Gambit and the X-Ternals

Gambit & The X-Ternals #1-4

by Fabian Nicieza, Tony S. Daniel (Illustrator)

A comic book featuring the X-men wherein a troubled dissident movement within America has, until recently, been fighting a losing battle, outmatched and riven by internal dispute. Now, with the discovery of Bishop, a man purported to be from an alternate timeline, they move with new purpose. Magneto, in his role as leader of the revolutionary band named X-men, now seeks to end this world--to twist it towards the world Bishop knows, where there may still live a man called Charles Xavier, whose heart and dream stopped in Magneto's arms twenty years ago...

Collects Gambit & The X-ternals #1-4

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, X Men, Marvel, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Fabian Nicieza is a writer and editor who is best known as the co-creator of DEADPOOL and for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, and Robin.

His first novel, the Edgar Award-nominated SUBURBAN DICKS, a sarcastic murder mystery, is on sale now from Putnam Books.

The Dicks will return in THE SELF-MADE WIDOW, coming June 21st.

Reviews

[Jeff Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Age of Apocalypse, En Sabah Nur has taken over half the globe in the aftermath of Charles Xavier's death twenty years ago at the hand of his son, and Magneto formed the X-Men in the place of his former friend. There is no X-Force in this alternate reality, but this four-issue mini-series does feature a group of rebels who are viewed as dangerous and unpredictable even among their fellow freedom-fighters. Gambit is very much a Robin Hood-like leader of this team of "Merry Men" (and women), and they are recruited by Magneto to pull off the biggest heist in the X-Ternals' history -- they must snatch a shard of the fabled M'Kraan Crystal from the Shi'Ar Empire and bring it back to Earth so that it can be used to restore the proper reality. The cast includes Lila Cheney, whose powers are first activated in the premiere issue, Jubilee, Sunspot, and Guido (Strong Guy from X-Factor), and the team is able to traverse galaxies, coming into contact with the Starjammers (led by a surprising character) and conflict with Gladiator and the Imperial Guard, and just when it seems like the group will achieve a pyrrhic victory, they suffer an even more devastating series of setbacks. To find out what those are, read this book, which features some of the earliest pencil work on X-books by Salvador Larroca in the third and fourth issues of the mini-series.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the book X-Force in its Age of Apocalypse iteration. Which is really odd because there are only two X-Force representatives that make it to this book and one's a villain. Fabian Nicieza stays on writing duties and Tony Daniel draws the first two issues. Then Salvador Larroca makes his first appearance within the confines of my X-Men continuity quest. Daniel's work is a bit inconsistent but I find I enjoy it for its slightly skewed style. Larroca is a long ways off from finding himself. His work looks young.

The book has Gambit leading the X-Ternals (yep, they whipped out all the dumb names they could muster for this event) who are made up by Jubilee, Guido (Strong Guy normally), Sunspot, and Lila Cheney. They get sent off to "far reaches of space" to get the M'Kraan crystal. So basically they want to showcase the space X-Men stuff, so the Imperial Guard and the Starjammers show up.

Nicieza goes with a lot more cyberpunk banter than he did in Amazing. Obviously the AoA setting fits a cyberpunk feel of sorts. Overall the story is fairly uninspired, but it has its fun points.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it's been done countless times in superhero comics, the idea for the Age of Apocalypse is a pretty good one. Familiar characters that are a little different to what we're used to in a setting that's completely differenet to the normal one. It gives writers a chance to do things with the characters they'd otherwise never be allowed to do and artists get a chance to redesign everything. Of course the problem with all of the Age of Apocalypse stories is they're about as 90's as comics get in both story and art. This one definitely drives the main plot of the event a lot more than some of the others, but it's still pretty forgettable. Decent action but not much to the characters. None of the relationship twists feel earned.