“Here Comes The New Crew”
Creative Staff:
Story: Steve Orlando
Art: Eleonora Carlini
Colors: Matt Wills
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
What They Say:
NEW TEAM! NEW VILLAINS! NEW MYSTERIES! Captain Pryde and the Marauders are rededicating themselves to rescuing mutants, wherever they may be, and no matter how dangerous the odds against them are. But Captain Pryde’s crew is not yet complete! Against her better judgment, Pryde comes face-to-face with the final Marauder: Cassandra Nova! One of the most infamous villains in mutant history might be the Marauders’ only chance to unravel a mystery stretching two billion years into the past!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Having grown up with X-Men books in the early 80s before abandoning them in the early 90s, it was a huge part of defining me as a comics fan. I’ve tried repeatedly to reconnect over the years with no luck but I keep trying. This series was one that got me to try again because I still have a real affection for Kate Pryde and I know Steve Orlando is good at taking a big thing and making it accessible. It may be a bit denser here than it should be at times, and move too quickly through certain things, but I think he manages to get the job done for the most part – though that’s partially because of my own hazy memories. Luckily, he’s working with one of my favorite artists with Eleonora Carlini and they bring some gorgeous stuff to the page in design and layout to give it a really rich energy to move the narrative forward.
What helps with this book is that it is largely attempting to keep separate from the sprawl that are the X-books. I’m aware of where the very basics are in regards to Karkoa and the like, so jumping into this we get the idea that Kate has a mystery box device that reveals more about the first mutants. We’ve known for some time that those have included characters like Mr. Sinister and Selene among others like Apocalypse, and finding that there are more and that they’ve been held in captivity since that time has Kate wanting to put together a new Marauders crew to do it. That has her working with Bishop to pull it together and includes characters like Daken, Temp, Somnus, and Psylocke. It also brings in the new to me character of Cassandra Xavier, who is basically carnage incarnate but in a kind of managed way because of “help” that she’s gotten since being placed in a dead zone of Krakoa. Suffice to say, few are thrilled she’s there but it fits with Kate’s idea of second chances and doing what’s needed.
What we discover in regards to this group that has been disappeared is that it’s the Shi’ar that have done this. And that means it’s a trip into space, which is new to some of them, and it’s amusing since there’s an easy Harlock “homage” there in ship design. And just having Kate in that kind of outfit is fun. There’s a free-wheeling sense to it in a way that keeps it from feeling like it’s getting too serious even while playing with some darker elements and that’s a little problematic at times. With the Shi’ar, we do get some time to see events there, which updates me on it being Charles Xavier’s daughter that is now empress, and she’s now dealing with discovering that there are ancient people of her own that are protecting the species who are now coming out of their hiding out in the open because of what Kate and her crew represent. Suffice to say, ancient issues are about to throw the present day into chaos. Again.
In Summary:
Marauders will get me to stick around for a few issues and that’s largely because of my trust in the creative team. It helps that this is playing kind of separate from the rest of the X-books and that disconnect is what draws me in, much like my love in days past for the original Excalibur series. This series kickoff brings together a problematic-at-best kind of team in the right way and it sets up the tension well when it comes to the final member. Orlando does a solid job of laying out the basics and enough background as necessary for new readers – including a few text/memo pages. Carlini’s artwork is great with Wills’ color design adding a really good layer of fun to the whole design. It’s a fairly accessible book, at least to someone like me with an out-of-date history with the lager property, so I’m hopeful that it can become its own thing.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: April 6th, 2022
MSRP: $4.99
