‘Rogue: Savage Land’ #2 Mostly Picks A Lane And Is Better For It — Review

After trying to be too many things at once — pulpy jungle adventure, cheesecake spectacle, and continuity insert — in its debut issue, Rogue: Savage Land #2 represents an improvement for the series. It achieves this simply by seemingly settling in one specific direction: pulpy jungle adventure.

Whether this holds true for the rest of the series, or if it enters into a weird situation where it ping-pongs between narrative missions each issue, remains to be seen. But for now, it’s on a much more solid footing, even if some of the edges are still rough. 

To be clear, elements of its earlier tonal mishmash remain. It is still a continuity insert story, set between the Rogue/Magneto plotlines of Uncanny X-Men #269 and #274. It is also not shy about presenting ridiculously fit people in scanty attire, though artist Zulema Scotto Lavina isn’t just drawing Sexy Rogue. Magneto spends a good chunk of the issue with his costume similarly tattered, his (surprisingly well-muscled) abs and thighs on display.

Savage Land regular Ka-Zar and his loincloth gets in on the action, as Rogue and Zabu rescue him from a would-be sacrifice. In general, by no longer doing direct homages to Jim Lee pages from Uncanny X-Men #269, the art throughout this issue comes off much better than in the first issue. 

It’s still not clear why this story is being told as a continuity insert tale. Plot-wise, Rogue and Magneto fighting back against Zaladane’s efforts to gain control of the Savage Land certainly serves as a lead up to the action in Uncanny X-Men #274 and #275.

But thus far, little has happened which adds a whole lot, plot-wise or thematically, to what we were already told in the original stories, nor much which deepens or recontextualizes our understanding of the Rogue/Magneto relationship. Writer Tim Seely is presumably laying some groundwork for that here, with Zaladane becoming a bigger part of the plot of this miniseries, and various factions of the Savage Land political order getting drawn into the conflict. But while “showing” is almost always better than “telling” when it comes to storytelling, when working in the realm of retroactive continuity here, the “showing” needs to add something more than just showing what readers were previously told.

But Rogue: The Savage Land #2 is nevertheless an enjoyable comic, thanks to its commitment to being a pulpy jungle adventure above all else. There’s spears, sabretooth tigers, pterodactyls, attempted sacrifices, blood rituals, and weird cultists. Ignore that this is tied to a very specific narrative and visual moment in X-lore, and it’s easy enough to enjoy as simple comic book entertainment. That the issue leans into the pulp elements, and doesn’t routinely remind us of its existence as continuity insert story, makes it all the better.