Did we really need another ongoing series featuring the solo adventures of yet another X-Man? The answer, obviously, is no, of course not. To be fair, Robert Rodi's script starts off strong, with an unusual but personal scene that immediately brings the title character's inner conflict to the forefront. But it doesn't take long for the story to venture into generic territory. Likewise, the artwork in the first few pages is impressive, but that strength is lost as the issue progresses.
Rogue once again finds herself cursed by her mutant power. When she touches someone, she absorbs not only their super-powers, if they have any, but their memories and feelings as well. Having absorbed the psyches of so many over the years, Rogue has lost herself in the memories of others, unsure of which ones are hers and which ones are illusions. More than anything else, Rogue longs for a sense of family, and an opportunity presents itself when the X-Men travel to her old hometown to investigate and deal with a powerful new mutant signature.
I enjoyed Cliff Richards's recent work on Birds of Prey, and I was pleased to see his name attached to a new series. The darker, more mature atmosphere that dominated his art on Birds isn't to be found here, but instead, there's a brighter, airy look at play, one that reminds me of the style of Colleen (Orbiter) Doran's work. In the first few pages, he conveys the title character's sadness and isolation incredibly well, but the line art loses definition as the reader gets further into the issue. The super-hero action scenes are surprisingly sketchy and loose. Perhaps Norm Rapmund's inking style doesn't mesh well with Richards's pencils, or maybe Richards rushed to bang out that latter pages.
I really enjoyed the notion of Rogue using her powers to steal a little bit of happiness from those around her. Since there's a physical effect for those she touches, it demonstrates that Rogue is feeling a bit desperate, that she's willing to cross a line to ease her own pain. There's something honest and human in that.
That emotional strength in the opening scene isn't enough to overcome the book's weaknesses, though. Rodi's script seems to ignore all of the progress Rogue has made over the years. This seems like the Rogue of the late 1980s. She seems particularly naive and foolhardy here, as no explanation is given for her sudden emotional downturn. The writer doesn't seem to incorporate the broader context of the character's past.
