Today, we look at how Storm got over her debilitating claustrophobia.
In Comic Book Questions Answered, I answer whatever questions you folks might have about comic books (feel free to e-mail questions to me at brianc@cbr.com).
Reader Nathaniel W. wrote in to ask, "Hello. I've only been reading comics after a 20+ year hiatus for just a couple of years now, starting with X-traordinary X-Men. I've missed out on a large portion of X-Men comics. I was surprised to see that Storm was no longer claustrophobic (at least not to the point of debilitation). My questions are, when and how did she manage to control her claustrophobia??? I remember it being as much a part of her character as Spider-Man's webshooters malfunctioning, or Superman being exposed to Kryptonite. For such a powerful character, I always thought it was a unique and interesting way of keeping her stakes high in certain situations, as most superheroes (that I can think of) have physical weakness, as opposed to mental ones."
STORM'S CLAUSTROPHOBIA DEBUTED
The first time that we discovered that Storm suffered from claustrophobia was in X-Men #101 (by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum and Sam Grainger), where the very MENTION of the word "tomb" caused Storm to have a breakdown (that's probably a bit of a stretch as to how claustrophobia affects people, but hey, dramatic license!)...
The interesting thing about the following issue is how much her X-Men teammates freak out at her for her very obvious mental breakdown. What, exactly, do you think will be achieved at you screaming at your obviously distressed teammate, Nightcrawler?
We then learn WHY Storm is freaking out so much as we get the first real glimpse at Storm's origins...
So naturally, being buried alive in the same explosion that killed your parents and having to be stuck there next to your parents' dead bodies is certainly the sort of thing that would be traumatic to ANYONE...
The amusing thing about this original sequence is that when Storm does snap herself out of her breakdown to help her teammates, her very first attack is deflected on her and she is knocked out, so I don't think she would have been as much of a help to you as you though, Nightcrawler!
Fascinatingly, a later Claremont retcon in Classic X-Men #2 (in a backup story by Claremont and John Bolton) revealed that Storm's claustrophobia WAS known to one member of the team. While out shopping with Jean Grey, Jean's purse was stolen and she went to chase the thief into the subway, but Storm was too terrified to go into the subway...
Jean corralled the crook, but then a subway train filled with people exited and Jean, who had her guard down, was bombarded by so many telepathic "voices" that she lost the thief and her purse. She exited the subway and berated Storm for not having her back, at which point Jean couldn't help but see the painful memory that drove Storm's claustrophobia, which Storm did not take kindly to...
In the end, Jean gets Storm to stop freaking out and Storm apologized to her friend...
I think the implication HAS to be that Storm went to Professor Xavier at this point and began to work on her claustrophobia, right?
However, in the short term, Nathaniel is absolutely correct, Storm's claustrophobia became her Kryptonite, a constant thing to bring up to sort of take her out of a fight (as she WAS very often the most powerful member of the X-Men, after all), like in X-Men #116 (by Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin), where Storm's claustrophobia prevents her from being able to save Garokk...
STORM CONQUERED HER CLAUSTROPHOBIA
However, it is very important to note that all the way back in Uncanny X-Men #169 (by Claremont, Paul Smith and Bob Wiacek), Storm explained to the others that she had worked on her claustrophobia to the point where it was no longer debilitating, even when entering the closed spaces of the subway. Although, again, it obviously had SOME effect on her...
It is notable that Storm constantly loved to embrace the open air over the years (when she regained her powers after losing them for a while, she greatly enjoyed flying through the sky).
The last word on this, I think, occurred in a storyline by Ed Brubaker, Salvador Larroca and Jason Kieth in 2007's Uncanny X-Men #490. You see, Storm was investigating something involving her former charges, the Morlocks (Christopher Yost had a great joke in a Storm comic book once where she notes that for someone who loves the open skies so much, she sure does end up in New York subways and sewers a lot, huh?). She is then buried alive...
The issue ends with Professor X getting a telepathic blast from Storm freaking out over being buried alive...
That, though, is understandably a whole other thing then just "Claustrophobia," right? That's being buried alive! That would freak ANYone out!
Masque then dug Storm out of the wreckage in the next issue and kept her in a tiny box, hoping to take advantage of Storm's claustrophobia...
But Storm dramatically reveals that those days are way behind her...
So I think the answer, Nathaniel, is really that Storm worked on it with Xavier back in the early 1980s and it has not been an active problem since that point. Certainly well past the time when, like, looking at a subway entrance would freak her out (or, worse, when the WORD "tomb" would send her into a tailspin). I will admit that it is interesting that there does not appear to be a direct reference to Xavier helping her, but I think we can infer it pretty well by that Uncanny X-Men #169 dialogue.
Thanks for the question, Nathaniel! If anyone else has a comic book question, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!