If you're looking for the right balance of high adventure and political intrigue, look no farther than "Marauders." Read Full Review

Duggan takes the Marauders and does the total opposite of what fans' expectations were of the title before it began. Duggan creates a team that feels like a family and throws the reader into the household forming a bond within two issues! The narrative is overly amusing, fun, and showcases Captain Pryde like never before. If your looking for a good time (sounds like an escort service advertisement), this X-Men series is for you. Fans better hop aboard now before the series pulls too far out to sea. Read Full Review

It's easy to gather Dawn of X is working thanks to each book feeling so new and fresh. Marvel Comics has dropped a brand new direction on the mutants and creators like Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli are running with it so well they may just win this marathon of excellent comic storytelling. Read Full Review

There's one quote that will stick with us till the end of time thanks to Marauders #2. “I am the Red Queen, *****”. Aside from the core X-Men book, you would be crazy not to have Marauders on your pull-list. This book is only two issues in and already entertainment value at its finest. I look forward to what comes next after all the foundation we also got through this issue. Read Full Review

Coloring issues aside, this is still a wonderful issue. However, the recurring ignorance of flesh tones in different environments really drags the book down a few points. Heres hoping someone notices next time. Read Full Review

Marauders #2 is a solid comic adding more of a focus on the series. It plants a flag as to how it differs from the other series and teases some conflicts to come. Marauders #2 is the play to its sister series' action flick. It's a comic whose character interactions makes it stand out. Read Full Review

Watching Kate Pryde's personal renaissance continue in Marauders #2 is a blast. Combine that with some interesting political maneuvering from Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw and you have yourself a comic book that is fun and enjoyable on multiple levels. Read Full Review

There is obviously still a lot of story to play out in the pages of this book. With the exception of the big news out of X-Force #1, the Marauders have been the most crossover-friendly aspects of Dawn of X thus far, which lends them a feel of dynamism and importance that suits the series well. Hopefully the coloring issues and a little more character development can be worked out, because even with a high bar to clear, Marauders is the best Dawn of X book so far. Read Full Review

Marauders #2 reveals a fresh and welcome new side to the hit series, even if it doesn't hit the high bar of its phenomenal debut. Read Full Review

Marauders leans hard into its pirate them and its characters and both work very well for the overall story. Read Full Review

Bold moves and even bolder colours. An incisive way to reveal what we already knew was a foregone conclusion and still make it intriguing. Read Full Review

To answer my own opening question: Does it work? Not really. There isn't a lot of reasoning or character development to hang the action on in this issue. At some point, these pirates will need a deeper reason to do what they do beyond “Emma told me so” or “I'm with Kate” if this adventure is going to make the cut. Read Full Review

A solid, all round entertaining comic. The creators know how to tell a fun X-Men story and manage to make it accessible to all readers. Read Full Review

Overall, Marauders has a lot of potential to be one of Marvel's best titles, but it needs to dive deeper into some character work to get there. Read Full Review

Overall this was an over the top fun adventure. This book is shaping up to be the comedic entry to some of the other ‘Dawn of X’ titles more serious tones. While it is fun to see pirate Pryde let lose, I also really worry that Gerry Duggan is losing touch with the essence of the character just for the thematic nature of having a pirate X-Men book. Read Full Review

Story-wise, there’s still plenty of potential here. When Duggan lands the comedy the issue sings; the more serious moments with the Hellfire Trading Company, at least for now, don’t quite live up. If you enjoyed the debut issue, you’ll certainly enjoy this one too, and likely find plenty to keep loving as the series goes on. After a well-received debut, Marauders #2 falls a bit flat. Hopefully as Kate finds her footing in her new role, the series will be able to strike a better balance between the scenes with Marauders themselves and Kate’s new business partners. Read Full Review

Overall: Marauders #2 was another poorly written and executed read. I have no idea what the point and purpose of Marauders is supposed to be. I have no idea what reader Duggan is trying to target with this title. I do know that Marauders #2 is definitely not with the expensive $4.99 cover price. There are so many far superior team titles being offered by Marvel and DC that are far more worth your hard-earned money. Read Full Review

I am enjoying this series so far. I like that Kate has become a bit darker and stronger of a character then she has been before. However I don't like that the character seems to be turning into a drunk. What is with all the alcohol she's drinking? Don't make her a weak character that needs alcohol as a crutch. I've always liked her character except her dumping Peter at the wedding pissed me off but for the most part I love the character. This is her time to shine. Don't make her weak now.

More fun mutant pirate adventures with Captain Kate and crew!

Marauders continues to be an excellent Dawn of X title with issue 2. The art is stunning n and Kitty Pryde is truly the real MVP of this comic. Emma Frost is as classy and sarcastic as ever, and I love it. Gotta love that last page, with Kitty proclaiming “I’m the Red Queen, bitch.” It was truly great. Also. I’m calling it now. Bishop will be the Black Bishop lmao

Solid as a rock! Gerry Duggan is going places with this!

This was another really good issue. Maybe not as good as issue one, but the difference isn't much.

Enjoyed this quite a bit. The dialogue and the characters are really what makes this series good. Kitty becoming ultra confident works and she's a great main character to follow along with this group. Her transformation into the Red Queen was pretty cool, and the outfit is also great. Love the art. keep going with this quality!

This was a great follow up to the really exciting first issue. As a Kitty / Kate Pryde fan, I really like the new status quo for her and her merry band of pirates. We are still in setup phase with this issue but it continues to be a great setup. My only complaint would be that Lolli's art feels a little strained by the very quick schedule this book is under. Otherwise, I'm happy to have this X-book in my pull.

THE GOOD:

-Another really fun issue.

-The Emma Frost/Sebastian Shaw storyline was my favorite. I liked the dialogue and story a lot.

-Kitty Pryde is a really fun character.

-The first action scene was really good.

-I like this art. It's not great, but it does its job, and has some personality. And that's enough for me.

-Gerry Duggan still excels at writing humor.

THE BAD:

-I thought the second half dragged a little. Not sure why, but I hated the tattoo parlor scene.

+ Like • Comments (1)

• Likes (3)

• Pickleicious
• Hislight
• myconius

Hislight - Jan 7, 2020

That tatoo scene was terrible!

Sign in to comment

Not at all the biggest X-Men historian, but was Kitty, sorry I mean Kate, always like this? The bandage on her nose from Issue 1 makes her just so cool, and she's simply got what the kids call "swag".

" I already have one. "
- Bishop

I didn't like this as much as the first issue, but it was still good and entertaining. The stuff with the actual Marauders team was good, but I found myself enjoying the dialogue between Emma and Sebastian the most. Sebastian getting absolutely owned was just great, as Mout pointed out in their review. I do hope that this series picks up a little bit, though, as I'm currently feeling a downwards trajectory in quality,

Emma owning Sebastian was so good

Kate and her Marauders serve as Emma's catspaw in the business of putting Sebastian Shaw in his place. It's a good combination of swashbuckling and boardroom intrigue, with fun humor and quality art. But it also feels like this issue came in short of content and rather than inventing more, the author stretched the main story threads in a talented but contrived way.

And there's the change in Kate's character. Drunk, sassy, cursy, kissy, going in for tattoos on a whim. I don't think it's an accidental misread. And I don't think it's a comedic "yarr pirates LOL" change. This is cry for help behavior, and I shudder to think of why Mr. Duggan is putting Kate through it.

While not as good as the first issue, it's still a great read - while not much happens to progress the story (more than half of the issue is just the team fighting some thieves that literally scream filler), a few very important things are revealed, along with some strong writing, which helps it a lot.

This was pretty okay, with some issues. I liked when Emma burned Sebastian Shaw so hard. Oh my god that kiss. yikes.

I enjoyed Marauders #1 more than a lot of other reviewers out there. This review is coming late and issue #5 is sitting on my shelf. The series isn't bad but I'm not sure if I'm gonna keep the series on my pull list much longer.

Issue #1 was a fun read but was definitely one of the lighter X-titles I'd read in a while. This is especially true considering the direction and tone of HOX and POX. Marauders #1 established the team and their mission statement. I didn't have much reason to complain. Marauders #2 is more of the same but whereas the first issue got a solid recommendation from me, this issue gets an enthusiastic meh.

The problem is that this incarnation of Kitty Pryde is rubbing me the wrong way. This is not the Kitty Pryde I grew up with and it appears that another personality has been grafted onto the character I knew and loved. I understand the adjustments for the series but I question why have Kate in this role at all?

After reading the issue the character that immediately comes to mind to lead the Marauders was Callisto of the Morlocks. I realize the choice isn't the sexiest or most marketable choice but it makes sense from a setting and in-universe perspective. Callisto already has experience leading a nation of mutants. She looks like a pirate, fits the antihero vibe and has a long history Kitty Pryde and Storm. With the case presented, Callisto seems like an easy pick to be Emma's choice as Red Queen.

The book itself is okay but the tone is a bit too snarky and goofy to be taken seriously. The opening action set piece has the Marauders going up against Batroc The Leaper and his crew. He gives the team a lot more trouble than he should have considering that Storm and Iceman are a part of the group.

Kate gets more great moments showing off her combat abilities but aside from her everyone feels like background noise. While the marauders are doing pirate stuff Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost discuss business and how Sebastian has been screwing up the books.

I'll spare the details to avoid further spoilers but I will say I thought their scenes together were boring. I'm also not a fan of Shaw's depiction in Marauders and X-Men. It's hard to believe that back in the '80s this guy was capable of nearly taking out an entire group of X-Men on his own. In Marauders Shaw can't handle his finances and in X-Men, he's getting beat up by old women.

The scenes are written for laughs and ultimately undermine one of the X-Men's strongest villains. If you're a new X-fan and don't have the years of history with these characters you may find the comic serviceable, even good. From my perspective, many aspects of the book are just bad. I can't recommend the issue for anyone except for die-hard X-Men fans and completionists. more

"Booty inspection"

Yeah, I think Kitty... oh, I'm sorry, Kate is my favorite X-Men.

Marauders #02 follows a very different path for mutants that ends up mischaracterizing some characters. Who would have thought that in a mutant book where we have Shadowcat, the most interesting thing to watch would be the interaction between Shaw and Emma.

The adventure in this edition deviates from the story we thought we would follow in the first edition. What we thought would be a team that would solve/save mutants who can't access Krakoa, turned into a team that does dubious services for the Hellfire Club.

Unfortunately, this is causing Kate to lose her essence. The pirate aesthetic seemed to be a new path for her, but how far are they going to distort her appearance to make her more "badass"?

The fight scenes are still cool and the adventure is promising. The issue continues to match Dawn of X by making references to other mutant volumes, we just need those responsible to get the tone of the comic right. more

So this is Kate Pryde? This issue really showcases who this character is and why we should care about her and I have to admit, it was kind of badass. Still had some weird moments that Im not sure add strength to the story. I was really confused by the tattoo scene honestly and that kiss was both confusing and stupid. Despite the out of touch attempts at youth I felt the last page landed very well. Art was still kind of generic but it served its purpose. Duggan is a little all over the place when it comes to quality but his better moments shine bright with this issue.

Nothing very exciting or new here. Done after 2 issues.

Awfully average. Pretty bland.

Pretty generic. From the dumb pirate premise to Emma Frost and Shawn doing what they always do to Kitty Pryde trying to come off as edgy. Nothing new too see here.

+ Like • Comments (2)

• Likes (1)

• KFuqua

BloodyNinja - Nov 20, 2019

you're the worst kind of rater I just saw your review on Excalibur where you rate it 10 now you're rating this one 1 we don't have to share the same opinions and give the same ratings, divergence is the whole purpose of the site however, you rate the issues as a troll extreme ratings and poor analyses you should be less emotional and more responsible about it ratings like yours make the site less reliable and even less cool

Julian Keller - Dec 11, 2019

Excuse me? I rate issues based on my enjoyment of them alone. I don't appreciate your tone and your condescending behavior. I'm sorry my rating for your favorite has hurt your feelings. Geez. No need to be rude at all.

Sign in to comment