February has come to a close, and so has the second month of “Shadows of Tomorrow”, a new initiative of X-books coming off the seismic and world-breaking “Age of Revelation” event. The X-books are back in full swing, with some titles like X-Men by Jed MacKay, Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone, and Wolverine by Saladin Ahmed continuing their narratives that began last summer as part of the “From the Ashes” relaunch. With “Shadows of Tomorrow”, we also had a few new titles making their exciting debut, such as Inglorious X-Force by Tim Seeley and Magik & Colossus by Ashley Allen.
One of the new titles that launched during “Shadows of Tomorrow” was Rogue by Eric Schultz, the first solo series starring the character since Rogue Vol. 3 by Robert Rodi, which ran for 12 issues from 2004 to 2005. While this series is primarily set in the current continuity, the core premise of Rogue features the titular character searching for missing parts of her memory following an encounter with a man named John Stelton, who triggers visions of events from her memory that she has forgotten. In addition to these unpleasant memories, Rogue is also struggling with maintaining control of her powers, which presents an interesting challenge for Rogue to deal with on top of distressing visions of incidents from her past that she does not remember.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Rogue #2!
Rogue #2 picks up exactly where we left the character at the end of Rogue #1, paying a visit to her foster mothers, Mystique and Destiny, to learn what Mystique can tell her about those memories, and how they are linked to her time working for Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants prior to joining the X-Men. Following the events of Mystique by Declan Shalvey, Mystique is in a weakened state and is much more of a withered and aged crone than the fierce vixen we know her to be. With her shape-changing powers disrupted and relying on a wheelchair for mobility, this is a very different version of Mystique, and a stark contrast from the nubile and agile assassin we are accustomed to seeing in the comics. This new iteration of Mystique also colors her interactions with Rogue in an interesting way. There is a softness to Mystique that is demonstrative of the love and affection she has for Rogue, someone she has always viewed as a daughter, but at times has had a tense and even abrasive relationship with.
Mystique’s choice to withhold information from Rogue creates tension in their already tumultuous relationship. (Credit: Marvel Comics)
Despite Mystique’s fondness for Rogue, she exhibits a willingness to lie and withhold information from her, as we see in this issue. Mystique begins to fill in some of Rogue’s missing memories by recounting to her how the pair infiltrated Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. to steal an inhibitor module that she planned to use to break the other Brotherhood members out of prison after they were apprehended following the attempted assassination of Senator Robert Kelly in Uncanny X-Men #141-142. The jailbreak caper was completed in Avengers Annual #10, which also marks Rogue’s first appearance. According to Mystique, the mission to apprehend the control module was interrupted by the arrival of the villains Sabretooth and Constrictor.
Rogue recalls Sabretooth and Constrictor being in her visions, but when she presses Mystique for more information, specifically about John Stelton, Mystique clams up, telling her, “I’ve said more than I should’ve already, Rogue. The rest…It’s not important”. Mystique also tells Rogue, “You’re right where you need to be”, which is as cryptic as it is confusing. What is Mystique hiding from Rogue, and why does she insist on lying to her daughter? Rogue, angry and unsatisfied with the lack of answers and clarity that Mystique is giving her, storms off, accusing Mystique of not trusting her and saying she doesn’t want anything to do with her if Mystique won’t be honest with her. After Rogue is gone, Destiny questions Mystique about whether lying to Rogue is in her best interest, asking Mystique whether it would be better for Rogue to learn the truth directly from Mystique rather than on her own. This conversation also implies that Destiny also knows about the truth that Rogue is searching for, and suggests something about the severity of the secret that Mystique is keeping from Rogue, and the consequences that might result once Rogue knows the truth.
From there, much of the action focuses on Rogue fighting a warehouse of armed goons working for a man only identified to the audience as Mr. Teman, a weapons dealer who is selling weapons to a hate group called Humanity First. During this fight, we see Rogue’s powers malfunctioning, as we see not only her taking on other mutants’ abilities, such as Nightcrawler, Pixie, and Blob, but Mystique as well, which causes Rogue to be able to take on shape-shifting abilities as well. Seeing Rogue shifting forms throughout the fight gives us an enthralling visual spectacle and an opportunity for Luigi Zagaria to flex their skills as an artist, as well as a chance to show Rogue dispatching several enemy combatants single-handedly.
Not much else happens the remainder of the issue, apart from an ending which suggests that John Stelton might be coming after Rogue with a vengeance. We know from solicits and the cover for Rogue #3 that next we will see Rogue traveling to Chicago to track down Constrictor as she searches for more details about her missing memories. Will Constrictor be able to give her the answers she needs, or will the mystery of Rogue’s past with John Stelton remain unsolved? We will have to wait and see how things unfold when Rogue #3 drops next month on March 25th.
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