Sins of Sinister #1 laid out the premise for the eponymous spring X-Men event to which it provided the first chapter, but it’s the second installment, Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants #1 that sets expectations for how this eleven-part event spanning five distinct titles will function. The first issue set ten years after the timeline juncture introduced in Sins of Sinister simultaneously provides a distinct perspective on the event through the survivors of Arrako’s destruction gathered under Storm’s leadership and builds out the broader story and connecting characters who will compose “Sins of Sinister’s” one-thousand year battle for dominion. This is, in fact, the second chapter of a miniseries in much the same way that Powers of X #1 was the second chapter of its own. Once readers understand that positioning, this is an easy issue to enjoy as it frames a very promising saga ahead – one that might even rival the prior comparison.
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Beyond some framing at the start to contextualize the status quo within Sins of Sinister #1’s framework and a juicy cliffhanger at the end, Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants #1 centers around a heist. It provides a juicy target via Mystique and Destiny, introduces Storm’s crew in The Brotherhood, and sets the plan into action. That familiar structure manages to both make the issue read as fulfilling on its own and provides a shorthand that leaves plenty of room for details about the ongoing crossover event.
The plot plays out in an accelerated version of writer Al Ewing’s approach to X-Men: Red with an abundance of reversals and intrigue, but with no issues spared between the set up and punchline. Given the terrifying length of history ahead, it also allows for much more cynical outcomes when compared to the heroic heights of Magneto’s death in Red.
Artist Paco Medina merits a great deal of credit for how quickly this single (roughly) standard-sized issue is able to handle so much material. From Asteroid S to the heist itself, Medina constructs a lived-in world that offers a clear tone and outlook for The Brotherhood and event story ahead. It’s a grim life still filled with wonders, and Medina never loses the thread on this being a superhero adventure no matter how grim the proceedings become. With apocalyptic outcomes and stakes already on the table, it remains easy to enjoy Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants.
Medina also fits his style neatly into a continuum that most of the Krakoa X-events have developed, with colorist Jay David Ramos helping to match the aesthetic approach with the likes of Inferno, Powers of X, and House of X. In this way, too, “Sins of Sinister” is made to feel like a significant offing in X-Men lore and essential to a broader story using many of the key characters from the final sequences of this issue.
The second chapter in “Sins of Sinister” readies readers for an event that’s bound to reshape the X-Men in terrific and terrifying fashion. In a single issue it sets a high bar for what each individual chapter might achieve, and establishes the continuation of excellent work from creators already making this era of X-Men memorable. There’s a lot to anticipate in the coming months.
Published by Marvel Comics
On February 8, 2023
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Paco Medina
Colors by Jay David Ramos
Letters by Ariana Maher
Cover by Leinil Francis Yu
