Review — ‘Rogue: The Savage Land’ #1 Is Unsure Of Its Purpose

These days, Marvel — and particularly the X-Men — are no strangers to “nostalgia books,” miniseries set just before, during, or after a well-remembered run, story, or issue. Like all stories, some work better than others, but they are largely intended to remind readers of a thing they liked before, more so than push any narratives or characters forward (outside of the occasional continuity patch). Rogue: The Savage Land #1 is the first issue of the latest such effort from Marvel. While it’s competent enough from a craft perspective, it commits what is perhaps the cardinal sin for books like this: it doesn’t seem to know who it is for.

It’s set during the events of Uncanny X-Men #269 (written by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee) — or, more specifically, it’s set during the few pages of that issue after Rogue arrives in the Savage Land, without her flight, strength and invulnerability as a result of her trip through the Siege Perilous (it’s … a whole thing), and the point where she gets rescued from an angry golem of Ms. Marvel by Magneto. The bulk of this issue thus features Rogue tromping around the jungle as her costume gets increasingly frayed (artist Zulema Scotto Lavina even recreates a specific panel from the issue, while writer Tim Seely reprises the moment when Rogue finds the X-Men’s abandoned symbol and gets attacked by the Ms. Marvel golem), before meeting up with Magneto and getting drawn into the looming conflict with Zaladane (which will presumably be the focus of the rest of this miniseries, leading up to the battle already chronicled in Uncanny X-Men #274-275).

All of which begs the question: who is this for? Presumably, this miniseries was either commissioned or greenlit on the back of the animated series X-Men ’97 reinvigorating fan interest in the Magneto/Rogue romance (a romance that never really went as far in the comics, outside an alternate reality story, as it did in the cartoon, but that’s neither here nor there). But by operating within the confines of an established story, Seely is somewhat hamstrung by how far he can take that relationship. Maybe future issues will explore it more; in issue #1, there’s very little of it on display. What’s left is a pretty straightforward jungle adventure story, fine for what it is, but not anything Claremont and Lee didn’t already do better (in fewer pages) in the original issue.

At the same time, even before X-Men ’97 came along, “Savage Land Rogue” was a popular iteration of the character amongst segments of the fanbase, appearing on variant covers and the like. This is largely due to the fact that A.) her attire in this setting is minimal and B.) Jim Lee is good at drawing sexy ladies. If any of those fans came to this book simply looking for cheesecake, they’re likely disappointed. Lavina is a decent enough artist; their anatomy can get a little wonky at times and the lines are perhaps heavier than they need to be, but with the help of colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, there’s, in general, a suitable pulpy feel to a story set in a prehistoric, dinosaur-laden jungle. But at the same time, Lavina is no Adam Hughes, or Frank Cho, or, well, Jim Lee — a perhaps unfair comparison but one which is nevertheless invited by terms of the miniseries. Rogue is not wearing much clothing throughout Rogue: Savage Land #1, sure, but outside of a pose or two, this is not principally a cheesecake comic.

Perhaps then, this is a comic intended for longtime, hardcore fans, ones obsessed with the minutiae of continuity (*cough*) and happy when an unresolved or underdeveloped plot point or bit of characterization gets revisited. Yet even there, this issue isn’t exploring a narrative setting crying out for exploration. Sure, there’s a gap between Uncanny X-Men #269 and the somewhat in media res opening of Uncanny X-Men #274 into which the escalation of Zaladane’s villainous machinations can fit, but there’s largely a reason Claremont skipped over that in the first place: it’s not necessary. Maybe, in future issues, Seely will unveil some twists and turns that will make revisiting it worthwhile; for now, there’s little here to suggest as much.

Ultimately, this issue feels like it’s doing too much, and as result, doesn’t succeed at really any of it. There’s little room devoted to the Rogue/Magneto relationship for fans of X-Men ’97, nor much room to explore it in future issues (at least without breaking canon, something these miniseries generally try to avoid). Artistically, the book isn’t trying to be a cheesecake-y showcase for people who just like Sexy Jungle Rogue, and it’s not rooting around in a corner of the X-Men narrative crying out for exploration. In trying to please all masters, Rogue: Savage Land #1 manages to please none.