The legendary Chris Claremont, the writer who defined the X-Men and crafted the franchise's most influential stories, returns with a brand new saga this July starring one of his most popular co-creations, Gambit.
Featuring artwork by rising star Sid Kotian, Gambit will be a five-issue limited series that invites fans back to the exciting time when Gambit and a de-aged Storm forged an everlasting bond as they thieved their way along the Mississippi River. Along the way, the series will unearth a wide range of previously untold adventures, from a brush with the Shadow King to an array of earthbound and out-of-this-world escapades.
All of those will give Claremont a chance to further explore Gambit's path to becoming a heroic X-Man as well as reveal new insights into another trademark character of his, Storm, at a pivotal moment in her history.
You can now get your first look at a story that promises action, intrigue and revenge thanks to new interior artwork and variant covers by all-star artists Salvador Larroca, Peach Momoko, Scott Williams, and InHyuk Lee.
Asked by AiPT Comics why he chose to revisit this specific era, Claremont said: "Because I considered it somewhere that provided the opportunity for a whole-lotta-fun to be had by all involved. Think about it: who notices kids? The way Remy dresses, not to mention his great body and gorgeous looks, most of the time all eyes turn towards him."
"[Kid] 'Ro remains functionally invisible. Target looks to Remy, 'Ro picks his pocket. But the true reason, frankly, is that the story turned out to be a whole lot more fun this way."
Claremont actually wrote a story outline for the Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum that was scrapped when Disney acquired Fox. Whether he'll bring any of those ideas into this limited series remains to be seen, but any time he returns to the Marvel Universe is good news for comic book fans.
Gambit #1 arrives in comic book stores on July 27.