The Good
This issue is significantly better than the first. I like that James Asmus set up the story in the first issue and jumps right into what's happening to Gambit now. We reflected on who he was already, and got an outline of what the character has been up to in the first issue. Now we can dive right into a new story centered around Remy which is something I think is necessary. I think it's good that Asmus didn't focus so much on Remy's past and moved right into his own story. In this issue we see he's already been attacked by this ancient artifact, so now he's got to figure out how to fix his problem -- how to get the damn thing out of his body.
There's a big focus on Gambit as a thief here that is really cool to see. He's ditched the long brown trench-coat and sweatband for a sleek, tight fitting dark costume, gotten himself some new gadgets, and he isn't afraid to use them. This issue alone convinced me that Gambit would make the perfect central character for a fun spy movie. Additionally, I thought that the fast pace of the issue really complimented the story. He's a spy and has to get in and out of the facility quickly, so the quick mid-action dialogue was very complimentary to the story. The action scenes Gambit shares with this mysterious female character are a lot of fun, too.
The sexual tension between the two characters is good, funny and entertaining -- a great portrayal of Gambit's character and personality. It's funny seeing how easily distracted he gets when he's dealing with an attractive woman, so seeing him falter and stumble through some of the scenes in this issue is rather amusing. It's nice to see that some things just never change.
This is a nice change from the traditional mutant-centric Gambit who shuffles telekinetic playing cards. I like the focus on thievery and spy-action and found it fits his character really well.
The Bad
Plot holes aren't good for a comic, especially one that's just starting out; but there's a pretty obvious one here. In the midst of their battle, Gambit and the mysterious woman are speaking when she suddenly whips out a blade and attempts to (unsuccessfully) carve the relic out of his torso. She then goes on to say that he needs her in order to remove the artifact -- but if it's as easy as carving it out of his body, does he really need her? Can't he do that himself? I understand that that's not a possibility, since we saw he already attempted to do exactly that at the start of this issue. So if she really knows how to remove it, why did she try to carve it out of him in the first place? I had a real problem with this scene because I just thought it was so obvious.
The Verdict
Like I previously mentioned, I get that Asmus has to push the story along -- he's got to get these two characters to team up and this was an easy way to do it. It's not that it's bad, and it might be something that clears up in the next few issues. I love this idea of a spy thriller starring Gambit, the globe-trotting thief. It's fun and interesting and it just really makes sense with the type of character he is. I think Asmus did a great job writing Gambit as this really interesting and fun character, and I definitely enjoyed this issue more than issue #1. Clay Mann is the perfect artist for this series; he's done a great job creating fluid, action packed panels and his talents really shine here.