Capt. MARVEL #44: Revenge of the BROOD, part 2, *spoilers* REVIEW

[NicoPony]

I do, too. They've always been that way & in that sense, not all that different from the MU's other heroes. It's never been about the what, but the why, some mutants do what they do. Their reasons, their motivations, are just more *finely attuned*... to fighting the good fight.

Speaking of, the more I think about it all, the more Remy's portrayal resonates with me. He was good here, this was a Gambit I'm familiar with & recognized, that I became a fan of all those years ago.



IKR, and... the *draining* of their powers, I keep comin' back to that, it bothers me. I mean, I could be wrong, and am just overthinking it but... somethin' just didn't/doesn't seem right, even before they *supposedly*(?)... got to Ceia II.

if this turns out to be true, I think you deserve a prize.

[JB]

My first thought at the switch from battle to party was a time jump, but then like you, I kinda came to the conclusion that something went wrong when they got to Ceie II & engaged the Brood. But then I thought about this...

the cover to the neXt issue, #45.

I've considered since that the cover is just that, or there being more than 1 Brogue maybe, but... IDK, their dispatching of her did seem a li'l too convenient in some ways, even when I was actually reading it & before I knew of the end.

Of note, in that final splash page that revealed the ruse, Psylocke was the only one who had some sort of mechanical helmet on her head. This suggests to me that she's probably responsible for their [psychic] dreamworld's party simulation. Which in turn, fed my questioning of eXactly how long the illusion's been in play.

That cover is what has me hesitant to update the resurrection tally thread and removing Rogue's name off the "never been resurrected" list. LOL! I'm not ready to make that change. I need solid proof!

[PolarIceFire]

if this turns out to be true, I think you deserve a prize. 8D

Ha, a...

That cover is what has me hesitant to update the resurrection tally thread and removing Rogue's name off the "never been resurrected" list. LOL! I'm not ready to make that change. I need solid proof!

Yeah, I'm leanin' more towards...

and thinking KT might be playin'.

[Agent Grayson]

Great issue. I love this team and wish they could stick around beyond this arc. The X-Men were showcased well (especially Polaris and Laura; Kwannon felt a little vanilla but that's a minor issue and considering I've never read this series before this story, I'm pretty invested in Carol and Jess too. It was great to see the Brood purposely avoiding absorbing Laura's healing factor to protect itself. I really enjoyed the twist that the Brood had captured them and locked them in a false reality too. The transition was just the right level of jarring and intriguing.

My favourite part, though, is how the X-Men are being written as heroes working alongside other heroes. History is subtly acknowledged, there's no manufactured friction or forced moral ambiguity, and everyone's on the same side. It's refreshing.

It's not Thompson's fault, but the only problem I had is that the debate and decision to kill Rogue lacked any weight. When the Resurrection Protocols are in play, that kind of dilemma doesn't really have any impact...Laura even said as much to Gambit. It felt like it should have been a no-brainer to simply get the Brood out of the picture, especially when there are heroes there that don't have resurrection as an option.

[ARkadelphia]

So when does Thompson replace Percy on the X-line?

[PolarIceFire]

I like how in the party Laura and Jennifer are sitting probably talking about good times in Avengers Academy or maybe bad times in Avengers Arena. Also is Kwannon not happy with Greycrow?

I took her forlorn resignation to mean that she wishes her relationship with John was more like what she perceives Gambit and Rogue's to be, something more akin to an all-consuming romance.

[PolarIceFire]

I figured I'd have fun with this, but I enjoyed it even more than I thought.

I really appreciated the difference in THIS Gambit when his wife was under serious duress versus the way he behaved in his last two books. He doesn't moon over Rogue or become incapacitated with grief - the art shows us his grief and suffering in his expression, but Gambit maintains his collected and pragmatic approach fitting of a well seasoned X-Man and experienced thief who is able to make the hard call despite the emotional difficulty.

I LOVED the way Laura supported him and seeing their friendship. God I missed that and it was so subtle and appropriate to them, especially how she just rested her hand on his shoulder.

Really dug the work-around for Laura's powers saving the day. No dice! It was also great seeing each team member getting their moments.

Polaris had a good strong showing and the little reference to her old crush/attraction to Remy was funny.

LOVED Kwannon's quote and how she was able to coordinate the team.

The little Carol-Jess moment was awesome. It's fascinating that Jess hates space when her work wife is the boss of space ... never knew that! And Laura's unintentional eavesdropping was a giggle.

The smash cut was so abrupt, it definitely took me by surprise but in a good way.

I am immediately suspicious of this Rogue ... yet I suspect it might really be her?

Can't wait for the next issue!

Great issue. I love this team and wish they could stick around beyond this arc. The X-Men were showcased well (especially Polaris and Laura; Kwannon felt a little vanilla but that's a minor issue and considering I've never read this series before this story, I'm pretty invested in Carol and Jess too. It was great to see the Brood purposely avoiding absorbing Laura's healing factor to protect itself. I really enjoyed the twist that the Brood had captured them and locked them in a false reality too. The transition was just the right level of jarring and intriguing.

My favourite part, though, is how the X-Men are being written as heroes working alongside other heroes. History is subtly acknowledged, there's no manufactured friction or forced moral ambiguity, and everyone's on the same side. It's refreshing.

It's not Thompson's fault, but the only problem I had is that the debate and decision to kill Rogue lacked any weight. When the Resurrection Protocols are in play, that kind of dilemma doesn't really have any impact...Laura even said as much to Gambit. It felt like it should have been a no-brainer to simply get the Brood out of the picture, especially when there are heroes there that don't have resurrection as an option.

I just wanted to highlight these two posts because they both offer such great assessments of what made this issue, and the story thus far, work so well.

And with that, another of my most favorite moments.