The Marauders learn of their terrible loss. Each member processes grief a little differently as Gerry Duggan and Stefano Caselli set the stage for what comes next.
Vishal Gullapalli: We all grieved for Kate a month or two ago, and while we might not all be all the way through the process, we’re at least further along than the poor Marauders this issue. I’m always in for a good emotional gut punch to my favorite characters and it looks like Gerry Duggan has decided to deliver it all at once. As always, there’s a lot to dig into with this book. I think we might be getting spoiled.
Christina Eddleman: I don’t know how much further I really am in my grief. I think I’m just working past denial. I have been so anxious about this issue for frankly very selfish reasons. Will I be cosplaying a dead character next weekend? It looks like it. It’s been a roller coaster of emotion, folks. Tears have been shed and I suppose it’s now time to dive in!
White Petals Raining Red
CE: Krakoa brought with it the promise of never having to say goodbye. No more goodbyes to beloved characters. No more death. Marauders makes not only us as the readers question this but the mutants as well. We don’t have more than the suspicion that Krakoa’s resurrection protocols might not work for Kate, but the mere threat that it might not is enough to negate any mental safety-net it may provide. It reminds us of Krakoa’s newness and how difficult it is for these characters to feel safe. Emma and Storm alone have lost more people dear to them than we can likely count; is it realistic to think the promise of resurrection negates these past traumas?
VG: Based on their reactions and interactions in this issue, I feel like the answer has to be yes. I’ve rarely ever seen a more vulnerable Emma in my life – the only times have been the other times she’s lost her students to horrible tragedies. We’ve seen this woman suffer so much and lose so many people over the past 30 years, it’s just brutal to watch her have to go through it again after this guarantee that it was impossible. And Ororo… Seeing her reaction to what was essentially losing a daughter and seeing her blame herself for it was a heartbreak and a half. I’ve never wanted to give fictional characters a hug more than when I was reading this issue.
CE: Caselli’s art did a phenomenal job bringing this grief to life. Watching Emma’s strong facade evaporate into a puddle on the floor feels hauntingly familiar. Bobby’s rage is palpable. The rain of white roses turned red around Storm and Emma’s embrace is a beautiful detail. This issue gives us such vibrant emotional content you can’t help but experience it with the characters. The medium really shines in these moments.
VG: Bobby’s reaction was honestly the most palpable emotion I felt in this issue, which is saying a lot. The quiet lettering as he says “Murderers.” hit me incredibly hard – Caselli’s shot of him in the big splash page carries so much weight and emotion that just broke my heart. Bobby’s relationship with Kate is a bit on the more complex side, given their failed romance, but the love that every member of the cast has for their captain is unmistakable, and the pain they feel is impossible to not empathize with.
CE: Whether or not they are successful resurrecting Kate, their doubt and their grief shows that it will take more than the promise of safety in Krakoa to give provide piece of mind. Mutants have perhaps lost too much to heal the parts of them that have been devastated by tragedy. But Emma and Storm still seem to have hope that Kate will return, as do I. After all, Lockheed made it, didn’t he? [Ed. note: The riot has been canceled.]
Sinister Secrets
CE: We’ve had our second batch of Sinister Secrets this issue and thought it was high time we take a look at how our first set panned out and take some guesses at the next set!
Sinister Secret #11
Whispers on the wind that a certain mutant undergoing a new phase of their life is sitting on quite an offer. It won’t last, but I wonder if they’d be surprised to know they were not the first nor the second choice. Perhaps the third time’s the charm.
VG: Well, this one was obviously Kate. We figured it when the issue came out, and I don’t think anyone’s really surprised. Still curious who the other choice was, though – we knew about Ororo, but who else?
CE: It may have been the Cuckoos, but I’m not certain that’s what Emma had been asking them or if that’s just what we’re to assume.
Sinister Secret #12
Humanity’s health and well-being was never a popular topic around Bar Sinister, but now that Krakoan medicines are keeping us afloat we probably ought to pay attention to the changing of the tides at Hellfire Bay. We hear one of the seas to be carefully navigated is deep and red.
CE: This also seems to be pretty clearly indicating Kate taking on the role of Red Queen, while also still hinting at the danger associated with this position. Taking on the job cost Kate her life, after all.
Sinister Secret #13
Speaking of the Black and the White, not everyone got their invite. Quite a faux pas! We hope there’s not a fight.
VG: This one seems to be about Shinobi, at least as far as I can tell. Sebastian’s still quite mad over his lack of power in the council, as we all know based on #6. Clearly it’s going to lead to a fight, but there technically hasn’t been one yet!
Sinister Secret #14:
Humans wearing sheets always lead to trouble. Who are these kooky new looky-loos crowding our gates?
CE: This alludes to a few possibilities. Of course we saw X-Cutioner and noted sheet-wearer Hate Monger in issues 5 and 6, but we’ve also seen cults form around mutant worship, so we’ve got our share of kooky folks!
Sinister Secret #15:
We hear the slow boat is built to catch all the eyes, but it’s the one under the radar that’s really turning heads.
VG: So this one is clearly about the Mercury, Emma Frost’s not-a-boat/not-a-sub that’s definitely going under the radar. If it’s not a boat, and if it’s not a sub, what actually is it?
Sinister Secret #16:
Shade for one: I respect the power move — but come on. If I can make a meeting, anyone can. C’mon, K.
CE: Interestingly enough, this secret seems to be about something we’ve already seen. K we can safely assume is Kate who missed the Quiet Council meeting. This perhaps means that Sinister doesn’t know Kate has been consigned to Davy Jones’ Locker.
Sinister Secret #17:
Wait-listed by Jumbo? A few of my thirsty patrons quenching thirsts have been quizzical about a certain quirky Q that can’t quite catch his quarry. We hear he’s blaming his wardrobe. It does quite make the man. Perhaps it’s time for a fabulous cape.
VG: With the number of Qs in this one, it just has to be about Quentin Quire, who’s really bad at getting people to like him – romantically or otherwise. He started a riot when Jumbo Carnation died, so he’d definitely feel entitled to a fast-tracked new look. Not sure if Jumbo would agree, though.
Sinister Secret #18:
“Make more mutants” they said. Now, be honest: who did you have crossing the finish line first? Probably a pretty redhead or blonde — well, nobody got this one right. Congrats to former wild child Stinger — good luck with that baby bump. If the kid turns out to be interesting, bring him by Krakoa.
CE: Well Stinger is none other than electricity-manipulating Wendy Sherman who I don’t think we’ve seen in comics in nearly a decade. Duggan has certainly brought a slew of forgotten characters into Marauders. Perhaps she’ll see her return soon? [Ed. note: I am a noted X-Men enthusiast and I have no dang idea who this is. Good for Wendy, hope the child is happy and that mom is able to get some sleep.]
Sinister Secret #19:
Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who are the grossest mutants of them all? No, not the Morlocks. Don’t punch down, muties. Well, it’s not for me to say, but keep your eyes on a swivel and you may spot them when you think you’re seeing double.
VG: I’m genuinely stumped here – which mutants make you see double? Multiple Man is just one mutant, and I don’t really know of any twins – maybe Monet’s siblings? I have genuinely no clue….
Sinister Secrets Revealed!
UGH. Of course it’s Fenris! You can’t spell Von Strucker without the SUCK. If only we knew anyone on the Quiet Council to suggest growing a new Krakoa and leaving them on it.
VG: oh.
I’m really enjoying how Duggan uses these Sinister Secrets – they were great in HOX/POX, and they’re great here. They add a distinct sense of personality to Krakoa.
CE: I’ve loved going back to connect the dots as things have been revealed. It’s interesting that our latest set was even less cryptic than the first. It definitely seems we’ll have some new players on the board soon!
Breadcrumbs
CE: Duggan’s storytelling delights me because we have our center stage plot and a trail of breadcrumbs to follow for those with a keen eye. I still have very many questions about elements of this issue and others for that matter. I have been utterly fixated on a particular moment from this issue. When the Marauders arrive to Gallagher Salvage’s ship that recovered Kate’s body, Bobby begins to freeze a chamber of the boat containing armed soldiers. Inexplicably, one of the soldiers, Sarge, begins to remove his armor and states that he is “burning up.” Not only that, but after the encounter Bobby and Bishop appear to teleport to Emma’s not-a-ship/not-a-sub. What sort of shenanigans are going on here? I am dying to know more about Emma’s vessel and it’s capabilities.
VG: I’m genuinely not sure either, it’s left me really confused. I have a couple of ideas, but none of them are super convincing so far. One is that Bobby’s ability to take heat away from things is also an ability to add heat to things, or to transfer heat. House of X #1’s data page describes it as “Temperature Manipulation [Negative]” which seems to put a dent in that theory, though – maybe it’s also positive now? Another idea is that Emma, with her increased range of powers that she described to Bishop at the beginning of the issue, could have made this one guy think he was really hot. But this seems out of place and out of character for Emma, who wouldn’t just pick on this one human to torture. Lastly, there’s also the ongoing thread of Verendi’s fake mutant drugs. Maybe these people are taking them – and maybe they’re having side effects. This also feels a bit strange, though, as there weren’t any signposts for it. Hopefully this gets revealed as we go, I trust Duggan to do it well. [Ed. note: For more on that, check out Wolverine #1]
CE: There are several more plot threads I hope to see followed up on as well. In issue 3 we see Shinobi meet with his oyassan, or master, indicating that he has debts that need to be paid. This is a seed sown and awaiting harvest. In this issue Sebastian seems all too pleased with himself, and it’s still unclear how involved Shinobi may have been in Kate’s death. Shinobi to me, is quite a wild card. I am also dying to see more of Island M. We’ve heard it mentioned so often and even saw Emma offer to take a group of school children there, but I don’t think it’s been made clear just what the Marauders have been up to there. Anything else gnawing at your mind, Vishal?
VG: The only other thing is something you mentioned earlier – Emma offered something to the Cuckoos early on in #2, before her meeting with Sebastian. At this point. Kate had already been selected to be the Red Queen, which seems to squash the theory that Emma’s offer to them was a place in the Hellfire Club. But honestly I don’t know what else it could have been. Do you have any ideas?
CE: Do you think that perhaps she was offering them the position of White Bishop before she chose Christian? In the same conversation Emma mentions that there won’t be a Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Trading Company until she sorts some things out, but I can’t imagine she was hoping to make the Cuckoos Lord Imperial. Maybe? These little unsolved snippets are what keep me awake at night, Vishal. I will never sleep again at this rate.
VG: This was a more singularly focused issue for me, it was mostly just there to give our characters the room to express their grief in a really really emotional way. I’m glad we got a chance to slow down and look back. I’m also still into the side stuff going on – Hellfire intrigue, Sinister Secrets, and Lockheed are all great – but we all needed to see this raw emotion.
CE: This issue gives the impression of being an ellipsis of sorts, giving our characters room to grieve and process their loss while still providing the reader a meaty issue to ponder. We have a lot to look forward to in the coming issues and I cannot wait.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Krakoan reads NEXT: YELLOWJACKET
- Wow. Isn’t it neat to see the mutants on Mars. Who could’ve predicted that?
- Automatons built by Forge make me nervous.
- Bishop hearing Emma’s heart race was such a poignant moment.
Christi Eddleman is the world’s first Captain Kate Pryde cosplayer and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
Vishal Gullapalli is a comics enthusiast studying computer science to enable his media consumption. He’s currently reading through the entirety of DC’s New 52 (for some reason) and logging his experience.
Christi Eddleman is the world’s first Captain Kate Pryde cosplayer and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
Vishal Gullapalli is highly opinionated and reads way too much.
