The X-Men’s fan-favorite husband and wife team — sorry Scott and Jean — are back in a limited team-up series for Rogue & Gambit #1, from Marvel Comics. Written by Stephanie Phillips, with art by Carlos Gómez, colors by David Curiel and Federico Blee, and letters by Ariana Maher, Rogue & Gambit #1 marks the third dedicated comic to the couple after 2018’s twelve-part Mr. and Mrs. X. After their romantic vacation is cut short, Rogue and Gambit must contend with a shadowy new danger, that threatens to expose secrets at the core of the mutant nation of Krakoa.
Rogue & Gambit #1 opens with Gambit, drunk in New Orleans, getting on the wrong side of the enforcers of the Thieves Guild. Rogue comes to his rescue before the beating gets too severe, before the comic flashes back to three days prior, with Lady Deathstrike being kidnaped out of federal custody. Cutting back to the present in New Orleans, Rogue and Gambit are arguing back and forth when Destiny interrupts with a mysterious and apparently vital request for the couple. The only information Destiny, one of Rogue’s adopted mothers and a precognitive, will give is that they will require the assistance of the mutant Manifold. Manifold unequivocally rejects the pair, but they agree to assist him on his own mission, which quickly goes awry.
Phillips finds a great balance in Rogue & Gambit #1. Immediately capturing the perfect tone for Rogue and Gambit’s on-and-off-and-on-again love affair, pitched somewhere in between fondness, familiarity and exasperation. Their dynamic provides a lot of the warmth and humor of the comic, peaking when Rogue’s disapproving mother is thrown into the mix. The overall structure of Rogue & Gambit #1 is well written, giving each element of the comic its own exposition and room to breathe, and sets up a really intriguing overarching narrative which gets an extra punch from the dramatic final pages. Philips also does really well to capture the charm of Rogue and Gambit’s respective accents, writing phonetically to drive home their individual trademark lilts and drawls.
Gómez, fresh off his run as artist for X-Terminators, brings his characteristic neat and well-polished illustration to Rogue & Gambit #1, infusing the comic with his vibrant and charming style. The character design is wonderful, bringing together all the most quintessential versions of these characters to create designs that feel immediately iconic. This is paired with Gómez’s incredible knack for imbuing his characters with emotional expressiveness, both within their animated body language and delightfully exaggerated facial expressions, creating an undeniable visual charisma with these two beloved characters. The brief action scenes are similarly remarkable, with a smooth dynamism and excellent dramatic plotting.
Curiel and Blee’s collaboration for Rogue & Gambit #1 has yielded some really impressive results, adding stunning depth and dimension to the art. The use of light and shadow is particularly well-executed, adding texture and complexity to the characters but also creating an undeniable sense of atmosphere. The pair also make excellent choices when it comes to deploying vibrant colors, giving each page a striking moment that keeps the comic feeling vivid and exciting. Maher’s letters are strong throughout Rogue & Gambit #1, crisp and clear with fairly good, if unoriginal, sound effects. Maher does great work with carving out speech patterns with her emboldening and italicizing, creating terrific rhythm and cadence in the comic’s lengthy dialogue. This inflection does a lot of heavy lifting with the many comedic beats.
Rogue & Gambit #1 is a promising first outing for the series, that does great work to establish both the narrative going forward and the dynamic between the titular characters. On a purely visual level, Rogue & Gambit #1 has an abundance of charm and enough slick flight sequences to go the distance, perfectly aligning itself between romantic-comedy and action-adventure with an impressive deftness. With such a strong start and demonstrably competent creative team, there should be no question of the potential of this series to ramp up its momentum in future issues, and prove to be a really exciting ride that no X-Fan should miss.
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