Rogue and Gambit #5 Finale Synopsis and Review (Spoilers)

[donpricetag]

Repost;

Still kinda vibin that my email got printed (-gasp- I'm cannon...), while I enjoyed this more than anything else out there, can't say this was my favorite issue out of the series, but that doesn't take away from it due to how stellar issues 2 through 4 were. She set her bar pretty dang high. As a Gambit fan, it could have had more him in it, but his power set and skills probably would not have been great as they needed to correct the problem, not blow it up or grind it to pieces. Of course it could have been plotted out differently, but so could have everything thing since 1963. I can use a single instance to sum up my feeling about this issue. I don't make my disdain for the cats a secret, but I loved the ending. The banter was so indicative of how the whole run was tackled and executed. You can have your opinions about it, but no sane person would argue that it was expertly and skillfully written in a way we haven't been privied to in a long while.

[PrezValentine]

Read it all in one sitting today. First issue felt like a fanfic script (seriously, "Rogue and Gambit are the only ones that can go to this evil couple therapy" is fanfic tier) but it kept improving until the very last issue. This is a book that I'd actually recommend people to spend money on and I absolutely despise Gambit as a character. Hope he and Rogue are well written from now on and find some happiness.

[anyajenkins]

I dunno, I kinda appreciate when villians have a different plan than the 'usual.' But you are correct that it got better as it progressed and it will read great in trade form. So really great to recommend to 'comic fans' who are non-collectors.

[remydat]

Will comment on the series as a whole with some of this borrowing from my comments in the Gambit thread. All in and all, this was a well written story. I thought the 1st and last issue were the weakest but issues 2-4 were some of the best Romy interaction in decades. So a lot of my issues are less about the storytelling but rather the premise as a whole. With that said, here goes.

10 different writers will come up with 10 different versions of a story so some of us just have a different vision for Gambit. I for one remember the Gambit who specifically told Rogue he was her harbor and essentially was going to leave her alone until she came to realize that and then did so for years. So while I understand KT's choice to pick up on Soule's run, I would argue Soule's AXM ran counter to the last 3-4 years of Gambit stories. So for me the story started out with a flawed premise that I just fundamentally disagree with it even if that premise was well written.

The other issue when you look at the story as a whole is that it is Rogue's story. What are the chances you get assigned a random mission by Kitty where you are forced to pretend to be a couple and the villain just so happens to absorb memories in such a way that it allows Rogue to resolve all her issues with Gambit in the past? You could have replaced Gambit with Mags, Deadpool, or Johnny Storm and the story still works because Gambit is just the object of Rogue's potential affection and that object could have been anyone she has had a relationship with and the process by which she makes a decision via reliving memories would be the same because the decision is hers and hers alone. In fact, the story would have been better with someone else other than Gambit because at least with Mags, Deadpool, or Johnny, they may have their own reservations and thus their own decisions they would have to make. However, because it is Gambit and he is already decided, there is nothing for him to do in the story aside from wait for Rogue's verdict.

How did this story progress Gambit as a character? And if it didn't then why should I as a Gambit fan care? The only benefit to this story for Gambit is Rogue. Even if Romy doesn't work out, Rogue learned a lot about herself and came to terms with issues she has that can be applied to any relationship she has going forward (control, trust, running away). That is actual growth. By contrast, all that happened to Gambit is Rogue finally decided Gambit was good enough for her and only because of a villain specially created for her to arrive at that conclusion. It is not even that Gambit did something to convince her. Lavish basically did all the convincing for Rogue.

I thought the story would have been better if as Rogue were dealing with her issues, Gambit dealt with his. Gambit spoke earlier in the series about feeling like he was the only one pushing but then we never got any follow up where he reconsidered the relationship and went through his own concerns before deciding he wanted to continue. Instead aside from that one line, it is just taken for granted he wants to be with Rogue. Is that desire completely healthy given how insistent he is? Is it just love or are their issues of self worth where he feels like Rogue choosing him validates that he is a good person. There were any number of elements Gambit could have been shown to struggle with as he came to his own decision about the relationship but we got none of that. At this point, I don't know why he brought up feeling like he was the only one pushing when nothing was done about that feeling.

[Laemar]

Definitely buying the tpb

[R0d]

I think this last issue was a very good ending for an amazingly well done mini-series. I hope Kelly Thompson gets an X-men team book soon and a R&G vol 2

[donpricetag]

How would any of you react if you found out your mother gave your Ex gifts years after you broke up? I wonder if he ever had them checked-out for implanted explosives or listening devices? I mean, he is the head of a secret global intelligence/trade organization and she is a world-class assassin and spy.

[AppleJ]

How would any of you react if you found out your mother gave your Ex gifts years after you broke up? I wonder if he ever had them checked-out for implanted explosives or listening devices? I mean, he is the head of a secret global intelligence/trade organization and she is a world-class assassin and spy.

I thought he said to Jubilee that he did . . . In maybe X23? It was funny. And were the cats like a "sorry I helped talk you into joining Apocalypse and become Death and tried to sleep with you and brought in a weird other thief guy to break you up with my adopted daughter" kitten apology basket? Oh Mystique . . . And I am so happy to forget the Milligan era . . .

20180505_105744.jpg

Well sort of, it was in AXM by Liu in 2013, no details I guess . . .

[MarvelMaster616]

Definitely buying the tpb

Same here. It's going to have a special place in my collection.

[Angrel-San]

Yeah, good mini.

Surprised that Gambit forgived that quickly that Rogue fucked with Magneto.

[akiresu_]

Just an incredible series from page one. Absolutely cannot wait for the trade, that''l be an instant buy. Possibly my first of RessureXion.

We need more creators who get the soap opera/romance-y vibes for the X-Men. Christina Strain and Kelly Thompson have each done fantastic runs, but on very small books (one which was going to be 16 issues max, the other a mini). They each deserve a flagship book imo.

[anyajenkins]

She was technically 'brainwashed' at the time, so extenuating circumstance.

I think I'll get the trade too, even though I usually don't if I've read the issues. But good story, so I'll make an exception.

[Disciple of Redd]

This entire series was extremely good.

It goes in my bucket with a very few other things from the last decade+ that I think are truly worth referencing going forward.

Very satisfying book and a full and complete story that I can actually recommend to people. The industry is all about trades and we need more satisfying beginning-middle-end stories like this.

This Pere Perez dude is waaaay legit as well. Need him on another female-led X-title now that he has finished this.

Kelly Thompson? Never read her because I don't care about Hawkeye nor other Avengers auxiliaries, but I think it might be good to have her on another X-Book if she is gonna put in the work to do amazing character stuff like this every time. She really showed why Rogue/Gambit is the best X-couple.

No other duo has potential similar to this in terms of history, mushiness AND fun, instead of just one or two of the three. (No other duo that would actually get editorially approved, anyway. Looking at you Jean/Logan.)

Glad Marvel stopped hate'n and put these two back together. The result is great!

[oasis1313]

I can honestly say that that Kelly and Pere have provided a delicious banquet for this starving Gambit fan. I've loved it, and I'd love to have the chance to thank them both for it. After well over a decade of Gambit Deprivation, I'm thrilled to be seeing more of him. This MS has been fun, smart, and sassy--I can't complain. This is the first in ages I've felt like anyone at Marvel felt anything for Remy aside from utter hatred. Gambit needs LOVE!!!!!!

[anyajenkins]

I wanted to respond to some things earlier but didn't have time for longer posts.

First thing, the point that this story could have been done with any of rogue's ex's. Not really, the mini had a lot t of history and past feelings that she never had with any of them. We had 'new' flashbacks, but they were flashbacks of things that weren't new cannon, they were already there, we just got more details. Like the first meeting on Muir island.

And saying lavish did all the work to, by getting rid of the 'baggage' that was holding them back. Seemingly, that was mostly Rogue fears and insecurities, and seeing how happy they were when she didn't let herself be controlled by her fears. And by the end of the mini in, they both had all their memories and 'baggage' back and they still move forward. That works here because the baggage they're overcoming is basically fear of commitment. Whereas, in other relationships the fears she'd be disregarding is fear of mags attacking her and her friends/family, or fear of Deadpool killing someone else innocent because he's an idiot. ignoring those things and moving forward, is a very different story than this story. And I don't know anything about off panel Johnny or how that would have played out.

And now I'm running out of time again, lol...