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A review by monitaroymohan
Uncanny X-Men (2024-) #1 by Gail Simone, Gail Simone, David Marquez
2.0
All right! This was the one I was waiting for. Uncanny X-Men featuring Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine and Nightcrawler. Great make-up of the team—I know and love these guys, so I’m invested.
But, I don’t know about the story and some of the writing choices. It sure gave me pause. I know Gail Simone is a beloved writer—I don’t know how much of her stuff I’ve read, but this one I’m going into with the knowledge of her fame and prestige. And yet, the story was a bit all over the place.
The opening act, set in the abandoned Xavier Institute, was brilliant. Heartbreaking and cruel—Simone writes an allegory for what happens to the places and memories of peoples who are driven out of their land. So poignant. I don’t know who the captured mutant is, but I’m already frightened for them. I don’t know who this Dr. Ellis is either, but she seems evil and her denigration of the mutants is all we need to understand that.
Following this, however, the book falls away. We have a one-pager reminding us of how Logan must always love and lose because he’s immortal while his friends aren’t. But he’s also known death, but no peace. That plays on a mind.
Logan is in Mexico to meet Rogue and Gambit, who are randomly searching for a god-snake. I didn’t quite understand what was happening here. They introduced the creature as a dragon, but it claimed to be a god snake. I thought they wanted it out of the way because it was blocking the entrance to their new home, but actually they were trying to steal the Eye of Agamotto from the creature. And they attack it and maim it? I’m sorry? It was just living its life, and you guys decided to hurt it instead of talk to it. How does that make them heroes and not villains?
The god-snake then rightfully calls them out but says Rogue is a scared little girl—what? This is the most annoying part of the book, I feel like Simone and the creative team completely misunderstand how to write Rogue. I didn’t catch up with Krakoa, but there’s no way you’re going back to square one with Rogue and making her personality all about being afraid that no one will touch her and that she’s a fragile emotional mess. Look, I know the teams have been through so much with the loss of Krakoa, but you don’t see Gambit and Logan breaking down in tears, do you?
Gambit and Logan keep insisting that Rogue is the new leader of the X-Men, she’s the one they’ll follow, but for story reasons she’s made to doubt herself. I don’t get it. She is a natural leader, she’s with two men who’ve fought by her side for years, why wouldn’t she take leadership immediately. Not knowing what the X-Men are nowadays, that’s understandable, but her not knowing she’s a leader makes no sense.
Let’s also get into the most annoying part of this book—why is everyone so lascivious towards Rogue? She’s the only female X-Man in this book, so everyone just sees her as a sex object? She jokes with Gambit about donning lingerie and becoming the White Queen, and Logan goes something like ‘ooo I’d like to see that’. Yuck! I’d slap him so hard for that.
Then they meet a 12-year-old cancer patient and he screams that Rogue is so hot. Remy is super hot too, don’t see the boy salivating over him, do you? The book is yuck and heteronormative. There were a couple of other things too, and I don’t understand the thinking behind these moments. It’s not naughty or sexy, it’s creepy and gross.
There’s another subplot of an invisible creature hunting mutants and that’s how we meet the new group of characters. I guess we’ll see how they turn out.
I do like the art. It’s very beautiful and colorful. And the characters are gorgeous to look at, especially the expressive eyes and faces. I do think the X-Men look way too young though.
I know I’ll read more, but how is it this hard to segregate raunchiness from creepiness. Does Simone usually forget this line? Rogue also deserves better than being an overwrought crying mess. It was so contrived. She’s lost people before, and yes, a kid dying of cancer is a really sad story, but did he die because of negligence and lack of resources because of anti-mutant rhetoric? No clue. Rogue is distraught and that’s somehow the story, but how does it all fit in. Weird.
Hope the writing gets better.
But, I don’t know about the story and some of the writing choices. It sure gave me pause. I know Gail Simone is a beloved writer—I don’t know how much of her stuff I’ve read, but this one I’m going into with the knowledge of her fame and prestige. And yet, the story was a bit all over the place.
The opening act, set in the abandoned Xavier Institute, was brilliant. Heartbreaking and cruel—Simone writes an allegory for what happens to the places and memories of peoples who are driven out of their land. So poignant. I don’t know who the captured mutant is, but I’m already frightened for them. I don’t know who this Dr. Ellis is either, but she seems evil and her denigration of the mutants is all we need to understand that.
Following this, however, the book falls away. We have a one-pager reminding us of how Logan must always love and lose because he’s immortal while his friends aren’t. But he’s also known death, but no peace. That plays on a mind.
Logan is in Mexico to meet Rogue and Gambit, who are randomly searching for a god-snake. I didn’t quite understand what was happening here. They introduced the creature as a dragon, but it claimed to be a god snake. I thought they wanted it out of the way because it was blocking the entrance to their new home, but actually they were trying to steal the Eye of Agamotto from the creature. And they attack it and maim it? I’m sorry? It was just living its life, and you guys decided to hurt it instead of talk to it. How does that make them heroes and not villains?
The god-snake then rightfully calls them out but says Rogue is a scared little girl—what? This is the most annoying part of the book, I feel like Simone and the creative team completely misunderstand how to write Rogue. I didn’t catch up with Krakoa, but there’s no way you’re going back to square one with Rogue and making her personality all about being afraid that no one will touch her and that she’s a fragile emotional mess. Look, I know the teams have been through so much with the loss of Krakoa, but you don’t see Gambit and Logan breaking down in tears, do you?
Gambit and Logan keep insisting that Rogue is the new leader of the X-Men, she’s the one they’ll follow, but for story reasons she’s made to doubt herself. I don’t get it. She is a natural leader, she’s with two men who’ve fought by her side for years, why wouldn’t she take leadership immediately. Not knowing what the X-Men are nowadays, that’s understandable, but her not knowing she’s a leader makes no sense.
Let’s also get into the most annoying part of this book—why is everyone so lascivious towards Rogue? She’s the only female X-Man in this book, so everyone just sees her as a sex object? She jokes with Gambit about donning lingerie and becoming the White Queen, and Logan goes something like ‘ooo I’d like to see that’. Yuck! I’d slap him so hard for that.
Then they meet a 12-year-old cancer patient and he screams that Rogue is so hot. Remy is super hot too, don’t see the boy salivating over him, do you? The book is yuck and heteronormative. There were a couple of other things too, and I don’t understand the thinking behind these moments. It’s not naughty or sexy, it’s creepy and gross.
There’s another subplot of an invisible creature hunting mutants and that’s how we meet the new group of characters. I guess we’ll see how they turn out.
I do like the art. It’s very beautiful and colorful. And the characters are gorgeous to look at, especially the expressive eyes and faces. I do think the X-Men look way too young though.
I know I’ll read more, but how is it this hard to segregate raunchiness from creepiness. Does Simone usually forget this line? Rogue also deserves better than being an overwrought crying mess. It was so contrived. She’s lost people before, and yes, a kid dying of cancer is a really sad story, but did he die because of negligence and lack of resources because of anti-mutant rhetoric? No clue. Rogue is distraught and that’s somehow the story, but how does it all fit in. Weird.
Hope the writing gets better.