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And we’re back…sort of! After a long wait, Marauders #10 has finally seen the light of day. While there won’t be another issue until August, there’s quite a bit to chew on here in the meantime. Marauders #10 is written by Gerry Duggan, with art by Stefano Caselli, colors by Edgar Delgado, letters by Cory Petit, and designs by Tom Muller. The cover was provided by Russell Dauterman and Matt Wilson.
Prepping For War
You get the feeling in the beginning of Marauders #10 that Sebastian Shaw is taking something of a victory lap, giddy with his apparent victory over Emma Frost and her former Red Queen. But while Shaw is musing over his newly-made whiskey, courtesy of Forge and Tempus, Storm arrives to take Forge to task for matters more grave. War is being declared on mutants on the high seas, and the Marauders themselves are being de-powered by tech based on old designs Forge made.
Storm brought Forge into the fold in hopes he could be utilized in their fight against his own designs. Many things highlight the significance of the coming conflict. Firstly, Emma leaves with the team to sea herself to lead them into battle. With Magneto’s advice to make a show of force and leave none standing, the stakes are raised and the tension is palpable.
Hell Hath No Fury
Marauders has done a wonderful job fleshing out Emma Frost as not only one of the most powerful and influential mutants in existence, but also as someone with an incredible amount of agency and the wherewithal to do what is necessary.
Gerry Duggan reads every man reading Marauders #10 and it’s handled in a way that doesn’t feel gross, where she has all the power and is just flexing it to her advantage. Absolutely do not mess with the White Queen.
Morality In Marauders #10
The X-Men have long been a metaphor for minorities of all types around the world. Emma highlights some of these in Marauders #10 when she mentions “gay, disabled, and trans” communities as groups that would be shielded from the bigotry of these men she’s wrangled. It’s one thing to imply that X-Men works as a metaphor for any given minority, but it’s quite another to see it plainly stated for all to see. Taking racists and bigots to the task is so perfect for this cultural moment, it couldn’t have worked out better.
There’s a question of whether or not Emma taking away their ability to express bigotry is violating their free speech, however, I disagree, as bigotry is not an expression of opinion but rather something that steps on the rights of others. Calling attention to this and taking this stance is something that feels perfectly at home in an X-Men comic, natural even. Gerry clearly has a strong idea of what the mutant metaphor means to minorities and it’s life-affirming to see it in practice, in-canon.
Data Pages
Data pages have been an invaluable tool in packing these issues with content in an easily digestible manner. Rather than overwhelming the pages of art with too many words, they serve as in-canon exposition for a multitude of things, but also helps reinforce emotional beats. There are two data pages in Marauders #10, one being a letter from Kate to Kurt before she was killed by Shaw, and one from Kurt in response after Kate was killed.
These are some of my favorite data pages thus far as they relish in the wholesomeness that is Kate and Kurt’s friendship. I’m a sucker for gooey, emotional moments with Kurt, and this really scratched that itch, as well as provides some potential clues for his and Kate’s intertwined future in the X-books as a whole.
The Art Of Marauders #10
Caselli and Delgado worked great in concert together, as always. The facial expressions are beautifully rendered by Caselli, where everybody looks gorgeous. Delgado’s coloring is consistent, rarely faltering and showing the same character with different skin tones. They bring vibrancy and energy to the book that matches Gerry’s script and plot excellently. It ranks among the cleanest art in any current X-book.
What Did We Think Of Marauders #10?
While the pacing was thrown off because of a changed schedule for comic releases, this was an exciting return for the sea-faring mutant team. There are still some heavy emotional stakes and a hefty amount of mystery surrounding Kate. It’s clear that we are playing the long game here, potentially not seeing closure to these plots for quite some time, but as we march towards the forthcoming X Of Swords, you can bet things will continue to heat up. See you in August for Marauders #11!
