Chris Claremont Returns To The X-Men In New ‘Gambit’ #1 Preview
by Tony Thornley
Marvel has made a killing on nostalgia-driven stories featuring some of their greatest characters. In the latest, legendary Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont takes one of his most popular characters back to the beginning in Gambit.
Joined by rising star artist Sid Kotian, the new limited series will revisit Remy LeBeau’s time just before he joined the X-Men. In this flashback story, he and a de-aged Storm form a unique bond, while thieving and adventuring through the Mississippi River basin.
From Marvel’s press release: The series will unearth a wide range of previously untold adventures, from a brush with the Shadow King to an array of earthbound and out of this world escapades, that gives Claremont a chance to further explore Gambit’s path to becoming a heroic X-Man as well as reveal new insights into another trademark character of his, Storm, at a pivotal moment in her history. Get your first look at this story of action, intrigue and revenge in new interior artwork and variant covers by all-star artists Salvador Larroca, Peach Momoko, Scott Williams, and InHyuk Lee!
When asked why he chose to revisit this specific era, Claremont told AiPT Comics: “Because I considered it somewhere that provided the opportunity for a whole-lotta-fun to be had by all involved. Think about it: who notices kids? The way Remy dresses, not to mention his great body and gorgeous looks, most of the time all eyes turn towards him. [Kid] ‘Ro remains functionally invisible. Target looks to Remy, ‘Ro picks his pocket. But the true reason, frankly, is that the story turned out to be a whole lot more fun this way.”
Check out the preview of story pages from the first issue, as well the variant covers, and be sure to pick up Gambit #1 on July 27th!