Originally Posted by
AppleJ
Ok, I've given it 6 issues now and overall this story arc and this book in general has been wholly unsatisfying and anticlimactic to me.
My rehash from what I said on the Rogue/Gambit thread:
I'm seriously at a loss with this book. You couldn't have tried much harder to alienate Gambit fans. There is absolutely no Blue Team synergy. Rogue and Gambit feel unbalanced and out of character half the time. I didn't find it fun or funny overall save a cute moment here or a neat idea there (firepupRachel, dragon Shogo) and a few sexy panels. It's not hitting me emotionally even when it tries, the plot has seemed almost pointless and yet the characters still seem to serve the plot moreso than the story serving them. It felt like sitting in a room watching other people playing DnD where the characters are just a basic outline, no one can act, and not much actually gets accomplished. There were no amazing fight scenes. At the end of this they still don't feel like any kind of cohesive team. The art has been gorgeous throughout but it's not enough to save the book for me. I still don't know what mutant magic is.
For starters, everyone is calling out their battle plans - big pet peeve. But it doesn't even matter because before the battle even really gets going A shows up, already resurrected. Well gee, that was fast. 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. They just let A step in and make an agreement with Morgan for a duel between Bets and Brian to the death, winner take the crown. And suddenly Rogue's all "A was right, the flower casket was a good thing for me, go ahead with the duel Bets". Ok????? Wtf? Granted Rogue is still in her A face here, so whatever. The duel goes sideways anyway because Bets won't kill Brian & he dies/gets resurrected anyway as Jaime shows up 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)
The rest of the Bets & Brian drama didn't really do much for me so I won't even go into it, but moving on ...
Skipping right to the steamy hot tub scene. It is visually beautiful. Sexy, sweet, just the great character moment this book needs and finally a chance for our married couple to seriously reconnect after everything … 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 not only is she 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 Mystique had to stop her? The same Rogue who once asked Gambit about wanting a family as the world was ending?! The same Rogue who said she wanted "it all" and "maybe" 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 after the dream 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 at all, period. Again, a totally valid choice that deserves representation in comics. But I don't think it tracks with her previous continuity. And choosing kids is an equally valid choice that also deserves representation. Gambit for his part is nothing but supportive and good as gold - your body, your decision. 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 all that. But Tini's not writing Rogue as a very good partner as 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. Guess we'll see.
But basically all the anticipation and foreshadowing thus far has amounted to absolutely nothing. Huge letdown.
There does seem to be some possible hint/implication that Rogue's dream could be prophetic in some way, especially with all that other foreshadowing to contend with. Basically this was all done either to yank our collective chains or because it may still happen. Rogue and Gambit get busy following this conversation now that her magical encounter has cured her power control issue … again. Interesting, right? But now if she does get pregnant, even on accident due to some kind of magical intervention, it suddenly feels like a tragedy in the making instead of something miraculous or joyful because she doesn't even want it. And that kind of sucks.
The hot tub scene could have (and should have) been wonderful otherwise. It was at least very sexy and emotional.
Jubilee and Rictor seemed like wallpaper in this issue, and really Jubes was basically wallpaper for the whole story. What was her character arc, exactly? Rictor at least got a few good issues with a decent arc.
I'm so frustrated. I'm probably just going to drop it for a while.