Tempest stands near the front of the Guard's first great lineup, with electricity crackling around his raised hands. His yellow-and-blue outfit gives the energy a bright frame,…

Tempest stands near the front of the Guard's first great lineup, with electricity crackling around his raised hands. His yellow-and-blue outfit gives the energy a bright frame, one more warning in a reception committee already full of them. He is also immediately involved in the group's response when Cyclops opens fire. The shot drops Mentor, Oracle reacts and Gladiator orders the counterattack. Tempest is right there as the assembly turns into a battle. That opening is effective because the new cast doesn't wait in a queue to explain itself. Several dangers arrive at once. The X-Men have to work out who can do what while already under attack, and the reader is learning alongside them. Tempest's electrical display makes his basic threat legible without an origin story. The Guard's lineup can be read almost as a series of problems: fire, size, claws, mental power, electricity. Nobody on the other side has the luxury of studying the whole list before choosing a move. Tempest is one of those problems already prepared for action. While the X-Men are still taking in their surroundings, his hands are sparking.