Marauders-1 (featured image) Reviews 

“Marauders” #1

By | October 25th, 2019
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

With writer Gerry Duggan at the helm, the first post-relaunch X book not written by Jonathan Hickman delivers plenty of humor, great art, and wonderful character work, slipping seamlessly into the larger narrative even as it charts a unique course of it’s own. (Warning: may contain minor spoilers.)

Cover by Russel Dauterman
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Matteo Lolli
Colored by Frederico Blee
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit

Even in this glorious new dawn, Mutantkind faces hardships and oppression from their human counterparts. Led by Captain Kate Pryde and funded by Emma Frost and the Hellfire Trading Company, Marauders Storm, Pyro, Bishop and Iceman sail the seas of the world to protect those hated and feared!

A safe haven for mutants sounds great, in theory, but if not every mutant can make it to the homeland unharmed, it’s not exactly the idyllic paradise it was supposed to be. Add to that the need to smuggle life-sustaining drugs to the human communities who recognize and support mutant sovereignty and you’ve got the perfect set-up for action and adventure on the high seas. I mean, it’s not exactly piracy as we know it, but then again that’s what makes it so fun and intriguing. In the words of Emma Frost, “Shipping companies were often ruthless slavers. Our organization will proudly defy that horrific history. We will be liberators.”

Enter Kate “I’m No Longer Kitty” Pryde.

Or rather, don’t let her enter.

In a beautifully constructed, melancholy opening scene, we see and feel Kate’s pain. Ironically, she’s one of the mutants whose passage to Krakoa is not so seamless and easy. From that moment on, in a truly inspired creative choice, she functions as both a stand-in for other mutants caught on the outside looking in and a displaced refugee with no solid ground beneath her feet. Here, and throughout the book, Kate’s dialogue is simple, understated and functional, allowing Matteo Lolli’s inks to express her emotions through understated facial expressions and dynamic body language. Without question, Kate is the heart and soul of the narrative, and in this case, there’s no one better.

Happily, as much as Kate embodies the confusion and trauma of a world turned upside down too quickly, trapping fellow mutants in hostile territories, several of her cohorts — particularly Iceman, Wolverine and Pyro — provide plenty wit, charm and comedic relief. Between pomade, double entendres and the distinct lack of gratitude for an unexpected resurrection, there’s plenty to make you smirk and relish the occasional chuckle.

Visually, as alluded to above, Lolli’s line work is pretty much as good as it gets. The characters’ facial expressions consistently and clearly communicate their emotions, yet rarely feel over the top. There’s a moment or two, perhaps, where a character mugs too much, but these moments are definitely fleeting and forgivable. His paneling and compositions are also quite well done, with well timed splash pages and characters who extend beyond their panel borders only when it feels well motivated. Iceman’s first appearance, as well as Pyro’s hammy wake-up on the sailboat out at sea, are both great examples.

In terms of the book’s colors and visual design, Frederico Blee’s palette feels rich, vibrant, and varied, but never garish or indulgent. Cool tones dominate, thanks in large part to salty blues and Iceman’s frosty hues – not to mention the tropical greens of the lush and magical Krakoa – but overall it’s very well balanced, with lots of red and gold accents, which often help pull the focus in Kate’s direction. The stark black and white pages add to the story’s mystique and offer a certain degree of visual interest and futuristic design, but for the most part they tend to feel a little too indulgent, casually squandering valuable real estate.

It’s this last point, perhaps, that underscores the book’s biggest – and perhaps the only – true weakness. Without question, Gerry Duggan does an excellent job weaving together multiple narrative threads while simultaneously delivering some crucial backstory, assembling the team, and planting seeds for future chapters and potential storylines. It’s a difficult balancing act and he handles it pretty well.

That said, some scenes tend to get crowded and/or feel too rushed, while the overall story threatens to splinter off in multiple directions at once. When the narrative is tightly focused on Kate and her crew – as it is after their skirmish with the Russian mutant-phobics and Kate and Storm share a raw, incredibly heartfelt moment – the book is wonderfully nuanced, exuding great heart and humor. I get there’s a lot to set up and groundwork that needs to be laid, but here at the very start, it still feels like there’s plenty of time to do that in subsequent chapters. There’s no compelling reason to do it all right off the bat.

This is definitely the kind of book that is best enjoyed slowly, savoring each page, soaking in the emotions and characters’ inner journeys. Unfortunately, sometimes there’s a fine line between lingering and simply getting bogged down.

Final Verdict: 8.2 There are definitely some really great moments, as well as a solid premise for way more adventure to come, but a tendency to do too much at one time can crowd the characters and overshadow their otherwise captivating emotional journeys.


John Schaidler

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