Le Diable Blanc: Gambit Appreciation

[kumiho]

Mags' boots make it look like he has the old man "halfway up the shin" sock thing going on :3

I bought one of the Wolverine & the JGS tpb's yesterday and was immensely amused when Hank sarcastically suggested to a seemingly pregnant and disbelieving Kitty that she should 'consider taking Professor Gambit's health ed class'. Man, I wish we'd gotten to see more interaction with Remy and the kids! Not to mention the untold shenanigans between himself and the other teachers! So much comedy gold wasted...smh.

I know.. but missed opportunities seems to be what writers are all about with Remy. He totally would have been the teacher girls were crushing on, and guys like Hellion, Quire and Rockslide would have clamored around as the 'cool teacher'. Instead I think we saw him once in the teacher's lounge... and that's about it...

Or in X-Factor, where he was supposed to be investigating Serval all Mission Impossible spy games like.. and instead sat around playing with his kittens and for some reason never questioning snow or his company.. ever.... 0_o Even after they discovered the location of the Stolen Island, or left Remy to die with Momento Mori, or showed to have creepy business ties with Georgia's mutant hating daddy, or .. you get the idea....

[Neko]

I love Gambit's kittens. Just love them. No one complains about Pizzadog with Hawkeye. I get the idea, Gambit should have been investigating Serval, but that was on PAD starting a plot point and doing nothing.

[kumiho]

I love Gambit's kittens. Just love them. No one complains about Pizzadog with Hawkeye. I get the idea, Gambit should have been investigating Serval, but that was on PAD starting a plot point and doing nothing.

Yeah, PAD did a lot of that in his running, bringing up plot points which went nowhere, or outright ignoring things which legitamitely should have come up, and neglecting most of his cast for the sake of promoting his new characters, whom all seemed to go nowhere regardless of he panel time they occupied. I have a lot of gripes about that run, but it's useless to complain now.

As for the kittens, yeah hard to love the idea of them. Sadly though they just become Gambit's one sided character point in the book. Like Wanda's rage bursts, Doug's moping and Danger trying to bang everyone. No one in he book seemed to have a full in depth personality, just their one or two traits. That Gambit's was his kittens instead of at least his thieving was annoying. Heck, least he could have had the kittens running drills to train them to help him in heists, or strap go-pros to them and send them out to spy. Wonder if Snow would even question a kitten in his office?

But yeah, one more thing which while cute, could have done more with.

[Neko]

Yeah, PAD did a lot of that in his running, bringing up plot points which went nowhere, or outright ignoring things which legitamitely should have come up, and neglecting most of his cast for the sake of promoting his new characters, whom all seemed to go nowhere regardless of he panel time they occupied. I have a lot of gripes about that run, but it's useless to complain now.

As for the kittens, yeah hard to love the idea of them. Sadly though they just become Gambit's one sided character point in the book. Like Wanda's rage bursts, Doug's moping and Danger trying to bang everyone. No one in he book seemed to have a full in depth personality, just their one or two traits. That Gambit's was his kittens instead of at least his thieving was annoying. Heck, least he could have had the kittens running drills to train them to help him in heists, or strap go-pros to them and send them out to spy. Wonder if Snow would even question a kitten in his office?

But yeah, one more thing which while cute, could have done more with.

Sometimes the kitten thing comes across as some "bad" idea. And its not. And PAD didn't even give him the kittens to begin with and it was fan reaction to his having them, that kept them around.

I don't think its a one sided Gambit character point. I don't agree, it was actually a nice humanizing touch to a character.

There were loads of things not done in the book - but his having kittens was a nice touch. Which btw - PAD didn't give to him. They showed up in AXM, the solo, then ANXF.

[kumiho]

Sometimes the kitten thing comes across as some "bad" idea. And its not. And PAD didn't even give him the kittens to begin with and it was fan reaction to his having them, that kept them around.

I don't think its a one sided Gambit character point. I don't agree, it was actually a nice humanizing touch to a character.

There were loads of things not done in the book - but his having kittens was a nice touch. Which btw - PAD didn't give to him. They showed up in AXM, the solo, then ANXF.

Don't worry; Neko. I'm no attacking he kitties. I actually like them. I even made tha fn theory about them representing a Three-Fold Deity, sitting in on Remy's life. Hey do make for a cute nurturing character trait, which I think was why Liu gave them to him in the first place. Having Mystique give them to him was a bit odd, almost like her going, "Sorry about trying to seduce you and screwing up your relationship with my adopted daughter and convincing you to become the Horseman of death under the futile guise of spying on Apocalypse in a long and convoluted betrayal plot to ultimately wipe a bunch of minds from my daughters head to save her sorta... Here's some kittens."

But yeah, they are cute. And I would like I see them interact with other characters more. I could totally picture X-23 dropping in to get away from her team(s) and just lounging around with them, or having them climb into Doug's lap when he's down(all the time), or Danger curious of all their running up on people to get petted... And mimicking them.

[Beezzi]

Mmm talking about the kitties and the teaching thing...Does anyone think he might going soft in his old age?

Gambit at the start, at least to me, was a bit more edgy....untrustworthy....even sinister at times (can't really find the right word)? Maybe it's just because he was suppose to betray the X-Men in Claremont's mind at the time. (The whole "Bang, you're dead" thing was pretty creepy...whether he was being mind controlled or not.)

I just don't see that Remy teaching anything, except maybe bashing some sense into people's skulls.

But then again the character has grown....Lui did a lot to soften the him (more in liking with her tastes)....it's a weird one...I do miss the of glint, devilishness sometimes - the mystery.

[Neko]

It's all good Kumiho - I didn't mean to be uptight about the kitties. It just seems to me, its like they're a fault or something. And after awhile it just gets fatiguing. I understand the underlying complaint though. Gambit didn't do anything in ANXF. And that I do agree with. Neko is japanese for cat, so Gambit and kitties is such a win for me. LOL

@Beezzi - I think all of the Xmen have changed quite a bit. They are not what they used to be and I think that is due to societal changes and writers. There are just some things that were easier to do in years past.

Liu loves the character and wanted the perfect boyfriend or showcased in such a way. Yes, she softened him but she also make him a strategist, field leader and actually developed his friendship with Wolvie that hadn't been worked on in quite some time.

Carey - made him a whimp. So, Liu's touch on the character was so welcomed, anything had to be better than what Carey did with him. Carey only had a handful if that many moments with the character that you could say was "good". But mostly, his take on the character no matter how well he knew the history was just plain bad.

Asmus really got him back to a recognizable state even if not all the way bad ass as he was first introduced.

I want a buddy book. I know I say that allot but if they can pair up Deadpool and Cable, give me someone and Gambit. And it has to be a buddy thing. That would be fun to me.

[donpricetag]

The kittens... I'm attacking them. I hate them. I'm not a woman. Its an obvious effort to endear him to women, no different than the naked scenes in the solo or the shirtless solicitation press. Its alienating him to male fans who aren't interested in such matters. So let's get something straight... He's not seeing anyone, and collecting cats. That's an awesome sign of things to come for a single person. (Sarcasm)

Of the cats actually served a purpose other cutesy eye candy, I'd tolerate them. I liked the idea K's idea of them being trained to do recon or they serving some higher purposes being the heralds of some Egyptian deity. It would have fit in if they had taken X-Factor down that path (linking hr company and its dealings to Ancient Egyptian lore and possibly Apocalypse... Would have been so cool). But no. I hate the cats, its making his softened appearance appear... Softer. If it continues, I can't promise I'll stick around to watch him start knitting sweaters.

[Beezzi]

It's all good Kumiho - I didn't mean to be uptight about the kitties. It just seems to me, its like they're a fault or something. And after awhile it just gets fatiguing. I understand the underlying complaint though. Gambit didn't do anything in ANXF. And that I do agree with. Neko is japanese for cat, so Gambit and kitties is such a win for me. LOL

@Beezzi - I think all of the Xmen have changed quite a bit. They are not what they used to be and I think that is due to societal changes and writers. There are just some things that were easier to do in years past.

Liu loves the character and wanted the perfect boyfriend or showcased in such a way. Yes, she softened him but she also make him a strategist, field leader and actually developed his friendship with Wolvie that hadn't been worked on in quite some time.

Carey - made him a whimp. So, Liu's touch on the character was so welcomed, anything had to be better than what Carey did with him. Carey only had a handful if that many moments with the character that you could say was "good". But mostly, his take on the character no matter how well he knew the history was just plain bad.

Asmus really got him back to a recognizable state even if not all the way bad ass as he was first introduced.

I want a buddy book. I know I say that allot but if they can pair up Deadpool and Cable, give me someone and Gambit. And it has to be a buddy thing. That would be fun to me.

I don't mind Liu and she does LOVE Jubes, Wolvie and Gambit, I just read a lot of Liu fan fiction over the years, so I always draw comparison between her fics and her Marvel works. Dark Mirror (her novel) has a very good Gambit in it though.

Saying that - she brought back Jubes, she gave the X-Men back some of their family feeling, Bobby actually had something to do. I also liked that she seemed to want to set up something between Remy and Cece. (That and Lui is actual one of the nicest people on the planet. During the W&J years pre-Marvel, she was one of the few archivists we all liked. She was always super approachable and friendly. I still I have interview someone did for X-Info stashed somewhere on my harddrive - need to see if I can find it. She might mentioned Gambit in it.)

I missed Carey run (I wasn't talking to Marvel at the time, they'd done "something" that really ticked me off). There seems to be a lot of mixed feeling about it. Rogue fans seem to love it, but Gambit fans aren't that big on it? So I don't know who to believe. Maybe I'll pick it up at some point.

A buddy book would be perfect! Haven't had a good one of those in ages. Now who to pair him up with? Wolvie would've been the perfect choice, but his indisposed at the moment...(Ok, we all know who I'm going to vote for, but I know that might not be everyone or Marvel's choice. ) Storm and Remy, maybe?

[Neko]

@Don,
Attack the kittens all you want, but the bottom line is ... it does nothing. Using them as some sort of blame point does nothing. That is my point. People act like its some sort detriment and its not. IMO

And if wanting women to read Marvel's books is key, like the whole female team and all of these female lead books that don't interest me. This is the way to gain my interest. I think people make too much ado about it.

Guys get T&A - allot of it, but whoa ---- nothing for the ladies.

[Askia]

The cats didn't annoy me so much as the obsession people had of them. I stopped browsing the forums for awhile when they first made their appearance.

[Neko]

I missed Carey run (I wasn't talking to Marvel at the time, they'd done "something" that really ticked me off). There seems to be a lot of mixed feeling about it. Rogue fans seem to love it, but Gambit fans aren't that big on it? So I don't know who to believe. Maybe I'll pick it up at some point.

Not all Rogue fans, there are a few who did not like how she was depicted. I'm not a Rogue fan so I don't really care all that much. However, when I went into Legacy, I was told repeatedly by Marvel that it was a team book with a character focus. Which is fine, but there was no team – it was all about Rogue and what other characters could do for her. And in this case with Gambit, to mope and pine.

A buddy book would be perfect! Haven't had a good one of those in ages. Now who to pair him up with? Wolvie would've been the perfect choice, but his indisposed at the moment...(Ok, we all know who I'm going to vote for, but I know that might not be everyone or Marvel's choice. ) Storm and Remy, maybe?

No to Storm, imo. I want a buddy book, two guys getting into trouble sort of thing. Once you throw a female into it, people go off the deep end when it comes to Gambit.

[donpricetag]

@Don,
Attack the kittens all you want, but the bottom line is ... it does nothing. Using them as some sort of blame point does nothing. That is my point. People act like its some sort detriment and its not. IMO

And if wanting women to read Marvel's books is key, like the whole female team and all of these female lead books that don't interest me. This is the way to gain my interest. I think people make too much ado about it.

Guys get T&A - allot of it, but whoa ---- nothing for the ladies.

... I defy your logic .

ALL HAIL PRICETAG.

But this ploy of Marvel to entice female readers isn't really working... Is it? The solo did well or better than they thought, gone. ANXF for all its misfires and steps, gone. Got no problem with catering to female readers, its smart, but changing established characters to fit the bill? Be original about it. They pay writers to write. Let them earn their checks. And to be clear I'm not saying they "changed" Gambit for this reason, that happened over time, but I also hear female fans asking for more of an edge. That isn't going to happen with him juggling kittens.

[Beezzi]

No to Storm, imo. I want a buddy book, two guys getting into trouble sort of thing. Once you throw a female into it, people go off the deep end when it comes to Gambit.

I see what your getting at...

This is a difficult one...although I always liked Terror, maybe as a guest star.

I would've like a Gambit/Bishop book. Anything with both of them was always a hoot..and there's the whole underlying tension thing and they're personalities played off each other well. Unfortunately the whole Hope drama kinda axed Bishop.

[Neko]

... I defy your logic .

ALL HAIL PRICETAG.

But this ploy of Marvel to entice female readers isn't really working... Is it? The solo did well or better than they thought, gone. ANXF for all its misfires and steps, gone. Got no problem with catering to female readers, its smart, but changing established characters to fit the bill? Be original about it. They pay writers to write. Let them earn their checks. And to be clear I'm not saying they "changed" Gambit for this reason, that happened over time, but I also hear female fans asking for more of an edge. That isn't going to happen with him juggling kittens.

I'm surprised you haven't sent Marvel after me! bwahahaha, you keep trying to overtake me - but I defy you sir! Defy you!

I'm just saying his having kittens isn't a big deal. IA with the rest of your comments. I think when its stated that Gambit did nothing in ANXF but indirectly lay blame on fictional cats for doing nothing is what I have a problem with. He did nothing because PAD did nothing with the character. Again, nobody had issues with pizzadog and Hawkeye. Nobody is saying, hey that Hawkeye book that was acclaimed and all that ended because of pizzadog.

We get to a point of nitpick that goes to extremes.

Gambit can be more edgy and still have kittens, pizzadog doesn't hurt Hawkeye. My point again is .... picking on something that is benign and saying its to blame. Instead of actually saying what is wrong. Gambit's image was maligned long ago by Milligan, and Carey, its recovered some by Liu and Asmus. And PAD didn't hurt but didn't help either.

Gambit is out of favor with the writers and Marvel is in a gimmick type stage because its all they've got to get readers instead of actually printing compelling material. IMO. Apparently people are buying their stuff, just not me.