Rogue #5: Past & Present

Rogue #5 (of 5) is full of Rogue’s narration that doesn’t do anything aside from fill the pages. That is just one part of the issue and the overall storyline’s problem. None of the previous plot threads are brought back up, and the story ends somewhat unceremoniously.

This issue’s characterization of Rogue in particular is particularly questionable. For instance, Rogue asking Gambit to use the dangerous Eye of Agamotto for something she could’ve done in a thousand different ways only serves to remind us when this arc is taking place in continuity relevant to Uncanny X-Men. Aside from that, Rogue barging into the life of someone she hurt in her past is not only very irresponsible but also naive in a way that doesn’t quite fit the character.

Erica Schultz’s overall portrayal of Rogue in this limited series is a significant departure from the Rogue we see in the currently running Uncanny X-Men, and the series’ story doesn’t reveal or change anything about the status quo or Rogue herself to justify this departure. What started out as a couple of intriguing ideas are put aside for a story that doesn’t really change anything. The reason Rogue’s powers were malfunctioning never gets explained fully, although we as readers can assume it was some kind of emotional turbulence, and there isn’t any closure regarding the Brotherhood flashback storyline either.

The end of the issue sees Rogue return to her everyday life back in Louisiana, however this kind of invalidates the point of the story which is that people make mistakes and they have to live with them. Rogue made a mistake and simply ignores it moving forward.

Luigi Zagaria’s art continues to be a highlight of this series. Rogue along with various other characters are drawn well, the panel arrangement does more for the story than the writing itself, and the one semi-interesting scene in this issue featuring Gambit is drawn very well with neat line art across a double-page. Espen Grundetjern’s colors also do some of the heavy lifting, with characters that stand out because of their shading and consistent lighting in each panel.