The Red Queen Of The Seas (Marauders #1 Review)
Updated: Jan 25, 2020
MARAUDERS #1
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Matteo Lolli
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: Cory Petit
Cover: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson
Rating: 8/10
All hail Kate Pryde Red Queen of the Seven Seas, Captain of the Marauders and liberator of mutants. That's right our favorite intangible mutant is now the captain of her own ship and is leading a team of mutants across the globe to liberate mutants and take the to Krakoa. But why, when they can just go through a Krakoan gate? Because some of the countries still hate mutants and are guarding these gates and keeping mutants from entering. This is where Kate (Kitty) comes into play. This is the first book in the new "Dawn of X" line of books that isn't X-Men proper. It was one two books that in the line that intrigued me the most, and after reading I can say that I loved it more than I expected.
LET ME IN!
When the book starts, we see are taken back months ago when the mutants first started going to Krakoa. It is here that we see our first twist, Kitty can't enter through the gates. I know, what the hell? Well she has to get to Krakoa somehow right? So she has to commandeer a vessel to get there. Through the charts that we've all come to know and love, from HOUSE OF X & POWERS OF X, we get a captains log of sorts detailing her journey to the island. While she should have got there sooner, her drinking of Logan's booze that she's bringing has made it take longer. Gerry Duggan's humor is perfect for a book like this and just reading that page hooked me in. After getting to the island and seeing Iceman and Logan we see that it wasn't just booze that Logan had her bring. Duggan used these charts perfectly.
WILL YOU BE MY CAPTAIN?
As Iceman leaves through a gate to liberate mutants from Russia, Kitty is presented with an offer from none other than Emma Frost aka The White Queen of the Hellfire Club. With the mutant country giving their life sustaining drugs to those that recognize them as their own country, there are still those that resist. With the Hellfire Trading Company being the most important mutant corporation, there needs to be a leader and who better than Kitty right? But it's not just the transportation of drugs it's also liberating mutants from those hostile countries. Kitty wonders why Emma wouldn't go to Storm, which she did but Storm turned it down. Kitty takes her leave and ponders this opportunity.
The best part of the interaction between these two, was the obvious respect that Emma has for Kitty. She only refers to her as Kate and talks of how dependable she is in these time of unpredictability. I find myself yearning for the next time these two are together again.
GATHERING THE CREW
Remember how I said Iceman went to Russia to liberate some mutants? Wellll, he wasn't successful. Enter Kate, she gathers Storm and also the original Pyro and the four of them return to Russia. When they return we see what a fucking badass Kate Pryde truly is. She pretty much singlehandedly takes down the Russian soldiers. With moves I've never seen her do before. Matteo Lolli orchestrated these scenes perfectly. The fluidity with which Kitty moves is like watching a dancer. She pulls no punches and in those 5 pages made me a Matteo Lolli fan for life.
After defeating the army and freeing the mutants, the team is christened. The Marauders are born.
YOU CAN CALL ME KATE
With the mission set and her crew together. Kitty accepts Emma's offer. But if you pay close attention she says "yes" to both offers. Which as many of us have already figured out, mean she will be the Red Queen of the Hellfire Club. This will be an interesting new dynamic to add to Kitty, or as she tells her crew, "Do me a favor, call me Kate".
WHEREVER THE WIND TAKES US
The ideas for this series are endless. I for one am definitely gonna stick with this series. I'm giving each new X-book a shot for at least the first issue. I can happily say, that so far, they're 2-for-2. This was a great first issue and I recommend every one give it a shot. There was even some Bar Sinister gossip at the end that I won't give away. But will definitely leave you thinking.
Duggan and Lolli did an excellent job setting up this new adventure and I can't wait to see where the wind takes our rag tag group of mutants next.