The King of Thieves - Gambit Appreciation 2023

[remydat]

Someone has to say it.

WTF is up with women writers of Gambit. Any clue? How do they get him so misunderstood and wrong. I don't understand.

I've read women writers for years with novels and none of them wrote men so horribly. I don't understand. How does Marvel's writers mess it up so poorly.

I love women writers except when it comes to Gambit. They don't get him and he is maligned. I don't understand it.

When I say that about women writers, I have an entire kindle library that is full of women written material. (I got a few male writers but they don't dominate my library.)

I don't get it. No offense to anyone.

Why is Gambit the joke?

Think it is marvel as a whole. Liu was fine with Gambit IMO and after hating Thompson's first stint as a Gambit writer, her writing of him in Captain Marvel has been great. Most of the male writers suck writing him as well. There are just more of them so it doesn't stand out as much because that will be offset by a male writer that does a good job of him.

[Gripstir]

Think it is marvel as a whole. Liu was fine with Gambit IMO and after hating Thompson's first stint as a Gambit writer, her writing of him in Captain Marvel has been great. Most of the male writers suck writing him as well. There are just more of them so it doesn't stand out as much because that will be offset by a male writer that does a good job of him.

I think someone said it well where they said they need to find writers to appeal to the next generation. We have all these old tired tropes and a lot of times with gender stuff some writers fall into the trap of “let’s reverse the roles” rather than come up with something actually progressive and meaningful for where we are at now in society.

[Malachi]

Well for me Marjorie Liu is one of my favorite Gambit writers, if not favorite marvel writers all time. Her sensebilities just mix very well with mine and I really appreciate her more poetic approach to comics. For me she would have really added a much needed mix of humanity and beauty with many layers of depth to this Krakoa era who has been anything but that for me.

Top 5 Gambit writers:
1. Claremont. Got to give the man the respect he deserves.
2. Nicieza. What a redefinition and renasaince.
3. Liu. Added so many sides and gave us many cool scenes(just reread her Astonishing run recently and I think it's underrated).
4. Asmus. A beautiful ongoing hampered with limitations by Marvel for some reason.
5. KT(shows us that she can write a very good Remy, her CM run so far is very good with just showing us a badass Remy.)

That is a very solid top 5 of great material. Even though Remy has been through some very rough patches the collected material by those 5 are certainly something to enjoy.

[Gripstir]

Well for me Marjorie Liu is one of my favorite Gambit writers, if not favorite marvel writers all time. Her sensebilities just mix very well with mine and I really appreciate her more poetic approach to comics. For me she would have really added a much needed mix of humanity and beauty with many layers of depth to this Krakoa era who has been anything but that for me.

Top 5 Gambit writers:
1. Claremont. Got to give the man the respect he deserves.
2. Nicieza. What a redefinition and renasaince.
3. Liu. Added so many sides and gave us many cool scenes(just reread her Astonishing run recently and I think it's underrated).
4. Asmus. A beautiful ongoing hampered with limitations by Marvel for some reason.
5. KT(shows us that she can write a very good Remy, her CM run so far is very good with just showing us a badass Remy.)

That is a very solid top 5 of great material. Even though Remy has been through some very rough patches the collected material by those 5 are certainly something to enjoy.

You know Jim Lee is credited as a writer in a bunch of X-men comics. While we mostly know him for a artist I wonder if he could inserted into it. I pretty much agree with your list but I would probably take out Asmus, mostly because the art is more memorable than the writing in that story. While still ok, I kinda want to put either Jim Lee or John Byrne in there for myself

[Malachi]

You know Jim Lee is credited as a writer in a bunch of X-men comics. While we mostly know him for a artist I wonder if he could inserted into it. I pretty much agree with your list but I would probably take out Asmus, mostly because the art is more memorable than the writing in that story. While still ok, I kinda want to put either Jim Lee or John Byrne in there for myself

It’s hard to gauge Jim’s contribution for me, probably since he left marvel and never came back. To my knowledge I can’t remember any recent or semi recent interviews from him regarding Remy.

I hold him very high for making Remy important after he was created. I felt that Jim really liked drawing Remy and always made sure to make him look cool and not forgotten in the page.

[Romy134]

4. Asmus. A beautiful ongoing hampered with limitations by Marvel for some reason.

It’s really rough reading about how Marvel/Editorial are undercutting Gambit as a character. Why give him a book get a Great artist and limit/sabotage it?

I know they do they same with other characters as well. I definitely feel the pain fans of these characters have to go through.

[Sisterhood Of Mutants]

Someone has to say it.

WTF is up with women writers of Gambit. Any clue? How do they get him so misunderstood and wrong. I don't understand.

I've read women writers for years with novels and none of them wrote men so horribly. I don't understand. How does Marvel's writers mess it up so poorly.

I love women writers except when it comes to Gambit. They don't get him and he is maligned. I don't understand it.

When I say that about women writers, I have an entire kindle library that is full of women written material. (I got a few male writers but they don't dominate my library.)

I don't get it. No offense to anyone.

Why is Gambit the joke?

You should probably redirect this question at the countless male editors and writers who’ve been trying to kill him off since the ‘90s.

Kelly Thompson and Marjorie Liu have crafted some really incredible versions of him. Leah Williams wanted him for X-Terminators, but was told no by editorial.

I hesitate to blame Stephanie Phillips for most of my gripes with the current mini when it’s been confirmed that she was approached by the X-office with both the book and the pitch, not the other way around. (Add to it that she most likely was given Tini Howard’s run as her point of reference, and the poor guy never had a chance.)

I’m not going to begrudge a new(er) female writer getting her big shot at Marvel, but with how unceremoniously MMX was dumped for Krakoa, it’s truly wild that Thompson wasn’t given that book:



I hope she gets another chance with Gambit and Rogue outside of their Captain Marvel cameos. It makes no sense to have someone like her available and ignore her, especially since she’s been vocal about wanting to write for Krakoa. Her exclusion really looks like blatant office politics at this point, and I’m glad that more people have been pointing this out. (Since editorial clearly trolls these boards, hoping the folks above him also do.)

[Exodus]

with Sinister being revealed as fours clones with different playing card imagery, I really think they should have revealed Gambit to be another Sinister clone also. It would make so much sense now with Gambit's affinity with playing cards...

[Sandmans_Raven]

You should probably redirect this question at the countless male editors and writers who’ve been trying to kill him off since the ‘90s.

Kelly Thompson and Marjorie Liu have crafted some really incredible versions of him. Leah Williams wanted him for X-Terminators, but was told no by editorial.

I hesitate to blame Stephanie Phillips for most of my gripes with the current mini when it’s been confirmed that she was approached by the X-office with both the book and the pitch, not the other way around. (Add to it that she most likely was given Tini Howard’s run as her point of reference, and the poor guy never had a chance.)

I’m not going to begrudge a new(er) female writer getting her big shot at Marvel, but with how unceremoniously MMX was dumped for Krakoa, it’s truly wild that Thompson wasn’t given that book:



I hope she gets another chance with Gambit and Rogue outside of their Captain Marvel cameos. It makes no sense to have someone like her available and ignore her, especially since she’s been vocal about wanting to write for Krakoa. Her exclusion really looks like blatant office politics at this point, and I’m glad that more people have been pointing this out. (Since editorial clearly trolls these boards, hoping the folks above him also do.)

I didn't know that about X-terminators. Gambit showing up could have been interesting (although I loved the book as it was)

[remydat]

I hesitate to blame Stephanie Phillips for most of my gripes with the current mini when it’s been confirmed that she was approached by the X-office with both the book and the pitch, not the other way around. (Add to it that she most likely was given Tini Howard’s run as her point of reference, and the poor guy never had a chance.)

Nah this is a cop out IMO. She is a professional and is responsible for doing her own research on the character and just defer to editorial. Further I doubt editorial said allow Gambit to get his a** kicked by no name Theives Guild members or no be able to land a blow against Black Panther.

[Nopozyzy]

In regards to Gambit's parents, I like the idea of he being Sinister's son far more than a clone. That didn't sit right with me in X-Men: The End.

Remember when Black Panther and Invisible Woman were his parents in New Exiles? I still can't wrap my mind around that.

[NicoPony]

I thought it was Namor for some reason? I was offended that he was blond, lol. I have no use for AUs. Let’s not anymore.

I prefer son vs clone too but given how this Sins of Sinister thing is coming along, I’m fine with the whole relationship being dropped all together.

[Gripstir]

I thought it was Namor for some reason? I was offended that he was blond, lol. I have no use for AUs. Let’s not anymore.

I prefer son vs clone too but given how this Sins of Sinister thing is coming along, I’m fine with the whole relationship being dropped all together.

Haven’t read it myself but maybe T’challa was Namor in that universe? Yeah really weird, it’s basically nothing like Gambit except his name.

[thjan]

I know cbr articles are almost all clickbait with shallow writing and lacking in real comic knowledge, but this article especially annoyed me lol-

https://www.cbr.com/marvel-comics-best-heists/

The best they could come up with for Gambit's heist entry is the Excalibur theft!? Really!? This!?-



You know, the time he managed to "break" into an unlocked closet while Saturnyne was just ignoring them and didn't care what they were up to. LOL. Not the time he stole an Iron Man suit, or the Faerie Grimoire, or went into Latveria and used a time platform, or when Gambit cleverly used the magic tarot deck to help them break into Merlyn's chamber(later on in the same Howard Excalibur run), or when the AoA version of him actually helped save the entire multiverse by getting a shard of the M'kraan Crystal. Nope, they picked the time he opened an unguarded, unlocked closet.

[ES113]

I know cbr articles are almost all clickbait with shallow writing and lacking in real comic knowledge, but this article especially annoyed me lol-

https://www.cbr.com/marvel-comics-best-heists/

The best they could come up with for Gambit's heist entry is the Excalibur theft!? Really!? This!?-



You know, the time he managed to "break" into an unlocked closet while Saturnyne was just ignoring them and didn't care what they were up to. LOL. Not the time he stole an Iron Man suit, or the Faerie Grimoire, or went into Latveria and used a time platform, or when Gambit cleverly used the magic tarot deck to help them break into Merlyn's chamber(later on in the same Howard Excalibur run), or when the AoA version of him actually helped save the entire multiverse by getting a shard of the M'kraan Crystal. Nope, they picked the time he opened an unguarded, unlocked closet.

I think we have to accept that a significant number of these articles are written with a negative view to Gambit. No other character on that list for the same treatment.