Gambit

A good chunk of the Fabian Nicieza/Steve Skroce run.  I’m keeping this entirely for Skroce’s art. He crams so much energy into each panel, full of explosions, flying debris, and moving bodies.  His extended action sequences demonstrate why he was such a good fit for storyboarding on The Matrix.  It’s perfect for a Gambit solo title.  

(It’s a long sequence, but worth showing.)

And that’s just from the first issue!  One more from the second issue:

There is such a sense of movement, both in each panel and in the flow from page to page.  The coloring could be better, to bring more focus on the important elements and prevent them from getting lost amidst all the clutter.  

Clutter might be a good word to describe Nicieza’s plot points as well.  There’s quite a number of them, all thrown together across the first year’s worth of issues - The Mengo Brothers, the New Son, an alien ship, Fontanelle the dreamscraper, the X-Cutioner, Gambit’s childhood as a thief - They’re all mashed together, ostensibly for some overarching plot that I really don’t care about.  There are elements that I really like - Gambit stealing items at the behest of a mysterious employers, requiring elaborate feats of dexterity and intelligence. The moment-to-moment execution is superb, but all the surrounding pieces fail to hold my attention.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine