Rogue discovers the Phoenixes aren’t the most innocent in this new world they’ve put together, and her only shot to right things is with…Ms. Marvel? Man, THIS is a date no one expected!
Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated By David BaldeonAVX TIE-IN!
- Rogue vs. Ms. Marvel!
- By the end of this issue, one of these women will change their allegiance.
This week seems to be “Odd Couple Week” over on Team Logan in the Marvel Universe! Yesterday I talked about the most awkward date in Marvel History, when a sweet guy became an abusive bastard who wanted to force his former lady love into another relationship. This issue’s solicit is a bit misleading actually, because while it says “Rogue vs. Ms. Marvel!” this issue is more closely described as “Rogue allies herself with Ms. Marvel.”
That’s right, they team up. In fact, when you read the issue before it, the solicit doesn’t make much sense. The last issue is the one that had the smack down between the two ladies, and even then, it ended with Rogue starting to come around to the fact that the Phoenixes weren’t on the up and up as they had suggested. In fact, what they’re pulling is the exact opposite of what should be going on. In fact, none of the Phoenixes have been doing much in the way of helping mankind, unless you count Scott’s “helping” in “Wolverine and the X-Men” this week. They’re starting to be real dicks.
That’s the point though, right? They’re not good guys, and in fact, in what could be considered a bit of foreshadowing now, all of them have been self-identified as formerly bad guys or what have you in the past. That’ doesn’t bode well for the Marvel U.
This issue is further evidence of that. Magik’s prison for the Avengers is what she describes as necessary, however, the means she uses are questionable at best, and downright terrifying at worst. Literally trapping them in Hell is a bit extreme for the crime of being and Avenger, no?
I digress.
Christos Gage is a talented writer, and he was really up for the task of writing for a book that didn’t give him much time to put his own stamp on it. In fact, he’s creating some of the best tie-ins the event has had the entire arc. There’s so much humanity in this issue, that even though it deals with literal demons, it doesn’t feel contrived in any sense, and to top it all off, it’s pretty damn fun!
However, once again, if there’s one weakness in the book, it’s one particular part of the art. Most of this book is absolutely gorgeous, and Baldeon draws demons and action scenes like there’s no tomorrow. Not many people know how to take something absolutely terrifying and make them gorgeous at the same time. It really works. But on the flip side of that, Baldeon’s facial human expressions are overly exaggerated and sometimes scarier than the demons in the same panel. Even our new Captain Marvel (who is still Ms. Marvel in this book) looks like something that might try to kill Snow White with an apple, even though Carol is supposed to, well, be beautiful. It’s not pleasant. However, Illyana looks great throughout. If only it were a little more even.
While this book is just as “necessary” to understanding why the Phoenixes are off the deep end, it demonstrates that in a much better way than other books I’ve read have. If you’re a fan of “X-Men Legacy,” you’ll definitely dig this, especially Rogue’s continued character growth. I can’t wait to see what happens next issue!
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Buy
