Author: Junkeeb, contributor

by Chris Claremont, Salvador Larroca, Liquid!

Release date: August 8th

Welcome back Great Gambino! He has a good deal of the spotlight and a snappy introduction to boot! I think Gambit fans will be very happy with this issue. All in all a solid read, mostly set-up with some nice character moments. Well, on with the show!

This issue sets up a new arc in the journey of the X-Treme team. CC haters will probably be up in arms over the exposition, while CC fans will enjoy the intricate points he brings up and clues he drops regarding possible future events. There are indeed times in this issue where the scenes tend to jump suddenly and the wordiness and complexity of the plot makes for at times a confusing read. Certainly, that is the point, to set up a mystery to be solved and to have it pay off in later issues

The characterizations were pretty solid. Although some sequences seem to come out of nowhere and are a little forced, there are some genuinely great moments. Fun character interaction and zippy on liners help keep the pace pretty fast and the read enjoyable. You do have to endure a bit of heavy handed exposition in the opening though, but once past that the book maintains a good rhythm.

All in all another solid issue. The art was really strong here. Salva & Liquid really seem to be making the most of this technique and improve with every issue. There were times that the definition could have been better like the hilarious moments of Rogue going through boxes were a little fuzzy. Still it's a nice look to the overall style of the book.

CC is a little focused on exposition in this book, so the action is light. But he makes up for it in the scenes with Gambit and Vargas which are the highlight of the book. Though flawed, the book is still entertaining and worth a look.