Gambit #1 & Gambit #2 (2012)
Gambit #1 (2012)
It’s no real secret that I love Gambit as a character. A southern charmer and dashing thief to boot. He’s made to be the kind of man who women want and men want to be… he’s just shy of a cliché but is still his own man which is a testament to creator Chris Claremont’s creative skills. So naturally I was looking forward to reading a brand new series (esp since no Thieves’ Guild stuff!).
Now, I’ve read a few reviews and to be honest, the ones giving it middling scores don’t know what they are talking about. They are completely missing the point as to what is driving Gambit. It’s literally the lack of drive that is pushing him forward.
Gambit used to be a loner thief, then through a series of events he’s, in his own words, become a teacher, a sympathetic ex-boyfriend, and a team player. He is doing what we’ve all done (or will do) once we settle into a routine and that is miss the times when life was more exciting (or seemed to be). For most adults that’s missing all those keggers in college and spending every weekend at the lake kind of things. For Gambit, it’s that thrill of a score.
But he’s a responsible adult so he’s not just gonna burn all bridges and go back to being a full-time thief, just like only adults in a major midlife crisis aren’t going to quit their job. So while we might decide to put together a trip to the lake ‘like old times’ he decides to rob a guy. It’s nothing more deep than that but at the same time it’s extremely deep and showing of his character. It makes him very human as we all experience that kind of slump.
Of course, something goes wrong and now Gambit is on a little adventure…
The adventure though, after two issues, is kinda meh. This other female seems a bit generic tough-girl (and I’m not saying that cause I love Rogue!). She hasn’t done anything we haven’t seen and there is no spark about her that makes her different. Maybe we’ll see something in the next issue, but atm she’s very forgettable. Hell, Sekhmet in Gambit (1999) was more memorable.
And the set up for the adventures is a bit basic and haven’t we don’t this ‘Gambit gets possessed’ shtick before? (granted, this isn’t the same kind of possession, that we know of, for now).
But Gambit is in good form, cracking a few jokes, being absolutely charming, and generally reminding us why we love Gambit. Plus, where can you go wrong with half-nekkid Gambit? Seriously, the boy is showing a lot of skin in these first two issues showing that the writer and artist understands their audience quite well…
So while I wouldn’t give these issues 5 stars, they are still very entertaining and very much setting up for some great Gambit-y goodness to come.
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