Mr. and Mrs. X No. 9 review: One Rogue to rule them all
By Alex Widen
Rogue Goes on a trek through her own apst! Yet is that deadlier than Mojoworld?
Mr. And Mrs. X No. 9
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Oscar Bazaldua
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Cover Artists: Terry & Rachel Dodson
Ever since her debut in 1981’s Avengers Annual No. 10, Rogue has been many things. She has been a villain, as one of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. She found redemption with the X-Men, a team she’s even led on more than one occasion. She’s even been an Avenger, as part of their “unity” squad. Now she’s a wife, having finally (if still impulsively) wed her longtime lover, Gambit. Yet the pair couldn’t even enjoy a belated engagement party without being kidnapped by Mojo! Now both of them are on the run and in danger!
Image by Marvel Comics
While the bloated intergalactic cyborg wanted the pair for his usual brand of perverse “entertainment,” Spiral has other means for them. Not wanting to waste a master thief in Gambit, she’s tasked him with stealing some precious booty from the heart of Mojoworld. In exchange, Spiral has vowed to not only protect Rogue from Mojo, but use their resources to help her in her quest to regain control of her absorption powers. Remy remarks to himself that as far as he’s come, many things remain the same, such as his reputation as a thief, and the thrill of it.
Image by Marvel Comics
Don’t Ask Where Longshot Went!
True to his word, Gambit manages to sneak into the heart of Mojoworld and come across the treasure that is his target. Yet much like in the first arc in space, it turns out the “precious booty” is in fact a child — an infant with six arms. A child or other relation of Spiral’s? Remy also runs into some of the Mojoworld natives, who are restless. One of them, Jobe, notes how the infant is their only symbol of hope amid Mojo’s tyranny. Maybe Remy can find a third option? After all, Remy has combined a trench coat and a hoodie, to form a “trenchie,” so anything is possible!
Image by Marvel Comics
Although Gambit may open the issue up with a slick-looking infiltration sequence, as the cover suggests, it is really all about Rogue. In various interviews across various websites before, after, and during this series, writer Kelly Thompson has made no secret that Rogue is one of her favorite characters. It is in this context that this issue serves not just as a character piece, but as a creative attempt by a fan turned canonical contributor to make sense of the wild history the heroine’s had!
Image by Marvel Comics
Thanks to a random device of Spiral’s, which combines both technology and magic, Rogue is able to revisit her own memories and past in a search for answers. Recently, her powers have gone haywire, absorbing the life force of all around her even if she doesn’t touch anyone. While she’s gained control over her powers before, they tended to be short-term fixes, or fixes done to her by others (like Professor X). This time, Rogue is making a go of resolving things within on her own.
Image by Marvel Comics
Rogue — This Is Your Life!
Even Rogue admits that her trip within her own psyche is akin to reliving her “greatest hits.” Naturally, things start at the beginning — when she accidentally absorbed the life-force during her first kiss with local boy Cody Robbins. This scene has been repeated and reprinted a few times, but was first shown in 1984’s Uncanny X-Men No. 184. He spent most of his time since in a coma, but was killed off in a plot by Bella Donna — Gambit’s ex-wife — in 1995’s Rogue No. 4.
Image by Marvel Comics
Next up was another of Rogue’s pivotal scenes — her fateful fight against Ms. Marvel atop the Golden Gate bridge from both Rogue’s first appearance and 1992’s Marvel Super-Heroes No. 11. Much like with Cody, Rogue had absorbed too much of her victim, and permanently gained Carol Danvers’ powers and psyche within herself. While those powers came in handy for her, Carol’s life was wrecked for years. Rogue would also struggle to assert herself over Carol’s will, and even admits she doesn’t know what parts of her are genuinely hers and which are Carol’s.
Image by Marvel Comics
Naturally, many of Rogue’s nearest and dearest memories are intertwined with Gambit. He was infatuated with her from the moment he joined the X-Men, and the feeling was often mutual. Yet as Rogue notes, she often pushed him away for various reasons. Ultimately, she realizes it was more out of the fear of getting close to anyone more than anything else. It was ironic that their first kiss was not under their own control, but when both were possessed by the evil Shadow King.
Image by Marvel Comics
The past Returns, for Better or Worse!
Yet the “deep cuts” within Rogue’s mind aren’t all ancient history. Her most recent power woes seemed to stem from 2014’s Uncanny Avengers No. 21, when she had to absorb the powers of the entire team to aid against Kang the Conqueror. Much like with Carol, she seemed to go too far with Simon Williams/Wonder Man, and wound up gaining his powers and mind for an extended period of time. Was it his ionic form, or her longtime fears and doubts which proved critical?
Image by Marvel Comics
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Ultimately, Rogue learns that her greatest weakness throughout her years is fear itself. No, not the 2011 Marvel crossover Fear Itself (even if it was pretty awful), but the genuine emotion! In one form or another, Rogue’s crippling fear has been her biggest stumbling block, which brings her to perhaps her darkest memory — 1988’s Uncanny X-Men No. 236. In this issue, Rogue found herself powerless and at the mercy of Genoshan guards through “processing” on the island. The details were vague, but it was always heavily implied that she was molested, or worse.
Image by Marvel Comics
In fact, this issue mirrors a critical scene from that older comic. Rogue had withdrawn into herself from the trauma, in a fetal position, unable to move. It was the ultimate violation for a woman who, by and large, was “untouchable.” In the original comic, it’s Carol Danvers’ persona within herself that encourages Rogue to regain her strength. This time, Rogue is met not by Carol, but by her ideal self — who as always, is wearing her iconic Jim Lee costume design. Ironically, the notion of Rogue’s power dilemma being psychological brings things full circle to Uncanny X-Men No. 239!
Image by Marvel Comics
Triple the Arms, Triple the Sass?
While Rogue is undergoing psychic therapy, the situation outside of her mind is getting more dire. Mojo has realized what Spiral has done, and has seen his hordes after her. When the six armed cyborg is about to falter, Gambit shows up for a rescue! Much to his dismay, Spiral seems unaware that the treasure she wanted stolen was in fact a child. Without any better options, Gambit has to unhook Rogue from the machine. While she may have recovered, will it it be enough to beat Mojo?
Image by Marvel Comics
On the whole, Kelly Thompson does a great job crafting a character piece around Rogue. Her skill at utilizing various stories going back over 38 years, and managing to connect them into a cohesive narrative despite many of them being written by different people is impressive. Many character histories can seem like conflicting messes in comics, yet Thompson manages to thread the needle and find one consistent theme to work with. The key to Rogue’s power being her ability to overcome may seem “simple,” but as her own ideal self suggests, that doesn’t make it easy.
Image by Marvel Comics
While some areas of this issue can get heavy — either with Rogue’s self discovery or Gambit’s narration — Spiral remains a respite. With both Remy and Rogue occupied with serious things, Spiral has to make up the sass for both of them. Throughout the issue Spiral throws one barb after the next at the pair, and at least one of them is right on the mark. It seems Mojo’s long-suffering henchwoman has shifted to being Mr. and Mrs. X’s long suffering third wheel!
Image by Marvel Comics
A Great Run, Warts and All!
The only areas where this issue stumbles is when it repeats some plot elements from some of Thompson’s previous work with these two. Finding out a mysterious treasure is in fact a child — especially a kid of an established character — cycles back to the second issue of this series. Furthermore, Thompson played with the shared past of the pair extensively in her Rogue & Gambit miniseries last year — which was in effect a prequel for this run. And while an adventure in the Mojoverse is technically not the same as an adventure in space, it can seem very close.
Image by Marvel Comics
Oscar Bazaldua, on the whole, does a great job on art. The Gambit sequence that opens the issue is very cinematic, and showcases his skills very well. Frank D’Armata does some clever color work throughout, but seems to work especially hard on the flashbacks to make them more distinct from the “live” action. While Pere Perez from Rogue & Gambit may have handled that sequence better, Bazaldua does a valiant job of capturing all those past scenes, especially the outfits!
Image by Marvel Comics
Next. Spiral Gets Her Hands on Gambit in No. 8!. dark
Kelly Thompson is currently handling two other comics for Marvel (Captain Marvel and West Coast Avengers), and one for Archie (Sabrina the Teenage Witch). While it is debatable and up to subjective taste which one is “the best” of these series’, Mr. And Mrs. X clearly seems to have a pair whom Thompson has a lot of invested affection for. She understands and embraces the often complicated and cluttered history between these two and uses it to bring out their true voices and ultimately character growth. While some of the plots themselves can seem formulaic, they ultimately prove to be proper fodder for the pair’s adventures. Next issue’s climax also looks fun!