormandforge

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I love this response from the writer. This scene was so well-executed and so beautiful, and honestly, everything I want for Ororo.

It's human, passionate, loving and spectacular - also sexy as hell.

Just like our girl.

"Why would you include those images in the book?"

In most sex scenes in Marvel comics - there is none [no sex], actually. You just see - oh, yeah, they wake up from the bed, and the deed has been done. This is one of the comics where we go into it as far as we can. So I think that's what made you think - you find it extremely steamy, or made you think "Oh we need to find a new writer, I'm going to go to your page and say the nastiest things," because of how far we go with it. But I think it's something that is necessary in this art form; we need to push things as far as we can. You wouldn't believe that a major X-Men event came out this same week because there were almost the same amount of discussions about this single page as much as there are on an X-Men event - a crossover event between two X-Men titles is having maybe even less discussion online than a single page from a Storm solo series. So that's the thing - we need to push the envelope. We've got to explore the different aspects of this character's life, [...] she's going to fight, she's going to do all that stuff, and sex is part of human life. It's part of the art form, it's part of storytelling.

- Murewa Ayodele, on why he included the Ororo/Logan scene, and its polarizing online response.

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I want to live in this panel. 💗

All the safety I found in my X-Men comics as a kid, it's all right here.

From Storm #3. Written by Murewa Ayodele, art by Lucas Werneck.

[stormandforge]

Gee I wonder what I'm going to be thinking about today

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When you're looking for fellow shippers and the writer responds

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

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"We had our time. I loved her. I always will. But that's the past."

In X-Force issue #6, Forge finally relegated his relationship with Storm to the past. He'd never done it explicitly before.

It might sound surprising coming from me, but this line made me very, very happy. Specifically because it's Forge who's speaking.

Over the years, many writers have tried to give the Storm/Forge relationship proper closure (after the initial Scott Lobdell fiasco in 1992, I mean. Don't get me started). The last few times this happened, the conclusion was more or less the same: Ororo saying or implying that they'd had their time, but it was over, while Forge reluctantly acquiesced with with his bottom lip quivering. Ororo got to move on; Forge didn't.

[From Uncanny X-Men Annual #1, 2006, written by Chris Claremont. Ororo leaves her relationship with Forge behind in the build-up to her wedding. Forge doesn't stop her, but he clearly isn't ready to let her go either.]

Because he's a much less popular character, no writer cared enough to let him move on. Sure, he had a fling with Mystique immediately after he and Storm broke up, but that was over 20 years ago, and it was never presented as a solid relationship. After that, writers returned to having him pine over Storm again and again.

[Greg Pak's Storm #3, 2015. He tries to get in her pants. She's dating Wolverine.]

[X-Force #9, 2020, by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara. This is in the background of a big panel of the Green Lagoon full of customers, but there's still an effort to make the dynamic very clear in the body language. Forge= still trying and Storm=still not interested.]

You could even argue they used him as a prop for Ororo's other romantic relationships by presenting him as the creepy ex.

[Astonishing X-Men #30, 2009, by Warren Ellis. This arc juxtaposes Storm's marriage to Black Panther with her past relationship with Forge, and considering that he's gone insane at that point, he suffers from the comparison. And he's obviously still obsessed with her.]

[Extraordinary X-Men #6, 2016. In this run Jeff Lemire created a love triangle made up of Storm, Forge and Old Man Logan. Although this takes place 20 years after their breakup, Forge is presented as clingy for some reason, thus making RoLo look like the better option.]

So loving Storm became one of Forge's defining characteristics, like his power or his headband. It also meant he was kept in stasis: a character can't evolve if they're always bound to another.

But now we have the new X-Force, which was pitched as a Forge book from the start, and a writer, Geoff Thorne, who's actually interested in writing Forge. And the best way to make Forge evolve as a character, it pains me to say, is to loosen, if not sever, his ties with Ororo.

By finally saying these words, Forge doesn't just decide to move on from his ex: he breaks free. He becomes his own character. He reclaims power. This is huge.

Does this mean Storm/Forge is over for good? Well, no. He does say he still loves her. His love might just be different from now on, is all. Less all-consuming. Also, it's comics. Nothing is forever and anything can happen.

What it means is that we might get new stories for Forge, instead of constantly going back to Ororo and everything connected to her (like the guilt around the power neutraliser, which he also lets go of in this same issue). That's exciting if you ask me. Ororo herself would be proud. And an independent Forge is so much more worthy of her anyway.

"I always loved you far too much to ever cage you." Forge said this to Ororo in a dreamscape once. It definitely works the other way around, too.

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Someone woke up in a cunt-serving mood this morning.

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Raw reactions to X-Force #6

This issue is a feast for Forge and Sage fans. I am both. I am eating well.

Spoilers below.

Note: I took down the initial version of this post because I wasn’t happy with it. Apologies for any confusion - the old brain is restless this week.

*points to blog name* I will deal with this aspect of things in a separate post, because I have too much to say. Happy things.

What comes to mind when you think of Forge? I’ll bet it’s his power, Storm, the power neutraliser gun, his status as a war vet, his magic, and if you’ve been paying closer attention, his super cool house, his simulations and Mystique. True believer, all of these things feature in this issue in some way or other. (With the exception of the magic, but that’s because Marvel won’t let Geoff Thorne write about it.) It’s a Forge fest. And what’s even better, all of these characteristics and connections are shown to be evolving. For example: Forge's guilt is no longer about Storm; it's about Surge. All writers have given him for the last 40 years is guilt and shame over the power neutraliser gun, but Thorne has given him something new to atone for. Character development. For Forge. Never thought I’d see the day.

The warrior speech is perfection. A respectful cultural reference acting as metaphor for Forge’s evolution as a character. I don't know if a Native reader would find it overdone, but to me it felt like an impactful nod to his heritage that wasn't cartoonish, for once.

I hope the mention of him abandoning his family and tribe means we’re going to get more backstory. I so want that for him.

So, Forge’s simulations. I don’t like them. They’re too easily misconstrued, and they make my boy look like a bit of a pervert. So I was a bit apprehensive going into this issue – especially since it was meant to feature both Storm and Mystique. In the end, does Forge emerge looking like a creep? No. Does he emerge looking like he needs to have his head examined? Definitely. Which is completely fair.

I've seen people complain that the characterisation of Storm and Mystique was simplistic. Guys, that’s not Storm and Mystique. That’s Storm and Mystique as seen by Forge. Big difference. Can you imagine Ororo lovingly stroking his hair after finding out he sacrificed Nori? LOL. Me neither.

The Aerie lives! But it looks like…a corner loft in Brooklyn? I have to take back some of what I said about the art in my previous post on this issue: I did cringe in places. But I also know very little about art, so it’s down to personal preference.

What kind of Benjamin Percy nonsense is that in Forge's fridge? Can we please let his protein shake/gym bunny phase die with Krakoa? It didn’t make sense then and it still doesn’t now. This is the man who got Ororo in bed through the power of his cooking, why would he survive on supplements?

We have a villain, people! Her name is La Diabla, and she is a mood all to herself. She gives off classic villain vibes, she cackles like a witch, she eats pop-corn while you're getting zapped by your ex, she singsongs the word "punishment" and she wears an all-purple outfit. Also: her name is Corazón Estrada. CORAZÓN ESTRADA. That's the most over-the-top Spanish name I've heard after the names of my own ancestors. (Or maybe Spanish names just sound dramatic. Either way, I love it.)

More things to like about La Diabla. 1/ The alchemy thing. It's magic, but reimagined, since it dabbles in science. It feels new to me in the context of Marvel, so I'm curious. Tailor-made for Forge, too. 2/ By being the official villain, she exonerates Forge. By comparison, anyway. There’s no way this man is completely clean.

You know who else is a fucking legend? You guessed it, it’s Sage. Look at her, just look at her please, crashing Forge's little holo-show with a Matrix-style entrance, reading him for filth and solving the ongoing mystery in under 4 pages. Oh, and she destroys the very concept of Mystique while she’s at it. THE FIRE. THE SLAY.

“faux-roro”, “let’s not play dueling mutations”, “placebo-Surge”, “lazy mercenary tier” – the zingers in this issue! I love it when you can tell a writer is having fun with a character.

Ok, I’m going to say it. As soon as I realised, quite early on, that Forge would be hanging out with holograms of his exes in this issue, my shippy heart started praying: let Sage shut that shit down. And that’s exactly what she did. Could be, you know, symbolic - her being the one who helps him snap out of it. Just saying.

Yes, I’m still shipping my two nerds. Their dynamic has me entranced. I love how they play off each other – intellectually at odds but riding the same brainwave when it matters. I love the open way they always talk to each other. I even love their conflict, it’s what makes things interesting.

Sage isn’t narrating in this issue, but her line "I'm thinking. Of course I am, I'm always thinking" still makes an appearance in dialogue– and it’s Forge who says it. Is he quoting her? How can he know this line? It’s also possible that it’s Sage who’s been quoting Forge all along, since we don’t know how far in the future Sage’s narrative voice is. Or it’s simply a gimmick. In any case, it’s cute.

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Family 💙

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Preview of X-Force #6

Written by Geoffrey Thorne, art by Jim Towe.

Out 4 December 2024.

Betsy and Rachel stuck around after Sage quit?! I'm very surprised. I'm sure we'll get an explanation, seeing as Rachel specifically said Sage was the reason she'd said yes to joining the team in the first place.

Look at my fucked up boy, getting advice from holograms of his exes and displaying his dead teammate's gauntlets. His therapist should give him a discount at this stage.

Round of applause for the return of Forge's conscience! Wooooo!

I feel Tessa's absence here, as much as Nori's. It might just be me though. (And Forge, clearly.)

Forge and women. There's a long post waiting to happen.

The word "pegleg" needs to die a painful death. I don't care if it's in character for someone to use it, I don't care if it's coming from a hologram programmed by someone with limb loss, I really don't care, it should not appear in a comic book in the year of our Goddess 2024. And it's not just a Geoff Thorne thing, it's everybody who's ever written Forge. Don't fucking do it. It's so obviously ableist, come on.

I'm surprised at how much I enjoy the art. I was getting ready to cringe, but no, this is great. I mean, I miss Marcus To's babygirl Forge, but he's coming back, so it's all good.

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Sometimes Forge is all of us. (Whenever he admires Ororo.)

"Lord, she's beautiful..."

Just like Forge I spend lots of time thinking about how amazing Ororo is

From Uncanny X-Men #186 (1984) by Chris Claremont & Barry Windsor-Smith

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Sometimes Reddit tells the truth

And it wasn't even me who posted this.

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sorry, it's 8!

No seriously, the new X-Force is a very feminist comic. Sure the leader's male, but his team is just women, and they're so much more powerful than him, and he treats them like equals. There's not an inch of toxic masculi...

...

Oh, Marvel.

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X-Force hypotheses

The new X-Force has layers. Sure, it's a superhero comic, but it presents you with too many mysteries to be just that. There has to be a reason why Forge is being so secretive, why we know so little about the fractures and the Analog, why Tank's identity is kept under wraps, and so forth.

This extra layer makes for a more gratifying reading experience, if you ask me. I love a mystery. I love trying to decode. I love reveals that make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the story.

So I've been observing and collating. Kinda like Sage, except I can't do basic maths.

I started hypothesising in a previous post, where I'm 80% sure I uncovered something huge, but I'm not done. There are still things swirling in my brain. I'm sharing them below, even if Geoff Thorne and team can prove me wrong any day.

The hypotheses are all about Forge (and Sage). Because I'm me.

1. Forge isn't a villain.

I'm putting this one at the top, because what I say below might lead you to believe I have zero faith in him. It's the opposite.

What I do know of Forge, from spending the last 30 years staring at him: he compensates for self-loathing with hubris, tends to disregard consequences, and ends up frantically running around trying to fix his mistakes. That's he's lied about.

He's not a villain. He's an idiot.

Also, if he was turning evil, then there'd be no mystery at all, and it'd all be incredibly boring. And I don't get the feeling Thorne is a boring writer.

2. The process Forge used to upgrade his power involved sacred geometry.

Explicitly, sacred geometry is introduced in issue 4 with Nuklo and the Temple of the Dragon's Breath.

But it's been in the book all along. The "egg of life", which represents rebirth or renewal, is part of the machine Forge builds to upgrade his power in issue 1:

Then there's the triangle with the wider right side. As far as I can tell it's not officially sacred geometry, but it's still a geometric shape associated with Forge's increased power. We see it again when Forge suddenly levitates during intense power use in issue 5.

We can also talk about the circles around his eyes, a new manifestation of his power that results from the upgrade. At first I thought his eyes were just glowing and emitting light, but Marcus To consistently draws it as circles and semi-circles. If you look at the above image again you might even notice an extra circle on the right of the triangle.

The power upgrade itself features a lot of circles:

And then there's this, whatever it is (it's implied that Forge drew it):

Forge as a character has always been at the intersection of magic and science, so him using sacred geometry isn't that far-fetched.

3. Forge caused the fractures by upgrading his power.

This would explain while sacred geometry appears both around him and fracture phenomena. This would also explain why he won't take off his psi-blocking headband, lest the girls find out and kick his ass. And mostly, why he's so hell-bent on closing all the fractures, at any cost.

4. Sage will decode Forge's powers/read the Analog.

This theory was greatly influenced by Geoff Thorne's various interviews, where he went into detail about Forge and Sage's respective power sets, and how they were similar, different, and complementary (oh the nerdgasm I had listening to these).

Thorne repeatedly pits their brains against each other. Look at this:

And yet, when they're both staring into the Analog, Forge's creation, well...bow chicka wow wow:

You don't show these things unless you plan on having them work together in some way. I suspect Sage will get her hands (brain, really) onto Forge's, or at least on the Analog, sooner rather than later.

5. Forge already knows he needs Sage's power to unlock his brain processes/read the Analog.

Granted, his mission is nebulous enough that he needs her brain on the team anyway, but it feels like more than that. He recruits her first, remember?

Nice thing to say (and probably true in most life situations), but also a bit intense - unless you have a plan.

We also have two instances of him worrying about Sage's safety on the field. He urgently shoves a gun in her hand in issue 1, as if she can't take care of herself; and then there's that bit in issue 2 when they're all in free fall:

Tank and Surge are just as likely to go splat on the ground below, but ok...

6. Forge and Sage already have put their brains together.

I don't know man, there's something going on with these two. This panel in issue 5 is on my mind:

(Yes I've cropped out dead Nori, because my heart still aches.)

The ellipsis. It implies that Forge did, in fact, knew what was going to happen, but how could he? That's not how his power works, he's been saying this since issue 1.

Meanwhile, Sage be like:

Sage, in her own words, can "think of everything". So it's plausible that if Forge knew what would happen to Nori, he got that info from Sage somehow.

(The way Nori ended up on the team is weird anyway. Why didn't the Analog tell Forge she was needed from the start? Maybe it didn't. Maybe Sage had more of a say into the make-up of the team than we know about.)

If Sage did indeed predict this outcome, it's clear she doesn't know she did. I'm not saying she's forgotten: if you know your Sage lore, you know she's physically unable to forget anything. I'm saying she doesn't know.

A propos of nothing, have you noticed that she's been dissociating? There might be something to that. Twice now she's spoken in third person in her narration:

While it's plausible that she mentions herself in third person in her own data, the "Miss Tessa" bit remains weird. She hasn't been "Miss Tessa" in a long time. Also I don't get the feeling her Hellfire Club years are something she looks back on fondly - why would she use an outdated name associated to a time she'd rather forget?

(This is when I once again mention my recent post on X-Force, which has everything to do with the Hellfire Club. I don't know how it all connects, but I'm pretty sure the Club has a part to play in this book.)

For the record: if Sage indeed told Forge what would happen, it's not because he coerced her into it. You try coercing the girl with the tachyon brain. No, if she supplied this information, it's because she wanted to. If she doesn't know she did it, it's because she's found a way to keep that piece of data out of her brain.

Which isn't to say she's a villain either. Sacrificing Surge to save the world is a very pragmatic decision. And Sage is nothing if not a pragmatist. (And you know she wouldn't have done this without a plan to bring her back, because "she was just a child." Take heart, Nori fans.)

Does anyone have hypotheses about X-Force they'd like to share?

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No seriously, the new X-Force is a very feminist comic. Sure the leader's male, but his team is just women, and they're so much more powerful than him, and he treats them like equals. There's not an inch of toxic masculi...

...

Oh, Marvel.

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This art is the stuff if dreams. Look at her! 🥰

(Ignore the radiation poisoning, just look at the pretty.)

Storm #2 - "Death by Voodoo" (2024)

written by Murewa Ayodele art by Lucas Werneck & Alex Guimaraes

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How gorgeous is this 😍

Storm #2 - "Death by Voodoo" (2024)

written by Murewa Ayodele art by Lucas Werneck & Alex Guimaraes