Mr & Mrs X #2 Hard Boiled Honeymoon

Characters: Another strong issue here and on realising last issue that the prize was an egg and this issue would have the Technet? Well I have to say, I was convinced that Hard Boiled Henry was to play a part. Disappointed though I was, the revelation we did actually got was far superior and a curveball I can’t wait to see pay off. Technet were also a dream to see and played their part perfectly, the right amount of daffiness with an edge of danger. Also my worries about the inclusion of the Merc with a Mouth were clearly unfounded. He actually added to the story here not detracted from it, inspired humor from his nicknaming Remy ‘Old Spice’ to the insistence that there is something between he and Rogue still.

Another surprise for me was that the potential damsel in distress scenario this could have been was not even close. The boys were both total rank amateurs and although Deadpool’s own mind was too much for Joyboy and Gambit gets a good explosion in on “Mother” it’s left to Rogue to mop up the mess and she not only pretty much took on the might of the Technet alone by the end (not as easy a task as first might appear) but also managed to hold her own against two of the biggest and most chaotic thieves in the Marvel universe, both of whom were too busy measuring egos, rather than actually focus on the task at hand.

Writing: Building on the last issue we now have the whole backstory of the wedding dealt with and can move on to the adventure in full swing and it was great to see Kelly Thompson getting her sleeves rolled up and go to town. She clearly favors Rogue and has written her in a very strong light, making her the self-assured lead character we haven’t seen much of since her Uncanny Avengers stint, who simply keeps her eyes on the prize throughout and has the right tactics from the get-go.

As well as spot-on characterisation the right balance of comedy and drama was struck here, with the high risk of the opening and the Shi’ar shooting Rogue’s craft out of space, Cerise taking them off the grid leaving Gambit to pilot the craft alone, right to the high jinks that ensued in the matchup with Gatecrashers team. I was a little sad to see Cerise written out so quickly, but I assume she will be back as the story unfolds, maybe to close out the story and get some affirmation that her trust in Gambit wasn’t misplaced. Also as Deadpool points out the spontaneous proposal and how lame it was I can’t help feeling that Kelly is having some fun and that recent fan comments may have been referenced there. And as much as he tries to pit one against the other the newly wedded team are clear on one thing.

Added to that as they discuss the crystal becoming an egg, Gambit’s assertion about Kitty is also fun and an indication Kelly has her ear to the ground about the opinions of readers. trolling the trolls maybe? My one slight bugbear in all this was Gatecrashers final bit of dialogue. I have always known her to talk in more business-like tones, never as though she comes from the ‘hood and so smack talk like “you’re gonna get creamed” was a little off key for her. Maybe her time with Rocket had more of an effect than I suspected. I won’t judge.

I also couldn’t help notice Deadpool asserting at every opportunity that he, Rogue and Gambit were a team, like a dripping tap and this was perfect writing for him. Ever the con artist, if you say it enough times Wade maybe you can hypnotize them into believing it. But not today. And the running gags of ‘bacons’ and ‘meat cubes’ was hilarious, plus his insistence that she throw in some persuasion to give up the egg, it was as if he was continually trying to ingratiate himself on Rogue and drive little wedges between her and Remy and she just wasn’t going to fall for it.

Art: Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson give a spectacular cover which highlights the perfect balance of drama and humor in the title and even manages to give the gist of the relationship between the main characters. Overall Oscar Bazaldua did a wonderful job and ensured the energy of the writing bled through into the art, the fight scenes and space peril were perfect and the visual comedy of Rogue and Remy’s double take when they realise Deadpool had made away with the egg as he charges off like some Loony Tune villain was worth it. Even the way China Doll minimized Gambit was done in an interesting visual.

And more comedy gold was to be witnessed without a word spoken and the imagery alone when Gambit gamely starts breaking Deadpool out of Bodybag’s casing, even after Deadpool just couldn’t help make size jokes, not to mention finally admitting Gambit is good looking but still getting some more emasculating digs in there.

However, there were one or two inconsistencies with facial expressions and at one point Rogue was drawn with a slightly off-kilter face in the panel where she explains to Gambit that the crystal is now an egg, but within the whole context and issue there was little to complain about in regards to art and in that same panel Gambit looked like a GQ model and the cheekbone shading and coloring of Frank D’Armata added some perfection to an otherwise odd scene. And also his colors during the fight with Technet and the opening sequence were spectacular. Never once did he make the vastness of space look cold and empty, which is the usual go-to for artists depiction of space. After all. it’s Shi’ar space, a place teeming with lifeforms.

COMING NEXT: LOVE & MARRIAGE PART 3! ROGUE and GAMBIT’S romantic getaway is but a faint memory as they’re forced to team up with DEADPOOL to protect a dangerous and extremely valuable “package” when half the galaxy comes to claim it. What secrets does the package hold that the Imperial Guard and Deathbird (with an entire Shi’ar rebellion in tow!) will risk everything for? More importantly, can Rogue, Gambit, and Deadpool stop bickering long enough to win?

Mr & Mrs X #3 On Sale 19th September 2018!