ROGUE #1 – Learning of the Past

Creative Team – Erica Schultz, Luigi Zagaria, Espen Grundetjern, Vc’s Ariana Maher

Published by Marvel Comics

This comic is reviewed by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn, Edalyn, and your truly, Megan!

The Story

Megan – While on a mission, Rogue gets a good look at someone from her past, someone she wasn’t even aware was from her past. Ever since then, she’s been haunted with memories, or at least shadows of memories that she can’t put together. Her time with the Brotherhood of the Evil Mutants is something that’s surrounded by mystery for her as she can’t remember all that happened, but it seems one memory is pushing through the mental wall.

Erica Schultz, once again, brings a story that’s compelling and kept my mind permanently hooked to the story. Surrounded in mystery and guaranteeing an exciting look into Rogue’s past, Rogue #1 started off hot and heavy and has me extremely excited to see what’s next for her.

Edalyn – Writing: Schultz really seems to entirely understand the character of Rogue while crafting the makings of a great story. The moments of grief, guilt and trauma really hit home here as we start to explore more of Rogue’s past with the Brotherhood. This is balanced out amazingly well with the tender moments between her & her beau. There was one particular moment that stood out to me, showing the mesh of these two parts of her character that felt jarring in the absolute best way. As for the story itself, I’m very excited to see where this goes and to have so many of questions be answered. There’s threads here that plenty of longtime fans will pick up on and go “we’ll wait a minute now…” and I absolutely love bits like that when I pick up a comic or watch a movie, something that, to me, this book really feels like.

Shawn – Raise your hand if you’ve ever been victimized by a possum? Okay, just me and the X-Men then. I’m loving what Erica Schultz is doing so far on Rogue No 1. As a native born son of Mississippi, this feels comfortable to me. I sometimes feel like Marvel tends to shy away from Rogue’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutant days, but I love that they’ve give Schultz the freedom to not only use it in the panels but to make it a central plot element. I also really love the creative decision to include some of the Outliers in this Rogue solo series. It often feels like new mutants when introduced either seem to fade into the background or develop a huge following and become prominent with little in between. I like that in this issue Schultz is incorporating the Outlier’s into the plot in a meaningful way and I hope it continues with the rest of this run.

The Art

Megan – The artists of Rogue #1 brought so much heat to the pages of the comic, the energy was high on all counts. From the fight with the giant possum to the intense memories flooding back to Rogue, causing her misery and turmoil, you can’t help but get lost in the artwork. The detailing work is fantastic, the colors are vibrant and do a beautiful job juxtaposing the darker colors, and the lettering creates a beautiful flow of dialogue that keeps you locked into the story. The artwork perfectly showcased the excellent story and that’s all thanks to Luigi Zagaria, Espen Grundetjern, and Ariana Maher.

Edalyn – The color work and shading by Espen Grundetjern really helps Luigi Zagaria’s designs leap off the page. The line work is some of the best I’ve seen of recent and several of the designs really stood out to me, especially the possum right at the start. It reminded me of something you would see in Resident Evil or Fallout with its big, beastly form and multiple eyes. Every hit and crash landing that Rogue took also made me feel like I was the one taking the hits but watching her get up each time and just wipe the dirt off like it was nothing was awe inspiring.

Shawn – Ariana Maher knocked it out of the park with the lettering on this issue. With the narrative flowing between interaction and narration, everything flowed so smoothly. My eyes easily tracked across the action without any confusion, creating a really nice flow in the work. The variation in colors for the sound effect words was a nice touch. Luigi Zagaria crafted a possum that is downright terrifying to see when you get to the first panel of a comic. I’d be lying if I said Zagaria didn’t give me a little jumpscare with such great art. Espen Grundetjern does a great job bringing Zagaria’s art to life with beautiful colors and shading. The coloring in Hotoru makes the character feel equal parts powerful and eerie. This issue is just a really great team effort by the visual creative team

Final Thoughts

Megan – 10/10. Rogue #1 was a fantastic start that’ll have me very anxiously awaiting the next issue to drop! Erica Schultz and the creative team brought a look back into the life of Rogue, a life that isn’t explored anywhere nearly enough.

Edalyn – 10/10. Overall, an absolute 10/10 start to what I hope is a truly perfect run.

Shawn – 10/10. What a great first issue. Rogue feels less like a comic book, and more like spinning yarn. It captures Rogue’s character perfectly by making it feel like Rogue herself is sharing the story with you as she sits on a front porch in a rocking chair sipping on her sweet tea. I’m happy to come back and visit this when the run ends, but Rogue 1 sets up a standard that feels like Schultz, Zagaria, Grundetjern, and Maher are crafting less of a story and more of a love letter to a beloved figure in the X-Men lore.

Overall Grade – 10/10

Let us know what you thought of Rogue #1!