Extraordinary X-Men #18 Review – Storm and Forge, Sittin’ in a Tree…
Yeah, I done messed up when reading last week’s X-Men comics. I read Inhumans vs. X-Men first, which left me rather confused as to how Forge suddenly appeared with Wolverine and a badass terrign cloud-killing vehicle. I was supposed to read Extraordinary X-Men #18 first, silly me. That’s the issue where Forge builds the damn thing and then sets out with Wolverine to kill some terrigen. Suddenly the world makes a whole lot more sense.
But I wasn’t expecting a bit of a love triangle to happen, either. The last couple of Extraordinary X-Men has hinted that Logan has feelings for Storm. Of all the irony, it’s Jean who tells him to go for it. However, Logan doesn’t want to. Maybe it’s because he’s old or maybe because he knows there’s no future for them. Regardless, he’s not making a move. I guess he’s going to brood about it instead, because that’s what Logan do.Forge isn’t brooding over Storm, though. He’s speaking his mind, and that’s exactly why Storm goes to him at the end of the issue and tells him a part of her still loves him. She’s not ready to commit to anything yet, because there’s a good chance they’re all going to die. The great thing about Forge, other than his ability to build the impossible, is that he doesn’t ask for more. He accepts her embrace and wishes her luck on her attack on New Attilan.
Even Logan and Forge have a bit of a bonding moment. Storm assigned them to take the terrigen-killing machine together, Forge to drive and Logan to guard. They fly there together, and on the way, they have a bit of a heart to heart. Logan asks Forge if they can get out the tension between them regarding Storm, but that actually wasn’t on Forge’s mind. Instead, he asks Logan what happened to him in Logan’s bleak future.
It’s hard to say if any of what Logan says is true, but I’d like to believe it is. Simply put without spoilers, Forge continued to be a badass inventor in his old age. He fought against the villain tyranny in his own way with rather great success. I’ve always felt that Forge was such an underrated X-Man. I wiped a tear when he left Storm to help Mystique with her mental illness. He didn’t even let Storm give him an answer to his proposal. That was back in the early 90s, and it has stuck with me ever since. I really hope Storm and Forge get somewhat of a happy ending.
Then again, this is the world of comics, soooooo probably not.
Our Rating: Yep
Author: Jeff Lemire
Artists: Eric Koda, Tom Palmer, and Morry Hollowell
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Publish Date: 01/25/2016
Acquired via Purchase
