The party opens on a note I’m sadly familiar with, being the perennially ‘on time’ person that I am. Bobby Drake arrives ‘on time’ to the party to Rogue’s consternation and an empty apartment. Being the only guest in an empty apartment, Rogue drafts him into service in preparation for the party as she frets. Unbeknownst to either of them, they are being watched by mysterious figures from the rafters of the apartment. Meanwhile, to Gambit’s surprise, his father arrives next. Gambit is pleased to see him, but is soon made painfully aware of his father’s true purpose in visiting. Papa LaBeau takes Remy aside, and as he explains that he is about to be attacked the shadowy figures in the raft drop down into the apartment. Rogue, making it clear she’ll accept no shenanigans, instructs Remy to take it outside. Being a dutiful husband, Remy happily obliges. Setting up a major plot point going forward, the attackers reveal that they are members of the thieves guild as Rogue joins her husband on the roof. Dissatisfied with Remy’s leadership and his marriage to a purifying influence in Rogue, they seek to remove him. While the couple fight on the roof, Bobby Drake takes on the role of host and invites the arriving X-Men into the apartment. Thompson provides some humorous juxtaposition with the battle above and the light party chatter occurring below. The exclamation point on this ridiculous situation is Remy falling past the window as X-23 and Bobby casually remark on it. Having been freed from her inhibitor collar, Rogue decides enough is enough and puts a quick end to the battle. 
Kelly Thompson’s writing is superb in this issue. Her ability to combine humor, action and emotional stakes is professionally done and incredibly fun to read. Additionally, she intersperses those moments with candid glimpses of the X-Men in a social situation. It is refreshing and endearing to see these iconic characters in moments like these. David Lopez (Avenging Spiderman, Widowmaker) does yeoman work pencilling this book though certain panels seem out-of-place, differing in style than the rest of the book. All in all though, the characters are beautifully rendered and colored. This is an entertaining read that provides a perfect gateway for the next chapter of this series. I recommend you pick it up and enjoy.
Art – 4 of 5 Stars
Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writing – Kelly Thompson
Art – David Lopez
Color – Nayoung Kim
Letters – Joe Sabino
Author Profile
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Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.
He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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