This recap and review is going to be shorter than usual. Today's a mess at work.
Obviously, there are spoilers ahead....
To get the most important thing out the way, there are many cat cameos, but the cats could be drawn cuter.
Gambit and Rogue are back on earth in their apartment. They are getting ready for their engagement party, when the doorbell rings. Bobby is apparently that guy who arrives early at your party, and Rogue takes full advantage of his presence and puts him to work. He pretends that he doesn't know Gambit has exquisite taste in apartments.
While Bobby is cutting the cheese and feeling oppressed by not making jokes about his task, the doorbell rings again. This time, it is Jean-Luc, who is rocking a pirate look that puts his manpatch on full display. Dr Ian Malcolm would be proud.
Rogue is considerably more charming to Jean-Luc, but it turns out that he has come to warn Gambit about an impending attack. Which crashes through the skylight in the form of a thief with a bo-staff. Rogue tells them to take it outside, and Gambit obliges by taking the other thief's staff, planting a card on him, and sending him through the skylight. As Gambit follows him, he discovers that more thieves are waiting, and a fight ensues. Remy is holding his own against them, when Rogue comes and gets a chain around her neck for her troubles. Gambit uses a card to break her free. It is the queen of hearts, because Gambit apparently buys all trick decks for the symbolism. Rogue throws down the one thief who had her captive, and punches out another other coming at her.
At that point, Rogue gets annoyed, because their guests are arriving and the quiches are burning. She takes off her collar, and knocks them all unconscious. Gambit wisely jumps off the roof. While I get why Thompson made this choice from a narrative perspective (it ends the fight scene fast), I don't love it for two reasons. I would have liked to see Gambit have more agency in resolving the situation, and I also don't see Rogue using her uncontrollable, not-yet-fully understood powers so cavalierly.
Meanwhile, Laura has arrived in time to see Gambit dive down outside the window, and get a drink from Bobby.
After the thieves have been dispatched, the X-Men are mingling. It's a cute and fun scene, and I would have been fine with it going a few more pages.
Later, Rogue has gone out for some fresh air, and Gambit steps into the bedroom. He finds a wife there, but it isn't his current one. It's Belladonna, who has a gorgeous dress and unfortunate anatomy. Seriously, if I weren't in the office, I would try and see if my leg could do that, but I don't think it could.
She is upset that she wasn't invited to the wedding, because she apparently doesn't understand how the ex-wife thing works. Gambit tries to explain that it was impromptu, and they didn't even really invite Rogue's family, other than Kurt. She tells Gambit that he always makes excuses for Rogue, and trails after her like a puppy. She also informs him that the thieves are not pleased with the marriage, and are going to be coming for his crown.
And then we have the cursed scene. Rogue is floating in the sky. She has apparently called Magneto (?), because she wants to apologize to him (?) about not telling him about her wedding. They have a heart-to-heart, and she confides in him (?) about her feelings about the suppression collar and her experiences on Genosha. She says that she's scared to talk with it about Gambit, because she doesn't want to drive him away. It's a scene that happens in this book. It made me roll my eyes a lot. It's not exactly out of character for Rogue, but does anyone who buys MMX actually want to see Rogue and Magneto interacting? Those are multiple panels that could have been used for party banter, or actual Mr and Mrs X interactions.
Finally, Rogue is back at the apartment, and bumps into Beast. He has come up with a better power inhibitor in the form of a tennis bracelet.
Gambit admires the new bracelet, and proposes that they test it out by pushing it to the limit. Rogue is in favor of science. They both realize they have to talk, but decide to leave it until the next day.
As they wander back in to the apartment, they notice another box on the table, and assume they forgot a gift. When they open it, it transports them to Mojoworld, where they have the glorious 90s uniforms. It is still one of Rogue's best looks, and her hair has never been as good since. They are slung upside down over a pit of crocodiles that may or may not be a metaphor for sexual frustration.
Final thoughts: I liked it, but I didn't love it and want to marry it.
It had some of my favorite moments in the series: I really enjoyed Rogue's interactions with Bobby, and Gambit's conversation with Belladonna. But the Magneto conversation was a choice.
I also enjoyed getting to see Gambit in action against the thieves, but was disappointed when it was truncated by yet another Rogue feat. I've been an apologist for using Rogue in the resolutions, but I think Gambit needs to get more shine.
It had the cats, but they could have been much cuter. The art in general was uneven. Sometimes, it was fun and dynamic. Other times, it was ugly and anatomically improbable.