This review contains spoilers for Rogue and Gambit (2023) as well as the Krakoa era of X-Men comics.
Marvel’s preview summary for the first issue of Rogue and Gambit (2023) says that “Krakoa is on a precipice.” This describes the changing politics of the island nation, but it describes this issue as well.
Rogue and Gambit have had a tumultuous relationship over their time on panel together since 1991. The Southern bell and the card-slinging Cajun have been married in the 616 universe since 2018. Even with their on-again, off-again relationship locked down, that doesn’t make the shore less rocky.
When the Krakoan era began in 2019, Rogue and Gambit were on Excalibur together. With the Hellfire Gala building a more democratic X-Men team in 2021, Rogue was shipped off to be on it. Her loyalty to the team, which mostly consisted of piloting, left Gambit alone on the Excalibur team and then on 2022’s Knights of X.
This current title will be their first time on a team together since leaving Excalibur. With Gambit almost dying during Knights of X, Stephanie Phillips has started this run of Rogue and Gambit (2023) with unease.
We open to a drunk gambit about to enter a fight in a back alley. The very first panel, which pictures the Queen of Hearts playing card, is more of a motif at this point than a callback. This card has been used as a symbolic gesture between them on multiple instances, most notably in Antarctica in 1997. The card is shown in this scene as Gambit talks about playing a game of cards. Once we find out that Rogue has stood him up, though, it seems more like a preparation given up on. He could have been going to give it to her, but it’s left in the puddles to show how upset he is.
When taking on his assailants, a group of thieves of his own New Orleans guild, you’d think he could handle them as their king. Instead, he is battered and bruised for a couple of panels until Rogue comes to his rescue.
This is when the conflict really begins as well, when we find out she is late. It shows Rogue once again putting her X-Men duties before her relationship, leaving him and his self-sacrificial ways to almost throw up on her. The opening plot of the thieves guild attacking wasn’t actually as important as many fans wished. The thieves guild has always been an interesting part of Gambit’s backstory, especially when he became their king in his 2012 solo run. The current group of X-Men staff writers don’t use this available plot as much as they could, though. He has instead spent more time in the British Otherworld.
The next scene we see Ms. Deathstrike in a prison transport. This is mostly a plot setup, where she is either rescued or kidnapped from the vehicle.
The first data page, of two in the issue, is a text chat between Rogue and Gambit. It explains why Rogue was late. Not having the plot be linear, with interweaving sections of the story, adds an extra momentum to the work. We find out that Rogue had not shown up to a date they agreed on and Gambit is forced to give up the table at their reservation. He wasn’t picking fights in an alley for no reason, or was getting drunk because he had nothing better to do. The texts are also laced with emojis and a few censored curse words at the waiter’s expense.
In the next scene, Rogue complains that they were supposed to meet at the restaurant and this was supposed to be their vacation. She says, “But I guess old habits and all that.” With the arrival of Destiny, Rogue’s adoptive mother, it makes it seem that Rogue is speaking about Gambit. This makes more sense in context, though, that she is talking about herself. In a way, it could be about both of them. They are trying to grow together, but something is always trying to keep them at bay in their old ways.
The arrival of Destiny comes with a jab at Gambit. Ever since she was resurrected in 2021’s Inferno run, all she has done around Gambit is complain about his existence. Since she actually cares for Rogue, I wish she wasn’t a carbon copy of Mystique in her disdain. It could make sense, though, as Mystique has been the person closest to her since she has been resurrected.
Destiny’s true purpose in the scene is to ask them to bring teleporter Manifold to her. She gives very little information, asking Rogue to go off of trust alone. This finite intel is something Rogue makes a point to agree with Gambit on. In the end, Rogue puts her little bit of trust in her mother.
When we jump to them speaking with Manifold, he doesn’t trust the call just as Destiny had predicted. Instead of trying to convince him to come with them, Rogue offers instead for them to join Manifold’s work. One of the interesting parts of this conversation is Rogue agreeing with him in his wariness of taking orders from Krakoa. This is also not the first time that Rogue has been defiant of Krakoa (see Excalibur (2019)).
Manifold’s work is how we cycle back to Ms. Deathstrike. He has been paying attention to her disappearance, as well as other villains from across the Marvel universe. He had connected thedisappearances to Reuben Brousseau and tracked his plane as well. The issue ends in a confrontation with Manifold teleporting Rogue and Gambit away, ultimately sacrificing himself.
This mini is similar to Mr. and Mrs. X, Rogue’s and Gambit’s last solo run, in that it has an impact and connects to the 616 universe as a whole. Another added layer is that here they are facing the same villian from Excalibur (2019), Coven Akkaba. Many of the scenes in Excalibur involving Akkaba, which Reuben Brousseau is a member of, were very confusing to me. I hope this run paints a more interesting light for them, or at least doesn’t make me zone out during their scenes.
This entire issue is filled with plot setups, and behind is miscommunication in Rogue’s and Gambit’s relationship that builds throughout the issue. Whatever this means for Krakoa as a whole, I hope it strengthens Rogue’s relationship with Destiny, and maybe make her stop complaining about Gambit in every scene. Picking on the obvious as a fan of the couple, I hope that we get more focus on them and improvement in their relationship throughout the mini. It would be very disappointing to have 90% outside plot in a book supposed to be about them. Their 2018 mini had them start on awful terms, though, so I have hope that this will turn around as well.
To find Marvel comics near Martin, check out these stores:
-A&J Comics, Cards, and Collectibles, located in Union City, TN
-Crash Comics, located in Paducah, KY
-Comics Universe, located in Jackson, TN
You can also read Rogue and Gambit (2023) via the Marvel Comics app. Read back issues of Marvel comics via the Marvel Comics app or the Marvel Unlimited app.
Photo Credit/Marvel
