Mr & Mrs X: Gambit and Rogue Appreciation 2019

[AppleJ]

Stupid question but has there been any confirmation that Gambit/Rogue are still married? I’m hoping that with all the chaos and craziness from HoX and so on that it wasn’t somehow casually retconned...I can’t seem to remember from mr and Mrs x but did they ever wear rings during that series ?

Yeah, Tini has confirmed that they are still married and considering they are debating Law #3, I don't think we are in for a change in that status quo real soon thankfully.

I'm really hoping that Tini is just still trying to get a feel for the characters. She seems to genuinely be a big fan of theirs. KT is a long time fan and also did a ton of research and drew from quite a few resources. Whether Tini has had quite that much time and background on them isn't as clear to me as of yet. But I'm going to give her some time to hopefully hit her stride.

[Purplevit]

Excalibur 2 is bad. Tini`s voice for characters is so bad.

[LegoLiz]

I have revived, as if from a Krakoan egg.
I think I'm in the minority in that I enjoyed the first issue of Excalibur a lot. Admittedly, I love the Matter of Britain to the point where I got a Ph.D in medieval lit because of it, so I was always going to be an easy sell on this book. King Arthur x X-Men is my dream collab.
However, I agree with everyone in the thread that Gambit and Rogue were off. It felt like Howard was still getting a handle on all the characters who weren't the Braddocks. Romy had none of the sparkle and sass and sex that characterizes them. Emphasis on the sex, because . . . ugh, is Marvel really going to retcon that control thing again? Why wouldn't she even pack her bracelet if she has babies on the mind? Does she know how babies are made? Does Gambit need to teach a sex ed class just for Rogue?
Hopefully, Howard finds her footing with the other characters as she continues, because I loved the rest of the book, and want to love all of it.
Gambit showing off that superior neck flexibility, tho.

DearMachine! I’m so happy you’re back! I've really missed you. I love reading your insights. And okay the folklore is starting to appeal to me, but I’m aligned that Romy (well I guess moreso Gambit right now) is still VERY off for me.

I'm really hoping that Tini is just still trying to get a feel for the characters. She seems to genuinely be a big fan of theirs. KT is a long time fan and also did a ton of research and drew from quite a few resources. Whether Tini has had quite that much time and background on them isn't as clear to me as of yet. But I'm going to give her some time to hopefully hit her stride.

It's my hope as well that it’s just the beginning. We were just so spoiled with KT, but come on Tini! I'm hanging in there.

Excalibur 2 is bad. Tini`s voice for characters is so bad.

Well, I actually like Betsy’s portrayal. She’s seems pretty on par and I’m starting to enjoy her storyline. But with Gambit and a bit Jubilee, agreed, it’s hurting my heart over here!

At some point it would be nice to see Gambit just man up and stop taking **** from everyone but not holding my breath on that one. Yes it is early but nothing very promising thus far. Quite frankly, would prefer if he were in the coma instead of Rogue as at least then he wouldn't be the punchline.

I totally agree with you there and really felt we got to see Gambit step into his own again in the final storyline of Mr. and Mrs. X. He stood up to everyone, including Rogue and Jean-Luc, and didn’t hold back. I really need to see that Gambit back in Excalibur! And remydat – I laughed off the part where you wanted Gambit in a coma over Rogue and my thinking was at least Remy gets action time and nothing every pleases remydat …but I think you’re right. It’s probably a saving grace that Rogue is in a coma. Her talking more out of character would put me over the edge.

[R0d]

Well that was disappointing. Gambit seems to be reduced to two states, he is either worried about Rogue or he is angry, his charming side is non existent, his witty remarks are absent, it's hard for me to say this but so far he is kind of unlikeable.
I get he is concerned (as he should be) about Rogue's situation but I don't know if I have the will to keep reading this version of Gambit for at least 5 more issues before Rogue is finally out of her coma and everything gets back to normal.

[Purplevit]

Well that was disappointing. Gambit seems to be reduced to two states, he is either worried about Rogue or he is angry, his charming side is non existent, his witty remarks are absent, it's hard for me to say this but so far he is kind of unlikeable.
I get he is concerned (as he should be) about Rogue's situation but I don't know if I have the will to keep reading this version of Gambit for at least 5 more issues before Rogue is finally out of her coma and everything gets back to normal.

Unlikeable and annoying. I am cacelling my subscription. I don`t want to pay even 1 more $ to read a book with my fave character and feel that I don`t like him and he annoys me.

Maybe will return when will get some positive feedback from Romy fans but I doubt that we will get it.

[DearMachine]

Well that was disappointing. Gambit seems to be reduced to two states, he is either worried about Rogue or he is angry, his charming side is non existent, his witty remarks are absent, it's hard for me to say this but so far he is kind of unlikeable.
I get he is concerned (as he should be) about Rogue's situation but I don't know if I have the will to keep reading this version of Gambit for at least 5 more issues before Rogue is finally out of her coma and everything gets back to normal.

I liked the issue a lot, provided that I ignored the Gambit and Jubilee plots. They both have been given exactly one character traits, and it's the same character trait: "worried about loved one." I was over it pretty quickly.

Also, I will never be okay with any story where Rogue just lies there and glows. What a waste of a great character.

But I really loved the rest of it. More comics should have selkies and druids and dream visions of quests. I am excited for the journey into Otherworld.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Haha.

[R0d]

I'm going to give it one more issue with the hope that since the team is now in Otherworld something somehow might change and we get to see some different side from the characters.
If not then like purplevit I'm also out, I also might come back later once Rogue is out of her green coffin.

[belay]

Excalibur 2 is bad. Tini`s voice for characters is so bad.

The characters felt stupid and a choice which a certain characters made really didn't make sense. The writing was also poor and I am disappointed with this issue.

[LegoLiz]

It’s really painful reading Gambit like this. People teasing him of his comatose wife and not stopping when he tells them to stop. This isn’t him. Not strategic. Reactive. Purely emotional. Sure, yes, he’s scared about what’s going on with Rogue. He’s been here before like in Messiah Complex but even then he had a plan. He’s even worried over a brink-of-death/coma wife before with BellaDonna in his first Limited Series – there were lots of mystical elements there, but he drove the plan and wasn’t just swept around with the chaos. Yes, Excalibur is not a solo book, but Gambit is not inadequate. Don’t get me wrong. I love his commitment to Rogue and was even moved by the “I need her” response, but I’ll get very bored quickly with a one-note Remy only focused on dragging Rogue everywhere and dragging everyone down. Feels like he’s reversed back to his “Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies” attitude from wayback when. I also didn’t appreciate that in Gambit’s focus on Rogue, he doesn’t seem to care about Jubilee worrying about Shogo or Betsy worrying about Brian. I’ve always thought Gambit was very compassionate (i.e. he didn’t like that Mystique used an innocent baby to try to heal Rogue and knew that Rogue would feel the same. So even if he is worried about Rogue, I’m not sure it’s his character to not care about the well-being of others).

I did like the art. But was I the only one disappointed it was Jubilee pulling Remy up the mountain (I know, really nit-picky here…but come on...it’s like how Jubilee was able to hold back Remy in the 1992 Animated Series when Bishop named him the Assassin – who believed that was possible then?).

[remydat]

Can everyone please stop referring to that character in Excalibur as Gambit? I know he looks like him and has his powers but he actually bears no resemblance to any version of Gambit I am aware of. At this point I can only surmise that Krakoa's template for Gambit was corrupted so it just created a Gambit body with no actual traits or personality of the real Gambit.

[Nox Noctes]

Another lacklustre issue of Excalibur. *le sigh* I think I'm just going to drop this book. There's no reason for me to keep reading it.

Now I'm just looking forward to the possibility of having Gambit & Rogue Funko Pops next year. If it happens. It better happen.

[AppleJ]

Alright, after a read and a re-read I'm slightly happier with this book. But again, the characters I'm most here for (Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee) didn't feel quite right. I mean, Rogue is a lifeless brick so who can tell? But the dialogue doesn't flow organically and yet also feels kind of generic, like you could swap any character out into the same word bubbles at times. It feels a little like XM Gold except with Betsy giving all the orders and taking all the actions while Jubes and Remy mope, argue, and wait for her directions. The selkies were just generic cannonfodder that served to keep Kate from joining the group, but not much else. There wasn't much appreciable action. I'm not yet pulled in or invested in the druids vs Akkaba storyline. Shogo was by far my favorite part of the story. Eating Betsy's hair because he likes purple?! THAT felt real and was funny and cute. Also, a baby in a dragon's body is the kind of bonkers I can totally get behind. The data pages continue to annoy me though. Rogue as a fridged glowing flower casket beacon is ... meh. Hope it's worth it. I did love the dreamscapes part. Wish Remy had gotten one though. Clearly Apocalypse is manipulating and using them ALL in his plot to take over Otherworld. He knew Rogue would end up as a key of some kind to the Lighthouse.

The art is very much the highlight because it's beautiful - the body lines, the expression, the colors.

I'll keep with it because I do want to know how this goes and hopefully we eventually get back to that conversation that started on the beach. But I should LOVE this book. On paper it has all the right ingredients. Still hoping to see it pick up.

[CityofAngels]

Definitely going to give it a couple more issues, hopefully the writer is just warming up to the characters voices.

I actually hated Gambit in this issue, just came across as unlikable. It's even making me dislike Betsy as she's the only one capable of doing anything.......

I'd be interested to know if the writer chose the characters or they were forced on her, the latter is what's coming across.

On reread the Jubilee/Apocalypse stuff was a highlight.

[RD155]

I liked the issue a lot, provided that I ignored the Gambit and Jubilee plots. They both have been given exactly one character traits, and it's the same character trait: "worried about loved one." I was over it pretty quickly.

Also, I will never be okay with any story where Rogue just lies there and glows. What a waste of a great character.

But I really loved the rest of it. More comics should have selkies and druids and dream visions of quests. I am excited for the journey into Otherworld.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Haha.

Honestly this pretty much sums up my feelings for this book at the moment. I’m loving it and enjoying everything about it except for Gambit/Rogue..... They were and are the main reason I’m collecting the book.... Seriously mixed feelings.

[Romy Ship]

Thanks for sharing Couplest! Beautiful shot. But I’m crazy right? To me, it looks like Gambit (well more Gambit) and Rogue are cuddling a baby. It looks like a very round head in Remy’s arms? Reminds me of the Spiral soul? I’m the only one seeing this right? They would never leak this!

It looks like her shoulder to me... and she doesn't appear to be wearing clothes.
(this has probably already been responded to but I'm now just reading through)