Written by Olivia Aiere
While fans of Rogue might be excited to hear of her solo series, they might be equally disappointed by the lack of action in its first issue. The first issue builds intrigue and reintroduces familiar faces to X-Fans, but is ultimately exposition for the series’ larger arc.
Rogue, the mutant with absorption powers, is on a mission with the Louisiana X-Men when a civilian’s face triggers a memory of her past. Now haunted by visions of her days with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Rogue departs by herself to uncover what the memory means, and if it’s even hers.
To fuel this mystery, we’re only shown glimpses of the visions Rogue experiences. Despite Professor Xavier having cleared her mind of thoughts that weren’t hers, it’s likely that these memories have been absorbed from someone else. Now, Rogue must seek out her mother, Mystique, and uncover what she did in the Brotherhood that has to do with the civilian she saved. Much of the issue is dedicated to maintaining intrigue, so besides the opening fight there’s not much action. If Rogue’s dreams are any indication of future issues, however, we’re in for some more blood and claws down the road.
The character designs are quite well-done, especially in costume. The art also stands out on page 22, where Rogue flies over a background of a map of the U.S., considering the faces of her past that are leading her to her destination. The layout of this page is not only visually striking, but could allude to Rogue’s journey of tracing her steps from her time in the Brotherhood. Mystique’s design is also worth noting, as she does look starkly different from her usual appearance but still retains her distinct features and hopefully, her style. Her skull belt has yet to make an appearance, but there’s still time within the coming issues.
With many X-Men getting solo series this year, Rogue #1 is one of many to be excited for. This first issue is evidently building up to something well worth reading, despite not revealing much in this initial impression.
