Noteworthy Issues: Marauders #2 (November, 2019)

When I started doing this near-daily comic reviews, I started with the various Krakoan-age X-books.  But somehow, Marauders fell through the cracks, a series where I never read the second issue despite having no issue with the first.

Well, I did get to it at last.

Issue:  Marauders #2, November 2019

Writer:  Gerry Duggan

Artist:  Matteo Lolli

The Plot:  Kate Pryde does pirate stuff, both on the high seas and in the boardroom.

Commentary:  So, what is the Hellfire Club’s deal?  Serious question.  I would have thought there were two groups, black and white or black and red or something, but this issue suggests there is a Red, White, and Black King.  Or Queen since Emma Frost is one of them, and she’s facing off with Sebastian Shaw while discussing who the third king will be.  Should I be surprised at who the third is?  I don’t much think so.

Regardless, there’s some fun stuff here.  Kate’s crew–Lockheed, Pyro, Iceman, Storm, and by issue’s end, Bishop–take on some other pirates led by, of all people, Batroc the Leaper.  That actually takes an interesting turn when, mid-fight, Batroc actually asks to parley because, well, he’s just hired muscle and he doesn’t want to mess with Krakoa.  It doesn’t quite go the way Batroc proposes, but it’s an almost nonviolent way for the fight to end, and it was a real issue highlight for me.

The rest is fine and all, but having a superhero fight end because the bad guy doesn’t want to mess with the good guys and tries to find a good deal for all involved is a nice touch, and that’s the sort of thing that I can get behind.  The issue itself is also fairly creative, all things being equal, but I didn’t expect Batroc to appear in an X-Men book, I didn’t expect him to appear to hold his own against some mutants, and I really didn’t expect him to try negotiating, and even when it doesn’t quite go his way, he doesn’t seem too upset about it.

Anyway, fun issue.  Maybe I’ll get to the third before Christmas.

Grade:  B+