X-Men #81

X-Men #81

Writing: Joe Kelly

Art: Adam Kubert

What Went Down:  The X-Men have crudely reconstructed a makeshift Danger Room to help them train.  Despite Nightcrawler’s efforts, Marrow doesn’t want to participate.  Storm tries to order Marrow, but the Morlock complains that all their training didn’t help them with Operation Zero Tolerance or protecting Professor X.  At the boathouse, Gambit is exercising and working up the nerve to go see Rogue.  When Rogue shows up, he manages to embarrass himself completely.

In Boston a hooded figure laughs and talks to herself.  Up in the attic Storm shows her garden to Colossus while they reconnect.  Wolverine and Kitty do the same thing while practicing knife throwing.  In Boston, Rogue and Gambit meet to escape the prying ears of the X-Men.  Gambit tries to make Rogue guilty for leaving him.  Their discussion is interrupted by new villain Kali, who channels energy through a staff and hears voices.  She fights the two X-Men, calling them lovers and angering Rogue.  Gambit knocks her away and admits to Rogue that it was his mind’s self-hate that influenced her decision.  Then they work together to defeat Kali, who promptly explodes in a fury of green energy. Gambit and Rogue talk, and he stops short of saying he loves her.  Rogue thinks he’s just afraid, but actually he is possessed by a green mist woman who threatens to kill Rogue and the other X-Men.

How It Was:  Although the main emphasis is on Gambit and Rogue, Kelly’s script gives every character his or her own moment to shine.  The opening four pages do a wonderful job of setting up where most of the characters are at this point.  Wolverine and Storm are struggling with Marrow, while the Excalibur 3 are trying their best to fit back in and keep it light.  The tension between Marrow and Storm is much more interesting than Marrow stealing some pictures.  The reunion between Gambit and Rogue is handled very well, and Kelly wisely chooses to cut the awkwardness with some humor. 

The conversation between Gambit and Rogue handles all the necessary chores.  Their mutual interest in each other is reaffirmed, it is firmly established that Rogue left Gambit because she had absorbed his self-loathing, and a new obstacle is placed in the couple’s way to keep them from getting together and becoming boring.  Kelly tries to tie in the other X-Men by cutting to some sporadic conversations about characters and relationships, but it is all tangential and never goes anywhere. 

The big weakness is the villain Kali.  She is a goofy character brought in because this is a super hero comic, and darn it we need a fight somewhere.  She talks to herself, and she will never be seen again, so feel free to forget about her.  Kubert does a wonderful job with the action, both here and in the Danger Room.  He really sells the emotions of the characters as well, such as when Rogue blows off Gambit’s white rose, or the jolly teasing of Colossus. 

Forgetable villain aside, this is a great issue.  It gets the Rogue/Gambit relationship back on track, and it has some fun with the characters.  As for the end, the green smoke girl is interesting at first, but this drags on for quite some time until it’s finally done away with for good.  Still a very good read if you love light character pieces a la the majority of Scott Lobdell’s run.

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