Quote Originally Posted by AppleJ View Post
spoilers:
Just speaking to the Rogue and Gambit moments only ... this arc was hugely disappointing in a lot of ways. But even the overall story arc was completely unsatisfying and anticlimactic.

Starting where we left off at from the preview, Rogue is being dismissive of Remy's concern (unfounded or not) and he is fussing uncharacteristically over her. Annoying. Everyone is calling out their battle plans. Also annoying, I hate when characters do this. But it doesn't even matter because before the battle even really gets going A shows up, already resurrected. Super annoying! Because Rogue's "killing" him has no real consequences here, emotional or otherwise, and he's not even taken off the board for a hot minute! All it served was as a way to open the portal. So A steps in and makes an agreement with Morgan for a duel between Bets and Brian to the death, winner take the crown. For some dumb reason Bets goes along with it and suddenly Rogue's all "A was right, the flower casket was a good thing for me, go ahead with the duel Bets". Ok????? Granted Rogue is still in A blue face here, so whatever. The duel goes sideways anyway because Bets won't kill Brian and Jaime shows up anyway to defeat them both and take the crown as he was plotting with A all along. Really what was the point?! Then everyone just f@&%'s off to let A and Jaime take over Otherworld & do whatever they like with Morgan … which turns out to be dissection?! Great job heroes. (facepalm)

There is other Bets & Brian drama that didn't really do much for me, but moving on ...

Skipping right to the steamy scene. It is visually beautiful. Sexy, sweet, just the great character moment this book needs and finally a chance for our couple to seriously reconnect … and it's basically just Rogue telling Gambit she doesn't want a baby. It was good to indirectly confirm here that it's something she can't do without extraordinary means … that tracks. What doesn't quite track is her telling Remy that she's not only not emotionally ready for a child now, but may NEVER be. (Is this the same Rogue who nearly gave up her powers because she wanted that possibility? And once asked Gambit about wanting a family?! Also said she wanted "it all" in MMX?) Granted characters change, but it really doesn't feel like Rogue to me. Maybe more like what the writer wants her to want? I don't even know. I can totally buy her being afraid and not being ready right now and not wanting to feel pressured by this Krakoan "law", but this seems more like she flat out never wants kids period.

So thanks for effectively quashing that one last tiny bit of possibility and excitement for us, Tini. Nothing like a big build up to absolutely nothing.

There also seems to be some hint/implication that Rogue's dream could be prophetic in some way. And we still have all that foreshadowing from before to contend with. Basically this was all done to either to yank our collective chains or because it's still happening no matter what Rogue wants. Rogue and Gambit get busy following this conversation. So now if she does get pregnant, even by accident due to magical intervention, it suddenly feels like a tragedy instead of something miraculous or joyful because she doesn't want it. And that kind of sucks. Again, quashing fan excitement … great plan.

Gambit for his part is nothing but supportive - your body, your decision. Which ... good for him at least. And I think we can probably imply from Rogue's reticence in this scene and her coolness from issue #1 that she was probably afraid to tell him all this. Ok, I can buy that. But Tini's not writing Rogue as a very good partner. She doesn't even ask Remy how he feels about it. Luckily he immediately volunteers right up that it doesn't matter to him, … but is that actually true? Again, it doesn't really track with past discussions they've had. Also Rogue never acknowledges Remy's distress over her coma or thanks him for sending Rachel. When he says he "didn't sleep", she bypasses his comment completely. Who does this to their partner? And that line from before, "I've never needed you less." Wow … just wow … Remy is continually supportive of Rogue the whole arc, to his own detriment even, and all she does to return that support is save him from A. Also no one ever acknowledges he was right.

The hot tub scene could have (and should have) been wonderful, if it had some much needed emotional nuance and balance. It was at least very sexy.

Jubilee and Rictor seemed like wallpaper this issue, and really that was Jubes for the whole arc overall.

I'm seriously at a loss with this book. You couldn't try much harder to alienate Gambit fans. There is absolutely no Blue Team synergy. Rogue and Gambit feel unbalanced and hardly like themselves half the time. It's not very fun overall save a cute moment here or a neat idea there. It's not very emotionally deep even when it ties to be, the plot seemed almost pointless and yet the characters still seem to serve the plot moreso than the story serving them. It felt like watching other people play DnD where you don't know the characters or their motivations beyond a basic outline, no one can act, and not much gets accomplished. There were no amazing fight scenes. At the end of this they still don't feel like any kind of cohesive team.

Maybe I'll have more positive thoughts once I stew on it longer, but I'm basically at peak frustration with this book and an issue #6 that still can't deliver much satisfaction.
end of spoilers
I agree with you in every single word.